John Perry's retirement as Club Secretary after many years' sterling service was marked with the gifting of lifelong Honorary Club Membership, a meal for 2 voucher at the luxury Homewood Spa Hotel, a bottle of John's favourite Rioja and a tribute from the FBC Committee:

John Perry has been a mainstay in the running of Frome Bridge Club for more than 35 years. Without his hard work and dedication, the Club would not be in the excellent state it is in now. John was, and still is, a driving force behind the development of the Club. At one point, the membership declined to just 12 members. As one long-serving member recalls, there were evenings where only eight players attended, just enough for a simple teams competition. A discussion took place about what to do. No-one wanted the club to close, but the income would not sustain paying for room hire. John set about organising a recruitment campaign by promoting lessons which he took himself. This was the catalyst for a steady expansion of the membership. Every year since then, John has run lessons and encouraged others club members to do likewise. His remarkable patience and ability as a teacher has shone through and been an example to us all – he has always been prepared to sit down and spend time with any player, regardless of their aptitude for the game. In recent months, even though his health has not been good, John has carried on with no noticeable reduction in his commitment and effort. It is no exaggeration to say that the success of Frome Bridge Club, now one of the largest in the South West, is largely due to the effort and dedication of, John Perry. We owe him our collective gratitude and thanks.

The club is affiliated to the English Bridge Union (EBU) and aims to provide friendly but competitive duplicate bridge for members and visitors. Boards are electronically duplimated and tablets are used for scoring with results available as soon as the last board is completed. The club meets every Monday at 7pm in Wesley Methodist Church at Wesley Slope, Frome, for Face-to-Face play. Table money is £3 per session for members; £4 for non-members; the annual Club membership fee is £10. 

To join, or for more information, please contact Club Secretary Jessica Slater: jesslouise3@icloud.com

In addition, we provide lessons followed by assisted play on Tuesday evenings from 6.45pm and Thursday mornings from 9.15am. For further details contact: John Perry on 01373 467508.

Frome Bridge Club now has a presence on Facebook and Instagram.  To follow us and see latest news, please click on the FB & Instagram links at bottom of the Left Hand column.

Frome Bridge Club’s teaching year - friendly lessons for Beginners, Improvers & Intermediates - starts every October. If you're interested in learning the game, or improving your play, please get in touch, even if it's midway through the year. Meanwhile, if you want to refresh areas of your play, do check out some of the Club’s excellent lessons, including new PowerPoint lessons: Click on Bridge Lessons in Left Hand menu.

How Masterpoints (MPs) and NGS rankings work

Masterpoints are awarded by the EBU to players for success in all bridge events run under its auspices. Each Monday evening the Frome session results are uploaded to the EBU, with MPs awarded to players in the top ranks, depending on the number of tables in play. The MPs provide a measure of a bridge player's lifetime achievement, with points accruing over the years. In effect, the more bridge you play, the more likely you are to win Masterpoints. The MP scale starts with the rank of Local Master, awarded to a player with 100 MPs, and climbs to the highest rank of Grand Master, for which 120,000 MPs are needed.

In contrast, the NGS (National Grading Scheme) reflects a player's current performance level, and is a measure that can be tracked by any player on a weekly basis. Hence it is relevant to the vast majority of EBU members, from novices to ordinary club players to Internationals. The NGS calculates a current grade and grade band for each EBU member, which is updated whenever new results are received. EBU grades are divided into 13 playing card bands, ranging from Two at the beginners' end - less than 39% - to Ace at the top, 61% or higher.  A novice player's NGS grade will not be published until they have played in 150 graded bridge sessions. To view your NGS grade, visit:  www.ebu.co.uk/ngs 

One of the main laws, part of the foundation of Contract Bridge, is the complete transparency of the meaning of all bids made during the Auction. The prime aid to achieving this is the use of System (or Convention) Cards. Bids must not contain hidden/underlying meanings or convey ‘understandings’ that are not known by all at the table.

Complex systems and conventions are reserved for ‘High Level’ competitions and players, being banned from run of the mill events that we mere mortals play in, due to their complexity and time needed to fully understand them.

Producing a system card helps partners agree the meaning of different bids and gives the opposition a written explanation. During a game you should not refer to your card. It is for the opposition to use to aid their understanding of your bid and to help the director if an incomplete or incorrect explanation is given to a bid. As in verbal explanations of a bid, names of conventions should be avoided and details given in full where possible. A system card can also help a partnership improve their play and confidence on the basis it leaves no room for uncertainty about the meaning of a partner’s bid!