Ipswich & Kesgrave Bridge Club

Thursday and Monday at 7:00pm

Thursdays: players have a choice; online on BBO or face-to-face in the Ropes Hall, Kesgrave Community Centre, Ipswich. Both sessions start at 7:00pm and although the results are not merged, all participants play the same deals. At Kesgrave we run a cashless system for collecting table money and players are billed for sessions played at the end of each month. Visiting players are welcome and must complete the Visitor Information Form.

Mondays: players in our Relaxed Pairs also have a choice; online on BBO or face-to-face at Kesgrave, both sessions start at 7:00pm. As the same boards are played, participants in both receive follow-up notes on the deals, distributed by email, usually within two days.

Before you play your first online game with us you need to register your details, using the forms, linked from the Online Bridge Club box, right.

If you need a partner, check our Partnership Desk. Non-members can be contacted by emailing Anne for their contact details – before 1:00pm on the day in question if possible.

Any questions, about any format, please let us know, we're here to help.

Bamberger Trophy – Tonight, 29th August

Our annual 'virtual team' event is Thursday 29th August. We play IMP Pairs and merge the Kesgrave and online games. The winning 'team' – whose names go on the trophy – are the leading North-South and East-West pairs, both of whom are members.

The merged result forms our submission to the EBU for NGS and Master Points. The separate rankings are for information only (though they do count towards annual cumulative competitions). We expect to play around 24 boards but the number of tables at Kesgrave will dictate.

More below; scroll down or click on:

• Deal of the Week
• Play in the NICKO
• Charities in 2024
• News on Teaching
• Club Membership
• Suffolk Café Bridge
• EBU Changes to Announcing 2023

Missed any? All past articles have their own page (also menu-item, left).

Play for the club in the National Inter-Club Knockout

Members are invited to represent Ipswich & Kesgrave in 2024 NICKO.

The NICKO is open to all affiliated EBU bridge clubs. The early rounds are of 24 boards, increasing to 32 for the quarter-finals and semi-finals and 48 for the final. An unlimited number of teams can be entered by a club. The Plate competition will be open to all unseeded teams defeated in their first match of the main event, either in round 1, or in round 2 following a bye.

Later rounds of this event will be face-to-face but teams are invited to indicate willingness to play online, which would be applied to the early stages to reduce travelling (though yhey must be willing to play later stages face-to-face). This is a great way to play against clubs from across the entire country of all levels and broaden your social horizons.

If you are interested in playing, either as a team or a pair, please get in touch with Club Captain, Mark Honess (contact panel left).

Donations 2024

Spring

We are pleased to announce that as a result of our Spring Charity Week we are donating £350 to East Anglian Air Ambulance.

As mentioned earlier, a second Charity Week will be held in November and we would very much like to hear members' suggestions of smaller, local charities to support.

Membership for 2023-24

We have recently sent out membership invitations to all those who play at the club. We hope you will join and be part of Ipswich & Kesgrave Bridge Club. To discover more about being a member, see 'Membership' (menu-item, left, near top).

Changes from 7th August 2023

Further to the changes made below in 2022, after feedback, several aspects have been revisited.

Principally the changes extend announcements and constrain alerts of doubles. These are hard to summarise without repeating letter and verse of the text and face-to-face players should consult the updated Announcements Summary.

Changes from 1st September 2022

The EBU has made changes to announcements and the rules for strong openings. The new announcements include the following:

• Responder's transfers into a minor after a 1NT opening.
• Wide-ranging (but non-forcing) 1NT responses to an opening suit-bid.
• Two-over-one responses which force to game.
• Transfer responses to a prepared club.

There is an EBU guide, "Announcements Summary", on what to announce and alert.

There are also new rules on strong and non-strong opening bids, see the first link above or the Blue Book [PDF] for complete information.

Café Bridge in Bury St. Edmunds

Suffolk Bridge in association with Victor Lesk is holding an inaugural Café Bridge event in aid of the 'St Nicholas Hospice Care' charity on Thursday 19th September in Bury St Edmunds town centre. The event will run between 10:15 and 15:45 and will be held across eight venues.

This promises to be a fun day playing relaxed Bridge in a social setting in Cafés and Restaurants in the town centre, moving between them after each round, with a light lunch included in the entrance fee of £30. St Nicholas Hospice Care will receive 50% of your entrance fee.

Further details on the SCBA website.