The goal of the club is to provide enjoyable bridge for players of all abilities. The most important rule is that all players must always behave with courtesy to their partner, the opponents, the Tournament Director and anyone else at the club.

The club reserves the right to refuse or suspend membership; refuse admission or ask any player to leave if their conduct compromises the enjoyment of other players.

The Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2007, with one very minor exception, apply to all "competitie" sessions played at the club.

• These are the global laws of bridge, agreed on a world-wide basis and published by the Portland Club.

• They are revised every ten years, so an update is expected in 2017.

• They are published in a slim red hard backed book. There's usually a copy at the club.

• You can order the book from the English Bridge Union (now online) Shop.

• You can download or read the Laws in PDF form from the English Bridge Union web site (www.ebu.co.uk follow "Laws and Ethics").
  
   

• The EBU regulations for the playing of duplicate bridge in England are revised annually, and are published for adoption from the first of August each year.

• You can look at the current and previous regulations in the Laws and Ethic section of the EBU web site.

• They include the announcing and alerting rules updated from 1st August 2013.
  These have become somewhat complex. However players are expected to follow them. A two page summary is available in this section of the web site and there are usually double sided printed copies of the summary, freely available to all in the rack by the entrance door to the club room. Please let someone know if they run out! Failure to follow these regulations may result in your opponents being misled. If you feel you may have been disadvantaged by a mistake in following these regulations, call the TD immediately.
  
  Please note this means that all opening 1NT and 2NT bids are announced (or alerted if of unusual shape) at this club. (Some clubs in the area have relaxed this rule).
  
  If you are not exchanging convention cards with the opponents, and you are playing a five major, or five card spade, system you are required to tell your opponents AT THE START OF THE ROUND.  
   

• EBU regulations require the use of convention cards. However, in our club the use of convention cards is encouraged, but is not obligatory.
  
  Convention cards can help you and your partner sort out your agreements, and can help the tournament director when ruling on mis-bids and mis-information situations.
  
  There are some convention cards in this part of the site. They are intended for you to download and edit to meet the agreements between you and your partner. They are not meant to be definitions of particular systems.
  
  Players are reminded that convention cards are for the oppositions' use, and may not be used as aids to memory. If you have a convention card, but are not exchanging it with your opponents during the round, you must put them out of yours and partner's sight.

• Permitted agreements are as described as Level 3 in EBU 2012 regulations. Agreements only permitted at Level 4 and above in the 2012 and subsequent regulations are not permitted. This is probably largly irrelevent to our sessions. It might be worth checking the permitted Multi 2 Diamond opening agreements if you use it.

• Although the use of any aide memoire is forbidden under Law 40C. The laws do permit any player to ask what the contract is at his/her turn to play, Law 41C.
  
  In our club players are permitted to displace a card in their bidding box to remind them what the contract is.  

If any player finds it necessary to inform any other player of a law or regulation for whatever reason, the TD must be called immediately. As always, call the TD in as calm and friendly fashion as possible, perhaps just remarking "Let's get ----- to advise us".

In our club we have some of the most highly qualified and experienced Tournament Directors in the area. Two EBU County qualified and two EBU Club qualified. We all direct at least once, usually twice or more a week, and we all have experience of large and complex events.