Supervised Play Tuesday Mornings
2026-02-17 08:45 - 10:30, 2026-03-03 08:45 - 10:30, 2026-03-17 08:45 - 10:30, 2026-03-31 08:45 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Bridge Center, 432A Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, United States
Kathy Harper
(650) 207-1816
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Beginning Bridge
2026-02-17 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-03-03 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-03-17 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-03-31 09:00 - 10:30
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.

Find a Partner Game
2026-02-18 10:00 - 14:00
One of the challenges of bridge is finding compatible bridge partners. To help we are holding several Find-A-Partner games.
Game time 10:30am
Lecture prior to games at 10am
Information and Signup

Free Lecture
2026-02-19
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.
More

2 Over 1
2026-02-19 19:15 - 21:30
Frank Smoot
(408) 306-3901
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Would you like to save bidding space? Learn the 2 Over 1 System, the most popular bidding system among experienced players. The system provides a scientific approach to bidding. Responder doesn’t need to jump to show game-forcing values. This extra room allows opener and responder to exchange detailed information about hand distribution, strength, and control holdings below game level. This allows for superior game/slam exploration.
This course is intended for Intermediate level bridge players with at least one year of duplicate experience.
Using materials from 2 Over 1 Game Force by Audrey Grant and Eric Rodwell you will learn concepts, do exercises in class and finish the evening by playing hands relating to the topic. There will be light homework consisting of puzzlers at the end of each section in the text.
The in-class hands will be available in electronic format so students can play them at home and receive commentary on their bidding and play (requires Bridge Baron software – see below).
Coffee, tea and snacks also provided.
Our course instructor 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.
Students will be given one copy of 2 Over 1 Game Force by Audrey Grant and Eric Rodwell. You may be purchased additional copies at Amazon.com, Barns & Noble and Baron Barclay among other sources.
For more information contact Frank Smoot (408) 306-3901 email.

The 6-Week Course Covers
Bridge Baron Downloads

How to Benefit from Extra Space
Forcing 1NT Response
Opener’s Rebid
Responder’s Rebid and Fast Arrival
Game or Slam & Control Bids
Showing Controls

Introduction (Deals 1-4)
Forcing 1NT (Deals 5-8)
Rebids (Deals 9-12)
Review (Deals 17-24)
Game or Slam (Deals 13-16)
Review (Deals 25-32)
Bonus Deals 1-6
Bonus Deals 7-12

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 $200 to either franklinsalias-bridge@yahoo.com or (408) 306-3901.
Check: Mail a check made out to Frank Smoot in the amount of $200:

Frank Smoot
15 Tagus Ct.
Portola Valley, CA 94028

San Mateo - Redwood City Sectional
2026-02-21 - 2026-02-22
The San Mateo / Redwood City Unit Sectional held at our Bridge Center.

Bridge Center Closed for Cleaning
2026-03-07 - 2026-03-08

EZ Bridge
2026-03-09 11:15 - 13:15, 2026-03-16 11:15 - 13:15, 2026-03-23 11:15 - 13:15, 2026-03-30 11:15 - 13:15, 2026-04-06 11:15 - 13:15
Duplicate Bridge Made Easy
New to duplicate? Want a relaxed game designed to help you improve? This is for you.
3 Mondays in March
March 9, 16, and 23
Every Monday
11am mini-lesson
11:15am – 1:15pm game
12-14 Boards
$15 per person
ACBL-sanctioned game (0-49 MPs)
Masterpoints awarded.
Ask Questions and Have Fun
Need a partner? We’ll match you up.
Signup for this fun event | Flyer
Questions? Ask John, Will or Alex:
John Schwartz irpdy@yahoo.com
Will Watson watsonbridge@gmail.com
Alex Narasi anarasin@yahoo.com

Swiss Team Club Game
2026-03-09 11:30 - 15:00
Swiss Team games are great fun to play and grant generous master point awards at sectional, regional, and national tournaments! Now you have the chance to play at the club level in our monthly games, typically held on the 2nd Monday of the month (check our calendar for changes), hosted by John Schwartz and Will Watson.
These games are a wonderful opportunity to polish one’s Swiss Team skills throughout the year and especially prior to sectional, regional, and national tournaments. If you are less experienced or have never played in a Swiss Team game and would like to play Swiss Teams at future tournaments, these Swiss Team club games are a perfect opportunity to gain experience in a more relaxed club game environment. For those less experienced Swiss Team players, here are slides from a Swiss Team strategy lecture from a Swiss Team strategy lecture given in August 2023..
These games will have an Open and a Limited section. They will award 100% black points.
No lunch is provided. Snacks aree available before and during the game.
For planning purposes, we ask that players sign-up to play at: https://www.signup123.com/unit503bridge/Scripts/slogin.pl

The game reservation system is designed for pairs games and not Swiss Teams. So, to sign up your team, sign up you and your partner in both the N/S and E/W boxes.
Having trouble signing up? Email Will Watson watsonbridge@gmail.com

Don’t have a team of four? The Unit will help you find a team. Email Will Watson at watsonbridge@gmail.com.
Have questions? Please contact Will or Marc Cervellino at marc.cervellino@hotmail.com.

Supervised Play Monday Evenings
2026-03-09 18:45 - 20:30, 2026-03-23 18:45 - 20:30
Kathy Harper
(650) 207-1816
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Conventions You Need to Play class will be held at the same time. Details to come.

Game ChangersConventions You Need to Play
2026-03-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-23 19:00 - 20:30
Kathy Harper
(650) 207-1816
Send Email

Useful conventions for basic intermediates including Jacoby and Texas transfers, Stayman and Garbage Stayman, Keycard Blackwood and more.
This Basic-Intermediate Bridge Class builds upon our Beginning Bridge Classes and prepares our students for our Intermediate Classes.
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.

Conventions You Need to Play
Dates

Jacoby Two No Trump
March 9, 2026

The Negative Double
March 23

New Minor Forcing
April 13

Stayman including Garbage Stayman
April 27

Jacoby Transfers
May 11

Texas Transfers
May 18

Roman Keycard Blackwood
June 8

Control Showing Bids
June 15

Pro-Am Pair Game
2026-03-12 11:00 - 15:30
Want to improve your bridge game by playing in a relaxed atmosphere and partnering with an experienced player?
What is the Pro-Am game? It is a F2F bridge game where a newer player partners with an experienced player in a pairs game, competing against other pairs of one newer and one experienced player. After the game, the experienced player will review bidding, declarer play, defense, and opening leads of select hands.
Information and Registration

St. Patrick's Day Game Copy
2026-03-17 11:30 - 14:30
Get your green on and try your luck at the Palo Alto Bridge’s St. Patrick’s Day bridge celebration. We’ll have loads of special St Patrick’s Day treats so join us for a fun-filled bridge game for all.

Wear Green to Be Entered into Prize Drawings.
Free Plays for Best Green Garb

Open and separate 499’er Sections start at 11:30 AM
As always please help our directors to make the game run smoothly by signing up at https://paloaltobridge.org/club-games/.

March Madness at the Bridge Table
2026-03-19 19:15 - 21:30, 2026-03-26 19:15 - 21:30, 2026-04-02 19:15 - 21:30
Frank Smoot
(408) 306-3901
Send Email

Combine your chances to win. Remember: You can’t succeed without an entry.
In this five-week mostly-play course, we will combine structured learning with table practice. The deals provide many opportunities to apply what you have learned. You will improve play technique in a fun, supportive environment.
This course is intended for Intermediate level bridge players with at least one year of duplicate experience.
What you will learn

Choose the best response to partner’s suit opening bids.
Manage trumps effectively, drawing them at the right time.
Identify and combine your chances. Try them in the best order.
Use timing and endplays to bring home tough contracts.

How the class works
Lots of bidding and play of the hand (and a little bit of homework).
We will do exercises in class (homework outside of class) and conclude each evening by playing deals related to the topic. In-class deals are available in downloadable format so you can play the hands at home and receive commentary on the bidding and play (requires Bridge Baron Software).
Coffee, tea and snacks also provided.
Our course instructor 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 5-Week Course Covers
Bridge Baron Downloads

Respond to a Suit Opening
Important Suit Tactics
Combine Your Chances
Endplays
Entries & Communications

Respond
Suit Tactics
Combine
Endplays
Entries

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 $170 to either franklinsalias-bridge@yahoo.com or (408) 306-3901.
Check: Mail a check made out to Frank Smoot in the amount of $170:

Frank Smoot
15 Tagus Ct.
Portola Valley, CA 94028

Grand National Team Games
2026-03-21 - 2026-03-22
District 21 Grand National Team Games are again coming to the Palo Alto Bridge Center
Saturday, March 21, 2026, and Sunday, March 22, 2026. Mark your calendar, call your partners, and form a team!
Flight A – No Player Over 6,000 Masterpoints
Round 1 (Saturday 3/21) and Round 2 (Sunday 3/22) 10:00 AM start
Final Round (if necessary) – To Be Determined
Flight B – No Player Over 3,000 Masterpoints
Round 1 (Saturday 3/21) and Final Round (Sunday 3/22) 10:00 AM start
Open Championship Flight – Final Round (Saturday 3/21) 10:00 AM start
Each year the ACBL holds a Grand National Team (GNT) Championship, in which teams who won their flights in their District GNTs compete with other districts in a team game at the Summer North American Bridge Championship (NABC). In 2026, the Summer NABC will be held in July in Minneapolis.
District 21 GNT games will take place on February 7-8 in Oakland and March 21-22 at Palo Alto Bridge.
Team games are great fun, and we encourage you to form a team and participate in this special event! The winning team (and the top two teams in Flights B and C) in each of the four GNT flights will represent District 21 at the Summer NABC. District 21 will provide $2,000 to the winning team in each flight to partially help defray travel costs.
The GNT flights are:

Flight
Masterpoint Limits
Location
Dates

Open Championship Flight
Unlimited

First two rounds in Oakland
Finals at Palo Alto Bridge

Feb. 7-8

March 21

Flight A
No players over 6,000
All rounds – Palo Alto Bridge
March 21-22 & TBD

Flight B
No players over 3,000
All rounds – Palo Alto Bridge
March 21-22

Flight C
NLMs under 750
All rounds – Oakland
February 7-8

Flight A
Round 1 (Saturday) – If more than 4 teams there will be a qualification event, to reduce the field to 4 teams. The game format depends on the number of teams – it could be knockout, round robin, or Swiss Team. The top 4 teams will play on Sunday.
Round 2 (Sunday) – the top four teams from Round 1 will compete in a knockout game to reduce the field to 2 teams.
Final Round (Date to be determined) – the remaining two teams will play in a knockout match with the winner representing District 21 at the GNT Championship at the Summer NABC in Memphis.
Flights B and C
Round 1 (Saturday) – Flights with more than 4 entries will have a qualification event, to reduce the field to 4 teams. The game format depends on the number of teams – it could be knockout, round robin, or Swiss Team. The top 4 teams will play on Sunday.
Final round (Sunday) – the top four teams from Round 1 will compete in a knockout game to determine 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places. The 1st place finisher and 2nd place team in Flight B and Flight C will represent District 21 at the GNT Championship at the Summer NABC in Memphis.
All teams in the final round receive generous masterpoint awards (depending on the number of teams/rounds played) – gold in Open, Flight A, Flight B, and gold/red in Flight C.
In Round 1, red masterpoints are awarded for each match win.
To play in the District 21 Flight A and Flight B GNTs, teams MUST register by March 15, 2026, at 2026 D21 GNT Registration
For more information – the District 21 2026 GNT Conditions of Contest is attached. Still have questions? Please contact Grant Vance (grantvance1@gmail.com).
If you need help to form a team, you can contact Marc Cervellino (marc.cervellino@hotmail.com; phone 650-269-2758).

Silicon Valley Spring Sectional
2026-03-28 - 2026-03-29
The Silicon Valley Unit Spring Sectional will be held at our Bridge Center.
