Totally Unauthorized

Learning is not always painless

Have you quit learning bridge?  Do you think you know as much as you need to?  Why?

I play a decent game, but the more I know the more I realize there is to learn.  So once a month or so Gail and I and a couple of friends take a professional lesson from Gene Simpson.

For 3 hours, we play the boards Gene brings, after each he tells us how we could have done it better.  There is no such thing as a hand with no lesson–every card has meaning, every auction has options, nuances and inferences.  Defense is the big weakness in my game, and Gene never lets me get away with sloppy thinking or careless carding.

Working with a pro is a way to improve our individual skill and our partnership agreements. Today we shared the lesson with BJ Ledgerwood and Terry Boyd, who are in a newer stage of partnership building than Gail and I.  It doesn’t much matter where you are starting from, at the end of a lesson you’ll be a better player than before.

Here are two big bidding notes from today:

1. When the opponents open the auction, then stop in 1NT, the player in 4th seat (that’s YOU) should be playing whatever system you ordinarily play over their 1NT opening.  It is important not to sell out cheaply, and using your tools gives you more ways to express your hand.
2. If you open 1 of a minor and partner responds 2NT, your re-bid of 3H or 3S shows a singleton or void. Partner can still bid 3NT with weakness covered, or retreat to a fit in a minor suit.

Expertise doesn’t come cheap, but going away to regionals and not winning isn’t cheap, either.  Splitting the cost 4 ways makes it reasonable.  We enjoy our sessions with Gene, and feel that we get more than our moneys worth every time.  The better we play, the more we enjoy the game.  That’s a win-win situation if ever I saw one.