[mikl_plkcc]

I am trying to bring a new partner, who has only played bridge at home with her friend, into my bridge club. I brought her into a supervised play session today.

She can follow suit but she has completely no knowledge of any bidding systems (she had no idea what 5-card majors or 4-card majors meant, and no idea about the strength of an opening bid as well) and any defence techniques (she didn't know leading low from unsupported ace in a suit contract at trick 1 was bad, and did so despite having AK in a side suit and KQ in a suit we had shown).

How can I guide her until we are good enough to play in a duplicate club session?

[hrothgar]

Here's how I have traditionally taught new players

1. Completely ignore bidding. Introducing bidding is a distraction and can only cause problem.

2. Have them work through as many BridgeMaster hands as possible. Note: this is something that they can and should do on their own.

Understanding how to play a hand and take tricks is foundational to everything else

3. Have them practice looking at a pair of hands and figuring out what contract you want to be playing in

4. Once they have a good grasp on all of this, then its time to introduce MiniBridge
(Notice that we're four steps in, and still nothing about bidding)

MiniBridge is an important step because this lets you start worrying about defending hands

5. Decide on a bidding system that you both will enjoy learning (and where there is good primary source material)

Please note: You also really need to be asking whether you are the right person to be teaching a rank novice player.

You're not far removed from one yourself.
A whole bunch of your "rules" are nonsensical.
You seem to get easily frustrated when your partner does something you don't like

[thepossum]

I have a different approach to intriducing people to a game but I am old fashioned and enjoy fun relaxed bridge

4 friendly people - hopefully a couple of decent ones - round a table with a pack of cards, deal them out and then start bidding

Sorry a few basic principles and try to start with the simplest bidding system you can imagine

Maybe even let the novice put their cards down and disucss the bidding as they go

Like teaching amusical instrument with a couple of chords or scales rather than expecting a degree in music

Relax the rules on alerts and UI but suggest when playing to try and forget some information

Leave Lebenshol for a later lesson

Who has the most basic but almost complete bidding system??

I know you said club bridge and not fun bridge

I would suggest they sign up for Larry Cohen's site and go step by step through basic lessons first

Just to show how old fashioned. 4 novices sit down with an old card book and try and work out the game from a few pages of instructions

What does the book say you have to do next?

"Step 1: The Auction
Each player, in clockwise order, bids to declare how many tricks their partnership will try to win above 6 (called the "book") and in what trump suit (♠️, ♥️, ♦️, ♣️) or no-trump.

The lowest possible bid is 1♣️ (which means “we will take 7 tricks with clubs as trumps”).

Players can also pass, raise a partner’s bid, or overcall (bid higher).

The auction continues until three passes in a row end the bidding.

The highest bid becomes the contract, and that partnership tries to fulfill it, while the other team tries to stop them."

It is common these days to only open 1 major with 5. etc

Sorry if I seem flippant but I am serious. Who has written the best and most concise and simple intro to the modern game

[thepossum]

"1. Shuffle and Deal
Use a standard 52-card deck.

One player shuffles; the player to their right cuts.

The dealer deals 13 cards to each of the 4 players, face down, clockwise.

2. Select Partners (if needed)
Typically, players sitting opposite each other form partnerships.

In social play, this may be done by drawing cards.

3. The Auction (Bidding Phase)
Starting with the dealer, players take turns bidding in clockwise order.

A bid states the number of tricks a partnership will take (over 6), and the trump suit (or no-trump).

Example: “1♠” means 7 tricks with spades as trumps; “3NT” means 9 tricks with no trump.

Bidding continues until three consecutive passes.

The final (highest) bid becomes the contract.

The declarer is the first player from the winning side who bid that suit or no-trump.

The declarer’s partner becomes the dummy.

4. The Play Phase
The player to the left of the declarer makes the opening lead (places the first card).

The dummy then lays their hand face up, and the declarer plays both their own hand and the dummy’s.

Players take turns playing one card each, following suit if possible.

The highest card in the suit led wins the trick, unless a trump suit is used to override it.

5. Scoring
The declarer’s side scores points if they make the contract (i.e., win the required number of tricks).

If they fail, the opponents score points for defeating the contract.

Bonus points apply for:

Making game or slam contracts

Overtricks (extra tricks won)

Penalties (for undertricks or doubled contracts)

Scoring can be done using Rubber Bridge or Duplicate Bridge rules, which differ slightly.

End of Round
After scoring, the dealer role rotates clockwise.

Play continues with a new hand."

[akwoo]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-May-08, 16:45, said:

How can I guide her until we are good enough to play in a duplicate club session?

If she can follow suit and make legal bids in turn and at a reasonable pace, she is good enough to play in a duplicate club session. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You probably should pre-alert your opponents about your lack of bidding and defense agreements.

You might do dreadfully, but that's okay.

[diana_eva]

Speaking from my own memories (I also come from some local variation of rubber bridge somewhere in very distant beginnings), it might take a while before she really hears what you're trying to explain — so it’s important to let her play her way and figure things out at her own pace. I also think it’s no problem at all if you're bad, or if she never learns, as long as you’re both having fun. [ducks]

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Try to enjoy the company, dont look at the results. She, and hopefully you, do this for fun.

If this is a supervised game, ..., let the resp. person do the talking, try to remember the thing
this person says, even if you disagree. Hopefully the resp. person has a consistent system, that
the / she is following.

Dont rush. Try to focus on one think., e.g. not missing game, when you have 25 combined HCP.

With kind regards
Marlowe