Pre-registration is no longer required, but is appreciated, as it helps us with our planning. The only thing we ask you to do is to pre-purchase your booklet(s) of tickets before coming to class so that there is not a long line of students all waiting to purchase them.

Click to REGISTER for classes.

Location:  Potomac United Methodist Church’s Activity Center Building. We hold many classes a week at this site. The address is 9908 South Glen Rd., Potomac, MD 20854. It is at the intersection of Democracy Blvd. and Falls Rd., the entrance to the parking lot is on Falls Road. (Facing the building, park on the left side or in the center of the lot.)

Tuition: We have lowered our fees due to the ease of our new bookkeeping procedures. All classes can be purchased by using the new “Bridge Buck” tickets (one booklet of 3 tickets sells for $78 online or $75 in class). You can buy these online with your credit card on our Purchase page OR you can purchase in class. If you prefer to pay by the class, the fee is $30 cash or check.

NOTE: There will no longer be any make up coupons issued as each class is paid separately using either Bridge Buck tickets, cash or check.

Beginner Level:

Brand New Beginner Bridge Part 1! Wednesdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie and Charlie. For those who’ve never played before or who haven’t played in many years and want to start over. Topics: point count evaluation, opening bids and responses, basic play of the hand techniques. Six weeks, starts April 3 and ends May 8. Registration recommended!

Beginner Bridge Part 2. Wednesdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie and Charlie. Basic bidding and responses are reviewed as well as an introduction to a few new bids (takeout doubles, preempts, overcalls, and the strong 2C opening bid). This is also a great class for those who played years ago and want to get back into bridge and modernize their skills. Six weeks, starts May 15 and ends June 19.

Beginner Bridge Part 3: Introduction to Play of the Hand. Thursdays 7—9 PM. Taught by Charlie. Now that you have a basic knowledge of bidding, let us show you how to plan the play of the hand. Usually there is some method that must be used to actually make your contract. We will show you the methods of counting your tricks and recognizing how to find the extra ones that you will need. Includes: Promotion, Length, Finessing, and How to Get Rid of Losers. Six weeks, starts April 11 and ends May 16.    Note Evening Time!

Beginner Bridge 4: Introduction to Basic Conventions. Thursdays 7—9 PM. Taught by Charlie. Topics: Stayman, Jacoby Transfers, Weak 2’s, the Strong 2§ Opener and Blackwood. We spend up to 1-1/2 weeks on each topic. These are conventions that you must learn to complete your basic bidding arsenal. After this class you will graduate to intermediate level. Six weeks, starts May 23 and ends June 27.    Note Evening Time!

 

 Intermediate Level:

Polishing Your Bridge, Parts 1 and 2. Mondays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie and Charlie. One of our most popular classes; students are amazed at the amount of new information that they acquire. You don’t have to take both parts; each chapter stands alone. Two six-week courses.                                                                                                                        Part 1: Six weeks, starts March 25 and ends May 6. (No class on April 22.) Topics: Categorize your Strength; Which Suit Do I Bid First?; The Best Opening Bid Ever; Bidding With Minimum Hands; New Ways to Invite Game; and Major Suit Raises (and the Losing Trick Count).                                                                                                                                          Part 2: Six weeks, starts May 13 and ends June 24. (No class May 27.) Topics: The “Weak Freak”; Don’t Rebid a  Five-Card Suit When You Have a Reasonable Alternative; Responder’s Only Forcing Bid; When a New Suit by Responder is not Forcing; and the Decider and Describer (2 weeks).

Signaling, Parts 1 and 2—Introduction to Defense. Mondays 7—9 PM. Taught by Charlie. Learn how to signal your partner about what’s in your hand. Partner will start playing like a genius after this course (and that should make you very happy). Two six-week courses.  Note Evening Time!                                                                                                                                       Part 1: Six weeks, starts March 25 and ends May 6. (No class on April 22.) Topics: Opening Leads; 2nd Hand Low; 3rd Hand High; Attitude Signals; and Using Attitude Signal           Part 2: Six weeks, starts May 13 and ends June 24. (No class May 27.) Topics: Signaling When Discarding; Leading From Interior Sequences; Leading 4th Best; and Looking for a Ruff.  

 Major Suit Raises Part 1. Thursdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie. Week 1: Weak Raises with Help Suit Game Tries (love finding those 22 point games!); Week 2: Limit Raises the Expert Way (love finding those 23 point games!); Week 3: Jacoby 2NT Raises (love finding those 28 point slams!); Week 4: Splinter Raises! (More 28 point slams!); Week 5: Major Suit Raises in Competition. Week 6 will be a review/mix of all of them, with you figuring out which treatment goes with each hand. No handouts for this class: book with all hands available for $10 each. Six weeks, starts April 11 and ends May 16.

 Modern Notrump Bidding. Thursdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie. Topics: Modernize your 1NT openings to 15-17 and learn the tweaks and judgment to use it successfully. Stayman and Transfers are covered with some new twists that are not so basic. Reaching slams after notrump openings (some with Stayman and Jacoby transfers) along with the Gerber convention. This is more sophisticated than the basic concepts you’ve had in the past. For instance, can you use Stayman and transfers after interference by an opponent? No handouts for this class: book with all hands available for $10 each. Six weeks, starts May 23 and ends June 27.

Leslie Sez! Thursdays, 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Charlie. Want to hear my voice in your head more often? Take this class! Week 1: TNT (Think Notrump); Week 2: Keep Winners, Throw Losers (not as easy as it sounds); Week 3: The Rule of 20 (opening light in 1st or 2nd seat); Week 4: Rule of Margaritas (opening light in 3rd seat—Yeehaw!!); Week 5: When NOT to use “Eight Ever, Nine Never”; Week 6: Is Notrump of Major Importance? (Choosing.) Six weeks, starts April 11 and ends May 16.

 Avoiding Common Bridge Dilemmas. Thursdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Charlie. Topics include: Weeks 1: Rule of 7—When to take your ace as declarer; Weeks 2 & 3: Reopening Doubles—to get your side back into the auction; Weeks 4, 5 & 6: How to Play NT Like an Expert!! Six weeks, starts May 23 and ends June 27.

Advanced Level:

Eddie Kantar’s Favorite Teaching Deals. Tuesdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie and Charlie. Week 1: Delayed Major Suit Raises; Week 2: The Dangerous Dummy; Week 3: Recognizing Little Cards as Entries; Week 4: Don’t Take That Finesse!; Week 5: That Crucial First Trick; Week 6: Lead Directing Doubles. Six weeks, starts April 9 and ends May 14.

Advanced Supervised Bidding, Play and Defense, Part 1. Tuesdays 10 AM—Noon. Taught by Leslie and Charlie. “Genius  is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.”—Thomas Edison. Most of our flashes of brilliance at the bridge table come after a failure. (Sort of a “D’oh!!” moment.) We have assembled some of the most inspiring teaching deals we have and mixed them together so you won’t know in advance if it’s a bidding, play or defense problem. This is one of our most well received classes! Six weeks, starts May 21 and ends June 25.