LEARN TO PLAY BRIDGE ! ( WITH JOHNNY SUPREMO )........... The aim of these lessons isn't about telling you how to play bridge, but how to become a good bridge player. But this requires you to get through the early and difficult stages of being a raw beginner, novice and newcomer to enter the more demanding duplicate or tournament arenas. For me the most important lessons relate to you developing the right attitudes and right frame of mind for the difficult challenges ahead. Anyone can teach you that with a 12-14 point hand, you should open 1NT playing Acol. Well, that is rank bad teaching. Judgement might well dictate that a "pass" is a far better bid, when the hand is a horrible flat 12 count, vulnerable against not.....against superior opponents. Just quietly sit back and await developments. Anyway, back what I have in store for you: lessons which will focus on how to survive in the world of bridge....as well as, what you need to do to achieve success. So here are my first two lessons:

• Lesson 1. Learn by your mistakes, so don't be afraid to make them. As a beginner you will have a lot of information to take in : rules on bidding, safety plays, elimination plays, throw-ins, signalling methods, various conventions, when to use them and how to counter-them......to name just a few topics. It is always foolish to take on board too much too soon, but it is necessary to try things out. If decisions and actions you take are wrong, then so what ! Providing you learn from them is all that matters, because then your game will rapidly improve.
• Lesson 2. Avoid repeating your mistakes. Taking a losing finesse is not a mistake, if that is the only option you have for making the contract. However, it might well be a mistake if that losing finesse can be avoided, by setting up a simple elimination play, which is then followed by a successful throw-in. Drawing trumps is not a mistake if the contract is risk-free once the opponents' trumps are out of the way. However, such an action might well be a mistake, if the contract clearly depends on (a) setting up a cross-ruff, or (b) looking to use dummy's short trumps to get a sneaky ruff in. Mistakes that reflect poor judgement and/or flawed thinking are the ones you must strive never to repeat. Once bitten twice shy......is the clear message here.