Area Bridge Teachers

The Unit Board of Directors offers this list as a service to students desiring to learn more about the game of bridge, particularly duplicate bridge. The Unit does NOT endorse the work of any one of these teachers over another.  You should talk with other bridge players and interview a range of teachers before you select any teacher.

Name: Sheryl Finkenstadt

ACBL Ranking: Silver Life Master

Phone: 636-244-2301

E-mail: sheryl@finkenstadt.com

# Years Teaching: Off and On, since 1966.  No formal classes since 1975

Approximate # Students Taught: 44

Where lessons held: Arranged. 

Name: Lee Hastings

ACBL Ranking: Gold Life Master

Phone: 314-469-8668

E-mail: leehastings@charter.net

# Years Teaching: 4

Approximate # Students Taught: 100 and growing each semester

Where Lessons Held: in my home or yours

Name: George Hawley

ACBL Ranking: Life Master

Phone: 314-921-9354

E-mail: bridgeteacher2004@yahoo.com

# Years Teaching: 12

Approximate # Students Taught: 400+

Where Lessons Held: St. Louis Community College @ Florissant Valley - Continuing Education; call 314-595-4444 for beginning & intermediate class schedules

Name:  Linda Powers

ACBL Ranking:  Silver Life Master

Phone:  636-532-2210

E-mail: mscorgipaws@sbcglobal.net

# Years Teaching: 12

Approximate # Students Taught:  1200

Where Lessons Held:  arranged

Name: Jane Schaffer
ACBL Ranking: Silver Life Master

Phone:  636-928-1487

E-mail: JaneDan@aol.com

# Years Teaching: 20

Name:  Janet Vontz

ACBL Ranking: Life Master

Phone:  636-561-8808

E-mail: janetvontz@gmail.com

# Years Teaching: 6

Approximate # Students Taught:  not reported

Where Lessons Held:  arranged

Preferred Method of Teaching:  ACBL Certified.  Casual weekly 2-hour Tuesday Morning hands-on classes at Lake Saint Louis.  Q&A session for 1 hour after Saturday Afternoon game at Bridge Haven.  Available for private lessons.  Can also teach Precision system (classical or hybrid) to an establishing partnership.

EASYBRIDGE! 1

Easybridge! is for people who have never played bridge, people who learned to play a long time ago and would like to learn how to play modern bridge, and people who play “ social ” bridge occasionally and would like to broaden their skills.

Easybridge! is based on experiential learning. You learn from and while playing the game of bridge. Each game begins with a short presentation that expands on what you learned from your Easybridge “Comic Book” (a text book like you've never seen before). Yes, there is homework, but you've never been better entertained while learning!

At each Easybridge! game, you pause and help yourself at a (free) table filled with goodies on your way to your bridge table. You can come with a partner or not. Sometimes, you will play with that partner, more often with another nice person. It is common to see a player show his cards to an opponent asking, “How would you bid this hand?” We are here to learn how to play bridge, not to demonstrate how smart we are.

If you have never played before, join the fun during the first 4 or 5 games in an Easybridge! 1 series. If you already know something about bridge, join the fun anytime!

Incidentally, while most bridge “classes” are x-number of weeks long, Easybridge! never ends! When we complete the 15-week Easybridge! 1, we start the 10-week Easybridge! 2. After that comes 10 weeks of Easybridge! 3. And, guess what? It never finishes. You just learn more and more, play more and more, eat more and more free goodies and meet more and more nice partners and opponents.

If you have any questions, contact in Jefferson County CARL CLYNE (636-285-9687) or LUKE LUCAS (636-933-9121) or in St. Louis LEE HASTINGS (314-469-8668).

BRIDGE PLUS

A special form of duplicate play devised for students. It is patterned after the students' classroom experience. The games usually last two hours, allowing the students to play 10-15 hands. The games are supervised by an accredited teacher.

Students can practice bridge, duplicate style, after completing a basic class.

The Bridge Plus game is divided into 2 segments, 20 minutes of instruction followed by a social duplicate game .

If you do not have a partner, please "come on out."

A partner will be provided.

Lesson Topics Include
1. Class on Role of Partners
2. What Do I Open?
3. Major Openers & Responses
4. Minor Openers & Responses
5. No Trump Opening

If you desire to have your name listed as a Bridge Teacher, please send the required information to designteam@unit143.org.

If you desire to have your name listed as a Bridge teacher on the ACBL website, please use this link.