The Bridge Experience Honors classes at the U of Minnesota continue on - with great success. During my most recent visit, Professor Eric Hendrickson gave a rousing lecture to intrigued participants.
Some students sported smiles as they listened and participated.
From the expressions of others, the complexity and challenge of the game is evident.
University Honors Program Director Matthew Bribitzer-Stull offered additional perspective, along with Professors Paul Gutterman and Leon Hsu.
At the table instruction, too, from Professor Bribitzer-Stull.
Bridge is the greatest mind game - and yet - the most challenging. Kudos to our instructors and honors students for giving it their all!
Below, Matthew Bribitzer-Stull shares a rundown of recent events during our classes. So thrilling to see students grasp more and more of this deep and fascinating game!
Good session last Monday! Many of you seem to be picking things up, making connections, and starting to get a feel for the game. We hope to continue spending quite a bit of time playing (including some "off-road" hands that you just shuffle and deal, rather than using the pre-set hands all the time). We're also hoping to finish teaching you rubber bridge scoring to make it easier to play and keep score in the dorm.
Next week: For next Monday, be sure to read Defense, Chapters 1 and 2, doing all the exercises possible. Some of this material will already be familiar to you.
Links: Some links you might be interested to explore:
The American Contract Bridge League ($5 student memberships, including 12 months of the excellent, full-color Bulletin periodical) and lots of online information.
Bridge Winners, a forum for discussion, learning, and bridge resources of all kinds. Some of the best players in the country contribute regularly, as do rank beginners. You can pose problems, start polls, start a forum, read what others have had to say, and store convention cards you make with various partners (a great feature—more on that in later weeks).
Last week Highlights: Finally, for those who didn't stay past 7:30 last Monday, we hand some exciting hands come up. Zeyu made Three Hearts Redoubled! (The contract would have failed, but one of the defenders led out an unsupported Ace, giving declarer an extra trick.) Zeyu also played a Four No-Trump Contract and made an excellent finesse play in diamonds.
And, Morgan made Three No-Trump on the hand below (suits are listed in rank order from top to bottom: spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs). Neither diamonds nor spades divided 3–3, but excellent declarer play, including finessing the Jack of Hearts garnered her an overtrick! Brava!
North (dummy)
KQJx
xx
Axxx
Qxx
South (Morgan, declarer)
763
KJx
KQx
AKxx
Last Monday we had three full tables plus an array of kibitzers stay afterwards to continue playing. The highlight was 6NT making 7—the first slam of the semester!
Posted by: Matthew Bribitzer-Stull | March 01, 2017 at 10:50 AM
Where does this group meeting? As an alumnus of the junior program from all the way back in 1995 that lives here in MSP, I would love to come and kibitz.
Posted by: Tony Wencl | March 02, 2017 at 06:08 PM
Tony, the group meets on the West Bank at 5:30 on Monday's. I recommend getting in touch with Matt Bribitzer-Stull. I believe he is in charge of the Honors program, and could help guide you as to what would be best for observing, kibitzing, etc!
Posted by: Peg | March 02, 2017 at 06:33 PM