• two decks of cards for each group of 4 players
• score sheets and pencils for each table
• NSEW Guide Cards (See Lesson One.)
• card holders, if necessary

Anticipatory set:

Begin the class by reviewing the previous Mini Bridge lessons. Place the word contract on the board and ask the learners how the word contract applies in Mini Bridge. Ask the learner to point to their partner at the table. Ask, "What is the obligation of the partnership when they enter into a contract?" Discuss.

Day One: Leads

• Gather the learners around the demonstration table. Lay out these cards dummy style (high card at the top with other cards overlapping it toward your partner across the table). 
  • North  (♥) K, Q, 10, 6, 5
  • South (♥)  9, 8, 7, 4
• Tell the students when making a lead, if they have touching honors (K, Q), they should lead the top of the touching honor (K). Ask for other combinations of touching honors (A, K) (K, Q) (Q, J). Explain that a good opening lead is the top of the honors because it promises your partner, and also tells your opponents you have the next lower honor. 
• Ask why would it be important for your partner to have this information. (It communicates to your partner what you are holding and that you think you can develop that suit for your partnership.)
• Likewise, if you have two honors that are not touching, (K, J), (A, Q), (A, J) and three more cards (a suit with five or more cards), lead low. Ask the students to think about how this information is helpful to the partnership. Is it okay that this also tells the opponents about your hand? Why or why not? 
• Have the students play a few hands. With this age group it is important to give lots of opportunity to play. Often questions will come up during the students' play. Ask the students to keep track of points and long suits.
• After playing discuss how this information is helpful to their play.

Day Two: Keeping Score

• Remind the students that they must win the first 6 tricks, called book, for their score to count. The defenders receive 50 points for every trick the declaring side is short of its goal.
• Points depend on whether there is no trump or a trump contract.
• Lowest scores are give in diamonds and clubs. These are the minor suits. For minor suits, you receive 20 points for each trick over 6, or book.
• Major suits are hearts and spades. You receive 30 points per trick over book in a major suit.
• In no trump, you score 40 points for the first trick over book, then 30 points for every trick afterward.
• Discuss how scoring affects the strain you choose. How many cards in a suit make a "fit?" (8 or more) Why are 8 or more cards in a suit considered a fit? Because you have more than half the cards in the suit.
• Strain is the word you use to indicate your selection of trump or no trump.

Example:  9 tricks in clubs/diamonds  = 60 points

                   9 tricks in hearts/spades =     90 points

                   9 tricks in no trump  =            100 points

• In Mini Bridge the declarer announces, for example, "I can make 3NT,"  which equals book plus 3 more tricks without a trump suit.
• Lay out the following cards in any suit as the hands for the declaring suit. Gather the learners around the table for a discussion. 

North:  A, K, J, 10, 2

South:  Q, 4, 3

• Ask:  How many tricks can the declarer win in this suit? (5)  Should you play the A, K first, or the queen? (Q) There is an old saying in the game of Bridge -- play "high card from the short side first." In this case, the south hand is short, or has fewer cards in the suit. If declarer does not play the queen first, the suit can be blocked. (Demonstrate this for the students.)
• Ask students to play some hands and keep their scores.

Day Three: Game contracts

• Up until now, you have been estimating the number of tricks your partnership can make. To win, you had to make a minimum of book + 1 to make your contract.
• In Bridge, your estimate is called: "Making your contract."
• The name of the contract includes the number of tricks after six, plus the strain that declarer has called. Example: If declarer has committed to 3 tricks over book in hearts, the contract would be 3 hearts (level and strain).
• Ask students questions to check for understanding and reinfornce the concept of level and strain:
  • What would 8 tricks in no trump be called   (2 NT)
  • What would 11 tricks in hearts be called?  (5 hearts)
  • What would 9 tricks in clubs be called?   (3 clubs)
• Have the students play some hands. Declarer should count the total points of the partnership and decide the level and strain of the contract.

Day Four: Promotion of tricks

• Promoting tricks means making strategic choices in order to win the most tricks in the hand. Discuss the following questions to get students thinking critically about choices they can make in Bridge:
  • How do you promote an idea or event that you are interested in to get others interested? (Discuss the term promote outside of Bridge.)
  • How can you make a low spot card win a trick?
  • When playing in a suit contract, why should declarer void their opponents of trump? (If declarer uses all of his or her trump, the opponents can run their long suit.)
• Lay out these cards dummy style at a table and gather students around for a demonstration:
  • Partnership is holding these cards in the same suit:

K, Q, J, 8

7, 6, 5, 4

• Ask, "How many sure tricks can the partnership make in this suit?" (3) The declarer must play the high cards first to knock out the ace that is held by the opponents. 
• Rule: When you need to set up tricks, do it at your first opportunity; don't postpone!
• Have the students play some hands and keep score.

Day Five: Scoring with bonuses.

• Review what students know about scoring minor suits, major suits, and no trump. See Day Two, above.
• Tell the students that in Mini Bridge, any score over 100 is called "making game." There is a 300 point bonus for making game in one hand.
• Ask students to calculate the following: 
  • "How many tricks does a partnership need to 'make game' in clubs and diamonds? (book + 5 because each trick is worth 20) Game  = 100 points + 300 point bonus = 400 points. 
  • In hearts and spades? (book + 4 because each trick is worth 30) Game  = 120 points + 300 point bonus = 420 points.
  • In no trump? (book + 3 because the first trick is worth 40 and the next two are worth 30 each) Game = 100 points + 300 point bonus = 400 points.
• In a partial score, when the partnership scores tricks below game, the partnership receives a 50 point bonus. Have the students calculate the score for each contract below (include the bonus points): 
  • 2 diamonds (20 + 20 + 50 = 90 points)
  • 2 hearts (30 + 30 + 50 = 110 points)
  • 2 no trump (40 + 30 + 50 = 90 points)
• Ask the students to calculate the points for other proposed contracts.
• Have the students play hands and keep score. Discuss how many contracts "make game" and how many are "partial scores."

Day Six:

• Review promoting tricks from Day Four.
• As a demonstration, write the following hands on the board. Say, “In this deal, these are the final four cards in each hand.”

• Ask the students which hand will win. (The declaring south will make all four tricks. The 2 will win because no other hand can follow suit.)
• Review: 

• Remember, in Mini Bridge, sometimes you have to give up tricks to promote tricks.
• Display the following hand on the board. Say, "This is what all the players have in a single suit."

• The declarer, east, must lose 3 tricks to keep control of this suit. How many tricks will declarer win in this suit? (Three, because E/W will lose to A, K, Q, but can make the remaining three tricks.)
• Remind the students that opponents can promote tricks too. 
• Review:

• Have students play hands and keep score.

Day Seven:

• For practice, the Mini Bridge teacher may name some made contracts (2 diamonds, 3 NT, 2 spades) and have the students summarize the scores.
• Examples:

• Remind students that if the declarer did not make the proposed contract, the opponents receive 50 points.

• Discuss: This contract can be made in 1NT or 2 clubs. Count your sure winners. Discuss how you are going to promote an extra trick. Remember,  you may need to give up the lead to set up a long suit. In no trump, when giving up the lead, be sure to keep winners in your other suits so your opponents cannot set up their suit.

Day Eight: Distribution

• Teacher: In Mini Bridge, you have learned that honor cards take tricks and promoting a suit takes tricks. How else can you win tricks? (From setting up long suits.)
• Teacher: Does point count represent the true value of your hand? Another factor in value is card distribution. Card distribution allows you to add points to your point count based on the following:

• Give the following example and ask, “How many tricks can the declarer make in each suit?”

• Create more practice for your students.

Day Nine: Learning about Finesses

• When you take a finesse, you are hoping a high card will win the trick because the card that can beat it is in the hand of the player who plays before the finesse is taken. In taking a finesse, you are making tricks by leading toward your high cards. This can help you to win a trick even when you are missing a top honor. Think about the probability of success. Did you listen to your opponents when they announced their points? Listening and paying attention to your opponents' cards will help you to be more successful when taking the finesse. Perhaps a finesse works half of the time. Keep track of the statistics!

• Discuss: Does a king or queen always win?  (no)
• What if you are declarer and you have the following:

• Can you promote a trick from an eight-card fit with no honors? Sure you can! Remember you have more cards in the suit than your opponents.
• Even if you have no honors in the suit, you can promote your last card in this suit as a winning card when playing in no trump.

• Remember, don't lead a king if you don't have the ace.