Play

1. Bridge shall be played at the Club on Tuesday evenings, excluding public holidays and closures of the Club's premises, subject to any decisions of the Committee either to hold a session on a different day or by a different method (including Realbridge or similar) or not to hold a session. The EBU’s regulations shall apply to all bridge played at the Club.

2. Play shall commence promptly at 19.30 and shall conclude at about 22.30 (except in the case of special events such as a Christmas party) although in all cases subject to the discretion of the Director.

3. To ensure that play can commence promptly at 19.30, all members, visitors and guests intending to play are required to be seated by 19.25. Members are encouraged to arrive early and assist in setting up the room for bridge. The Director shall be entitled to refuse anyone permission to play if they arrive after 19.25.

4. The Club will seek to use its reasonable endeavours (but without involving it in any expense or guarantee to ensure that any player (apart from host) turning up before 19.25 without having arranged a partner for an evening when an ordinary duplicate pairs session is scheduled to be played shall be provided with a partner. This provision does not apply to teams events or evenings at which a club championship or other special event will be played. To achieve this outcome, wherever practicable, each member is expected to agree to be a host (such to be on a day when they usually play), on average on about one evening every 12 to 18 months. The host will not be required to pay table money if he/she plays on the evening for which he/she volunteered to be host, or on the next evening he/she plays at the Club should he/she not be required to play on the evening for which he/she volunteered to be host.

5. North is responsible for collecting any table money at his/her table and for ensuring that any table slip for names and pair numbers is completed.  However, if the Director has determined that there should be a register system then all persons shall sign in to it and (if liable to pay table money) either pay their table money or commit themselves to making an appropriate bank transfer.

6. The Director shall aim to ensure that between 18 and 27 boards are played on a Tuesday night, except in circumstances of special events such as a Christmas party or an introductory or supervised event. Players are required to play at a pace that will ensure the appropriate number of boards is played. Slow play will not be allowed and may be penalised.

7. On Tuesday evenings players shall be entitled to use any convention permitted at EBU Level 4.

8. The director may insist that regular partnerships are required to offer to opponents two completed Convention Cards that set out clearly the system, conventions and carding methods used by the partnership. In the absence of such an insistence of the director (although the director may permit otherwise), regular partnerships, and in any event Ad hoc partnerships are required to fill out the Convention Card printed on the scorecards. Players or partnerships failing to offer Convention Cards (without the permission of the Director) may be penalised.

9. North is responsible for ensuring that the correct boards are being played against the correct pair at each round.

10. North is responsible for completing the traveller or entering the Bridgemate details and score (as the case may be) for each board and East is responsible for ensuring that the Bridgemate entry is correct or the traveller has been completed correctly (as the case may be). At the end of the evening’s play, North is responsible for ensuring that the Bridgemates and/or travellers are handed to the Director.

11. At the end of the evening’s play, where physically able, all players are expected to assist in returning the boards, bidding boxes, tablecloths, tables and chairs to where they are stored when not in use.

Conduct

12. Smoking is prohibited in the playing area.

13. Players are permitted to drink non-alcoholic beverages, but must return their mugs to the kitchen where they should wash them.

14. Players are expected to behave in a friendly and courteous manner to their opponents and their partners and the director, and to comply with the requirements of EBU Best Behaviour at Bridge.

15. Players should not discuss hands between boards (unless that will not affect their completing the round without time) and (especially those who finish a round early) should not converse at a volume which disturbs play at neighbouring tables.

Competitions

16. During each year the Committee shall publish on the club website and/or on the club noticeboards (if any) details of a calendar setting out the planned programme of events for Tuesday evening bridge for such periods as the Committee may determine. The Committee may revise the programme at any time and shall publish any changes in similar fashion.

17. The programme of events shall include the following championship competitions which shall only be open to be won by Members (although in their discretion the relevant Director may allow others to play) and for which trophies will be awarded (and the Committee may also decide that prizes should be awarded) to relevant Members:

    1. An individual championship (but only if the Committee decides that it should be held);
    2. A swiss or multiple teams championship;
    3. A pairs championship for the Pairs Cup;
    4. A pairs championship for the Pairs Plate (but where the Committee may choose to limit the eligibility requirements for winning the Plate and including by reference to NGS grades) and may combine it with the pairs championship;
    5. A handicapped pairs championship (but only if the Committee decides that it should be held)

18. Appeals, Correction Period, Director in charge, and Directors

19. The following Rules are made by the Club and the Committee both generally and as “Tournament Organizer” within the meaning of the Laws of Bridge (as amended from time to time):
    1. The Committee shall decide from time to time as to who is the Club’s Director in charge (“the DIC”) for all the Club’s sessions for the purposes of Law 93 (or any amended version thereof)
    2. The Committee shall appoint the Club’s various Directors from time to time, and there shall be delegated to the DIC or their representative the selection of each Director (and any assistant or shadow Director(s)) for each Club session
    3. The Correction Period is 7 full days plus one hour from the end of the relevant Club session
    4. Ruling made by Directors other than the DIC are appealed to the DIC if the DIC is then present; and the DIC may then or thereafter decide the appeal or may form a committee (which may or may not include the DIC as the DIC determines) if and as they so chose to decide the appeal with them in accordance with Law 93
    5. Rulings made by the DIC or Rulings made when the DIC is not present are appealed to a committee which shall be formed by the DIC (or, if they are not present, then by the Director of the relevant session; and that Director shall have the Law 93 powers of the Director in charge in relation to that appeal) to decide the appeal (with the DIC if they are present) in accordance with Law 93
    6. Appeals may be held and decided by the appellate body at the time or thereafter and in person or by writing (including email) but so that the appellate body shall give the parties to the appeal what the appellate body considers (in its absolute discretion) to be an appropriate and proper opportunity to put their respective case(s).

Issue 3
Adopted by the Members at an AGM held on 21st April 2008 and subsequently revised by the Committee (most recently on 11 January 2023 and thereafter approved at an EGM held on 28 February 2023).