♠ ♥ ♦ ♣  Having problems with RealBridge? ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

If you have difficulties with RealBridge you can phone their support line which is 0794 232 2209.  Support is available from 7am to 11pm.

If you use an IPad please ensure that you read and follow the advice issued by RealBridge even if you are currently not experiencing any difficulties with your Ipad.  Please click here to see the document.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣  NEW EVENT FOR THE CLUB ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Please join us for our new joint event with Cheltenham Bridge Club on Friday evenings at 7.15pm on RealBridge starting this in January 2022.

Please click on calendar event to register.  Please click here to pay via the shop.

Declarer Play Strategy and Splinter products have now been added (Dec 2021)
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣  NEW - Topic Based Practice Hands ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 
Sometimes it can be helpful to just play a few hands and chat with your partner about a specific topic that you are either learning or revising.  Using the RealBridge platform we have created a facility which allows you to pick your own time to play practice hands focussed on specific topics as either a group of 4 or 8 players.  Here’s how it works:

·       Go to the Practice hands section of the club shop (click here) where you can see the topics available and buy the desired product stating the date that you would like to play.  (One person buys the product – 1 or 2 tables)
·       Within a couple of days, you will be sent guidance on how to run the session, notes on the topic that you can look at before playing and a handout which you can circulate after the session has been played.

We
·       The coordinator will circulate the links for the session and run the session on the day
·       You will play 16 hands and after each hand guidance notes will appear on the table which you can all discuss before moving to the next hand.
·       There is no time limit on the session, but expect it to last about 2.5 hours

Currently available are: Declarer Play Strategy, Splinters, Transfers, Law of Total Tricks, Roman Key Card Blackwood, Checkback Stayman, Dealing with Pre-empts and Fourth Round Forcing.

We also have a presentation explaining how the sessions are created.  Click here if you are interested to learn more about the setup of Topic Based Hands.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣  Face to Face Sessions ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

We have decided that we will set the following guidance for playing at the club:

• Those attending are requested to take a Lateral Flow Covid test on the morning before attending - giving those attending a further degree of confidence about the environment.
• All those coming to the club will need to have had the double dose of the vaccination and the booster.
• If you have any cold/flu symptoms you should not attend, and we will be doing temperature checks with a contactless thermometer before entry.  Hand sanitiser will be available on entry and at each table.
• We will operate a booking system with no host available.  The booking system can be used to find a partner. 
• We have set up a cashless system for collecting table money (using either contactless or chip and pin with credit cards (there is no additional cost to members).

As we start going back to playing Face to Face, we have created some reminders for us all of what we need to do.

Click here to access the document.

Go to appropriate date in calendar to book a session. 

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ '9 High' Session ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Following the success of the first 9 HIGH TEAM EVENT this will continue every month.  See Calendar for further details.

The 9-high session is aimed at less experienced players and shortly we will be using this session to introduce those currently in the beginner classes to duplicate bridge.  Consequently, the session will be run with Simple Systems only - that is basic ACOL bidding. This permits all the standard ACOL strong and weak 2 openings.  You can make any conventional bids after the first round of bidding has completed.  It specifically excludes the use of Multi-2D openings and the Multi-Landy defence to 1NT as these are first round bids that can have multiple meanings and do not define at least 1 specific suit.  

We are going to retain the 'mature' 9-high criteria for taking part as this is being set as a standard across many counties for this type of session.  Whilst not making it a formal constraint on attendance we suggest that this session is best suited for those who are up to and including 'Master' in the Master Point rankings, to emphasise the focus on the expected level of experience.

Supervised play sessions are aimed at helping players to develop their confidence with bidding and playing.  These sessions are not a replacement for lessons and it is not intended that new conventions are taught.  The supervisors will help participants get the best out of the systems that each participant plays.  Each session offers the opportunity to play up to 12 pre-dealt hands with a supervisor giving advice on each of the hands.