Teaching Bridge with Bells and Whistles

Here is a message for bridge teachers from the authors:

Teaching Intermediate Bridge

Bridge with Bells and Whistles has a lot of great material for intermediate lessons. To get you started, we’re providing six of our favorite intermediate lesson plans.

• Better than Blackwood -- about control bidding and 1430 Roman Keycard
• Jacoby Two Notrump: Get to Your Major Suit Slams
• The Magic of Singletons -- about splinters
• Major Suit Raises: Bergen with Four Trumps
• Major Suit Raises: Be Careful with Three Trumps
• Slam Bidding: Practice Deals

Each of the lesson plans includes teacher talking points, student exercises, practice deals and suggested reading and homework. At the end of each plan you’ll find tabletop hand records for quick and easy student assembly of practice deals.

You may use the plans for stand-alone lessons or you can mix and match to create four-week courses. For a four-week course on slams, we use:

• Better than Blackwood
• The Magic of Singletons
• Jacoby Two Notrump: Get to Your Major Suit Slams
• Slam Bidding: Practice Deals

For a four-week course on major suit bidding, we use:

• Major Suit Raises: Bergen with Four Trumps
• The Magic of Singletons
• Jacoby Two Notrump: Get to Your Major Suit Slams
• Major Suit Raises: Be Careful with Three Trumps

We love to hear from bridge teachers. With questions, problems or suggestions, email us at whimsey@atlantic.net.