Frome Bridge Club is celebrating its first pair of Ace graded players. Club Chair Ray Nicholson and Committee member David Clayton reached the exalted English Bridge Union rank of Ace within a fortnight of each other in January. First to the post was David when a Monday night Club Pairs score of 76.3% lifted his NGS (National Grading Scheme) rank over the Ace of Clubs threshold of 61%; two Mondays later it was Ray’s turn. This is the first time in the Club’s history to have two concurrent Ace Players, and their ranking means they are among the top 10 Bridge players in Somerset. David Alsford is the only other Frome Player to have previously reached the rank of Ace. David Clayton and Ray both learnt to play bridge in their youth before stopping for many years and then taking it up again. Their key tip for all aspiring Ace players is that regular play, with a regular partner, is essential. 

Congratulations to David Clayton's Frome team for coming top of 30 teams in the 7th and final round of the Somerset County League 2025-26 contest on Friday 6 February. David and his fellow Frome players Richard King, Paul Fine & Steve Douglas scored an impressive 70 IMPs (International Match Points), meaning they will be promoted to Division 2 of the League for the 2026-27 season; they'd previously earned promotion from Division 4 to Division 3 at the end of the 2024-25 season. Meanwhile, Ray Nicholson's team climbed to 3rd spot in Division 2, having been 7th last  year, whilst John Perry's team, also in Division 2, finished in 6th. This means Frome BC will likely have three teams competing in Division 2 next season, a first for the club. Well done all - onwards and upwards!

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.

In addition, we provide lessons followed by assisted play on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm and Thursday mornings from 9.30 to noon. 

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.

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 

Frome Bridge Club’s teaching year - friendly lessons for Beginners, Improvers & Intermediates - got underway in October. If you're interested in learning the game, or improving your play, see details below. Meanwhile, if you want to refresh areas of your play, do check out some of the Club’s excellent lessons, including six new PowerPoint lessons: Click on Bridge Lessons in Left Hand menu.