The following procedure should be followed to enter the Bowdon Bridge Club Monday evening session which starts at 7:30 pm.

1. Login to Bridge Base Online (BBO) – at least by 7:20pm.

2.   Click on ‘Competitive’ and then click on ‘All Tournaments’

3.   Type ‘Bowdon’ in the ‘Search’ box above the Entry fee column. 

4. Click on ‘Pairs Bowdon Monday’ tournament (or similar) and this will give you the opportunity to enter with a partner.

5.   Either you or your partner then need to type in partner’s BBO Username (agree in advance who is going to do this). 

6.    This will send an invitation to your named partner. This person (who already should be online) then accepts the invitation by clicking ‘yes’ (or 'Accept'). If the person is not online to accept the invitation, it will be quickly timed out and it will be necessary to send a subsequent invitation.

The procedure is then complete but you will not be taken to a table until the start time – just wait.

If for some reason your screen is blocked or you are unable to enter, you should telephone Adam Wiseberg on who will be able to help you.

When you get to the table, the Usernames of your partner and yourself, together with your opponents will be displayed.  (To enable your real name to appear when your opponents click your Username, you should enter your real name in your profile which can be found by clicking the vertical tab called ‘Account’, at the extreme right hand side of the BBO screen)

Cards will automatically be dealt and the person with their name highlighted in yellow is the person whose turn it is to bid or play.

To bid you just click on the number and suit which will be displayed above your cards when it is your turn to bid.

If anyone does not have a partner on a particular week, please contact Jayne on who will advise of any other members who are also looking for a partner

How to Pay

The cost per session for each registered player is £3.00.  Each person therefore pays £30 in advance by Bank Transfer or cheque to cover the cost of 10 games.

The club's bank details for transfer are: . Please give your name as a reference. Cheques should be made payable to Bowdon Bridge Club and sent to Mark Gomme, Flat 17 Haigh Lawn, St. Margarets Rd. Altrincham,WA14 2AP

Mark has set up a spreadsheet to record all payments and when people have played. He will therefore be able to remind players when their balance needs topping up. Once we have got back to playing in the Jubilee Room on a Monday evening, he will reimburse all those in credit.

To play, just click on the card you want to play. It is possible to ask for an 'Undo' if you have clicked on a wrong card (there is an 'undo' button on the screen)

Note: You must self alert, i.e.  you alert your own bids.   This is a requirement of BBO online bridge.  If you forget then an opponent may 'ask' in which case a yellow box pops up.  Please explain your bid and write a description which is appropriate and accurate.   You also need to self alert your no trump range when you open 1NT or 2NT together with the strength of your natural two and three level bids.    

Click here for a video on self alerting on BBO.  

Enjoy!