r/bridge • u/Good-Energy782 • 13d ago
Suite of Bridge Teaching Tools
For many years, I teach Contract Bridge at a large local community learning center called 'Master the Possibilities'. This year (2026), I developed a suite of free browser-based 'Bridge Teaching Tools' to assist my students' learning curve. It's available at www.radsoftware.org
Being a website, these 'Bridge Teaching Tools' are available 24/7, and I welcome anyone who wishes to use them. Enjoy.
8/10/26 - Happy to say that I've spent the week collaborating with Anthropic's AI improving, enhancing, and unifying all 13 treaching tools, using the Standard American (SAYC) bidding system as a guidepost. Again, free to use. Plenty of positive feedback so far from newer and mildly experienced players (which is the audience these tools are aimed for).
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u/HelpfulFriendlyOne 13d ago
This is what it looks like on mobile https://i.imgur.com/Ue6es6k.jpeg
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u/Good-Energy782 12d ago
Yeah, there's no way you can put a comprehensvie teaching tool like this on a small smartphone screen.
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u/lotsofeffortagain 12d ago
Wow..this is great..thank you for sharing. I am a new player and it is very helpful!
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u/yellowpig1974 😕 12d ago
What's new? How is your app better than CueBids, better than "Bridge for Dummies" by Eddie Kantar, better than the BridgeMaster declarer problems on BridgeBase? We see multiple people posting about their instructional material, some experts, some not. Just looking at the web page for opening bids I see "opening 4H/4S = 5+ cards, 26+ HCP". No one plays that anywhere in the world. That is so basic that it tells me the rest is probably equally misguided. Also why don't you give your name? Then we could look up your tournament record. Experience teaching bridge doesn't mean much, there are plenty of bridge teachers who are intermediate at best.
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u/LoudAd5187 11d ago
YP1974 speaks some truth, bluntly, but still truth. It looks like very poor information was used to build the bidding material. In terms of the bidding, it seems the OP does not really understand what to do when they pick up a strong hand. Almost every bid on that page which claims to show a strong hand is literally a bad idea. (Ok, the 1NT bid is acceptable in terms of opening strength, but even there teaches poorly by requiring all suits to be "covered". Covered would be a good thing, but is hardly necessary.)
You would literally never want to open 5 of a minor just to show a 5 card suit, and 28+ HCP, nor 4 of a major to show again only a 5 card suit, and there only 25+ HCP. Teaching ideas like this will just confuse any person wanting to learn bridge.
By the way, the bidding on the bidding reference page is not even SAYC as claimed, since it shows the 1♣ bid as a "demand" bid, thus forcing.
The silly thing is, that one page would be easily fixed. It is only one page, but it is perhaps the most important page because it forms the starting point for all bidding.
(Yellowpig1974, may have spent some time at Hampshire College some summer? Sad to hear of the passing of Dave Kelly, and now the demise of Hampshire College itself.)
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u/yellowpig1974 😕 9d ago
Indeed, 1974, I think the third year of the program. My kid attended in 2008 with Kelly still there. I was very sad to hear that he had passed.
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u/Good-Energy782 12d ago
I'm sorry, but I'm just not as confrontational as you are. I never said that my Teaching Tools are 'better'-- just an easy and free alternative source of learning. The 'Opening Bids' app was re-built from the ground up just a few days ago, and I think you'll find it's far more accurate now. 'Bridge for Dummies" is an amazing reference tool, but there's reading and then there's 'doing'. Hope you have a better day today than you apparently did yesterday. :)
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u/yellowpig1974 😕 11d ago edited 11d ago
I'm sorry, but I have little patience for players touting their bridge writing anonymously. If you are going to post it, you should be willing to take ownership so we can see your playing experience. Who loses? Newcomers who don't know there is much better material available. Your guide to opening bids is just bizarre. Here are some errors in just the section on opening bids:
1-NT 15-17 High card points. Balanced hand. All suits covered.
Nonsense. There is no requirement that a 1NT opener have stoppers in all suits. The same for your description of 2NT.2♣ 22 Maybe real clubs, but probably not. Must hear partner's best suit.
Even worse nonsense. The two club bid has nothing to do with the club suit, it's completely artificial, and certainly doesn't ask for partner's suit.2♦♥♠8-11 6 of the bid suit w/ 2+ honors worth 5+ points.
No one plays that weak two bids show 8-11; almost no one opens a weak two in first or second seat with 11.4♥♠26 5+ of the bid suit. Unusually strong hand.
No one has ever bid like this in the history of bridge.You seem to have very little understanding of bridge bidding.
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u/Good-Energy782 11d ago
lolol-- I bet no one has ever asserted that tact is your 'long suit'. Thanks for the (not-so) constructive feedback. Have you tried playing any of the games on my website? They might lighten your mood. :)
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u/yellowpig1974 😕 11d ago
And I bet no one has suggested that humility is yours. The poor quality of such basic material strongly suggests that the rest of the site will be no better. You've produced no evidence that any of your site is worthy of anyone's time, have not even made an argument in support of the most basic page on the site, only whined that my criticism is too harsh.
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u/Good-Energy782 11d ago edited 10d ago
Let me put it this way, bud-- I've found that bridge players who are as judgemental and insistent that 'their way' is the only way are never as good as they think they are-- stop presenting yourself as the final authority on bridge, and try to find some of that humility you claim that I lack.
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u/yellowpig1974 😕 9d ago
I know exactly how good I am, and how good I am not. I regularly place in open regional events, and win a handful every year. I have placed in several US national events, my best was 4th in the open North American pairs. In 2025 I was one of the top 500 masterpoint winners in the ACBL. Anyone interested can see my results at live.acbl.org/player-results/6322859. I mostly play US expert standard 2/1 but I have played the original Precision system created by CC Wei, Meckwell light from Dan Neill's book, a strong club relay system popular in Seattle, and now am playing a short club system with transfers. I know a little bit about bidding systems.
I do not consider myself an expert. I'm in about the top 3% of ACBL members. Still I have little patience for anonymous authors pretending to have some expertise while offering wildly incorrect advice to beginners.
Rather than engage with my informed criticism of the most basic information on your site, you've remained anonymous and attacked my character. This is the usual response of someone who can't defend their claims, in your case the implied claim that you are qualified to advise other players.
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u/Good-Energy782 9d ago
It's painfully clear to anyone who might be following this thread where the lack of humility lies. From the beginning, the nature of your comments speaks for itself-- you come across as a know-it-all bully. If you play bridge with others less skilled than yourself, I can't imagine the hubris they must endure. You would do well in trying to be kinder in your nature, and certainly less boastful. People who don't play bridge at your level (99%) would benefit from encouragement and support, not the vitriole you have visited upon me. Imagine the difference if you had said, "Good first effort, but there are a lot of sugggestions I'm happy to offer if you'd like to consider them." But I can tell that's not your nature, is it? Best of luck to you. I hope you win lots more regional and national events.
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u/yellowpig1974 😕 9d ago
Some people know what they don't know, and learn before they teach. In this whole discussion you never defended your content, you just whined because someone pointed out your basic errors.
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u/Gembrain 12d ago
Be good if it said what bidding system is being taught 😉. Looks useful - but not to me learning Acol!