If you are unfamiliar with RealBridge please ensure that you have read the Player Guide before you log in:
https://realbridge.online/player-guide.html

You can test your microphone and camera here:
https://play.realbridge.online/camera.html

The RealBridge Room will be open from 6.30 pm on Monday.   Please log in no later than 6.50 pm.
After clicking on the link please fill in your forename and surname, e.g. Ian Jones (not I. Jones or Ian J), and ID number (which is your EBU number).  Once you have logged in please sit at a table with your partner and chat to them and your opponents while you are waiting for the start.

If you require any further information regarding the event please contact Tim Evans: tim@suffolkclocks.co.uk

Mo and Terry

The Hospice Bridge Tea on Friday 21st April raised over £2,000 for St Nicholas Hospice Care. Players enjoyed an excellent tea and an afternoon of duplicate bridge at the Blackbourne Centre in Elmswell. 

Congratulations to Carol Smith and Ivor Thulborn, winners East-West in their section in their first tournament since starting to play bridge as complete beginners last year. Overall winners were Mo and Terry. Nick and Jane Foster tied for second place with Celia and Elizabeth, just a whisker ahead of Caroline Harris and Sam Pickering. Jonathan and Paddy topped their section North-South. Click here to see the full results and boards

Many thanks to all who worked hard to make the day a success, especially Anne and the catering team, also to Stansfield Bridge Club and Cavendish Bridge Club for the loan of Bridgemates and bidding boxes

Members and visitors gathered at Nowton Court on Wednesday 5th April for an enjoyable evening of relaxed duplicate, with a glass of wine on offer to celebrate the return of this popular session. After a short presentation on Red Suit Transfers by Nancy, players settled down to seven rounds of bridge, with members on hand to assist with tricky bidding problems.

Congratulations to Jackie and Jane who topped the ranking with a creditable 62%. Chris and Laila were joint second with Celia and Elizabeth

Duplicate sessions will run every Wednesday evening, 6:30 for 6:45pm start. All members will be welcome to enjoy the sociable atmosphere and a relaxed pace of play. Results and boards will be available on the website, scroll down to Results on the right of this screen to view.

Celia discovered that some things are hard to keep quiet when Jonathan (directing) presented her with flowers on behalf of members in recognition of her big birthday last week

Celia started the tradition of Tuesday night bridge twenty years ago when she was teaching bridge at West Suffolk College and the club's home was Risbygate Sports Club. Many of her former students are current members and regular players at Abbeygate, and elsewhere in the county. 

Last year Celia was awarded Honorary Life Membership in recognition of her contribution to the club over the past two decades, click here to read more

George and Terry

Congratulations to Terry Sawers who received his Bridge Master certificate recently from the EBU on achieving 5000 Masterpoints. Terry has a way to go though before overtaking George Moody, who is an EBU Life Master, holding no fewer than 215,500 Masterpoints (as of last week, by this week it may be more!)

Masterpoints are a measure of lifetime achievement in bridge. Higher ranking players will usually have played for many years and competed successfully in county and national events. George has played card games since childhood and took up bridge in his thirties, going on to play in national competitions. He also played football until he was 59.

To find out more about Masterpoints, go to the EBU website, sign in with your EBU number and password and from the Home page select Gradings and Rankings. To see your own Masterpoint record, from My EBU select Masterpoints

LEARN BRIDGE IN SUFFOLK  AUTUMN 2022

 

If you know of anyone wishing to take up bridge please ask them to email learnbridge@suffolkbridge.co.uk

Find out more about the Deben Project on Suffolk County Bridge Association website - click on DEBEN

New members and guests are welcome at many West Suffolk bridge clubs. Click here to learn more

Members had an entertaining and informative session bidding slams on Wednesday, with a brief presentation by Nancy on the topic followed by a 15 board duplicate with an unusually high proportion of biddable slam deals. Six full tables provided healthy competition with a fair proportion of the sometimes challenging slams actually bid and made

Next Wednesday 20th December will follow a similar format. Nancy will present a seminar on red suit transfers, with a duplicate to follow which will include a few preset boards relevant to the topic. All members will be welcome, 6:30pm start

Celia

Celia Jeal has been awarded honorary life membership of Abbeygate Bridge Club in recognition of the outstanding contribution she has made to the club over many years

Celia started teaching bridge at West Suffolk College in 2000 and continues to teach online, as well as on cruise ships and on land. Many of us now playing at the club have been Celia’s students. At that time Risbygate Bridge Club, as it was then, met just once weekly on a Monday

Our popular Tuesday evening club duplicate was started 20 years ago by Celia and her then bridge partner the late Alex Parker, as a more relaxed event at which her students could play as they improved. This was so popular that Celia started an additional learn and play session on Wednesday evenings, which ran until 2020 and Covid.

As well as her teaching commitment Celia is actively involved in running the club as a committee member and regularly directing Monday Realbridge.

Without Celia’s contribution, Abbeygate Bridge Club would probably not exist as it is today, with its friendly and supportive atmosphere encouraging players of all standards, including those (most?) of us who are always striving to improve our game. Thank you Celia

Celia has written about her bridge teaching and the development of the club, click HERE to read

Bridget (centre) with Rani and Mo

Storm Babet threatened to put paid to the much anticipated Hospice event last Friday, Luckily sufficient intrepid players were able to make it to the Blackbourne Centre to go ahead and 66 players enjoyed an afternoon of relaxed bridge and the usual terrific tea. Many thanks to Ann Gibbs and her team for the tea, and to the talented volunteers who provided hampers for raffle prizes from the many generous donations received.

Overall winners were Kathy and Rob, Paul and Christine were runners up and highest scoring E-W pair

Almost £2,000 was raised for St Nicholas Hospice, and the amount raised since the Hospice Bridge Teas started in 2011 is well in excess of £40,000

Last but not least, very special thanks to Bridget Alexander, whose extraordinary power of organisation drives the success of these events!

We would like to invite all Abbeygate members and guests to our new

Relaxed Club Duplicate

Wednesday 17th January, Nowton Court

Please note the slightly earlier start time of 6:30 for 6:45

Both Normal and Handicap Scoring, eligible for Masterpoints and NGS. Refreshments available all evening. No need to come with a partner - everyone who comes will be able to play

We hope to reboot Wednesday evening bridge this year to be an inclusive event for all Abbeygate members and visitors, whether beginners, improvers or established players, who would enjoy an evening of duplicate bridge at a relaxed pace in a sociable atmosphere. Please join us, and bring your friends!

Entries are now open for the next Bridge for Fun afternoon in support of St Nicholas Hospice Care, at the Blackbourne Centre in Elmswell

Please note the slightly earlier start time, to be seated to start play promptly at 1:30pm

Once again there will be an excellent tea, provided by the Bury Friends Group

Click here to download and print an entry form. Entry forms will also be available at local bridge clubs over the next few weeks. 

More information as always from Bridget:

bridgetalexander6@hotmail.com or 01284 749009

We held an action packed committee meeting last week. Here are some highlights:

Slow play. This was raised at the AGM. The committee has agreed to buy a timer, to be deployed in the New Year

Scoring. We are currently a bit short of scorers. Any member who might be interested in learning to score please ask Tony, Christine or Jonathan or click here to send a message. It's easy!

There is a Club Teams of Four event to be held in March 2024 at Elmswell. So far we have three teams, please contact Tony or Pam if you would be interested in taking part. The more the merrier

Lighting. Nowton Court have supplied some temporary lighting in the Car Park, more lights are on order and there is still hope that the main lights might be repaired

Masterclass. Plans are afoot for a one day Masterclass exclusive to members at a discounted rate in 2024

Wednesday Duplicate. We hope to invite all members to play with Handicap Scoring, NGS and Masterpoints on some Wednesday evenings in 2024

The full minutes can be read by clicking here, or on Club Information on the main menu to the left of the screen

Bury Swiss Pairs is a popular annual event open to all players:

Where and When:

Blackbourne Community Centre, Elmswell IP30 9UH 10.30 start, two sessions, 30 min break.

BLUE POINTED – cash prizes, amount dependent on entry numbers. Click here for more information

£10 entry fee per person. Click SWISS to enter

Coffee, tea and soft drinks will be available all day, please bring your own packed lunch

We would welcome a volunteer pair to play at the the last minute if we have a half table. Bury encourages best behaviour at the table

Emergency number on the day: Patsi Barnes  07888 307552.

The Annual General Meeting of Abbeygate Bridge Club was held at Nowton Court on Tuesday 14th November 2023. Thank you to all members who attended and contributed to the discussion. The minutes of the meeting (including the treasurer's report and financial statement) and chairman's report are now available on the club website under Club Information on the main menu, or follow the links below.

AGM Minutes 2023         Chairman's Report 2023

Both membership of the club and numbers playing have increased in the past twelve months, and our financial position is healthy. Members discussed the club's charitable activities and plans for future development, including an EBU director course to be hosted by the club in Spring 2024. The committee will be pleased to hear from any member who might be interested in training as scorer, director or teacher either now or in the future, or who would be interested in representing the club in competitions

Congratulations to Elizabeth Abercrombie-Barnett and Jackie Over who have received their Bridge Master certificates from the EBU. Masterpoints are a measure of lifetime achievement in bridge and the Bridge Master award, on achieving 5000 Masterpoints, is a significant milestone. Well done both.

The last Tuesday Pairs before Christmas was party night, players enjoyed a glass of wine and appetisers before our usual duplicate. Congratulations to Joan and Susie who came top with an impressive score of 71%, and to John and Jackie in second place, the only pair to bid and make two slams. Many thanks to Terry and Mo for organising the party and supplying drinks, and to the many members who brought an impressive spread of tasty snacks

North picked up this hand at our F2F club duplicate last Tuesday. How would you bid it? You can see the full deal on board 17 on Tuesday 23rd January

Here are bidding suggestions from Derek Brinkley, Susan Nisbett and Pauline Hanson

Pauline: "You can use 4NT opening bid. Opportunities to use it don’t crop up very often" https://www.bridgebum.com/acol_4nt.php

Susan: "I opened 2C & we play Jacoby steps so if partner can reply 2H (4-6) or better then I can use RKCB and bid 7NT if AH is opposite"

Derek: "Playing Benji ACOL, North opens 2C (19/20 balanced or minimum 8 playing tricks). Partner responds 2D as a relay. North then bids 4NT (RCKB) with last suit bid (i.e. Diamonds) and gets a reply of zero key cards from partner. At which point North bids 6D with only one losing trick. Had South shown 1 key card, then North can bid 7NT"

Thanks to Susan, Derek and Pauline for their excellent suggestions

All Abbeygate members and guests are warmly invited to our

Relaxed Club Duplicate

Wednesday 28th February, Nowton Court

Please be seated by 6:35 to start play at 6:45

Normal and Handicap Scoring, eligible for Masterpoints and NGS. Handicap scoring levels the playing field to some extent, and gives everyone the chance to shine
No need to come with a partner - everyone who comes will be able to play
If you would enjoy an evening of duplicate bridge at a relaxed pace in a sociable atmosphere, please join us, and bring your friends!

Josh, Phil, Nancy and Nicki	Phill and Sue

Well done to Phill and Sue, Nancy and Nicki, joint N-S winners in Wednesday's relaxed duplicate. Josh and Phil took top place E-W with a stunning 80%, a great achievement for a first time partnership

12 pairs completed 18 boards, with several novice players taking the pace in their stride and finishing in good time. Special congratulations to Nicki Griffy (pictured with Nancy, her partner on the night), who took top spot playing in her first club duplicate event

Our very own Josh Clarke, Abbeygate member since 2023, and former England U26 International Player, will be presenting a Masterclass free for club members. The topic will be ‘Finesse!’

Where: Nowton Court

When: Friday 22nd March 2024

Time: 1:45 for 2:00pm (4:00pm finish)

Come alone or with a partner, everyone will be able to play. Guests accompanied by Abbeygate members will be welcome. Josh will give a seminar followed by supervised play of preset hands 

Please sign up here (no charge) to give us an idea of numbers, or email tony2204@me.com

If you would have liked to attend but can’t make it this time, please click here to let us know. We look forward to seeing you for an entertaining afternoon of bridge instruction!

You can read more about Josh's bridge and teaching experience here

All Abbeygate members and guests are warmly invited to our next

Relaxed Club Duplicate

Wednesday 27th March, Nowton Court

Please be seated by 6:35 to start play at 6:45

Normal and handicap scoring , eligible for Masterpoints and NGS, depending on numbers
No need to come with a partner - everyone who comes will be able to play
If you would enjoy an evening of duplicate bridge at a relaxed pace in a sociable atmosphere, please join us

Thanks to all who supported the ECats Charity Challenge on Monday and Tuesday in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and Mind. Well done Tim and Chris on Monday, and Richard and Paddy on Tuesday. Including donations the total amount raised was £238, which has already been forwarded to ECats

Hand records and commentaries are now available on the ECats website, Click here to find these.

Jen Godfrey and her team are busy creating some mouthwatering hampers for next months Bridge Tea. Any donations will be gratefully received, at Abbeygate on Tuesday or Wednesday this week or at any local bridge club. Anything in the categories "garden", "toiletries", or "food and drink" will welcomed

The next Bridge for Fun afternoon in support of St Nicholas Hospice Care will be held on Friday 12th April, at the Blackbourne Centre in Elmswell

Please note the slightly earlier start time, to be seated to start play promptly at 1:30pm

Once again there will be an excellent tea, provided by the Bury Friends Group

Click here to download and print an entry form. Entry forms will also be available at local bridge clubs over the next few weeks. 

More information as always from Bridget:

bridgetalexander6@hotmail.com or 01284 749009

All Abbeygate members and guests are warmly invited to our next

Relaxed Club Duplicate

Wednesday 28th February, Nowton Court

Please be seated by 6:35 to start play at 6:45

From this week onwards all Wednesday evening bridge will be played as relaxed duplicate sessions. We will play 18 boards to EBU rules at a relaxed pace, hoping to appeal both to less experienced and established club players. The results will count for Masterpoints and NGS. No need to come with a partner - everyone who comes will be able to play. If you would enjoy an evening of duplicate bridge at a relaxed pace in a sociable atmosphere, please join us, and bring your friends!

There have been some technical issues with the handicap scoring, but we hope to have this up and running soon. Only actual scores are submitted to the EBU for NGS and Masterpoints

	Mo, Ann and Bridget

Another full turnout for the Hospice Bridge Tea raised £2,050 for St Nicholas Hospice, bringing the running total since the first event to more than £47,000. Winners were Andy Lewis and Julie Ashdown in Section A, and Elizabeth Ward and Liz Crowther in Section B, Elizabeth and Liz achieving the highest overall score of 75.5%

Thanks to Bridget for running the event, to Ann Gibbs and her team for providing the customary delicious tea, to directors Mo and Jonathan, to Jen Godfrey and her team for making hampers for the raffle, all who gave raffle prizes and to many, many others who helped on and before the day to make the event happen.

Special thanks to all who supported the event by playing and donating generously, to Cavendish and Stansfield Bridge Clubs for the loan of playing and scoring equipment and to Clare Bridge Club for their generous contribution to the raffle

Look out for the next Hospice event in October!

A number of items of lost property were left in the hall, please contact Bridget or any Abbeygate committee member to claim

Would you like to learn Bridge, or know someone who does? From September there will be opportunities for all to learn, through Suffolk Libraries during the day and also at Abbeygate Bridge Club with a new series of lessons starting on Wednesday evenings 

To learn more, please email or call Nancy Williams, telephone ‭07884 334376‬, email nancylouisewilliams@icloud.com or click on 'Learn Bridge' in the menu

Members of Abbeygate and Bury St Edmunds Bridge Clubs are invited to compete for the the Anne Nunn Trophy this Thursday

Southgate Community Centre, Thursday 16th May, 6:30 for 7:00pm

Wine, soft drinks and canapés on arrival

The Trophy will be awarded to the overall winners, handicap scores will also be available

Suffolk Bridge will be holding a bridge teaching event at Hintlesham Hall (IP8 3NS, between Ipswich and Hadleigh) on Thursday June 13. The event includes coffees/teas on arrival and a buffet lunch - all for just £40/head. Tickets are expected to sell quickly and space is limited to 20 tables - book early to avoid disappointment! Click on Suffolk for the County Association website, or Zeb Stocken for more details of the event and entry form

Abbeygate members took the two top places at the Suffolk Bridge Championship Pairs last Sunday 21st April. Tim Evans and Chris Park were event winners, with John Bloomfield and Richard Evans a whisker behind. The competition was closely fought. 26 pairs played 50 boards yet barely two percentage points separated the top four pairs at the end. Congratulations to all Abbeygate players who reached the final

The full results can be seen by clicking on Championship Pairs

Tim, Chris and John along with Celia help the club by directing Monday night online Realbridge sessions, which are run exclusively for Abbeygate members. These are well run, enjoyable sessions at which all members are welcome at any level of experience. Just 20 boards against familiar opponents, on what has become the UK's most reliable and popular platform for online club events. Click on Realbridge on the menu on the left to join, Realbridge Information to find out more

Abbeygate members Jayne Hunnable and Susan Nisbett not only came top at the club on the Tuesday evening ECats Simultaneous Pairs in March - they also came first in the national rankings, when all the results from clubs across the country were combined. A respectable score of 66% on the night translated to an impressive 71.3% in the national results. The Monday Realbridge session was won at the club by Tim Evans and Chris Park - who were ranked fourth nationally scoring 66.6%. Congratulations to both pairs! Click here for the full results

Two Abbeygate teams competed against some of the top players in the County last Sunday, in the SCBA Club Teams of Four event held at Elmswell. Pam Pope, Josh Clarke, Nancy Williams and Dave Allen took fourth place out of 23 entrants, while Peter Warren Denis Carter, Joan Hogarth and Susie Hull came in ninth. The result was closely contested, only 8 IMPs separating the first four teams after playing 44 boards. Nancy and Dave were the third highest scoring pair out of 46 on Cross-Imps. 

Congratulations to all our contestants. Any Abbeygate members who would like to know more about teams play and competitions please contact Team Captain Pam Pope

More than forty members turned out at Nowton Court on Friday for Josh's Masterclass on finessing. After a brief presentation (who knew there were so many types of finesse?) we were in at the deep end with some challenging and instructive card play, which kept us occupied for the rest of the afternoon.

Many thanks to Josh and to Celia and Nancy who provided expert supervision of the tricky deals, and to Nancy for tea and biscuits

Click on Josh Clarke to ask Josh about any aspect of today's Masterclass, and about bridge lessons for individuals and small groups

Click on Slides to see Josh's presentation, which ended with the diabolical deal shown above (6H by South. Lead: Two of Diamonds)

Click on Hands to see all sixteen boards with Josh's commentaries