The “Core Five” of Boise’s Monday Night Bridge Group: (from left): Vicki Flier, Carol Ogburn, DeAnna McMahon, Nancy Feldman and Russ Dodd.

By Stuart Hotchkiss

In 2019, Nancy Feldman, a Boise ID resident and a member of the Bridge Cooperative of Boise (Unit 394), taught a beginning bridge class at the club. After the class, students would kibitz the game that followed the lesson. Eventually, the class began playing regularly in the 0–199 game on Thursday afternoons and continued to meet Monday evenings to practice.

After in-person play disappeared in 2020, four players from the class decided to continue learning by playing at their own virtual table on BBO and hooking everyone in on the telephone so they could talk through their hands. DeAnna “DeDe” McMahon, Vicki Flier, Russ Dodd and Carol Ogburn played that way for months, occasionally asking Nancy to join in on the phone call so she could answer questions.

In 2021, the four started masking up and playing together on Monday nights. Since then, this one teacher and four students have morphed into more new players than their space allowed.

DeDe became the organizer and started inviting other beginners to the game. By the summer of 2021, there were two tables regularly, and by the fall, there were three. By that time, the Boise club resumed playing face-to-face duplicate bridge. Monday nights became the training ground for playing in the club games.

In 2022, Nancy began offering lessons again; at the end of these lessons, DeDe invited the new players to join the Monday night group – the next step in becoming a duplicate player. She has become the lightning rod for new bridge players; she adds them to her email distribution list and convinced the unit to offer a free play certificate to the Boise club to any new player who became an ACBL member. To date, 12 players have done so!

During the next two years, more lessons, speakers and presentations were added, including a new method called “Play and Learn.” Players were introduced to bidding boxes and boards, and all played the same boards. Now, players were far more prepared and confident to upgrade from Monday nights to competitive, duplicate club play. 

DeDe and Nancy realized that demand was strong – players’ houses weren’t large enough to host the demand. One of the Monday night players, Mary Jo Fuller, offered the use of a warehouse she jointly owns with her son, Mason at no cost and set aside a room large enough for at least six full tables and a large table for refreshments. There is additional space for lessons. Equally valuable was Fuller’s offer to store tables, chairs, and requisite bridge supplies at the “Monday Night Hall.” Unit 394 supplied the group with boards, bidding boxes, table markers, six tables, and 24 chairs.

Nancy is preparing to give beginner lessons in the fall through the Boise Parks and Recreation Department to two distinct audiences: a youth group (ages 13–17), who will likely play online after learning the game; and an adult group that now has a certain path – the Monday Night Group – to play competitive club bridge.

When there are dedicated players like DeDe, Vicki, Carol and Russ, passionate teachers like Nancy, supportive club owners and unit board members, it is possible to grow the popularity of the game of bridge in a significant and sustainable way.