Palo Alto Bridge

Celebrity Bridge Seminar with Barbara Seagram
2025-05-24 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online Webinar, Link to be provided to registrants
Defensive Magic
Barbara Seagram Webinar
Barbara now owns and runs a School of Bridge in Toronto. She teaches tens of thousands of students a year at all levels, mostly in USA and Canada but also travelling all over the world. Barbara and Alex have now visited 171 countries.

Seagram has been the recipient of a number of awards in bridge: The Kate Buckman Award, given to the person who has contributed most to others’ enjoyment of the game and the most recent being the Audrey Grant Award for teaching. She is a Sapphire Life Master and a frequent speaker at NABC’s. She has been named #40 on the list of the top 52 bridge personalities that have most influenced the game.
Seagram was a co-founder (one of two) of the Zero Tolerance program. Barbara is the co-author of 30 published bridge books; the most well-known being “25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know” This is now in its 19th. printing and has been translated into French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Danish. This book has been named one of the top five best-selling bridge books of the last 60 years. It has just been revised and reprinted.
Information and Registration coming soon

Supervised Play Tuesday Mornings
2025-05-27 08:45 - 10:30, 2025-06-10 08:45 - 10:30, 2025-06-17 08:45 - 10:30, 2025-06-24 08:45 - 10:30, 2025-09-23 08:45 - 10:30, 2025-10-07 08:45 - 10:30, 2025-10-21 08:45 - 10:30 | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States
Kathy Harper
(650) 207-1816
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Beginning Bridge
2025-05-27 09:00 - 10:30, 2025-06-10 09:00 - 10:30, 2025-06-17 09:00 - 10:30, 2025-06-24 09:00 - 10:30, 2025-09-15 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-09-29 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-10-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States
Kathy Harper
(650) 207-1816
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Learn Bridge the modern way in this course designed by Pat Harrington! Each class includes both instruction and practice play. Start playing the very first day! Children & teens welcome.
For people who have never played bridge and those people who have played for years but want a refresher course or just to learn the basics.
Notes will be emailed for all classes. No make-up classes are offered for missed classes.
Our course instructor is ABTA Master Teacher Kathy Harper. Kathy and our wonderful volunteers give students individual attention which helps our students learn in a fun environment.
Please contact Kathy Harper for more information.

Free Lecture
2025-06-11, 2025-07-17 | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States
Our Unit provides free lectures as part of our education program. Lectures cover areas of interest for new as well as intermediate players. Lectures are held at our Bridge Center. Sign-ups are not required.
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Celebrity Bridge Seminar with Michael Berkowitz Copy
2025-08-16 09:30 - 11:00, 2025-08-23 09:30 - 11:00 | Online Webinar, Link to be provided to registrants
Play or Defend? How the Experts Think Through These Decisions
Michael Berkowitz Webinars
Part 1: Saturday, August 16, 2025, 9:30-11:00am
Part 2: Saturday, August 23, 2025, 9:30-11:00am
Michael Berkowitz is a young bridge professional, son of David Berkowitz, a bridge legend. Michael works with Larry Cohen giving webinars and other forms of instruction. He also has a column in the ACBL Bridge magazine. Michael has a delightful sense of humor as well as insightful instruction.

With deep bridge knowledge honed over years of learning from the best in the world, Michael has become one of the premier and most acclaimed bridge instructors worldwide. Students recognize Michael for his ability to clearly communicate bridge concepts. He will help elevate your game, breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand lessons.
Michael is the son of ACBL World Champion parents David and Lisa Berkowitz. Coached by his parents throughout his life, he has also benefited from a lifelong relationship and mentorship with 25-time national champion and ACBL Hall of Fame inductee Larry Cohen, who partnered with David to win numerous national titles.
Information & Registration

Sharpen Your Competitive Edge
2025-09-11 19:15 - 21:30, 2025-09-18 19:15 - 21:30, 2025-09-25 19:15 - 21:30, 2025-10-02 19:15 - 21:30, 2025-10-09 19:15 - 21:30 | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States
Frank Smoot
(408) 306-3901
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You will learn powerful and practical bidding, play and defense concepts. The opponents will often get into your auction (and you into theirs) in this course. You will add tools to overcome the competition and use the bidding to help your play of the hand.

This course is designed for players who understand the basics, but are working on accurately assessing their hand strength to avoid overbidding or underbidding – players who are refining techniques like finesses, setting up long suits and entry management. We will cherish mistakes in class and grow stronger from them.

Using materials from many sources (primarily Richard Pavlicek) you will learn powerful and practical bidding, play and defense concepts, do exercises in class (homework outside of class) and finish the evening by playing hands relating to the topic. Snacks are also provided. You will be amazed at what you will learn, even if you have played for years and years!
The in-class exercises are available in electronic format so students can play the hands at home and receive commentary on their bidding and play (requires Bridge Baron software).
Our course lecturer is the very popular Frank Smoot who has taught bridge to beginners and beyond in Palo Alto for 30+ years. Frank and our wonderful volunteers give students individual attention which helps our students learn in a fun environment.
For more information contact Frank Smoot (408) 306-3901 email.

The 8-Week Course Covers
Bridge Baron Downloads

Weak Two Bids
Strong Two-Club Opening
Bidding Judgment – Uncontested
Bidding Judgment – Contested
Competing and Sacrificing
Combating Weak Openings
Third Hand Defense
Second Hand Defense

Weak Two
Strong 2 Club
Bidding Judgment – Uncontested
Bidding Judgment – Contested
Competing and Sacrificing
Combating Weak Openings
Third Hand
Second Hand

Bridge Baron Support
Purchase: BaronBarclay
Instructions for downloading and playing files with Bridge Baron
Students: For additional support contact Alan Templeton or Frank Smoot

Payment
After registering, below, you may pay by Zelle or check to hold your spot:
Zelle: Transfer $240 to either franklinsalias-bridge@yahoo.com or (408) 306-3901.
Check: Mail a check made out to Frank Smoot in the amount of $240:

Frank Smoot
15 Tagus Ct.
Portola Valley, CA 94028

Supervised Play Monday Evenings
2025-09-15 18:45 - 20:30, 2025-09-29 18:45 - 20:30, 2025-10-13 18:45 - 20:30 | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States

Planning to Win 2025
2025-09-23 09:00 - 10:30, 2025-10-07 09:15 - 11:15, 2025-10-21 09:15 - 11:15 | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States
Kathy Harper
(650) 207-1816
Send Email

A more modern style of teaching bridge designed by Pat Harrington. For players with some bridge experience or new players that have completed the Play & Learn Beginning Bridge class.
For people who have never played bridge and those people who have played for years but want a refresher course or just to learn the basics.
Notes will be emailed for all classes. No make-up classes are offered for missed classes.
Our course instructor is ABTA Master Teacher Kathy Harper. Kathy and our wonderful volunteers give students individual attention which helps our students learn in a fun environment.
Please contact Kathy Harper at (650) 207-1816 email for additional information.

PLAY & LEARN Planning to Win
Dates

Cancelled due to illness
September 23, 2025

Counting Winners and Entries in NT;
Bidding Maximum Opening Hands;
Opening Leads in Notrump
October 7

Counting Losers and Drawing Trump;
Maximum Responding Hands;
October 21

Promotion in Suits and Notrump;
Bidding with Minimum Hands
November 4

Using Length in Suits & Notrump;
November 18

The Finesse
December 9

Dummy Points and Trumping in Dummy;
Blackwood
December 16

Discarding a Quick Loser
January 6, 2026

Watch out for the Opponents!
January 20
