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There is no better place in Sydney to learn bridge or improve your game than at Trumps in Mosman. Read on to see what is coming up! Bridge lessons are a thoughtful and beneficial gift; if you'd like to purchase a lesson voucher, email us now or ring (02) 9969 5959 with your credit card details.

 

Mini lessons
Coaching
Beginners' lessons
Beginner training
Training

Training for Open players

Sunday Workshops

Bidding & Play Workshops

Improvers' lessons and training
Intermediate lessons

Advance your defence
Directors' Course

Not yet scheduled:
Multi Twos

Kids' bridge lessons
Slam bidding: RKCB & Control bidding
All About Notrumps
Intermediate Refresher Day
Doubles workshop
Checkback

Other Sunday Workshops
Ron Klinger lessons for Charity
Signals
Improvers' Refresher Day
Coaching Assessment
Handling artificial auctions
Pairs Play Workshop
Beginner Review/Refresher
Benjamin Twos
Open lessons

mother with baby

Mini Lessons
These are held before our supervised and intermediate play sessions.
There is no extra charge for these short talks. Just usual table money of $8 ($10 non-members).

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Coaching
Open coaching or lessons are frequently held on Saturday mornings.

Coaching for developers is 1.30pm on almost all Saturdays and is conducted largely as a play session but featuring personalised coaching at the table. Not held on Saturdays when a workshop is held - come to that instead! e.g. Game Bidding 19 July, Suit play 16 Aug, Dynamic Defence 30 Aug.

Coaching is $11 for members, $14 for visitors. These Saturday sessions are in the Spit Road room (there is also a regular 1.30pm duplicate in the other room).

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Beginners' lessons

We run a special offer on beginner lessons: five 2-hour lessons for just $59 (+ $1 if using credit card), with a practice session and textbook (Beginners' Bridge) included, as well as our "beginners' special" offer on membership. No experience necessary and you don't need a partner. As the leading teaching club, we have supervised sessions and lessons to continue the developing process and we now offer after-course Beginner Training.

The main teacher is Derrick Browne. Next courses:

7.30 - 9.30pm Thursdays from 24 July (to 21 August) or

10am - noon Thursdays from 25 September (to 23 October).

 

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Beginner training
Back to basics Novice training! Suitable as a refresher, or an ideal opportunity to consolidate the material from beginner lessons with play, play, and more play of instructional hands designed to reinforce the knowledge you have been given as well as introducing some other valuable points. Each training session is $14, or $11 for members. Monday 25 August and 1 September, 7.15pm. 

For more developer training, attend the Coaching on Saturdays 1.30pm.

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Training for Open players
with Will, 4.15-6pm Fridays from 4 July

Practice conventions and more, such as two-suiter overcalls, Jacoby and Truscott 2NT, slams, transfers!
$11 ($14 for visitors) a lesson.

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Sunday Workshops
10am start

Improve your game bidding with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm Saturday 19 July (pitched towards developers) or Sunday 20 July (pitched towards experienced players).

Suit declarer play with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm Saturday 16 August (pitched towards developers) or Sunday 17 August (pitched towards experienced players).

Dynamic Defence 10am to 3.30pm, last weekend in August. Developers Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August, $50/$55. Open Sunday 31 August, $26/$29 for just one day. A light lunch is included.

Competitive bidding for profit with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm Sunday 21 September (one day only).

ALSO: Spring Workshop 26 Oct 2008; 10am to 3.15pm with Derrick Browne
Practical play of 16 set hands, which we review. Lots of enjoyable play, but also a great learning experience.

Price (unless otherwise specified): $27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Bidding & Play Workshops
Spring Workshop 26 Oct 2008; 10am to 3.15pm with Derrick Browne
Practical play of 16 set hands, which we review. Lots of enjoyable play, but also a great learning experience.
$27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Improver training
Fridays, 1.45pm with Derrick or Will, 27 June to 25 July.

Ideal for anyone who enjoyed the Improvers' course. Openings and responses, notrump bidding, slams, interposes and more, plus declarer play and defence! Each training session is $14, or $11 for members. A good chance to consolidate as you play. Then: Friday afternoons becomes a supervised improver duplicate from 1 August.

For more developer training, attend the Coaching on Saturdays 1.30pm.

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Improvers' Lessons
Thursdays, 10am to 12.30pm, with Derrick and Will from 31 July (to 18 September);

following course probably 7.15pm Mondays from 20 Oct (to 8 Dec)


Ideal as a refresher or consolidation course, these lessons cover the most important issues for developers. How to make decisions; Stayman; Suit openings and Blackwood; Responder shifts; Rebids; Overcalls; Doubles; and Pre-empts. Plus a card play tip and four practice hands with each chapter.
8 weeks for $95 (or $80 for members), or $14 ($11 for members) a lesson.

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Intermediate Lessons
Wednesdays, 7.15-9.45pm with Derrick or Ed from 6 August (to 24 September)

Reverses, Transfers, the Unusual NT, Negative Doubles and other important conventions. Plus a card play tip and four practice hands with each chapter. Based on the book Intermediate Bridge.
8 weeks for $95 ($80 for members), or $14 ($11 for members) a lesson.

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Advance Your Defence
Saturdays, 10am-1pm with Will from 12 July

Passive and active leads, forcing defence, count signals, suit preference signals, unblocking, surround leads and entry-killing, creating extra trump tricks, setting up ruffs, card reading.
8 weeks for $95 ($80 for members), or $14 ($11 for members) a lesson. Not held on workshop days 19 July, 16, 30 August.

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Directors' Course

Sunday 14 September, 10am to 4.30pm, with Tony Howes
This course deals with aspects of directing needed to run the most basic sessions at club level, including Laws, Movements and Scoring. $50pp. At then end of the course, a take-home exam will be available to those wishing to become qualified as directors at Club Level ($33). Also suitable for players who would just like to know more about this side of the game.

Beforehand, on  Sunday 27 July, 1-5pm, we have a free (members only) introduction to teaching, supervising and directing.

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Youth & kids' lessons
Kids' bridge lessons are held at most once a year, usually during school holidays. You can email us now if you have a group who are interested and we may be able to set up a course at a suitable time. These are normally very relaxed, play-based sessions but if there are kids or youth who tell us they would genuinely like to get into the theory, we can cater for that too.
Hillary & Frances, with Santa peeking

 

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Intermediate Training
last held Mondays 1.30pm-4pm from 8-29 January 2007, with Derrick Browne or (22 Jan) Gabbie Pitcher
Practice your Unusual NT, Negative and penalty doubles, Shape-showing, Transfers and Slams, with play and analysis. $11/$14 each training session, including typically 8 play hands plus notes.
 

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Intermediate Lessons
last held 2007 with Derrick 10am to 12.30pm Thursdays from 19 July (to 6 September)

Reverses, Transfers, the Unusual NT, Negative Doubles and other important conventions. Plus a card play tip and four practice hands with each chapter. Based on the book Intermediate Bridge.
8 weeks for $80 ($95 for non-members), or $11 ($14 for visitors) a lesson.

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Beginners' Refresher/Review
last held 2007, 10am to 3pm, Sunday 5 August

Join other beginner students for the latter half of a beginner course, reviewing the basics (but not the real basics like what HCP are!). Ideal for beginners who have missed some lessons or who would like an overview of what they have learnt, or for those who have been out of bridge and need a gentle re-introduction. $22/$27 includes lunch. Lots of play as well as theory.

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Open Lessons
last held 2008, Thursdays, 10am to 12.30pm with Derrick from 1 May (to 19 June)

At last, the course that covers Jacoby 2NT, trial bids, stopper showing, Michaels cue bids, bidding over double, sacrificing, balancing, and more! Plus a card play tip and four practice hands with each chapter.
8 weeks for $80 ($95 for non-members), or $11 ($14 for visitors) a lesson.

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Slam bidding - RKCB & Control bidding
Fridays 2pm-4.30pm with Derrick
Roman Keycard Blackwood 13 April; Control bidding (cue bidding to slam) 20 April. $11 ($14) a lesson.

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Bidding & Play Workshops
typically we hold the Autumn and Spring workshops in even years, and the Summer and Winter workshops in odd years. See also other Sunday workshops held e.g. Pairs, Counting Losers, and many more

Spring Workshop held 26 Oct 2008; 10am to 3.15pm with Derrick Browne
Winter Workshop held 19 Aug 2007; 10am to 3.15pm with Derrick Browne
Autumn Workshop held 4 May 2008; 10am to 3pm with Derrick Browne
Summer Workshop held 12 March 2006; 10am to 3.15pm with Derrick Browne

Counting losers last held 2007: 30 September with Derrick, 10am-3.15pm. Plan the hand by counting losers, work out whether to ruff or discard them and when, and create surplus winners.

Intermediate workshop - Notrump declarer play, held 2007: 29 July, 10am-3pm: Workshop with Will in main room. Practical play of 16 set hands, which we review. Lots of enjoyable play, but also a great learning experience.
$27 includes lunch (members $22).

last held 2008: Slam bidding and play with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm Saturday 19 April (pitched towards developers) or Sunday 20 April (pitched towards experienced players).

last held 2008: Deductive declarer play with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm Saturday 14 June (pitched towards developers) or Sunday 15 June (pitched towards experienced players).

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Checkback Workshop
last held Sunday 1 June, 10am to 3.30pm
With John Newman. Bid better over partner's notrump rebid. $27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Other Sunday Workshops
10am start

The top five bidding errors with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm, last held Sunday 3 February 2008.

Negative and takeout doubles with John Newman, 10am to 3.30pm, last held 2008, Sunday 24 February. (Try to follow this up with training on Saturday mornings 1, 8, 15 March.)

Improve your defence with Will Jenner-O'Shea, 10am to 3.15pm, last held Sunday 16 March 2008.

$27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Consolidate Your Declarer Play with Colleen Pidcock
perhaps 2007
Setting up a long suit; Card combinations for declarer; Double finesses; Declarer's play at trick one; Ruffing losers - delaying trumps; Ducking as declarer; Card reading and inferences; Deceptive strategy as declarer.
8 weeks for $80 ($90 for non-members) or $11 ($14) a lesson.

Consolidate Your Defensive Play
perhaps 2007
Leads, signals and much more. 8 weeks for $80 ($90 for non-members) or $11 ($14) a lesson.

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Doubles workshop
last held Sunday 26 February, 10am to 3.30pm with John Newman
Expand your use of doubles - and learn when to pass a takeout double to convert to penalties! $22/$27 includes lunch.

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All About Notrumps
in 2004 was 10am-noon, Wed 4 wks from 30 June (to 21 July); then Reopening the Bidding 28 July.
$11/$14 each.

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Twilight Intermediate lessons with Derrick Browne
Thursday evenings 6pm to 7.15pm, possibly 2007
Intermediate lessons with Derrick Browne. Can include topics such as Unusual NT; Neg doubles; Penalty doubles. $7/$9, or $11/$14 including the duplicate afterwards.

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Intermediate Refresher Day
probably in 2006, 10am to 3.15pm
A day to review the important principles of constructive and competitive bidding, including important conventions. Lots of practice hands, illustrating not only the key bidding principles but also the most important aspects of card play.
$27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Advance your Competitive Bidding with Ron Klinger
last held in 2005, 1.30-4pm Mondays from 28 Feb
A great chance to improve your play with one of the world's leading bridge authorities. Michaels Cue Bids 28 Feb, Coping with Interference over 1NT 7 March, Defence against Weak Twos 14 March. $60 for all 3 lessons, or $25 each, all of which is donated to the Kolling Institute.

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Handling artificial auctions
last held 10am to 3.15pm Sunday 26 November 2006, with John Newman
$22/$27 includes lunch.

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Signals lessons
23 & 30 June 2005, 10am to noon Thursdays with Colleen Pidcock
Signals on partner's lead 23 June; Signalling with Discards 30 June. $11 ($13) a lesson.

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Improvers' Refresher Day
last year was 21 August 2005, 10am to 3pm
A great way to reinforce what you have learnt but may not have a proper grip on. Lots of practice hands, illustrating not only the key bidding principles but also the most important aspects of card play.
$27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Coaching and assessment
in 2006 was 1.30pm Monday 13, 20, 27 Feb with Derrick
A session takes 2 1/2 hours and consists of playing 8 prepared hands. The first session (13 Feb) is Coaching Assessment, testing various aspects of your bidding and card play. As well as being fun and instructive, this session assesses those areas of your game which are working well and those which need adjustment. Then eight more hands on each of the other two weeks (20, 27 Feb). Each session is $11 for members, $14 for non-members.

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Multi Twos
not yet scheduled; with John Newman
Features the Multi 2 and RCO twos to show 2-suiters. $11/14 each.

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Pairs Play Workshop
last held 2007: Pairs Play Workshop on Sunday 27 May, 10am to 3pm.
Improve your duplicate strategy! Lots of enjoyable practical play of set hands, with analysis so you learn a lot too. $27 includes lunch (members $22).

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Benjamin Twos
last held 2008, 1.45pm to 4pm Fridays from 15 February
Weak Twos in the majors (15 Feb), as well as two different ways to show strong hands (2 22 Feb, 2 29 Feb). Each lesson is $14, or $11 for members.

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