Here is an interesting article on the EBU website, by the EBU's Membership Development Officer, Tim Anderson. It recognises the terrific work done by Dave Tilley, to set up the BWS (Brierfield/Warrington/Stretford) on-line Bridge Club, which, with the enthusiastic support of the Committees of the three Clubs, has gone from strength to strength. As a member of Warrington Bridge Club, you are part of a success story. But there's always room for more, so please tell your friends!
The bridge world has been shaken to its roots by the COVID-19 pandemic with most of our clubs (there are a few brave exceptions) unable to meet face to face since the second half of March this year. That said, the response of the bridge community has been energetic and heartening, with many players refusing to give up their enjoyment of this greatest of games. Clubs swung into action, setting up online bridge sessions and encouraging their members to take part. Online platforms have greatly improved since lockdown began, starting with our EBU virtual bridge clubs on Bridge Base Online (BBO), enabling all our clubs to play sessions with just their own members, and continuing with developments like Bridge Club Live creating new club-only sessions and new entrant RealBridge offering video and audio at the table to recapture more of the social element in an online context.
These efforts and innovations mean that the amount of bridge played by our clubs is around 60% of what it was before lockdown, which considering the challenges we faced is an amazing achievement. There are so many stories that it is hard to pick just one; but a great example is what has happened at Stretford, a long-established club near Trafford in the Manchester area. Soon after lockdown kicked in, club secretary Dave Tilley realised that something had to be done, not only for his own club, but also for Warrington south-west of Manchester (where he also plays) and Brierfield to the north. “I set about getting the three clubs together,” he told me, “to work as a virtual bridge club.” He took advantage of the EBU virtual club scheme and the results have been fantastic. Monday afternoon, 9 or 10 tables. Monday evening, 18 tables. Friday evening, 12-15 tables. Sunday morning, 11-15 tables. Bridge teaching is also continuing, with Thursday morning lessons followed by 12 boards of play.
It’s notable that Dave, ably assisted by others from the three clubs, has introduced variety in the sessions to suit different standards. The Monday afternoon bridge is for 10-high in NGS terms, meaning that members can play there without having to face the most expert opponents. He has also worked hard to maintain a friendly atmosphere. You might imagine that this is difficult to do in an online context, but there are some similarities with face to face bridge, in that the way sessions are directed and the interactions with the players create an atmosphere and keeping this friendly and welcoming improves everybody’s enjoyment.
Dave is also aware that even when we are able to play in physical premises once again (which we all look forward to doing), it will not be the same as before. “I actually think that clubs will probably function better still having some sort of virtual bridge in their lives,” he said. As an example, he told me that prior to the lockdown, there was no bridge anywhere locally on a Friday evening, other than a small session at Trafford which attracted 3-5 tables. Now, “we’re getting 15 tables on a Friday night,” he told me. Online bridge does have advantages: no travel on dark winter nights, available to people who cannot easily travel, home comforts while you play. It will never replace the face to face experience, but alongside it, will continue to play a bigger role than before.
You can see the article in context, and related articles, on the EBU website here: EBU Membership Development
|