Northfield Learners - Learn and Play Club:

• Will adhere to the EBU ‘Best Behaviour at Bridge’ code
  
• Will allow participants to refer freely to any course notes, aides memoire, and each other etc. to clarify the meaning of various bids and calls
• Will always have an experienced bridge teacher/player available for participants to refer to for bidding and/or play guidance.
• Will aim to play between 12 and 16 boards in a session of approximately two and a half to three hours on Thursday evenings, starting 7.15 p.m. at the Weoley Castle WMC 158 Barnes Hill B'ham B29 5TY.

Costs:

• Currently £4.00 per player per session (but no charge first week! Come and have a look for free first to see if you think it would suit you.) A significant proportion of table fee has to be expended on room hire. If numbers increase, costs will be reviewed.
• Participants must also be EBU student members, so if they not already members they will be required to join, for a cost of just £10 p.a. There are benefits that flow to individuals from being a member of the EBU including a diary, six magazines a year, various communications of direct relevance to bridge learners etc.

The club is aimed at two distinct groups of people:

• Those who have had a basic introduction to the game of bridge but who may feel too intimated or too inexperienced to ‘jump in at the deep end’ and play the game at a ‘proper’ bridge club.
• Those who have recently finished their year one Learn and Play – Beginning Bridge course

Bidding systems:

Because the club’s primary purpose is as an extension of a learning course and so as not to unduly confuse the students, bidding is politely asked to be restricted to the use of:

• 12-14 balanced 1 No Trump openers
• Simple Stayman  2♣ (you can use this, if you prefer as well, if your partner overcalls 1NT)
• Weakness take-outs or  2♦ /2♥ transfers as a  response to  1 No Trump
• 2♣ - Will be 23+ or 9+ playing tricks. A Negative of 2♦ to show  less than 7 HCP.        A second negative of 2 No Trumps to show less than 2 HCP. Two clubs is is a game force bid, apart from the sequence 2♣ - 2♦ - 2NT
• Strong, but not forcing, opening bids of 2♦/2♥/2♠ are allowed.
• Blackwood 4NT. (Gerber allowed immediately over 1NT or 2NT only).
• 2NT openers – 20-22 HCP. Balanced. Any reply MUST be a game force except for   3♦ /3♥ transfers responses .
• Weak three or four opening bids are allowed. Defence – double for take-out. Bid a suit holding 5 or 6 cards in the suit and opening points. No Trumps is to play.
• Any discard system is allowed, as are attitude signals etc. (if you are familiar with them).