Next Steps in Bridge
A 12-week program for players who have finished beginners' lessons: eleven topics, one a week, with a practice quiz and a reading list. Standard American, five-card majors, 15–17 1NT.
The 12-week plan
The order mixes bidding, play and defence, so you never spend two weeks in a row on the same thing.
Hand evaluation beyond high-card points
Start here
In which we learn that 13 points is a rumour, not a fact, and that some 13-point hands should be ashamed of themselves.
Competitive bidding
Start here
Overcalls, takeout doubles, negative doubles and the Law of Total Tricks, or: how to stop letting the opponents bid in peace.
Conventions worth adding next
Start here
Ten conventions, in the order you should learn them, and how not to forget them at the exact moment they matter.
Moysian fits and misfits
Start here
Two ways a partnership can be incompatible: just a little (seven trumps) and catastrophically (no fit at all). Like marriage, but with more doubling.
Declarer play technique
Start here
You're declarer. Partner is dummy, which means partner is now free to watch you, sigh audibly, and go and get a coffee. Here's how to make that coffee taste bitter.
Opening leads
Start here
The only card in bridge you play blind. Choose it like a wine for someone you're trying to impress: thoughtfully, quickly, and without showing your working.
Defence against suit contracts
Start here
Declarer is trying to draw trumps and throw away losers. Your job is to get there first, like a toddler racing a parent to the iPad.
Defence against no-trump
Start here
No trumps means no ruffing, which means the defence wins by being patient, persistent and slightly boring. Finally, a module that plays to my strengths.
Signals and discards
Start here
You and partner can't talk. You can't make faces. You can't kick each other under the table, although I'm told some couples have tried. All you have is the cards. Here's how to make them talk.
In this module
Slam bidding
Start here
Twelve tricks, a big bonus, and the fastest legal way to lose 1,430 points in under four minutes.
Scoring tactics, penalty doubles and sacrifices
Start here
The same hand, played two different ways, depending on how they're keeping score. It's like the difference between golf with your boss and golf with your friends.
In this module
Practice quiz and reading list
Test yourself across all eleven modules, then pick a book for the next stage.