​​​​​​During the time when we can't play Bridge face to face, you might like to take the plunge and play on-line, where there are opportunities to play solo, with your regular partner and other friends. The EBU recommends Bridge Base Online (BBO), using the site for their tournaments and Bridge Club Live (BCL). 

Bridge Base Online is Kelsall's preferred site and we can potentially set up Kelsall only tournaments, subject to approval, in the future 

Please note our knowledge and practice of On-line Bridge is still growing. If you have any queries or suggestions, need some help to get started or want to know how to link up with partners please contact Nick Mayfield (namayfield@btinternet.com) or Anne Chisholm (annechis@yahoo.co.uk) 

BRIDGE BASE ONLINE (BBO)

www.bridgebase.com

• Used by the EBU and other local Bridge Clubs- see below re potential for Kelsall tournaments
• American site- there are adverts, which is what makes it free
• Quite a few Kelsall players are already playing on here, booking tables of 4 to play together
• Become a member for free by completing the registration (ignore ABCL number)
• Be aware that most players on BBO play Standard American (5 card majors and Strong 15-17 1 NT opening bids) though there is an ACOL group which you should request to join and that's where Kelsall players play. See www.acolatbbo.org.uk
• If playing live you can talk to your partner and the table via a comments box

Once you have a user name, you can contact friends and ask someone to host a table. Or you can ask Nick or Anne to set you up and accompany you through your first game, with other experienced volunteers ready and willing to help.See further information in other articles below on starting a table and hints and tips for playing BBO.

You can also just watch

• This is called “kibitzing” (a spectator watching a player’s hand)
• Under “Help me Find a Game- Watch”, choose “Take me to an Interesting Table”. Or from the main menu, go to Casual, All Public and Private Clubs, Acol Players' Bridge Club and Join Kibitzing there

Potential Kelsall Tournaments on BBO

Please advise Nick Mayfield (namayfield@btinternet.com) your BBO username when you have registered. We have applied to become a tournament host on BBO and set up our own timed private tournaments, for free, so we can all play together as though we were in the club, although this isnt yet live.

Other BBO options

• Casual play is free, but there are lots of options to play in paid for tournaments. This includes EBU tournaments which cost $1

BRIDGE CLUB LIVE (BCL)

www.bridgeclublive.com

UK site playing mostly ACOL. We already have members playing on this site.

Free Play on BCL- (please note BCL have had an issue with volumes in the free play Guest Room which has caused a crash of this area, so this option is not currently available as at 26th March)

• Register for free and you can go in the lobby and the Guest MPS rooms
• In the Guest MPS room, you can watch a table by clicking on the eye next to a table number or you can join a table by clicking on any untaken position to play
• You can meet friends, then all jump on a table together by choosing “Start a Table”- the first table at the top left- works for a partner, three or four players
• You can talk to your table and your partner via a comments box

Full Membership on BCL (Please note that due to overwhelming volume, there is a wait list for membership, as at 29th March)

• They have a full membership offer for £1 for 30 days, until 31^st March. After this period full membership will revert to £72 pa (or £36 pa for Social Membership)
• This will allow you to play in all of the BCL rooms, including the Guest MPS room, timed tournaments, Daily MPS, a Social room and a Daily DIDO tournament (Drop in Drop out) 
• As with the Guest free play room, you can watch tables, meet friends and talk in the comments box to your table, but you can also invite a partner to be sure of playing together
• We have joined BCL as a club, so in the member area of the main menu go to Clubs, then select Kelsall & District Bridge Club UK and join. Your name will then be shown with others from the club. You can only link to one club. This will mean that if you play a minimum number of 16 boards in the Daily DIDO you will be sent an email the next day with a link to a Kelsall page where you can see your rank both against other Kelsall players who have played and also against all players 
• Once you have linked to the club, when you are inside the club you can press 'Local Club' on the green menu at the top and see where other Kelsall linked players are

​​​​​​During the time when we can't play Bridge face to face, you might like to take the plunge and play on-line, where there are opportunities to play solo, with your regular partner and other friends. ..........

It's very straightforward to play BBO once you get used to it. Here's some useful things to know. This information applies to laptops- all items are there on a tablet too but in different places.

• If someone else is hosting the table, you need only login and then wait until you are invited on to the table- just accept the invitation
• You can chat with your table- just make sure the little blue box is on "Table" otherwise you might find yourself talking to the whole club, which can be annoying for people If the little blue box is not on "Table" click on it to change
• To Alert, you alert yourself as you bid when your bidding box comes up when it's your turn. Press the alert button and type in a short reason. Your opponents will see this, but your partner will not
• You will always appear as seated at the bottom of the screen. This can get confusing as you will still be there if you are E,W or N. Be careful when bidding to make sure you are recognising what your partner is bidding, and not someone else's bid 
• You can "Claim" remaining tricks. Click on the blue Claim button bottom left and state how many tricks you want to claim. The request will go to the table and show what you have left. Both opponents need to accept for the claim to succeed. If there is no response or your opponents refuse, you can cancel the claim and just play the tricks
• If you click on the "History" tab, you can see the scoring card and also can find out what other tables did on your boards
• At any time you are logged in you can search for your friends by their user name and then, when their profile comes up, you can follow them. You will then be notified on a pop up and on the Friends tab when they are in the club- useful if you are hosting
• If you play a card by mistake and want to ask to take it back before the next card is played, you can click on the blue box with 3 lines and select "Undo". This will automatically make a request for permission to undo the card played to the table and your opponents can approve it. The system will not allow you to play a card out of suit if you have one left in your hand.
• If you are thrown out by your internet connection, your host will be trying to find you and invite you back once you have logged back in. Don't panic- as long as your host has switched on permissions, your space won't be lost. However, you can help by going to Casual>All Public and Private Clubs>Acol Players' Bridge Club> then look for your table and your seat. If it has a padlock symbol on it, that's fine- click on  the space and you will ask your host permission to rejoin, which they will accept, and you'll soon be back on your spot. In the meantime your host will be repelling all boarders! Hosts be careful to put the permissions switch on when starting the table, or people will just jump in the vacated seat and start playing, even if it is halfway through a hand. (The voice of experience!)
• If your host is thrown out by their internet connection then the host duties are transferred to the next person, even after your host makes it back to the table. You will know if it's you because of the little crown

It's very straightforward to play BBO once you get used to it. Here's some useful things to know. ..........

The table host will need to know the username of each person who is going to be playing. It is important to get this exact. For example, if the username is JimW (space)123 and you reserve a seat for JimW123 he will not be able to join you. 

When you know the usernames of all concerned and have arranged a time to play the person who is going to set up the table should:

1. Login a few minutes early

2. Click on CASUAL

3. Click on ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CLUBS

4. Click on THE ACOL BRIDGE CLUB (PUBLIC)

5. Click on Start Table (bottom left)

6. Type your friends’ usernames in the Reserve seats spaces (This stops anybody else from taking these seats.)

7. Switch on the box for Permission required to play (This stops anybody else from taking any seats that become empty without your permission.)

8. Choose whether you want to play for Duplicate IMPs (which is the default in BBO) or Duplicate MPs (which is the normal %age we’re used to) by clicking the little triangle next to IMPs

9. Click on Start Table and wait the for others to join you- you will be the host, hence the little crown next to your name

The table host will need to know the username of each person who is going to be playing. ..........