Bridge with Ned Paul, London

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Coming out of Lockdown

We are gradually moving towards face-to-face bridge. We have restarted weekly duplicate tournaments at the London Mindsports Centre, Hammersmith on Tuesday evenings; at Kingston Bridge Club on Thursday evenings; and at the Ruff Club in Camden (Friday evenings).

Daytime bridge on Tuesday afternoons at Chiswick Tennis Club (2.00-4.30pm) has also restarted. In contrast, Our Lady Queen of Peace on Thursday mornings is more problematic: we have not yet had the go ahead.

As the picture becomes clearer individual club websites are being updated.

Even with these re-openings, all our online games will continue until further notice.

New Venue For Tuesday Evening Duplicate

Ned Paul Bridge is playing live on Tuesday evenings at the new London Mindsports Centre 'LMC' in Hammersmith. From January 2022 we will be playing every Tuesday from Tuesday Jnauary 4th. starting at 7.15pm. Thie game will be run in the name of New Chiswick Bridge Club and I am pleased to say many of the NCBC players have made the transition from Chiswick Tennis Club and are happy with the bigger attendance we are now getting. Find the Mindsports Centre at 21-23 Dalling Road, Hammersmith, W6 0JD. Nearest tube Ravenscourt Park (3 minutes, but stairs) or many Hammersmith buses (alight at Ravenscourt Park Station stop in King Street). Street parking is possible but allow time. We play bridge on the ground floor with level access. There is a licensed bar for drinks, tea/coffee, and light meals, sandwiches and snacks.

Please note the 'senior' bridge client of the LMC is Young Chelsea BC. Our game is independently organised and not associated with YCBC. We aim for our game to be a welcoming social game for ALL players, intermediate and above. New players are always welcome and single players will always get a game.

John Balson Remembered

The late John Balson died at the Princess Alice Hospice Esher in 2019. In March 2021 we ran a memorial bridge day in his name that raised a massive £5,000+ for the Hospice.

Here is a bridge story that typifies John. You deal and hold:

♠ A K Q 9 8 3
♥ A Q
♦ A 9 4 2
♣ K

You are behind in a match you need to win and the boards are running out. You open 2♣ and partner responds 3♣, a positive response promising 8+hcp and two of the top three honours in clubs. What is your rebid and what was the late John Balson's rebid? Fot the answer click on this link.

Cafe Bridge

For up-to-date Cafe Bridge News and Fixtures check out Victor Lesk's Cafe Bridge Page.

New for 2021 - Partner Finder Service

New for 2021 is the Bridgewebs 'Partner Finder' service, which you can use for any advertised online tournament.

Click the 'Find a Partner' link above. To register for the service, you will need to enter your EBU number and your email address. You will be sent a link to your private 'member's area' on this website. When activated this will allow you to choose sessions where you need a partner.

If you have difficulty registering (or do not have an EBU number yet) please send an email to Ned (ned@nedpaul.com) and we will send you your number and confirm your entry in our players' list.

Recent Updates

Home Page
9th Apr 2022 16:59 BST
Coming out of Lockdown
12th Feb 2022 21:49 GMT

Pages viewed in 2022

Welcome to Bridge with Ned Paul

Friendly Bridge - Informal Surroundings

WELCOME to Bridge with Ned Paul.

On these pages you will find information and results from events run by the bridge organiser and teacher Ned Paul.

Bridge offered includes both online and offline sessions. These include online and live duplicate tournaments, improver 'supervised play' classes, and beginner bridge lessons.

For full information scroll down.

Ned Paul Bridge Goes Online

Full Programme of Online Tournaments - New Thursday Morning Game

We are now running SEVEN online tournaments a week. The programme includes four daytime games a week and also three evening games a week. The core of the regular players come from Ned Paul's various F2F clubs but we also extend a general welcome to players looking for friendly mainly Acol duplicates. Single players are welcome - see below. A fee is payable.

All games are 18-20 boards, matchpointed pairs (Friday evening may be 20 or 21 boards). All the games are registered with English Bridge Union (EBU) and give the opportunity to win EBU Master Points. Games will appear on your EBU record as from 'Ned Paul Bridge Club' . Membership of the EBU is free if you play in the tournaments; if you are not yet a member we can register you.

These are the days and times.

* Monday daytime - 12.30pm	* Monday evening - 7.30pm
* Wednesday daytime - 12.30pm	* Wednesday evening - 7.30pm
* Thursday morning - 10.30am	* NB! Thurs am sesson is on RealBridge
* Friday daytime - 12.30pm	* Friday evening - 7.30pm

the time and co

To Play

Daytime Games - RealBridge

We have added a Thursday daytime game as a joint promotion with Kit Jackson and his Bridge in Balham group www.bridgewebs.com/bridgeinbalham This game is every Thursday mornuing at 10.30 and uses the bridge playing site Real Bridge ('RB'). If successful we may add further RB dates. To play in this RealBridge game click on the following link:
https://www.brianbridge.net/cgi-bin/realbridge/npo.cgi
This will take you to a list of players who have played in my games. Click on your name (or 'Anonymous' if you are new) and you will be taken direct to the Real Bridge login screen. Click 'Log in' and you will be taken to the 'Lobby'. Await your partner and then choose seats. Single players should wait in the lobby and will be paired up. Note that there are no robots in this game and if we have a half table there may be a sit out. The RB game is EBU registered and master points will be awarded.

Regular Games - Bridgebase Online (BBO)

the time and cosFor our other more esatblished games we use Bridge Base Online ('BBO'). To find the tournaments on BBO: Log on and at the welcome screen click 'Competitive', then, 'Tournaments', then 'All Tournaments'. Scroll down the time-ordered list until you find the 'Ned Paul Online' tournament. Click 'Register' to play. If you know who your partner is 'Invite' them and your partner, who should be online too, can 'Accept'. If you have no pre-arranged partner, click 'Show Partnership Desk' and either 'Invite' a player already waiting or add your name to the partnership desk list.

Please be online at the scheduled start time for the game.

If you have not played with me before, first make sure that you are registered on BBO (free of charge) https://www.bridgebase.com/. Then mail me (ned_paul@outlook.com) with your BBO user name, your real name, your EBU number if you have one, and your contact email. On receipt of your details, I will add you to the list of 'permitted players' entitled to join my games.

Single Players

As far as possible we welcome single players to the tournaments. For daytime games login and wait in the RealBridge 'Lobby'. Wait and we will pair you up with another player or a host. For evening games go to the BBO 'Partnership Desk'. Another single player may invite you to play (or vice versa). You may also choose to play with a BBO Robot, though if you choose this option voluntarily we will need to charge you the robot's table money too! (This does not apply if we offer you a robot partner after the game has started.)

If no partner is available we will probably spot you waiting there and if so you will be invited by a host.If you cannot get a partner stay in the partnership desk and you will be invited by a host shortly before game time.

How To Pay

Games cost £4 per person per game. You may buy games singly at £4.00 plus 30p handling fee; four at a time £16 (no handling fee) or £40 for ten games. This game credit charge reflects the time and cost needed to organise and run tournaments. (Costs include BBO fees, the EBU 'Universal Membership' charge and Tournament Director costs)

To pay, please use the Ned Paul online payment portal brianbridge.net/npo. This payment portal has been set up for me by colleague Victor Lesk of BriAn scoring app fame: 'npo' stands for Ned Paul Online. BACS, Credit/Debit Card and Cheques are all accepted. Please use this payment portal for all payments even if you know my bank details and have previously paid direct. This will help me keep track of you.

Live Bridge Post Lockdown

If you are looking for live tournament play post-Lockdown, the following clubs hosted by Ned are all now meeting in person again. The clubs have their own websites (click links for details of sessions and recent results):

New Chiswick BC (Tuesdays 7.15pm (club standard duplicate bridge))
Kingston BC (Thursdays 7.30pm (club standard duplicate bridge))
The Ruff Club Camden (Fridays 7.15pm (club standard duplicate bridge))

Ned also runs 'Supervised Play' sessions for refreshers and improvers. Join us each week at Chiswick Tennis Club, W4 3EU on Tuesday afternoons (2.00pm-4.30pm) - currently live; and at Our Lady Queen of Peace church hall, Sheen, on Thursday mornings - currently (Dec.2021) awaiting post-Covid resumption.

Please enquire.without obligation. Players of all standards are welcome and games are hosted, ensuring all single players will be found a partner.

Beginner Lessons
We are resuming our popular Beginner Course - 'Learn Bridge in a Weekend' . There will be an edition in London on January 15th/16th 2022. Details are on this page.

Princess Alice Hospice Fundraiser - March 12th

Princess Alice Hospice Day Raised £5,010 – Amazing Outcome!

Our Princess Alice Hospice Day on Friday March 12th 2021 was a huge and stunning success! With your help we smashed to smithereens even our most optimistic targets, raising a total including Gift Aid of £5,010. Wow, just wow! Contributions came in via entry fees, entries to the prize draw, and donations via John Hughes's Richmond Friends of PAH Just Giving page. Many of you added Gift Aid, swelling the total.

The day was held in memory of John Balson, my long term bridge partner, who died at the Hospice two years ago. I was delighted how many of you remembered him from playing in local clubs and tournaments.

After the tournaments, John Hughes's wife Marta of the Richmond Friends did the blind draw for the draw prizes and these were the winners:

Vintage Port: Maxine Julius
Wine Hamper: Barbara Beaumont
Cashmere jumper: Billie Stephens
Fiorelli Wallet: Barbara Spratley
One Hundred Teddington High Street voucher: Derek Thrumble
Old Plough at Cobham voucher: Carol Regulski

Winners have been contacted and asked to make arrangements for collection/delivery of their prize.

The Just Giving page will remain open for a while – click here.

For the background to John Balson and the Hospice read the item elsewhere on this page or click on this link.

Cue Bidding Workshop Day - November 17th

24 players attended a recent 2-session Seminar & Practice Day on "Cue Bidding for Slam", led by Ned Paul. This took place on November 17th at Young Chelsea Bridge Club, Shepherds Bush..

The day started with a a presentation and discussion of Cue Bidding, followed by a series of practice deals. The afternoon session ran as an 18-baord themed duplicate tournament, giving participants a chance to practice cue-bidding in a realistic but concentrated way. Simialr days on other topics may be held in 2019.

About Ned Paul Bridge

Ned Paul organises bridge tournaments, practice sessions and tuition at a variety of venues across London. All are welcome at any session; single players are paired up and everyone is guaranteed a game. Enquiries are welcome: email ned@nedpaul.com or phone or text 07792 715517.

This page is always under construction. Please check back again soon.

Now meeting in person again!

Friendly bridge available every Sunday evening at the TGRs Bridge Club, 19c Craven Road, London W2 3BP opposite Paddington station. Robin Lal-sarin is the host and you can see details at http://www.meetup.com/Friendly-bridge-group-in-London/

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