I look it this way: Different people like different things. I am a retired mathematics prof so I have had years of experience with "You like doing what? Really?" One of my favorite stories: During my single years I met a young woman in the lunch area of the National Gallery of Art. We were chatting, I thought it was going nicely, she asked what I do for a living, I said that I was a mathematician, she said "That's too bad" and got up and left.
To bring this observation around to bridge, let's look at a hand from today's lesson with Dave. I think everyone did fine, but let me follow good practice, deleting names except mine.
https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?sn=S&s=SJT8HAJ872D5C9762&wn=W&w=S942HK94DQJT96CT4&nn=N&n=SKQ765HQT5DA82CJ5&en=kenberg&e=SA3H63DK743CAKQ83&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=1CP1D1S2S3SPP4DPPP&p=SKSASJS2D3D5DQD2D6D8DKS8CAC6C4CJCKC2CTC5C3C7D9DAS5S3STS4HAH4H5H3H2HKHTH6S9S6D7C9CQH7H9S7&c=10We can, and did, make 4
. They can make 3
, Some care is needed, but it seems that they can do it. So is there anything to discuss? I think so. Some would open 1NT and sometimes that would be right but I decided that I would start with 1
and, if partner bid either major, I would reverse into 2
. But what do you know, pard bid 1
and then my Rho overcalled 1
. What to do? My hand is pretty good and if partner also has a decent hand we might well belong in 6
. So I bid 2
. I imagine 2
could be the bid on several different hands but then, when I later bid 4
, I think that in retrospect the 2
should be seen as a
control, the K at least. Had I just liked diamonds, but with nothing useful in spades, I could have bid 3
over 1
.
Of course some others might not see it that way.
Here is my point, regarding getting attendance at lessons: I enjoy a discussing a hand such as this. I long ago realized that I am not always right, and more importantly I realized that I don't always have to be right, I just enjoy a discussion. But, just as with mathematics, not everyone thinks sitting around discussing hands is a great way to spend their time. My father (I am 80, he is long gone RIP) found my enthusiasm for math just incomprehensible. If I could earn a living at it, then fine, go ahead, but we would not be discussing math problems together at home. People vary.
Bottom line: I think that these lessons are both fun and worthwhile. But that's me.