There are two sessions of Simultaneous Pairs (SIMS) scheduled for the rest of 2026:-

1. EBED: 8th September
2. ECATS CiN: 10th November

Table money is as for a normal session - £5 for members and £7 for guests. 

Please see the items on the right for the two matters above. 

The postponed AGM was held on Tuesday 14th July, with 22 attendees. The minutes have been posted to the Information section and the updated Constitution can be found from the Menu to the left. 

Angela Fenton has kindly offered to be club matchmaker. So, if you want to play and need a partner, please let her know (contact details here). She can’t perform miracles and isn’t volunteering to act as host, but she’ll do her best.

At the AGM of 3^rd June 2025, it was agreed to trial a scheme to encourage new members. As such, a partnership that has not played at the Club in the last two years, if ever, and wants to find out how things are going, is invited to play at the Club on two occasions FOR FREE. We ask all our members and guests to advertise this scheme by word of mouth wherever possible. We also encourage lapsed members or guests to take advantage of the scheme.

Also, if a Club member invites and plays with an appropriately qualified non-member (as above) both can also play for free if they would not have played at the Club but for this scheme.

Following the lead of Mid Essex, the Club has set up a WhatsApp group so that members can let the Club know of their plans where this is relevant. 

To avoid pointless and irritating chatter, the idea would be that messages would only be posted in the following circumstances:- 

1. If you want to play but don't have a partner
2. If you play every week, or thereabouts, but won't be playing in the next session
3. If you play intermittently and intend to do so in the next session. 

While we're not yet in the position of having to cancel sessions due to lack of support, numbers are usually low at this time of year, and it will help the Club to determine whether action needs to be taken to ensure a workable movement takes place. 

If you would like to be helpful and join this group, please let the Chairman know by email (theo@theotodman.com). Please note that, while there's a PC version of WhatsApp, you need a smartphone to sign up. 

The Club Year is now over, and the final standings in the Ladders are:-

Partnership:-

1. Tim Connett & Steve Ensor
2. Val Mollison & Brian Davies
3. David Piper & Theo Todman

Individual:-

1. Theo Todman
2. Tim Connett
3. Steve Ensor

Well done, all. Click on the titles above for the full final standings. 

There has been some chattering of teeth towards the end of the sessions over the last couple of weeks, as the heating had been turning itself off at 22:00. The timer has now been reset to switch the heating on at 18:30 and off at 23:00, so there should be no problem ongoing unless Marcia forgets to call the moves on time.  

We are advised that: 'During those hours, the thermostat by the door at the hall hatch will operate all the wall heaters to the (hall user) selected temperature. However, each heater has a fused electrical switch. In addition, each heater also has a pull cord which can control the setting of the heater as off/low/medium/high.  It is not necessary for these to be manipulated, but people often do.'

The EBU has reissued the Blue and White Books which detail all the laws that govern our beautiful game in England. Unless you suffer from insomnia, I suggest you start off with the brief 'changes' documents. The rules on Announcing and Alerting are a source of continual confusion to some - and they have changed again. The two-page summary (item 2 below) is a useful document. Click on the titles to find the documents on the EBU website. 

1. Reasons for and details of the Blue Book changes
2. New Blue Book Announcing and Alerting Summary
3. Blue Book list of changes
4. White Book list of changes

• Blue Book (with change marks)
• White Book

I play on a Bridge website playing teams and happened upon a Swedish Team's logo, fortunately in English:

Play Fair

Play for Fun

Play for Knowledge

Play among Friends

Couldn't have said it better - so its now on the page heading!