[peachy]

So who is it? Britain's best-known bridge teacher.
Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

[JLOGIC]

ROBSON

[nigel_k]

Living or dead?

[NickRW]

Well, I suppose Reese, if you include the dead, though I don't actually know if Reese did any much teaching per se.

[peachy]

nigel_k, on Aug 14 2010, 06:02 PM, said:

Living or dead?

Living. Active, I suppose.

[RMB1]

peachy, on Aug 15 2010, 02:31 AM, said:

Living. Active, I suppose.

I think that would be Andrew Robson who teaches at his club in London and tours other clubs around the country giving seminars. His club website describes him as "Britain's No 1 bridge player teacher".

[peachy]

RMB1, on Aug 14 2010, 09:02 PM, said:

peachy, on Aug 15 2010, 02:31 AM, said:

Living. Active, I suppose.

I think that would be Andrew Robson who teaches at his club in London and tours other clubs around the country giving seminars. His club website describes him as "Britain's No 1 bridge player teacher".

I believe Robson is the one. My curiosity was started when somebody in ACBL Bulletin has been advertising himself as "Britain's best-known teacher" and I had never even heard his name before. I wasn't buying anything he is selling, so it doesn't matter to me. But buyer beware!

[NickRW]

peachy, on Aug 15 2010, 03:11 AM, said:

I believe Robson is the one. My curiosity was started when somebody in ACBL Bulletin has been advertising himself as "Britain's best-known teacher" and I had never even heard his name before. I wasn't buying anything he is selling, so it doesn't matter to me. But buyer beware!

I don't know about buyer beware exactly - the person advertising may be somebody of note - or at least a good teacher. Who was advertising?

Nick

[Siegmund]

I'm sure there's more than one answer depending on where one is and what standards one is using.

From the standpoint of writing and selling textbooks, I think of Sally Brock for quality and Julian Pottage for quantity. In the US, Robson and Segal's book attracted very little attention and went out of print very fast, despite the praise it attracted from European experts. (Interesting material in that book, too, but they went out of their way to make it difficult to read. There was a time I'd have discounted Robson as a teacher on that basis alone, but I've run across at least two pros who speak much better than they write, so I really can't say.)

If your criterion is your name being known to more Americans than any other British bridge teacher.... well... buying an ad in the bulletin is a very fast trip to first place, since so few of us will have heard of any of them

[peachy]

Siegmund, on Aug 14 2010, 10:22 PM, said:

I'm sure there's more than one answer depending on where one is and what standards one is using.

I said "Britain" and "Bridge teacher". List a few

[TimG]

Siegmund, on Aug 14 2010, 10:22 PM, said:

In the US, Robson and Segal's book attracted very little attention and went out of print very fast, despite the praise it attracted from European experts. (Interesting material in that book, too, but they went out of their way to make it difficult to read. There was a time I'd have discounted Robson as a teacher on that basis alone, but I've run across at least two pros who speak much better than they write, so I really can't say.)

I thought it received praise in the US too, it's just that the masses weren't the target audience. I did not find it hard to read, in fact, I've read it more than once and refer to it from time to time. I'm still hoping that Robson and Segal haven't forgotten about their promised sequel.

Tim

[NickRW]

peachy, on Aug 15 2010, 03:28 AM, said:

I said "Britain" and "Bridge teacher". List a few

Why don't you say who it was that was advertising! Someone from Britain might actually be able to tell you if we've heard of him/her.

Nick

[pirate22]

David Bird---is a fine writer of books on Bridge..he approaches from your own skill level.and is a teacher...CGH Fox{deceased} was also a writer and teacher.
But in Today's enviroment---Teaching is very Local,yes one can get tuition via internet at a cost....but most countries ACBL-EBU have accredited teachers,it depends at what level one is."Tutorials" of various sites,gets you Basics.and "Bridge Guys" gives one every convention- Widget on the planet.
BBO Vu graph is invaluable,to witness how the World Class and experts handle them selves.sometimes disastriously,after all they are human.
Mind you not extolling Precision System. CC Wei,had a good mind and approach to Bridge.........other important Factor's is apart from being Taught any system.there is Declarer play-Defence-Stamina. and a partner on the same wavelength
which leads on to Who has and is todays the best overall Bridge player.
Belladonna {1} CC Wei {2}Helgamo{3}

[gnasher]

I'm not sure why people are discussing authors. In the conventional sense of the word "teacher", it's obviously Robson. He owns a very successful club, whose success is based largely on teaching. It would be hard to find a bridge player anywhere in the UK who hasn't heard of him, or a bridge player anywhere in London who doesn't know of his club and what it does.

If the person advertsing in the ACBL bulletin is the same one as you get when you Google "Britain's best known bridge teacher", he is a pleasant man and a reasonable player. He writes books, articles and instructional software aimed at newcomers and weaker players, and (I think) runs bridge vacations and cruises. I have the impression that he's quite successful at this, but I don't believe he has a higher profile than Robson.

[gnasher]

TimG, on Aug 15 2010, 04:32 AM, said:

I thought it received praise in the US too, it's just that the masses weren't the target audience.  I did not find it hard to read, in fact, I've read it more than once and refer to it from time to time.  I'm still hoping that Robson and Segal haven't forgotten about their promised sequel.

I think you'll be waiting a long time. The original book was more Segal's work than Robson's, but Segal doesn't play much any more, and Robson is now writing books aimed at a rather different market.

Anyway, last week I heard Robson recommend that 1♠ (2♣) 3♦ be played as a weak jump shift.

[wank]

I did an Andy and typed in Britiain's best known bridge teacher into google and got Bernard Magee who I've never heard of despite being British myself.

Robson would be best known for sure amongst good players.

Amongst the wider clueless bridge playing community I'd bet a player called Andrew Kambites would be best known, purely because he writes articles in the EBU's free magazine. He addresses weighty subjects such as whether or not to play benjaminised 2s (2C strong, 2D even stronger, 2M weak) or 3 weak 2s.

[NickRW]

gnasher, on Aug 15 2010, 09:53 PM, said:

I have the impression that he's quite successful at this, but I don't believe he has a higher profile than Robson.

What is it with this thread that it doesn't mention names. I assume you mean Bernard Magee.

If you, like I did for example, had the urge to buy a copy of David Stevenson's bridge rules simplified (yellow) book - published by "Mr Bridge" - then you'll have copies of their magazine through your door at regular intervals. And if that is the case, probably Bernard Magee does have as a high profile at least in your perception.

Nick