In recognition of the fact that online bridge is here to stay, and that the return to face-to-face bridge will only be gradual, the plan for the next four months is to run with Monday nights online but to include a few Saturday face-to-face events.  The plans for 2022 will be made in November.  The basic pattern for the remainder of 2021 will be

• 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.  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.  Advance registration is required.

The special weekend events are scheduled to happen at Cheltenham Bridge Club on Saturday 2nd October and Saturday 27th November.  The timing those days will be 1000-1600 hrs, and will include multiple bridge sessions, lunch, and more.  Details still to be settled.

More series of the Online Swiss Teams, and Online 9-High Swiss Pairs - where you arrange your own matches - will come in September.   

Printable summary available - click here

For those of you who have not yet paid for the Teams League (£60 ref Lg), Cleverly League (£8 ref CLEV), Swiss Teams (£10 ref ST), 9hi Swiss Pairs (£10 ref 9hi), MCL (£20 ref MCL), (or even MCWG payment ref MCWG), please note that the (Barclays) bank details are:

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.

There are some key differences in online play of which players should be aware:

• The GCBA Regulations on UNDOs apply in bidding and in play, and are (EBU and others allow fewer cases): 
  • Please only request an UNDO for a genuine mis-click and not for a change of mind or because you were not paying attention.
  • Be generous in trusting your opponents to be honest and accept as often as you can. Call the TD if you have any difficulty accepting.
• THE GCBA and EBU Regulation on Convention Cards & Notes:
  • You are allowed, during an online game, to consult your own CC or notes during the bidding.

There is further information about online regulations in the EBU's SKY BLUE book which we follow, except where specified above.

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.

• 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