The questions people ask before they sit down.
Thirteen of them, answered plainly, in the order they usually come up. Tap a group to jump, or read straight through. If yours isn't here, email us and a person answers.
Start here
What is Bridge Unleashed?
We teach contract bridge online. Live workshops on the conventions tournament players actually use, a free library of written guides, a YouTube channel, and a VIP community where you keep learning between sessions. No club politics, no jargon you have to pretend to understand, no shame about asking a basic question.
I have never played bridge. Can I start here?
Yes. Start with the free guides and the YouTube channel, both built for people holding 13 cards for the first time. Our beginner's guide walks you through the deal, the auction, and the play in plain English. When you're ready for structure, the free Starter Kit sends you the first 10 conventions, one email a day, and 50 Conventions in 50 Days takes you through all fifty.
You won't be the only beginner in the room. That's the point of the room.
Who teaches the workshops?
Tracey Bauer. She's a two-time World Bridge Federation (WBF) Women's Spring Festival Champion (2020 and 2022) and a Lifetime Platinum member, and she's a member of the American Contract Bridge League, the United States Bridge Federation, and the World Bridge Federation.
She came to bridge in her 30s from a top-50 ranking on Yahoo Spades, got it the first time she sat down, and has played on Bridge Base Online (BBO) as MarinTlc since 2007. She teaches the way tournament players actually play, in language a beginner can follow. The rest of the story is on the about page.
The workshops
How do the live workshops work?
Each workshop is built around one convention and taught in plain English. Most workshops are $25, a few are $10 or $15. Your ticket gets you:
♠ A two-hour live lesson, sometimes running to two and a half
♥ A workbook that can run 30 pages
♦ A separate two-hour Play of the Hand session, where you take what you just learned into real competitive situations with a group
♣ A second workbook after Play of the Hand, a student tournament of the same hands on bridgechamp.com that anyone can enter, and the files to bring the hands into BBO
Replays are included. Come live or watch later.
What if I can't make the live session?
You still get everything. Every workshop is recorded and the replay comes with your ticket, along with both workbooks and the hand files. Plenty of people buy a workshop purely for the replay and never attend live.
Past workshops stay available too. The workshop library holds eleven workshops plus two bonus sessions today, and every live workshop joins it once it's recorded.
Do I need a partner to join?
No. Come on your own. The workshops are taught to a room, not to pairs, and the Play of the Hand sessions group you with other students.
Finding someone at your level is the hard part of this game, so Tracey loads the workshop hands into student tournaments on bridgechamp.com, open to anyone, and you play them again with a group. VIP adds a private community of players at your level, where you can ask a question between sessions and get an answer from Tracey or from someone who bid the same hand last week.
What software do I need?
Lessons run on Zoom. Your replays and workbooks sit in the student portal at portal.bridgeunleashed.com, or in the free GoKollab app on a phone, with the same email and password. For playing the hands we use bridgechamp.com first, where Tracey loads the student tournaments, open to anyone, and Bridge Base Online (BBO), where the hand files we send you load straight in so you can replay the deals yourself.
If the tech is the part that worries you, say so when you register and we'll walk you through it.
VIP and the series
What is the VIP Community?
VIP is the whole thing in one membership. Every live workshop, every replay, every workbook, the full 50 Conventions in 50 Days curriculum, and a private community of players at your level where you ask questions between sessions. New courses join the library as they launch, and your membership already covers them.
It's $79 a month, or $750 for the year. Your membership renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel any time from your account, and annual members get a reminder 21 days before each renewal.
Is VIP worth it if I only attend sometimes?
Do the math on how often you'd actually show up. Most workshops are $25, so four a year is $100 against $750 for the annual membership, and you're well ahead buying them one at a time.
Come to around four workshops in a single month, though, and that same $100 is more than the $79 monthly membership. Every $25 workshop also comes with a $25 credit toward VIP, good for 30 days, so your first workshop pays for itself if you join. The year costs less than ten months at the monthly rate, so annual wins if you're staying the year.
Buy individual workshops first if you aren't sure. Nobody needs to join VIP to learn from us.
What is 50 Conventions in 50 Days?
One convention a day for fifty days, delivered to your inbox, each one taught in minutes with examples you can use at the table that night. Day 1 is Stayman, and it runs through Jacoby Transfers to slam bidding and defensive gadgets.
It's $15, one-time payment, and you keep access to review any convention any time. It's also included in VIP.
Is there anything free?
A lot, actually.
♠ The YouTube channel at @BridgeUnleashed, where the how-to-play series and the convention videos live
♥ Written guides to Stayman, Jacoby Transfers, Takeout Doubles, Negative Doubles, Two Over One and more, free to read, no email required
♦ The Masters of the Game interviews, where Hall of Famers and world-class players talk about how they actually think at the table
♣ The free Starter Kit, the first 10 conventions by email, one a day, and the list it puts you on, where every workshop is announced first
Start there. Pay us when the free material has already taught you something.
The game, and us
Do you teach tournament bridge or social bridge?
We teach the way tournament players actually play, and that turns out to be the fastest route to enjoying a Tuesday night club game too. You don't need to want a national title to want your bidding to make sense.
If your goal is a friendly table with friends, you're welcome here. If your goal is a regional final, you're welcome here.
How do I get in touch?
Email us at [email protected] and a person answers, Monday through Friday. If you're asking about a workshop you already bought, include the workshop name and we'll sort it out quickly.
Didn't find yours?
Email [email protected] and a person answers, Monday through Friday. Or skip the questions and start with the free kit.