New: Merseyside & Cheshire Bridge Association On-line Bridge
No, we’re not trying to compete with Face to Face bridge - that’s what most of us enjoy, and it‘s our priority. But there is a place for a little bit of on-line bridge too.
On-line? Many people tried on-line bridge during the Covid lockdown, but sometimes the experience wasn’t great. In those days, it was often on BBO with no video, or sound, tediously typing out explanations of alerted bids, paying in fake dollars, playing Standard American against strangers. But things have vastly improved since then, with platforms like RealBridge — built for proper club play. You see and hear all four players around the table. You bid and play exactly as you would face-to-face, using Acol (or any system), with your own conventions. It’s bridge as near as you can get to F2F — just without the travelling.
The County It’s a popular misconception that the County (Merseyside & Cheshire Bridge Association) is only interested in affiliated clubs and elite competitions. Your County is keen to build links with all the clubs in our area, and offer some on-line bridge to all members of our Clubs, whether EBU affiliated or not. We want to offer both informal and more serious competitive bridge, so there is something for everyone.
WHY? After all, there’s already plenty of on-line bridge out there.
- Enjoy a real club atmosphere, getting to know regular opposition- not playing with robots or strangers.
- Opportunity to widen your circle of bridge friends.
- Extra chance to practice and hone your skills, whether casual play or more competitive.
- A provision for those who, for whatever reason, can’t get to a bridge club.
- Run larger, more viable sessions, than some of the smaller fragmented sessions that operate today.
- Build relationships between clubs and with the County, so we can share ideas and help each other better.
How will it work?
To start with we will run two sessions per week, hosted by Warrington Bridge Club, and run on RealBridge. Open to all members of any bridge club in Merseyside & Cheshire County, without any additional subscription. You only need to pay for the sessions you play, every 3 months in arrears.
Your first three sessions are free of charge, so you can try it out and see if you like it, with no commitment.
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Tuesday evenings 7pm
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Friday evenings 715pm
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Informal bridge
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EBU affiliated session, with master points and NGS gradings
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Approx 21 boards, aim to finish by about 915pm
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Usually 24+ boards
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Cost per player per session £1
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Cost per player per session £3
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Results posted on Warrington BC website
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Results posted on Warrington BC website
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Do I need a partner?
Though we can sometimes fix you up at the time, it’s better to arrange to have a partner. We run a find-a-partner WhatsApp group, which you are welcome to join. Text Jim Steele on 07478 312456.
What equipment do I need?
You need a broadband connection and a device with a browser: eg PC, laptop, or iPad. That’s it- no downloading of software required.
How do I join a session?
Go to the Warrington Bridge Club website homepage, at least 10 minutes before the session is due to start, locate the panel headed On-Line Bridge, and click on the link. Enter your name, and your EBU number if you have one. If you haven’t, just leave the field blank.
I like the idea, but those times are not suitable for me.
Please email or text Jim Steele, secretary, Warrington Bridge Club, on jimsteele_uk@yahoo.com 📞 07478 312456
and say what time of the week you prefer. We will assess demand and try to offer what most people want.
I want to know more before I turn up to play
Message or email Jim Steele— he’ll personally walk you through the setup before your first session, and give you any help you need.
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