| Welcome to Maidstone Bridge Club |
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With 150 members, MBC is EBU affiliated and has been providing top class bridge and lessons for new members for over 60 years
The Club meets on Monday afternoons and Wednesday evenings for face-to-face bridge at the Maidstone Sports & Social Club in Recreation Close Maidstone with computer scoring and pre-dealt hands
Table money is £3 for members (£3.50 visitors who are very welcome) and free tea, coffee and biscuits are available
Please note that card payments are the preferred payment method on both days
Car parking is available at the rear of the Club but be aware Monday afternoon can be congested so please follow any instructions given.
Parking on the grass is not permitted. There is no shortage of parking space on Wednesday evenings
Play starts at 1300 on Mondays and 1900 on Wednesdays; we normally play 24 or 27 boards with play finishing around 1615 or 2215
Please note we do not operate a host system but if you contact Linda for Mondays or Richard for Wednesdays they will try to pair you up
Linda Catt on 07748967416 Mondays or Richard Sissons on 07780681405 Wednesdays
For general bridge enquiries please email Pauline Davis pjdvs28@gmail.com or see our Facebook page
Scores are normally posted on this site about half an hour after play finishes
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| Last updated : 9th Jul 2026 07:50 BST |
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| 70 Members Celebrate the 70th Anniversary |
On Monday 28th September, 70 members filled the Maidstone Sports & Social Club to celebrate MBC's 70th anniversary with a fun afternoon of bridge by competing for the Handicap Pairs Plate. Congratulations to Salvatore and Tudor the winners of the handicapped section and Bill & Brenda for coming top in the unadjusted duplicate pairs. The adjusted handicap results can be accessed from the Main Menu under the Maidstone Competitions tab. Many thanks to Cynthia and Amanda for the sumptuous afternoon tea comprising sweet and savoury treats, Robin and Richard for directing and running the session along with Jenny and Linda for helping to get things set up. Richard, as MBC's longest-serving member, is seen below cutting the birthday cake. This was also the occasion for the introduction of the new Bridgemate III's which will, as the latest technology, take the club into its 8th decade.
 
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| Last updated : 29th Sep 2026 15:02 BST |
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| Club Competitions 2026 Diary Dates |
Wednesday 14th October: Championship Pairs
Wednesday 25th November: Mixed Pairs (separate trophy for highest placed married couple)
Monday 7th December: Brooke Trophy Individual
Wednesday 30th December: Christmas Party
A Reminder: Ladder Pairs are held on the first Monday/Wednesday each month with a year end result
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| Last updated : 29th Sep 2026 14:58 BST |
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| Hand Of The Week |
Show Detail |
Monday 21st September: Board 17
Board 17 from last Monday illustrated the importance of both arithmetic and psychology in Bridge, whilst proving telepathy does not work!
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| Show Answer |
After 3 passes, West bid 1S, East bid 2S, and with my powerful 18 point 4 Losing Trick Count hand West bid 4S, as did 2 other pairs, whilst 4 other pairs subsided in 2S or 3S. The spotlight now fell on North to find an opening lead.
South held ambitions to defeat this contract – it just needed North to lead a heart which South could ruff, get north back in to lead a second heart possibly with a diamond, and the Ace of Clubs might be the setting trick. But no, North lead AD on 3 occasions and the 2D on 3 occasions and the contract produced 11 tricks on most of these occasions.
How should N find the best lead? Quite often when playing a major suit game, the declaring side does not have the other major. So a H should be amongst your favourites. If north found a club lead (preferably the 3 – 4th highest) South can “see” that declarer has only one club so quickly wins the Ace, and switches to a diamond in the hope that North will now find the elusive heart lead. Declarer may even guess wrongly and play K enabling the defence to take 2D, Ace C, and a heart ruff to defeat the contract.
Psychology works for both sides. I was lucky enough to receive 2D lead, and beat South’s Q with my K. I next played AS and then a Spade to the King, and was relieved to find they broke 2-2. I now played a small Club. South was unsure what to do and played small and I won with the Q. I now played 3 more spades, and North saw no need to keep the 345 of hearts, so when I then played AKQ of hearts the J fell and my 9 was good for my 12th trick!
I had taken advantage of playing a club towards the closed hand early in the play (trick 4), to encourage South (erroneously) to play small. South should have asked himself “why is he playing away from the King of Clubs rather than up to it?” The correct play would have then become apparent.
All in all, West should be held to 9 tricks on best defence – how did you do?
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| Last updated : 23rd Sep 2026 13:23 BST |
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