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Bath Bridge Club, Oldfield Old Boys Rugby Club, Shaft Road, BA2 7HP
Directions and a map link are on the Information page.
email bathbridgeclub@gmail.com | phone 01225 834135 (club hours only)
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| There's nothing like playing bridge across a real table ... |
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... but playing online does have some very real advantages.
Click here to see what they are ...
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| Playing bridge online |
There are two major websites which allow you to watch, practise and play bridge online: these are Bridge Base Online and the EBU-affiliated Bridge Club Live. Signing up is easy – and either free or involving a very modest fee, depending on your needs. Various levels of competition are available, some with Masterpoints, and you can play with a regular partner or find a partner online. There are also plenty of practice opportunities that you can access alone.
If you're interested, we recommend that you sign up for one or both of these sites and explore what's available. Playing online is a bit different from playing at a real table, so give it a try and familiarise yourselves with the way it all works, so you're ready for our online club events if/when they become available. Links are provided below.
In some ways, playing online is easier than normal bridge – see the article at the top of the page for one player's view.
We're also setting up a 'help team' of Bath BC members who can call you on request to talk you through any problems. Again, watch this space for details.
See you online!
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Recommended: playing PAIRS and/or TEAMS run by the EBU on Bridge Base Online (BBO) – lots of info further down the page
or click here to download EBU pdf on how to join in
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Click here for the home page of Bridge Base Online (BBO)
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Click here for the home page of Bridge Club Live (BCL)
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| Online EBU events on BBO |
We think the best currently available online bridge for Bath BC members are the 12-board EBU matches on BBO. These run at 2.00 pm, 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm and 9.00 pm seven days a week. Sessions last 90 minutes. Most people prearrange a partner, but you can play with a robot (!) if you wish. Each session costs $1.50 per player, but BBO also host many other bridge games which are either free or cost just $1. To get started:
- Sign up for BBO – use the link above to reach the website. Membership is free.
- Purchase some credit in dollars – $20 will last you for a while.
- Fix up a convention card with a partner. Haven't actually needed mine yet (I've played several times) but it's not difficult – see link below.
- Get a feel for how it works: sit in on a game as kibitzer and/or chat to a Bath BC member who's familiar with BBO – email chris@boxbridge.co.uk for the latter.
- Take the plunge – register for an upcoming game – again, see below for details – and play.
The Andrew Robson Bridge Club has produced some short YouTube videos explaining how to set up on BBO. There are links to these directly below. Many thanks to the ARBC for sharing these with us.
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How to sign up for BBO? – Click here for the ARBC guide
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How to fill out your BBO profile? – Click here for the ARBC guide
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How to set up a convention card on BBO? – Click here for the ARBC guide
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How to sign up for a game on BBO? – Click here for the ARBC guide (Substitute 'EBU' for 'ARBC' in the search)
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How to UNDO and ALERT on BBO? – Click here for the ARBC guide
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How to find BBO tournament results? – Click here for the ARBC guide
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Wondering about good etiquette and rules while playing on BBO? Click here!
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| New EBU Online Teams League |
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The EBU have started an online Teams League, which will run on Bridge Base Online (BBO).
Teams of 4-6 players are invited to sign up, and will play a series of 8-board matches – click here for information on how to join.
Want help making up a team?
Alan Reid has kindly agreed to be Bath BC's contact person, so if you're looking for other members to make up a team, email him on alanmreid46@gmail.com.
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| Bridge Club Live – update |
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We have registered Bath BC with Bridge Club Live, which will enable us to play with fellow Bath BC members online – click here for their press release.
The registration normally takes 24 hours to go live, but we gather that BCL are (understandably) experiencing very high demand and we are unfortunately not yet up and running. (Note that we are NOT Bath City Bridge Club, which is already registered!)
BCL offers plenty of online bridge (see the link below) and until 31 March is offering a month's membership for just £1. So it's worth signing up now and then you'll be ready when our registration comes live in due course ...
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| Online tip: Self-alerting on BBO |
At the bridge club, we alert/announce our partner's bids. On BBO, it's different: there is no announcing, and you alert your own bids – this seems strange until you realise that only your opponents can see the alert; partner isn't tipped off!
So if you were eg making a Ghestem overcall of 2NT over an opening 1♥, you'd type something like '5-5 in the minors', then make your bid.
Click here for the EBU's information on the subject.
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| Do you know your NGS ranking? |
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Most of us know (at least roughly) our rank as determined by the masterpoints we've accumulated. But do you know your NGS ranking?
The National Grading Scheme provides a picture of your current skill level and offers a mine of information about how well you (and your partners) are doing.
As well as being a handy and accurate measure of your progress (especially if you're an up-and-coming 'improver'), the NGS will be the basis of our upcoming switch to 'stratification' scoring in our Gentle Duplicate sessions on Thursday morning, so it's well worth knowing what it's all about.
To find out how it works – and how to tap the information it provides – click here.
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| Which systems & conventions can I use? |
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As we're an EBU club, we use the EBU Blue Book to determine which bidding systems and conventions we are permitted to use.
For most of our sessions, we comply with Level 4, which allows most systems/conventions that most players are likely to be familiar with.
For our Thursday morning Gentle Duplicate and Monday evening Assisted Play, however, we are limited to Level 2, which limits players to fairly simply bidding systems and common conventions: Stayman, transfers and Blackwood are all fine.
If you're not sure about the suitability of any parts of your system, ask any experienced Club Director for guidance. Alternatively, click here for a link to the Blue Book on the EBU website.
What to do if this issue comes up at the table? See our guidance in Doing things right ... (you can find this in the menu, left).
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What level is right for me?
With the growing choice of daytime and evening sessions now available at Bath BC, newer members and visitors may not be sure which options best suit their level of ability and experience.
If you're in doubt, click here to consult our Guide to levels. (It's also available via the menu, left.)
And, of course, feel free to consult any committee member if you need further advice.
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