On a number of occasions recently we have had to prevent members from playing a board because they have not been able to start before the next round is about to be called.  Often the players involved are not responsible for the delay but have been late starting because the moving pair was not ready to move at the end of the previous round.  We hope all members will do their best to avoid other members being disadvantaged by speeding up their play of the boards.

To assist members there are tips on how to speed up play in the menu under 'Playing Guides/Other guides'.

Some key points are:

First thing North should do is check that they have the correct boards - in the CORRECT ORDER!

All players should check who is dealer as the first thing you do. Nothing will happen until Dealer bids – we have all had to wait for the dealer to say ''Oh is it me?'

If you are not the dealer, don’t just sit there! On most hands either partner or the opponent will bid 1 of a suit or 1NT. Before they bid, decide what you might do to all these cases.

Try counting your points as you pick your cards up. It helps to decide quickly whether you are likely to bid.

When the opposition are bidding and you have no intention of bidding, do not keep asking what bids mean. It slows the bidding down and may give away unauthorised information.

With wireless scoring there is no need to keep a card, but if you do, please make sure that you lead to the first trick before writing down the contact.

East (or West) should check the contract and result carefully. It wastes time to have to change this afterwards.

If you need to leave the table for any reason, try to do it on a round when you finish early