• 29–30 August: Cheltenham Bridge Congress, Dean Close School, Cheltenham. Click for more info...

Whether you are a regular congress-goer, a 9-high player, or someone thinking about trying a bridge congress for the first time,  Cheltenham Bridge Congress is for you. It is a friendly, sociable weekend with something for everyone. Taking place on 29–30 August 2026 at Dean Close School, Cheltenham, it offers two days of enjoyable competitive bridge.

For many club players, a congress is an opportunity to play in a much larger field than usual, meet new opponents and renew old acquaintances. A normal club evening may involve a familiar group of tables, but a congress brings the excitement of a wider field and a livelier atmosphere. While online bridge has its place, nothing quite matches the pleasure of playing face to face in a busy hall, sharing the tension, conversation and enjoyment of the game in person.

The Congress has something for everyone: strong competition for experienced players, a welcoming environment for those newer to congress bridge including 9-high pairs sessions for the less advanced players, and the chance to win Green Points and cash prizes. It is also a chance to experience the particular buzz of a well-run bridge weekend, where every board matters and every session brings fresh opportunities. Whether you are ambitious, sociable, keen to collect masterpoints, or simply looking for an enjoyable weekend of bridge, Cheltenham Bridge Congress is for you. Above all, the Cheltenham Bridge Congress is about supporting live bridge, enjoying good company and being part of a weekend that celebrates the game at its best. If you have been wondering whether to enter, this is an excellent year to give it a try. Book your place now and support your club’s Congress. All details of the event are here.

There is a lot of useful information for members on the Cheltenham Bridge Club website and it is well worth knowing where to find it. To get started, go to the Members Only Area then enter your usual login details. If you cannot remember your password, or have not logged in before, you can use the password reset option on the login page. Once you have logged in there are tabs at the top of the page where you can:

• View your account details
• Check your account balance
• Review your NGS rating
• Access your personal analysis
• Search the members list

There are also options to Find a Partner and to see useful documents such as minutes of meetings and policy documents. We hope more members will make use of this useful feature. If you need any help, please ask, we will be very pleased to point you in the right direction.

The Training Team are putting the final touches to the 2026/2027 Training Programme. Look out for their email in the next few days detailing what is happening. Full details can be found on the Learning & Development page on the website.

There is no role that is more vital to the smooth running of duplicate bridge session than that of the Tournament Director. It takes time and money to learn the ropes. The club is prepared to invest the money. Are you prepared to invest the time? We will be arranging an online session to give people a chance to understand what is involved. If you are interested in finding out more about this important role, please email Steve.

Every year the club organises a holiday to Bournemouth for some 'winter sunshine' and an opportunity to raise funds for the club. After priority booking, we had 15 rooms available which have now been filled. Every year, plans change and we have been able to ask about 8-10 people from the waiting list if they would like to join us.  At the moment, we only have a few people on the waiting list so please contact Nicola for further info or to join the waiting list.

Teresa and Jan have organised a rota of 17 volunteers who visit Whittington House Care Home in groups of four each week. We started on Tuesday 26th May, which at the time was the hottest May Day on record.  Thankfully, we were able to sit in the Home’s beautiful shady garden.

The numbers of residents joining us varies from week to week.  We have a large number of ladies who enjoy playing a slightly different, and very entertaining version of scrabble.  They are very appreciative of the scrabble sets kindly donated by Mike Wignall and Sue Oscroft. There is one bridge player who we were able to play bridge with one week, but usually we don’t have enough volunteers to make up a table with him.  And we have a table of very keen men who are enjoying learning to play Minibridge.  Tea and biscuits are provided, which gives us a little break to spend some time just chatting to the residents, and hearing about their interesting lives.  We go to the Home on Tuesdays from 14.30-16.00.  If you are interested in joining us, please contact Teresa or Jan.

Whether you are you new to Bridge or wish to refresh your game, Cheltenham Bridge Club offers a wide range of courses for beginners through to experienced players.

Please see our learning and development page  for more information and details of contacts who can help you choose the best path for you.

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)