Where to Start: Beginning Bridge

Some people are able to learn bridge directly from books or from websites or via playing at a bridge club (or a combination of all approaches). For those folks, I have listed a few choices in each category in the links to the left. On those specific pages I'll give a roadmap for a new player to accumulate bridge knowledge.

In general, I believe that any player would benefit from a few lessons. The particular lessons depend on the type of student. For beginners, I offered classes this summer and fall (2023) and will offer future classes in 2024 - see the Local Classes link to the left. There are also a few other local classes and many more online classes, both for beginners as well as more experienced players.

Every player benefits from more playing. A bridge class is a great way to find other players with whom to practice. Social bridge with friends, a local bridge club, online bridge, or computer bridge are all good options.

I really like some of the online tutorials, particularly Ralph Welton's Bridgebears site. His site is designed for gentle learning (think "an adult version of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood"), but the information is sound and extensive and very useful to all ages. Check out the Beginner Tutorials page on the left menu bar.

I will consider four categories of prospective bridge players and some specific approaches:

Younger players (preteen, teen, or college student) with minimal or no previous card-playing experience
Apart from the lessons identified on the left menu bar, check with your local school to see if an appropriate club already exists. That could be a bridge club, a games club, or a teacher with an interest in bridge. Occasionaly, a school may have a competitive bridge team that competes against other schools. In the Olney, Maryland, area I plan to visit several high schools to determine the interest in an at-school set of bridge lessons with the possible intention of starting a bridge team.

Note that the junior ACBL membership for a person under 25 is very cheap. Even if you never play competitively, the Bridge Bulletin magazine received as part of your membership is excellent and includes many articles for beginners.
New (beginner) players with minimal or no previous card-playing experience
Of course, bridge lessons are very valuable. But if you're limited in time at the moment, there are also some places to start the process. First, if you're new to card-playing (and using trumps in particular), see if you have some friends who might play a similar game, like spades or pinochle or euchre. Those games don't involve the bidding component found in bridge, but the card-playing is virtually the same.

If you're a book person, try a simple beginner's book to acclimate yourself to the terminology and concepts before taking a class. The Books page on the left menu will get you started.
Players who are restarting bridge after some period of time
If you have a favorite book from which you learned earlier, try it out again. You'll be amazed at how fast the terminology and concepts come back. Visit our beginner class for a few sessions (they're free!) to ask questions and meet some other players. Play solitaire bridge for free on the Bridge Base Online (BBO) website to gain some practice. Check out the On-line Bridge Sites for the link. Note: if the time since your last experience is large (decades), be aware that bidding strategy has changed a bit. For example, 5-card major bidding is normal these days, and strong 2 Bids are used rarely (most use 2 clubs as the sole strong bid). If there is an interest, I might hold an "intermediate" bridge class in the future to discuss new techniques. Leave a comment on my Contact page if interested.
Players with some social bridge experience who wish to try competitive (duplicate) bridge
Online bridge (see link on left menu) is a great way to start. You'll need a partner, but they too will play online, so a friend in another city is fine. Set up an account (e.g., BBO) and buy some credits (BB$). Begin by playing against robots rather than people (e.g., the BBO "ACBL Robot Duplicate" - Matchpoints" games). Then move up to a "limited" game (e.g., the BBO "499ers Pairs", where "499" indicates that only players with 0 - 499 matchpoints are allowed to play) - generally, easier competition. The cost for these events is minimal - a small number of $$ per session).

While not required for online play, I recommend obtaining an ACBL membership, if the cost (currently about $49 per year) is not excessive. After doing so, you'll receive the monthly Bridge Bulletin magazine with great articles. You'll also be able to accumulate "ACBL match points" - not a big deal, but it gives a little spice to the competitions.

Once you have a BBO account, I recommend setting up a standard "convention card" for you and your partner. On the far right of the BBO window you'll see an "Account" tab. If you click on that, the new menu at the top includes a "Convention Card" tab. You can pick a pre-filled card (and then edit to match your system) or fill one from scratch. Note the ACBL has detailed instructions on the set-up. Even better is the "fat free" version: a simplified Standard American convention card.

Feel free to contact me (via my Contact page) if you need help in setting it up. I'd be glad to help on the convention card as well as any general questions you have regarding competitive play. Please note that I tentatively plan a series of lessons on the basics of"Competitive Bridge" if there is an interest from the community. See the Local Classes link on the left menu bar. Also, send a comment via my Contact page if you have an interest in these lessons or others.

Be aware that most players are playing some form of standard American with 5-card major bids. Those systems include "Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC)" and the variant "Two Over One, Game Force." At a minimum, I recommend reading a little online to familiarize yourself with those basic systems. See the links on the left under Bidding for assistance.