Learning Programs

Robert Baker is an experienced bridge teacher who has developed these lessons and used them for several years in his classes. He runs regular courses for adults as well as teaching privately in the West of England. As well as being a Full Member of EBUTA he is an EBU Life Master. These programs are endorsed by the English Bridge Union

If you would like to purchase any of the following learning programs please < Contact Robert > and for information on pricing, please see the < Price Details page >

The lessons listed below have been designed for use in two different situations:

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For Students, they provide a user-friendly lesson on a given topic. Each lesson is complete in itself, or can form part of a series which, together, cover the entire range of bidding, play or defence.

The lessons are designed to be entirely compatible with the courses run by the English Bridge Union Teachers’ Association and also the series of “really Easy” books published by the EBU.

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For Teachers, these presentations are ideal for use either in a classroom environment (with the use of a data projector) or in front of small groups of students using, for example, a laptop computer. They are designed to cover the syllabus laid down by EBUTA.

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New for Teachers!

A package containing everything that you need for a single session “Masterclass” on a selected topic, enabling you to run a class of about 2-2½ hours with a practical session of play included. When I run these sessions, I duplicate boards so that each table plays hand number one at the same time (we can then look at it together, on the screen if you like) before moving on to hand number two, etc. This way, a set of six hands gives a playing session of about 1-1½ hours.

A complete “Masterclass” package comprises:

§  a PowerPoint presentation on the topic (approximately 45-60 minutes long, can be split up into smaller portions)

§  a set of notes as a handout for students

§  a set of six hands (with commentary on bidding and play) for the group to play which can also be copied and given out as an additional handout.

Packages available at £15 each:

Bidding –

“Opening 1NT and responses – including Stayman and Transfers”

“Two-suited Overcalls (Michaels Cue Bids and the Unusual NT)”

“Hand Evaluation – the Losing Trick Count”

“Lebensohl and a wriggle when opponents bid or double over partner’s 1NT”

“Negative Doubles – takeout doubles when opponents overcall”

“Opener’s rebid – the second round of bidding”

“Raising partner’s opening bid – Splinter Bids and the Jacoby 2NT”

“Re-opening and balancing”

“Slam bidding”

“No trump rebids (a revised structure) and Checkback”

“Roman KeyCard Blackwood”

“Fits and Misfits”

Declarer Play –

“The Danger Hand and Avoidance”

“Simple Elimination Play”

“Suit Combinations – including the finesse and safety plays in a single suit”

“Tricks with trumps – using trumps, avoiding the overruff and the Crossruff”

“Detective Work by Declarer”

Defence –

“Opening Leads”

“Planning the Defence – How to defeat more contracts”

“Signals and Discards”

“Tricks with Trumps in Defence – the Forcing Defence and Trump Promotion”         

Other packages available on request – choose your own topic! Contact Robert for details.

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For a sample of these courses, please download the < Sample Presentation > This is part of a lesson on HELVIC (a “wriggle” after partner’s 1NT is doubled). Note: This sample is 8 slides long, most of the lessons listed below are approximately 35 - 40 slides in length.

The learning programs:

♣ Bridge for Absolute Beginners
 
 ♦ Standard English Bidding: The Uncontested Auction (1)
 ♠ Standard English Bidding: The Uncontested Auction (2)
 
 ♥ Competitive Bidding (1)
 ♣ Competitive Bidding (2): Useful Conventions
 
 ♦ Declarer Play (1): Play in Notrumps
 ♠ Declarer Play (2): Play at suit contracts
 ♥ Declarer Play (3): More on play
 
 ♣ Defence (1): The Basics
 ♦ Defence (2): Further techniques

The presentations will run on most PCs or Laptop computers, and come with a PowerPoint viewer so that no additional software is required (the lessons will run on all versions of PowerPoint, although best results will be achieved if PowerPoint 2003 is used. For a free PowerPoint viewer, please < click here for download > from Microsoft.com