It is with great sadness that we have to report that after playing bridge with us on Monday evening, Anne Swannell passed away during the night.  She was a force in the county since coming to the area in the mid 1980s, organising the catering for the county over many decades, as well as fulfilling many other roles. She was the inaugural and the only repeat winner of the Geoffrey Paterson Trophy, given for the most Master Points on the Mondays during one year - as well as winning countless other County Trophies.  She was recommended by the County for the EBU's Dimmie Fleming Award and received that in 2010.  She will be missed by many.

Entries are requested please (to ctd@gcba.org.uk, asap) for

• County Knockout - a series of 32-board matches to determine the County Champions who will represent GCBA in the Pachabo Cup in June 2022.  Last year's results here.
• Bi-weekly Swiss Teams - tenth series of matches which you arrange at your own convenience. Details here.

We are sad to report that Filip from Cardiff, who has played regularly in GCBA events since the start of lockdown, passed away in the early morning of 30th December. He died of cancer after a short illness. He will be missed. Patrick Shields has written about him on the EWBA website, and Jeremy Dhondy on the the WBU website.  Filip features in the Daily Telegraph bridge column today (Fri 7th Jan).

The plan for the first four months of 2022 will be the same as the last four month of 2021. 

• FIRST Monday : Swiss Teams on BBO, just turn up as a foursome and register.
• SECOND and FOURTH Mondays : Pairs League, running on BBO, with multiple divisions and promotion/relegation.  A fresh series of 6 sessions starting 10th January 2022.   Advance registration is needed, and then you register with BBO on the day.
• THIRD and FIFTH Mondays : County League, running on RealBridge, with multiple divisions and 24-board matches.  A continuation of the existing leagues.

The special weekend events are scheduled to happen at Cheltenham Bridge Club on early February and late March.  The timing those days will be 1000-1600 hrs, and will include multiple bridge sessions, lunch, and more.

More series of the Online Swiss Teams, and Online 9-High Swiss Pairs - where you arrange your own matches - will come in January.   Plans for the County Knock-Out and County Pairs (qualifying round first Monday in April) will be out soon.

Printable summary available now - click here

Specially for less experienced players - there is a page on the EBU website dedicated to games for you - click here to see it.

There are plenty of opportunities around

• Use the LOCAL CLUBS list on the left to access the websites of local bridge clubs; 
  • There are six clubs running online :
  • And Cheltenham Bridge Club has restarted its face-to-face games

• NEW TO DUPLICATE?
  • EBED run Assisted Duplicate sessions on Wednesday and Friday afternoons starting at 1400 hrs, with a teacher on-hand to answer questions as you play, and a ZOOM session afterwards for more discussion. All for BB$3 per session. 
  • OBA is running a NGS-5-HIGH pairs event on Saturday 1st August.  Click here for more details. {Last session was won by a Cheltenham pair - Val Barbour & Jan Kinane.
• Online Inter-County events : our Representative Events Committee has been active with corresponding people in other counties and we are trialling online matches. Click here for the current status.  If you would like to become involved in representing the county in online competitions please email Alan Wearmouth on alan.wearmouth@gcba.org.uk 

We can report that the following is now happening in the county -

• Cheltenham BC is running duplicate at the club (members only) on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
• Chipping Campden BC re-opened on 11th August and had 7 tables in operation through the rest of that month.
• Churchdown BC has closed its online games and is now running live on a Monday afternoon.
• Gloucester BC restarted in July and played twice that month and four times in August.
• Newent BC will re-open with events on Wednesday 22nd and Friday 24th of September
• South Cotswolds BC re-opens on Tuesday 7th September in Tetbury, and on Thursday 9th at Minchinhampton
• Stroud BC is restarting its sessions on the afternoon of the 9th September at the Octagon with FAB on first and third Thursdays, open games the second, fourth and fifth.
• Tewkesbury BC restarted on Wednesday 1st September with a 5-table movement.
• Tudor BC is restarting its Wednesday afternoon sessions on 15th September.
• Winchcombe BC was the second to get going with games from Friday 23rd July onwards.
•  
• Cirencester U3A Group has restarted its live bridge on Friday afternoons, from 27th August
• Corinium BC has started back from the 22nd July, and had its largest attendance at the first September session.
• North Cotswolds BC has restarted its Saturday game at Broadwells, and had two sessions in August.
• Somerford Keynes BC restarts on Wednesday 1st September.
• Woodmancote BC started live bridge on the 3rd August.

The lockdown is a wonderful opportunity for people to learn this game.  Why don't you look for anyone you could teach - see if these slide shows (updated 10 May) help

• Learn bridge in 15 minutes (and here's the storyboard for these slides)
• Learn minibridge in 3 minutes (and there's another version here)
• Learn bidding in 30 minutes

If you want to illustrate the game quickly to people - this amazing 3 minutes video shows it all.

Once you have got past this introduction you might find the material at this NZ site worthwhile.

<<  THIS IS OUT OF DATE : IT NEEDS REVAMPED POST COVID >>

TD TRAINING : EBED is running a course for new directors, at Solihull (WMBC) on Tuesday 18th February. It is the first of four monthly sessions leading to an assessment and qualification.

There is lots of learning to be done at the Gloucestershire Youth Bridge - click here for its website.

CHELTENHAM :  The teaching team are starting a new series of lessons starting in September. For more information see the club web site.

GLOUCESTER:  Lessons available on Monday at Gloucester B.C.;  see the GBC website for details.

NEWENT : Starting 27th September 2019 (1850 hrs for 1900).  More details at click here.  EBU qualified teachers, and it runs for two terms.

MALMESBURY (Tetbury & Cirencester) : Robert Cobbold offers "fun and friendly bridge for beginners and beyond.  07526451532" 

TETBURY : Jim Edwards runs lessons as part of the South Cotswolds Bridge Club venture - see the web site.

CHIPPING SODBURY: Lessons start in September after a free taster session on 10th September. - see website

WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE (boundary of South Glos and Glos, NW Wiltshire) : Ian Cooke (accredited EBUTA teacher) offers lessons for beginners, improvers and runs Gentle bridge sessions. Contact details here.

Please email any external result to results@gcba.org.uk for inclusion here.

• Diana Nettleton & Patrick Shields came 2nd in the EBU's Year End Congress Mixed Pairs, in a field of 48 pairs.
• David Atthey & Alison Pritchard, Lesley Harrison & Ashok Kwatra came first in the A-final at the Scottish Summer Congress on 4th July
• Rob Lawy & Rob Stevens, Diana Nettleton & Patrick Shields came first in the Swiss Teams and the EBU Virtual Seaside Congress on 2nd July
• The County A-team came first in the inter-region play-offs of the Regional Inter-County League winners on 11th July - well done to Andrew & Joe, Dan & Paul, Garry & Richard, Richard & Rob
• The County C-team did the same in their division - well done to Ben & Peter, Jim & Val, John & Mark, Roger & Tony