• 29–30 August: Cheltenham Bridge Congress, Dean Close School, Cheltenham. Click for more info...
• 6 September 11am - 4 pm: EBU Handicap Pairs, Cheltenham Bridge Club. Book through the club calendar.

The club premises will be out of bounds from first thing Friday 28 August until lunchtime Monday 31 August. There will be no bridge on the Friday, and no mentored play on the Monday morning.

Are you new to Bridge, or a returner in need of improving your play?

At Cheltenham Bridge Club, we have courses for beginners and intermediate players. Students on our Year 1 and Year 2 programmes can access weekly mentored sessions, where they can continue practising the topic learned that week. In Year 2 they can also join our Learners’ Duplicate Sessions which prepare players for joining the club’s 5High and Gentle Sessions. With more experience, members can then attend any of the many courses which form part of our Bridge Development Programme. Please see below for more information, the booking link and contact details if you have any questions.

YEAR 1 lessons are run on Wednesday mornings 10.00-12.00, Wednesday evenings 19.00-21.00. Alternatively, you can learn Year 1 Bridge over 2 weekends. Weekly lessons start on the 30th September, and the first weekend is the 7/8th November. Each 12-week course costs £150, payable after the first lesson. The weekend course costs £150 and is payable in advance. Club membership is included in the price.

YEAR 2 lessons are run on Wednesday afternoons 14.00-16.00 and Wednesday evenings 19.00-21.00 and start on the 30th September. Each 12-week course costs £150 and includes club membership.

If you have not already attended Year 1 lessons at the club, we would advise that you speak to Jan before signing up for the Year 2 lessons. We need to make sure you are competent in the key topics taught in Year 1 before embarking on a Year 2 course.

To book, please use our BookWhen page. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jan at teachingcoordinator@cheltenhambridgeclub.com

There are still a few places left for last minute bookings for the Congress which will be held on 29^th and 30^th August. There is something for everyone: Swiss Pairs, Swiss Teams and  9-High Pairs. At the time of writing, there is only space for four more Teams, so book soon to avoid disappointment. Swiss Pairs is fully booked. Email cheltenhambridgecongress@gmail.com to join the waiting list. All the information plus booking is here. Entries for all events will close on Thursday 27 August at 18:00.

Cheltenham Bridge Club is delighted to be hosting a local heat of the EBU National Handicap Pairs on Sunday 6 September, from 11:00am to approximately 4:00pm. The event is open to members of any EBU-affiliated club and we hope to welcome players from across Gloucestershire. We'll play 28–30 boards, with a mid-session break. Please bring a packed lunch to consume in the café where hot and cold drinks will be available.

Never played in a handicap event? The beauty of the format is that anyone can win. Your score is adjusted according to your usual performance, so success comes from doing just a little better than normal on the day. It really does give everyone a genuine chance. Cheltenham has an excellent record in this competition. In 2022, three Cheltenham pairs finished in the top four places nationally. Why not have a go and see how you do? You might surprise yourself!

Entry fee: £10 per player, which includes a downloadable booklet containing expert commentary on all the hands. Advance booking is essential via the club calendar.

Longstanding member Anne Haussherr celebrated her 100th birthday on 3rd August. On Saturday, 8th August, Anne met with 31 friends old and new at Cheltenham Bridge Club, and played 2 hours of a very friendly, but still competitive game of Bridge. Moya’s 2 of Trumps pass the parcel saw people making bold decisions with their bidding. Winning the game seemed less important than stealing the prize from each other!  There was a lot of fun and laughter in the room.  As you can see from the results photo,  Anne wasn’t distracted at all by the shouts of “2 of trumps” and came top! Congratulations to Doug Evans who was holding the prize as the last boards were played. Anne would like to thank everyone for the gifts and cards, thank Patrick for directing and thank Phoenix for the beautiful cakes. Yes, the playing cards decorating the cakes were edible!  In the other photos, you can see Anne with her older friends Daphne Smith and Rosiah Gates, and her newer friends,  the club’s youngest members.

The teaching team have announced the dates for the Bridge Development Programme  Tweak to Transform (T2T) Seminars and Play and Discuss (P&D) sessions.  These sessions are suitable for regular players at Gentle and Open Sessions. You can now book all your P&D and T2T courses at the same time without having to repeat your details. Just click here.

My role on the committee is to promote and support the club’s many volunteers who play an essential part in ensuring the smooth running of the club. I will regularly be showcasing the roles done by various people. This month, I have chosen three people who, behind the scenes, make a difference to our experience at the table.

Caroline Hartley orders all the club stationery. Whenever you use a score or convention card or have to write your name on a table name slip it is there because Caroline ensures that we are well stocked. Caroline also, from time to time, goes through all the bidding boxes and makes sure old tatty cards are thrown out, the sets are complete and orders new boxes if required.

Shona Lockyer and Sarah Taylor volunteered to clean the Bridgemates. They said ‘we accomplished the task in about 1.5 hours during which time we chatted between ourselves and bumped into a few other volunteers (it was interesting to see who does what behind the scenes). Only a small job for a small amount of time but it helps to keep the Club in good shape’. I could not agree more!

Thank you very much to Caroline, Sarah and Shona. If you would like to help in any way – please contact Nicola Renshaw.

A small contingent from CBC decided to go to France to play in the Deauville International Festival of Bridge. Amongst them was our own Paul Denning who, with Tim Rees, came 4th out of 224 pairs with a 61% score over three sessions; and with Tim, Alastair Catchpole and Tony Hill came 4th in the  Teams Final, behind three teams all containing well known internationals. Congratulations!

Do you ever play a hand, think you have done really well, and then when you see the results find you are in bottom place?  We know some of you like to study those hands at home, but still end up scratching your heads and wondering what you could have done differently. 

Help is now at hand with our "Ask the Experts" service.  Find it on the club's home page under the "Learn Bridge" menu item.  This will give you instructions on how to use the service.

Once you have sent in your query, an expert Bridge player will get back to you with some answers which will also be published in an Ask the Experts - Answers section (also on the club's home page under the "Learn Bridge" menu item)