Beginner Bridge Lessons
Beginners lessons are conducted twice yearly. The cost of the course is $80 and there is a $30 set of notes. The lessons run for 8 weeks. Following the Beginner's course NSBC conducts 4 weeks of Help with Play to assist students in transitioning from lessons to session play. The cost of each Help with Play session is the club table fees at the time.

Contact NSBC via email Club Administration or the Course Coordinator, Peter Fagan, on 0403 564 442 or email him on [email protected].

2025 Beginner lessons (first semester) - 8 weeks
Monday Evenings (6.30 pm - 9.00 pm): February 10 - March 31
Tuesday Mornings (9.15 am - 11:45 am): February 11 - April 01

2025 Help with Play sessions (first semester) - 4 weeks
Monday Evenings (6:30 pm - 9.00 pm): April 07 - April 28
Tuesday Mornings (9.15 am - 11.45 am): April 08 - April 29

2025 Beginner lessons (second semester) - 8 weeks
Monday Evenings (6:30 pm - 9.00 pm): July 21 - September 08
Tuesday Mornings (9.15 am - 11:45 am): July 22 - September 09

2025 Help with Play sessions (second semester) - 4 weeks
Monday Evenings (6:30 pm - 9.00 pm): September 15 - September 29
Tuesday Mornings (9.15 am - 11.45 am): September 16 - September 30

Tuesday afternoon and Friday afternoon sessions are suitable for players with under 25 master points. New-to-Bridge players are encouraged to begin their playing careers here.

2025 Supervised Play

Supervised play sessions are run in the Elizabeth Gibson Centre. The sessions start at 9:00 am and finish no later than 12:30 pm. The sessions are a trial up to and including Wednesday 5 February. Experienced players provide advice with bidding and play when requested. Currently, there is no cost to attend these sessions.

Anyone who would like assistance with bidding and play may attend the sessions. There is no Masterpoint limit. You may come without a partner. Players should be seated at least 15 minutes before the start of the session. Some tutoring may be provided at these sessions.

The number of boards to play will depend on table numbers. A session will comprise a minimum of 15 boards. So that players have extra time to bid and play each hand, fewer boards will be played than in a normal session.

Bridgemates will be used and the sessions scored. As it is supervised play, players will be awarded 50% of normal green points.

Please bring your system cards to these sessions. To avoid confusion, players may continue with what you learned in lessons or use a system you already know. The sessions will stop during the weeks that beginner lessons are conducted (i.e. February 10 to April 01). Following the lessons, the weekly supervised play sessions will re-commence from Wednesday 02 April. Players attending will then pay normal table fees.

Links to useful resources for Novices
ABF Bridge ethics and etiquette
Handy Guide for Competition Play for Novices
ABF Simple System Card
ABF System Card Guide for New Players

Teachers

Andy Slater - Beginner bridge lessons
I was first introduced to bridge when at boarding school in England. I loved the game but I didn�t play at all in my twenties. I�d been married for about 6 months when I suggested to my father-in-law, Ross Dick, that it would be nice to have a game sometime. I�d never heard of a bidding system, so on the way to our first game Ross was telling me all about the 4321 hand valuation, INT 16-18 etc.

It was all gobbledygook but we did well. After that I studied a copy of Bridge Basics by Ron Klinger and I was away. The game has given me immense pleasure over the years, not just for the game but also for the many friends I have made in that time. When I retired from teaching, I recognised a need for players with some experience to advance their bidding skills and hone their playing technique. So I started developing my courses for Advancing Players.

I am happy to try to impart to these players some of the finer points of the game so hopefully they will enjoy the game as much as I have.