donna's bridge curriculum
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, Play Better Bridge offers a bridge curriculum tailored to your skill level! All course materials are crafted by World Champion and Master Teacher Donna Compton.
Our bridge workshops and seminars are designed to be completed in order, but you can purchase any class individually. You can easily search for topics at the top of this website or in the store, or scroll down for more information about Donna's Workshops, Seminars, Play n Learn Masterclasses, and Class Pass Videos.
To share our classes with you, Play Better Bridge uses a program called Sharefile. Each pre-recorded class includes a lesson video, PDF notes, and practice hands that you can replay in real-time with Shark Bridge. For more assistance, see our Program Tutorials.
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WORKSHOP COURSES
Our workshops are designed to take you from a beginner to an advanced player. They are listed in the order we suggest you take them. Each class comes with a video lesson, PDF notes, and 4-6 practice hands that can be replayed in real time via Shark Bridge. Click the titles for more information about the lessons in each course. You can also purchase the lessons individually, instead of the entire course. Shop Workshops
All Around Game 1 Bidding (AAG1)
All Around Game 1 Bidding (AAG1)
All Around Game 1 Bidding (AAG1)
All Around Game 1 Defense (AAG1)
All Around Game 1 Defense (AAG1)
All Around Game 1 Defense (AAG1)
All Around Game 10 (AAG10)
All Around Game 11 (AAG11)
All Around Game 11 (AAG11)
8 lessons
$5 each (notes and practice hands only)
We are working on videos for this course! Stay tuned!
SEMINARS
Seminars are shorter, single-topic classes that highlight specific techniques drawn from our comprehensive bridge curriculum and bridge workshops. Each level (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) includes four bidding classes, four play classes, and four defense classes. If you prefer to take them in sequence, the classes are labeled 1 through 4. Every seminar features a video lesson, PDF notes, and 2-4 practice hands that can be replayed in real time using Shark Bridge. Explore our online bridge lessons and shop Seminars today.
Freshman Bidding
Freshman Bidding
Freshman Bidding
- FH B1 Texas Two-Step 1♥-4♥ shows a weak freak hand. How Does Responder show game-going values with support for Opener’s major?
- FH B2 Opener’s Shape Rebids The first bid is easy…Responder’s Bids are coming along, but when we get back to Opener’s rebids, we start looking around the room for a life line. How does Opener describe?
- FH B3 Responder's 5-4 Major Suit Bidding As Responder, you are 5-4 in the majors... Do you transfer? do you bid Stayman? Do you do both?
- FH B4 Intervenor’s Checklist Your Right-Hand Opponent opens the bidding. You are now the Intervenor. What’s next?
Freshman Play
Freshman Bidding
Freshman Bidding
- FH P1 Who’s the Master Hand? The key to counting losers is identifying the Master Hand and the Cover Card Hand as Declarer. What are the steps to figuring this out?
- FH P2 Eliminating Losers Using the Trumping Technique
- FH P3 Working Suit Transportation As Declarer you need to travel from Hand to Dummy in the Working Suit. What’s the key to success?
- FH P4 Guard the Lone Honor As Declarer, you have a two-way finesse. What does the Lone Honor have to do with your decision of which way to play for the missing Queen?
Freshman Defense
Freshman Bidding
Sophomore Bidding
- FH D1 Count Signal When Declarer Leads You are on defense and Declarer leads from hand or dummy. What signal do you send and how do you send it?
- FH D2 Cover an Honor With an Honor or Not? You are 2nd hand and Dummy has 2 honors. Declarer leads one of the honors. Do you cover an honor with an honor?
- FH D3 Defender’s Number One Rule: Knowing how many high card points Partner holds is key to fabulous defensive play; but how do you figure it out?
- FH D4 Singleton Leads. Yes or No? As Opening Leader again a suit contract holding a singleton, do you lead it or not?
Sophomore Bidding
Sophomore Bidding
Sophomore Bidding
- SPH B1 Preemptive Seat Position Your hand looks like a preemptive bid…but what seat are you in? First? Second? Third? Fourth? Let’s get your seat strategy in order!
- SPH B2 Three Keys to Bidding Slam Partner opens the bidding, and you are thinking slam. But what are you thinking?
- SPH B3 You Don’t Have a Suit to Bid Partner makes a Takeout Double and you don’t have a suit to bid. Now what?
- SPH B4 1♠-2NT-3NT Partner bids Jacoby 2NT and you have a 3NT rebid. What are you telling Partner?
Sophomore Play
Sophomore Bidding
Sophomore Defense
- SPH P1 Using the Trump Suit in the Context of a Transportation You are trying to use the Repeat finesse but you don’t have the entries to make it happen. What about the Trump Suit?
- SPH P2 Necessary Finesse Workshop You have two finesses to take but need only one. Which one do you take?
- SPH P3 Winning the First Trick in the Wrong Hand You have the option to win the trick in Hand or in Dummy. It’s a critical choice…but how do you make it?
- SPH P4 Timing of Inevitable Losers You have inevitable losers but the hand timing matters. How do you know what time it is?
Sophomore Defense
Sophomore Bidding
Sophomore Defense
- SPH D1 Counting Declarer Tricks and Attacking Defense You live in a Passive Defense world, but what if Declarer needs 9 tricks and has 9 tricks? You better move to an Attacking Defense! How do you know?
- SPH D2 Partner’s Direct Lead Double What is a Lead Directing Double and What is Partner asking you to do?
- SPH D3 3rd Hand Plays Low We know 3rd Hand plays high, but when does 3rd hand play low?
- SPH P4 Partner is Entry-Less You’re on lead and Partner doesn’t have an entry. How does this change your choice of suits to lead?
Junior Bidding
Junior Bidding
Junior Bidding
- JR B1 Weak Hand Bidding with Interferences Right Hand Opponent has overcalled. As Responder, you have a hand too weak to bid at the Two Level. What tool helps you get in the auction?
- JR B2 Fourth Hand’s Responsive Double You are 4th Hand and Partner Overcalls or Doubles. Right Hand Opponent Bids and you want into the auction with no clear bid. How does the Responsive Double work?
- JR B3 Italian Slam Cuebid You have points for slam but also have a sorry side suit preventing you from asking for aces. What’s the solution?
- JR B4 Major Michaels Cuebid Responses Partner has used a Major Michaels Cuebid. As Advancer, what’s the modern asking bids to find out which minor Partner holds?
Junior Play
Junior Bidding
Junior Bidding
- JR P1 Interior Spot Card Combination As Declarer, a card combination play is often determined by how many tricks you need from the suit. What do Interior Spot Cards have to do with the decision?
- JR P2 Lose on Loser Plays at the End As Declarer, you have a never ever suit you would like the Defender’s to lead, but you don’t have an exit suit. What about a Loser-on-Loser Play?
- JR P3 Two Stopper Ducking Rule As Declarer, the Defender leads your weakest suit again 3NT and you have two stoppers. Do you win or hold up?
- JR P4 Avoiding the Ruff In a Suit Contract, you know there is a Defensive ruff on the horizon. How do you avoid the Defender getting that ruff?
Junior Defense
Junior Bidding
Junior Defense
- JR D1 Keeping Parity on Defense Declarer is running a suit and you must discard multiple times. What’s the one suit you not discard?
- JR D2 Returning Partner’s Led Suit Sitting 3rd Hand, your Partner leads a suit and you win it. Which card do you return and what message are you sending?
- JR D3 Dummy is Dead, Now What? As Defender, how do you recognize a dead dummy and how do you defend against such a dummy?
- JR D4 When to Trump In With the Boss Trump On defense, you hold the Boss Trump. Should you trump in now or later?
Senior Bidding
Senior Bidding
Junior Defense
- SNR B1 Independent Suits Misfits It’s the battle of the long suits and you are trying to make your suit the trump suit. But should you be setting Partner’s long suit as trumps?
- SNR B2 Direct vs Indirect Raises How does Partner know how many cards we have in their suit when we make a direct raise or an indirect raise? Is there is difference depending on the auction?
- SNR B3 Lebewohl vs Weak 2 Bids Your Opponent opens 2♥ and your partner doubles. How do you show strong and weak hands as Advancer? What about stoppers?
- SNR B4 Puppet Stayman Over 1NT Opener Your Partnership opens 1NT with 5-card majors. How does Responder uncover the 5-3 major-suit fit when it’s right?
Senior Play
Senior Bidding
Senior Defense
- SNR P1 Hand Counting Discovery Play As Declarer, you often have to guess where a missing queen is located. Why not take the guess out of it and use the Discovery Play instead?
- SNR P2 Fourth Round Losers Yes. Fourth Round Losers are a thing. Yes. It matters if there is a strong or weak side suit. You establish the Master Trump. Then what?
- SNR P3 Squeeze Threat & Non-Threat Suits As Declarer, you are a trick short of your contract and you need to force a Defender to discard a winner. Check your threat suits watch the Defender squirm!
- SNR P4 Card Combo & Count on Hand As Declarer, you have a couple of ways to play the suit. There is the “percentage” play and then there is the “count” play. Which is best?
Senior Defense
Senior Bidding
Senior Defense
- SNR D1 3rd Hand Count Exceptions on Lead of Ace Partner leads the ♥A and you know the general rule is to send an attitude signal. But when does this signal default to count?
- SNR D2 Ace from AK at Trick 1 It used to be Ace from AK throughout the hand. Then it switched to K from AK throughout the Hand. Now it’s just at Trick 1. And, yes there are exceptions!
- SNR D3 Inferences When Declarer Leaves a Long Suit in Dummy As Defender, you notice that Declarer has a long suit in dummy but isn’t developing tricks in the suit. Attacking Defense, anyone?
- SNR D4 Lead Inferences on Defense The 1st bullet on 3rd Hand’s Checklist is to interpret Partner’s opening lead. What are all of the positive and negative inferences that come along with that interpretation?
PLAY n learn masterclasses
Play N Learn Masterclasses are some of Donna's more recent material. Each four lesson bundle comes with 24-30 practice hands. These practice hands can be replayed in real time through Shark Bridge. Each class includes a video lesson, PDF notes, and features 6-7 practice hands that you can revisit live via Shark Bridge. Shop Masterclasses here.
CLASS PASS VIDEOS
Class Pass Videos are Donna's current material! If you can’t subscribe to the live classes, consider purchasing individual past lessons. Check out what we have to offer here.