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Hi, ,

Okay, we have a lot of news to share! New lessons with Curt, an open house for members, a visit in Kyoto, and my own adventures in trick-taking... Let's dive in!

Confident Cuebids with Curt

Four new lessons June 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th at 2:30pm, NY time/7:30pm, UK time.

“The defining factor in the progress of a bridge player is the ability to use and grasp one tool: the cuebid.”

Register here...

From time to time we offer new featured lessons that non-members can join without signing up for an ongoing subscription. In June, Curt will be teaching four new lesson and we'd love to have you join us!

"The above quote comes directly from Dee Berry, author of Cuebids in a Nutshell. While we establish fundamental bidding competency through common conventions like Stayman and Jacoby Transfers, the biggest leap you will take as a growing player is through the cuebid.

Due to their artificial nature, cuebids may seem daunting, but are surprisingly easy to comprehend and use. Perhaps you have never made a cuebid before, or perhaps you have tried a few of them but felt uncertain about whether you were using them properly. Either way, this class series is for you!

Join Curt for a set of lessons designed to make you comfortable with the most common cuebids and grow your bidding capability exponentially in the process."

Lesson 1: Monday, June 3rd

Cuebids by the responder after an opening bid and an overcall by the opponents. We will talk about the forcing nature of the cuebid being invitational at the lower end but unlimited on the upper end and promising support for the opener’s suit.

Lesson 2: Monday, June 10th

Cuebids by the advancer to an overcall. We’ll look at similar types of auctions from the side that overcalled after the opponents open the bidding; we will also address the meaning of the jump cuebid by advancer.

Lesson 3: Monday, June 17th

Cuebids in response to a takeout double and as a replacement for Stayman when there is interference over our 1NT opening.

Lesson 4: Monday, June 24th

Cuebids as probes for 3NT and by the opener to show certain types of strong hands, often hands with a long minor suit that are too good for a jump rebid of the minor.

Lessons will remain available to view via recording for at least one year.

Member Discounts: These four new lessons will be discounted for all LBO members and 100% free for current and new members of Curt's class!

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Members' Open House this Week

This is turning into something regular! For one week, last couple months, we've invited all LBO members to visit the other classes for a week. We've kept having so much fun with this, we're doing it again! Browse week's "open" lessons:

• Monday (via Replay): Slam Bidding pt. 2 with Jack Stocken
• Tuesday: Penalizing with Curt Soloff
• Wednesday: Notrump Rebids with Jack Stocken
• Wednesday: Many Faces of Redouble with Adam Parrish
• Thursday: Why Jacoby? with Bridget Rampton
• Thursday: Finesses with Marla Lawson

Not yet a member? Start a free trial in any of our classes and you can watch all these lessons this week! Not a bad deal if I say so myself...

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A Visit in Kyoto

And what a treat! I was lucky enough to visit with Alison and Stanley who were visiting Kyoto! We ducked down a small back alley near the Kamogawa river and then ducked into a cute little whisky bar for a couple drinks.

it was so nice to be able to meet you both in person, Alison and Stanley! Thank you for being part of Learn Bridge Online!

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Adventures in Trick-taking

One last little bit of bridge-adjacent news... I am always trying to think new ways we can attract new people to bridge - and especially to the younger generation. This question has lead me to becoming enamored with some of the new trick-taking games I've learned about in the last year, and I've been thinking how accessible trick-taking games games like these might be an good gateway drug entry point for a lifelong addition to enjoyment of trick-taking.

So... I've started a personal-side-passion-project and I'm hoping for your encouragement and support. I've been developing a new trick-taking game inspired by the myth of Icarus! I know I'm biased, but I think it has some rewarding depth that comes with visualizing the unseen hands and strategizing how to create some more trick winners, while being easy enough to learn that even my children and their friends were able to start playing within minutes.

And... It's really, really cute! I've been working with some wonderful Japanese designers, Tansan Design, on the artwork... here is the first sneak peak of one of the cards:

(Different numbers? That's not a typo...)

To be honest, I'm a bit nervous to share this! I've just been working on it privately in my spare time until now. I'm guessing at some point I'll do a Kickstarter or something, but for right now I'm just enjoying the learning experience of making a game like this and was excited to tell y'all. :)

Okay, that's it for now! Please reach out anytime - you can always reach me personally just by replying to any of the emails I send you.

Your partner in learning,

Bajir from Learn Bridge Online

learnbridgeonline.com