COMPETITION RULES FOR 2024-25

We welcome visitors to the Club, but after 3 games as a guest we expect visitors to join the club. Although guests may play in any event, only members are eligible to win club prizes, and visitors must pay the visitor rate of table money.  Additional rules apply to visitors playing teams, see below.

Pairs (BBO) and Teams (RB) competitions run both open and handicap leagues, and cash prizes are awarded to the league winners (£10 each player for pairs, for teams £10 each for the four most frequent team members). Pairs or teams who are winners of an open league may not also win the same handicap league, irrespective of their scores or handicap gradings.

For all competitions -  no conventions above EBU Level 4 are allowed

PAIRS

Open pairs sessions and leagues are scored on a percentage basis. Handicap pairs leagues are scored similarly, based on published EBU NGS gradings.

Summer Pairs (BBO), open and handicap (April - September) 18 rounds, minimum of 12 to qualify, 12 best scores to count

Winter Pairs (BBO), open & handicap (October - March) 18 rounds, minimum of 12 to qualify, 12 best scores to count

Club Championship Pairs

2 session pairs event on consecutive weeks in autumn. This will be divided into Open and Restricted. Restricted pairs to have a combined NGS of not more than 18, and neither player to be graded higher than 10. Open winners are not eligible for a prize in the Restricted section, irrespective of their grades or scores. The leading Open pairs are eligible to play in the Hertfordshire Bridge Association Club Winners Cup in November.

Club Individual Championship (April – March)

36 rounds, qualifying events are Summer and Winter Pairs on BBO. Minimum of 24 rounds to qualify, 24 best scores to count. 'Counting' scores must include play with more than one partner.

Seaman Trophy / Parkinson Trophy

Each of these is a single event pairs competition

TEAMS OF FOUR

For both open and handicap leagues, teams must have a captain and a core membership of 4-6 club members, and will have a name, preferably that of the team captain. Substitutes are allowed, who may be members or visitors (non-members). However, to be eligible for a prize no team may field visitor substitutes (club non-members) on more than 4 occasions in total, over the course of the league. There is no restriction on substitutes who are club members. 12 rounds, minimum of 8 rounds to qualify, 8 best scores to count. 

Open teams are scored on the basis of IMP scores per match, summed and expressed as a percentage each month. Handicap teams are scored on the basis of total IMP scores, averaged per board played and adjusted for handicap. Handicaps are based on NGS ratings. Where members have an undisclosed NGS rating, their rating will default to 62%.

HBA (HERTS BRIDGE ASSOCIATION) QUALIFYING EVENTS

We hold a heat each year for the Marjorie Lukyn Charity Cup. Pairs scoring over 50% are eligible for the final, usually played in March on Realbridge.

There are no longer club heats for the HBA Championship Pairs and HBA Humble Cup (teams). For the former, in 2024 players will qualify if they score over 53% (individually) in a normal session at any HBA affiliated club during October.

Two of the leading 4 pairs in the Club Championship Pairs (Open) qualify for the HBA Cup Winners Cup in November.

For full details of these and other HBA competitions, follow the HBA link in Useful Links.