| FRIENDLY BRIDGE CLUB IN ILKLEY |
 Located in the centre of Ilkley, we are pleased to welcome members and visitors to our well established club. Each week, there will usually be eight sessions in the club at 12 Wells Promenade. These are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings with play starting at 7pm, Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10am and on Monday, Thursday and Friday afternoons at 1.45pm. There will be pivot teams on the second Friday evening and students social sessions on occasional Fridays at 7pm. We also run two on-line sessions each week on Monday (BBO) and Thursday (Real Bridge) at 7.15pm. Please see the calendar and competitions for more details of all of our events.
Our Monday morning, Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning sessions are guided and hosted. They are designed for less experienced players and do not earn Masterpoints.
We would politely request visitors to arrive 15 minutes before the session starts and all members to be seated in good time to assist the TD and scorer to set up the movement. Upon arrival please remember to switch all mobile devices to silent. Please bring a system card to all masterpoint sessions.
We will invoice players for all sessions played and this will normally be £2.75 members, £3.75 non members (except for Real Bridge from 9th April which will be members £1.25 and visitors £2.00). Members can log in to see their own personal account. Please settle your accounts promptly by BACS if at all possible (otherwise by cheque). As our bank now charges for cash deposits we can no longer accept payment by cash.
Note our session on Mondays at 10am is specifically designed for novice players. Guided, at a gentle pace, playing 14 - 16 boards with no masterpoints. Ideal for those completing their year two classes. Hosted, so you can come without a partner.
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| Yorkshire League Summer On Line Teams of Four |
 The YCBA is once again running a summer on line league and we are looking to enter several teams. Match dates are Sunday 7th and 21st June and 7th July from 2pm to 5.30pm with three 8 board matches each day. The closing date for entries is Sunday 26th April. To enter and for further information please contact Christina Powne.
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| Forthcoming Events |
There are a number of events coming up that we would recommend booking in for. These are
Tuesday teams on 28th April
McKenzie Trophy Swiss Pairs 3 on 30th April
IMPS Pairs on 14th May where the top 4 pairs (all members) will be invited to form two teams to represent Olicana in the YCBA Waddington Cup final at York Bridge Club on Sunday 26th July. The club will pay entry fees and mileage but please note no pair substitutions will be permitted.
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| Yorkshire Mixed Pairs / Nelson Rose Bowl |
There are two YCBA competitions in early May.
On Thursday 7th May it is the Ladies Teams of Four for the Nelson Rose Bowl at Wetherby Bridge Club with an 11am start. This was oversubscribed last year so early booking is recommended. Cost £108 per team of four includes buffet meal and complementary glass of wine. Entries to events@ycba.co.uk See Nelson Rose Bowl 2026
The Yorkshire Mixed Pairs will take place on Sunday 10th May at Wakefield Bridge Club with a 1pm start. Cost £54 per pair which includes a buffet meal. Entries to events@ycba.co.uk See Yorkshire Mixed Pairs 2026
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| Yorkshire Festival of Bridge |
The Yorkshire Festival of Bridge takes place at the Cairn Hotel in Harrogate on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June. On Saturday the Multiple Pairs run from 12pm to 7pm with a qualifying session followed (after a break) by two finals. On Sunday the Multiple teams of four run from 11am to 6pm with a qualifying session followed (after a break) by two finals. All these sessions will be 24 boards and are green pointed.
Also on the Sunday there is a Relaxed Pairs event (no higher than NGS Jack) from 1.30pm to 5.30pm including a short break.
For full details including how to enter see Festival of Bridge 2026
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| Guided Bridge |
We run three sessions of Guided Bridge each week for less experienced players in the club on Monday morning (10am start), Monday afternoon (1.45pm start) and Wednesday morning (9.55am start). So do come along and enjoy a friendly, relaxed session lasting about two hours. There is a host available for our guided bridge sessions so you don't need a partner. Note no masterpoints at these sessions.
Our next Stepping Stones in the Club will be on Friday 15th May at 7pm. Specifically for those making the transition to playing bridge in a Club setting but open to anyone wanting a gentle, social and supportive bridge evening, No partner required and a bar is available. No masterpoints.
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| Learning to play Bridge |
 Here at Olicana we are keen to encourage as many as possible to be able to enjoy the marvellous game of bridge. Our current courses on Monday evening, Tuesday morning and Friday morning are well underway with around 60 people learning to play bridge.
We will be running NEW courses starting in Autumn 2026 so please click here to register your interest.
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| System cards |
Please note that for all sessions awarding masterpoints at least one player from each pair should have a system card. If you don't currently have one please see System Cards This will assist our TDs in resolving any queries. Many thanks.
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| Playing on line in Club events |
Most weeks we have two on line Duplicate Pairs earning master points. Typically, we run a 20 board Duplicate Pairs on BBO on Monday evening starting at 7.15pm and Thursday evening Duplicate Pairs on Real Bridge at 7.15pm. Detailed instructions on how to play in each event can be downloaded from the links below.
How to play in BBO club room
How to play on Real Bridge
Note direct links to the Real Bridge sessions will be posted on the calendar entry at least 24 hours before the event to simplify login.
The Real Bridge Support Team has provided notes on resolving problems using Real Bridge. Click HERE for more information.
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