Hey all, happy Independence Day!
This fall I'll be restarting my cycle of bridge classes. I have Bridge I
starting up again in late September. I'll have more about that in a
future email.
This month is a special one for bridge players in the Pasadena area, and
I wanted to let you know about it. We have a bunch of tournaments, great
games and programs for new players, yours truly will be speaking at the
regional, and a get together for my students on Saturday, July 11.
The Los Angeles Regional Tournament, what we call "Bridge Week,"
abandoned Pasadena for the past two years, but it's back this year at
the Westin Pasadena on Los Robles.
It opens on Monday, July 6, with a Pro-Am game that's a really
interesting program for new bridge players. It starts with a workshop at
10:15 on takeout doubles, a free lunch at 12:15, and a bridge game at
1:15 where you're paired with a "Pro" bridge player as your partner. It
costs $14, they require reservations, and all the information is
available in the flier here:
http://whiteoaks.com/bridge/pro-am-flier-2015.pdf
Then the tournament continues every day through July 12 with novice
player events every day. Every afternoon at 12:30 they have a speaker on
a different bridge topic, before the afternoon game.
I have been invited to speak on Tuesday, July 7 at 12:30. I'd love to
have some of you drop by to say hi. This flier has the schedule of all
the new player lectures: http://whiteoaks.com/bridge/Pasadena_299er.pdf
The whole tournament flier for Bridge Week with the schedule of games is
here: http://whiteoaks.com/bridge/1507057.pdf
I'm planning to revive a personal Bridge Week tradition by inviting you
all to play in the Saturday game, July 11. There's a two-session game,
with the first session at 10:00 a.m., second at 3:00 p.m. I'll be
playing that day in a different section, but the same hands. After the
game, let's get together at Islands across the way in Paseo Colorado to
drown our sorrows and have a postmortem of our games. :)
Then, good heavens, after Bridge Week there are two smaller Sectional
tournaments in Pasadena, both with great novice games.
The first is at the Scottish Rite on Madison, July 24, 25, 26:
http://whiteoaks.com/bridge/1507087.pdf
The week after that, at La Salle High School on Sierra Madre Blvd., July
31 - August 2: http://whiteoaks.com/bridge/1508100.pdf
I know it's an awful lot of bridge, but hey, it's hot outside. Stay cool
at a bridge tournament and play cards. :)
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
This summer I'm offering a special class for bridge players who want to
learn and practice the most popular bidding conventions used at bridge
clubs and tournaments.
I've drawn eight lessons from the ACBL bridge curriculum that teach
these conventions and treatments, along with hands to practice and
exercise their use.
Full details of the class with a lesson plan, called "Advancing Bridge,"
are on my web site here: http://bridgemojo.com/summer-bridge-2015
The class is being offered on Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., on
the beautiful campus of Oneonta Congregational Church in South Pasadena.
First class is on June 11, and the last class is on August 13, skipping
the Thursdays of July 2 and July 23 -- eight classes total.
The course fee of $125 includes not one but two excellent workbooks from
the ACBL that will fill out your bridge library nicely.
If you are currently playing bridge, especially duplicate bridge at
clubs and tournaments, this is a great class for you. It's also a great
class if you're interested in joining the worldwide community of bridge
players in online clubs, such as Bridge Base Online. The only
prerequisite is a good understanding of the Standard American 5-card
Major bidding system as taught in the Club and Diamond series of the
ACBL curriculum (my Bridge I and Bridge II classes).
I expect the demand for this class to be fairly high! The class is
strictly limited to 24 students.
YOU CAN RESERVE YOUR SEAT now by sending a reply to this email, or using
the "contact" form on my web site: http://bridgemojo.com/contact
I'm excited and looking forward to the class! Pass this note on to your
favorite partner, and reserve your seat soon.
One special note: I will be offline and mostly disconnected (on a
cruise!) from May 14 through May 31 -- so if you request a reservation
during this time, I may not be able to respond for a few days. Sign up
early if you can to be sure of your seat.
Very best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
Bridge II "Play of the Hand" (or "the Diamond Series" as we call it)
will start up in a few weeks, March 18 on Wednesday nights at Arcadia
High School through PCC Extension.
I mention this now because I have room for 20 students in the class, and
11 spaces have already been claimed!
You can enroll online at this link:
http://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&in…
Or you can call the PCC Extension office at (626) 585-7608.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com
Bridge I is starting up again in a couple of weeks! "Bidding in the 21st
Century" is the starting class for new students, and a great refresher
for the fundamentals of Standard American bidding.
The first class is on Wednesday, January 14, at 7:00 p.m.
Send a couple folks so you can make a foursome at home! :) Here's the
link to PCC Extension to sign up: http://goo.gl/gRvQAm
Bridge II "Play of the Hand" is also available for registration. It
follows right on the heels of Bridge I, and starts on March 18. I'll
send another reminder when that is closer.
I also have the "Social Bridge" email list for helping put together
games. You can join that here:
http://mail.bridgemojo.com/mailman/listinfo/social
And there's a Facebook page as well: https://www.facebook.com/Bridgemojo
Now here's something a little different. Those of you who enjoyed (well,
suffered through) using the special "E-Z Deal" cards for bridge class,
you can tell folks about how you had to make up the hands back in the
day. Hopefully I won't be doing that any more!
I acquired a machine that deals cards into bridge hands. :)
You can see the machine in action in a little YouTube video I made here:
http://youtu.be/05T9erEaJqs and I wrote a blog post about how I'm using
the machine for class on my blog here:
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2014/12/07/teaching-bridge-with-a-hand-dealing-ma…
Hope you all have a great 2015, and hope to see you at a bridge table!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com
Hi all! Hard to believe the holidays are almost here. When it's dark and
chilly out I love to play some bridge. :)
I have two special single-topic classes that have been very popular over
the past couple of years. Now is the time to sign up and put them on
your calendar.
These classes are held on the beautiful campus of Oneonta Congregational
Church in South Pasadena and are available for $15 each session.
Thursday, Dec. 4, 7:00 p.m., the Stayman Convention
Thursday, Dec. 18, 7:00 p.m., Jacoby Transfer Bids
You might think you know the Stayman Convention, the most popular bridge
convention world-wide. It's used for finding a 4-4 fit in a major suit
after a 1NT opening bid. But do you know how it can be used with
invitational hands? How about if the opponents interfere with the
bidding? How is it used with 2NT or 2 Club opening hands? Probably the
best feature of this class is that the lecture portion is fairly short,
and it has eight great hands to study, bid, and play. Worth doing as a
refresher, or just the fun of some good practice hands.
Jacoby Transfer Bids aren't played in the rookie games at the Arcadia
Bridge Center, but they are ubiquitous everywhere else. Jacoby Transfer
Bids give you an almost magic way to win an extra trick during the play
by making the stronger hand declarer. So you can imagine why they'd be
so popular in duplicate bridge!
Space is limited for these classes, so I'm taking reservations now. You
can save a space by sending me an email. Either reply to this message,
or use the "contact" form at http://bridgemojo.com/contact
Grab your favorite partner and come!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com
Hey all! I'm beginning my fifth season this September of bridge classes
through Pasadena City College Extension.
Bridge I "Bidding in the 21st Century" is open for registration now at
PCC Extension.
This class is the entry point for new bridge players -- no experience
necessary!
If you already play bridge, this class also serves as a great way to
reinforce your knowledge and understanding of the Standard American
5-card Major bidding system.
Space is limited! Register online here: http://goo.gl/lfaaHX or call the
PCC Extension office at (626) 585-7608
Class starts on Wednesday, Sept. 10, and continues for eight sessions,
with no class on Oct. 1. The class will meet at Arcadia High School,
room J2, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Class costs $95, plus $15 for the
workbook ($110 total).
Let your friends know! We always need a "fourth." :)
(Aside: If you'd prefer not to get these announcements from me, either
drop me a note, or you may unsubscribe yourself with one of the links
below my signature.)
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com
Hi all! Once again this summer I'm delighted to offer "Defense in the
21st Century," the third course in the American Contract Bridge League's
curriculum "Bridge in the 21st Century."
This eight-lesson course will be offered on Thursday evenings, 7:00 -
9:00 p.m., in South Pasadena at Oneonta Congregational Church.
The first class meets on June 5. We will be dark on July 3, and continue
with the last session on July 31. The course fee is $110 including a
textbook ($95 if you already have the Defense book).
On my web site I have the lesson plan and other details:
http://bridgemojo.com
I have room for 24 students only! You can reserve your seat in this
class simply by replying to this email, or by using the "contact" form
at http://bridgemojo.com/contact . The class fee is payable at the first
session.
It's a beautiful venue and a great class! Parking is easy, and it's a
delightful place to spend a summer evening. The only prerequisite is
basic knowledge of declarer play and Standard American bidding, and a
desire to improve your defense.
Hope to see you there ...
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
I have a lot of interest in this class, so I wanted to give you an early
heads-up.
I offer Bridge II once a year, each spring. This year it begins on March
19, for eight Wednesday evenings. We have to skip April 9, and the last
session is on May 14.
Bridge II focuses on the play of the hand as declarer, but we also add
new bidding tools and have some tips for the defending side as well.
If you already play bridge occasionally, you're welcome in this class --
Bridge I is not a prerequisite for you (even if the information page
says otherwise).
The class is offered through PCC Extension, and taught at Arcadia High
School. We only have room for 20 students, and a few have already signed
up. So if you'd like a space, it'd probably be a good idea to enroll
early! I expect the class to be completely full.
You can signup online through PCC Extension's website. Here is a link to
the page: http://goo.gl/cBp1Ic
Or you can also enroll by telephone at 626-585-7608.
And if you're curious and looking ahead, I've set some dates for Bridge
II (Defense) this summer. It'll be on Thursday evenings again at the
beautiful campus of Oneonta Congregational Church in South Pasadena.
More about that later.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://bridgemojo.comhttp://mojo.whiteoaks.com
Hi all! I hope you had a great holiday. I spent a couple of days in Reno
at the Mid-Winter Regional bridge tournament. I didn't win anything
special, but had a great time.
Bridge I is ready for sign-up now at PCC Extension. Here's the
(shortened) link for on-line registration:
http://goo.gl/blWZhu
This is the starting point for new bridge players, but it's also an
excellent way to get a handle on the fundamentals of the Standard
American bidding system. I use the ACBL's "Bridge in the 21st Century"
curriculum, with the text book "Bidding in the 21st Century."
The class runs for eight sessions, beginning January 15, on Wednesday
evenings 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. The classes are held at Arcadia High School,
and cost $95 plus $15 for the book (unless you already have it).
Bridge II is also available for sign-up and starts immediately after
Bridge I on March 19. I'll send another note before then. Here's the
link to Bridge II: http://goo.gl/cBp1Ic
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
