 GRAND MASTER UPDATE |
ACBL Ireland Bridge Tour
September 1st - 4th 2025
and
The Grand Master Bridge Congress
September 5th - 7th 2025
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Good news to all you who were still unsure whether you could get a partner or a second pair for a team. The ACBL in Ireland from
Monday the 1st - 4th of September of 2025
has the facility to register entries, as per their usual system, up to 15 minutes before the event.
We would also like to apologise to everyone who entered our own Grand Master Congress on from this Friday the 5th - 7th of September.
We have not been able to use the CBAI entry system so we are getting around to acknowledging your entries. We'll get there!
ACBL Dublin Ireland Sectional
Lansdowne Football Club, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4, Ireland
Sponsored by:
Failte Ireland, The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), and the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland (CBAI).
All Events Award Silver Points and Commemorative Prizes
Coffee, tea, and snacks provided during each session.
€17.50 per player per session.
Monday, 1st September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - a Knockout Team Competition and great fun
10:15am - Open Pairs – Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
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3pm - Soloway Teams - a Knockout Team Competition and great fun
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
7:30pm - Meet and Great, Expert Panel Discussion.
Tuesday 2nd September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - KO Semi Final
10:15am - 2-Session Swiss Teams – Open to all
10:15am - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
3pm - Soloway Teams - KO Final
3pm - 2-session Swiss - Open to all
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
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7:30pm - Irish Music Get-Together
Wednesday, 3rd September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - another Knockout Team Competition
10:15am - Open Pairs – Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
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3pm - Soloway Teams – again, another Knockout Teams Competition if you
haven’t qualified through the first one
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
Thursday, 4th September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - KO Semi Final
10:15am - 2-Session Swiss Teams – Open to all
10:15am - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
3pm - Soloway Teams - KO Final
3pm - 2-session Swiss Teams - Open to all
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
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7:30pm - Gala Dinner, Awards and Prize Giving (€35 entry)
All entries for this event to:
Register for ACBL Competition
Followed by
Grand Master Bridge Congress
5th - 7th September 2025
The congress starts in the same venue as the ACBL Ireland Tour in Lansdowne Football Club, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4, for the Friday evening only.
Friday the 5th of September Lansdowne RFC
from 7.30pm
Mixed Pairs
Novice Pairs
We then switch on the Saturday and Sunday to
The Bridge Centre
Templogue Road,
Templeogue
Dublin 6W
Saturday the 6th of September The Bridge Centre, Templeogue - 1pm start
Intermediate B Pairs
Intermediate A Pairs
Area Master Pairs
Congess (Open) Pairs
Sunday the 7th of September The Bridge Centre, Templeogue - 11am start
Intermediate Teams
Congress Teams
All entries through the following link:
Register for Grand Master Bridge Congress
This will be an historic week for Bridge in Ireland and I hope you will all take part and enjoy all or some of it.
On behalf of Thomas, Jade, Donna and myself we look forward to seeing you there
Until then, be good, be safe and be nice to your partner!
Rory & Thomas
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| Last updated : 1st Sep 2025 11:08 BST |
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| C.B.A.I. Update - Start of 2025-2026 |
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Dear Member,
I hope you have enjoyed our lovely summer, but that your mind is now turning back to bridge. The new season kicks into action in great style, with a variety of exciting events planned, both locally and internationally, in the next few weeks.
First up, we have the inaugural Trim Bridge Bash which will take place in the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co Meath on Sunday 24 August, with a two-session pairs competition (11.00–14.30 and 15.30–18.00) and single-session open pairs at 11.00 and 15.30.
Then in the week of 1-4 September, Ireland has the privilege of hosting the first-ever ACBL Sectional Event to be held outside North America, in Lansdowne Football Club, Dublin 4. All CBAI members are welcome to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to play and mix with American bridge players of all levels. The competitions will be run by the ACBL under their rules, which means commemorative awards rather than cash prizes, and play during the daytime only, although ancillary events have been organised for the evenings.
The ACBL Sectional will be closely followed by the Grand Master Bridge Congress, organised by Grand Master Bridge to give our American visitors a taste of bridge Irish-style, so with cash prizes this time! The Congress will run from 5-7 September, with Mixed Pairs and Novice Pairs competitions in Lansdowne Football Club on Friday night at 19.30, two-session Pairs competitions for all grades in the Templeogue Bridge Centre on Saturday at 13.00, and two-session Teams competitions for all grades at the same venue on Sunday at 11.00.
Then we have our President, John Phelan’s, Duais an Uachtarain (President’s Prize) to be held over three sessions in the Tower Hotel, Waterford on 13-14 September, with entry open to all Masters and Intermediate As. This competition, along with all the other CBAI national events up to Christmas, is now open for entry on our website.
Moving away from Ireland, the Scottish Bridge Union will host its first ever online international bridge tournament, the Brittania Pairs Championship which is open to all comers, online on RealBridge on Saturday 6 September, starting at 11.00, with a generous prize pool offered.
Finally, continuing the online theme, the World Bridge Federation has announced an exciting new initiative, the e-Bridge Cup, created in collaboration with the BBO and Funbridge platforms. For the first time, players of all levels will have the chance to compete globally in an online format, playing individually with and against robots, over several phases, culminating in a grand final. The first qualification phase will run from 1-28 September, and the finals from 17-30 November. In each phase, contestants will be offered a large number of tournaments to play at their leisure on both BBO and/or Funbridge, with each participant's best 10 scores determining the qualifiers, and the best average score in the finals the overall winners. A prize pool of $15,000 dollars is offered, and both the WBF and national federations will award masterpoints for the leading players who qualify for the later stages.
You'll find full details on each of these events, including how to enter (pre-entry is required in all cases) here.
Finally, we hope to see you at some of our national competitions and congresses during the season. There are competitions for every grade, and you'll be made very welcome. The full schedule of events for the entire year is on our website, to enable you to start making your plans for the season.
As always, if you need any further information on anything raised here, or have any ideas or suggestions for the CBAI, please don't hesitate to contact us.
With best wishes for an enjoyable, competitive, and sociable bridge season 2025/26,
Dermot O’Brien
Chief Executive, CBAI
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| Last updated : 21st Aug 2025 11:36 BST |
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 Grand Master Bridge |
ACBL Ireland Bridge Tour
September 1st - 4th 2025
and
The Grand Master Bridge Congress
September 5th - 7th 2025
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Time to put your entry in for ACBL Tournament
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The ACBL is coming to Ireland from
the 1st - 4th of September of 2025
This will be followed by our own Grand Master Congress from the 5th - 7th of September
ACBL Dublin Ireland Sectional
Lansdowne Football Club, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4, Ireland
Sponsored by:
Failte Ireland, The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), and the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland (CBAI).
All Events Award Silver Points and Commemorative Prizes
Coffee, tea, and snacks provided during each session.
€17.50 per player per session.
Monday, 1st September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - a Knockout Team Competition and great fun
10:15am - Open Pairs – Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
3pm - Soloway Teams - a Knockout Team Competition and great fun
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
7:30pm - Meet and Great, Expert Panel Discussion.
Tuesday 2nd September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - KO Semi Final
10:15am - 2-Session Swiss Teams – Open to all
10:15am - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
3pm - Soloway Teams - KO Final
3pm - 2-session Swiss - Open to all
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
7:30pm - Irish Music Get-Together
Wednesday, 3rd September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - another Knockout Team Competition
10:15am - Open Pairs – Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
3pm - Soloway Teams – again, another Knockout Teams Competition if you
haven’t qualified through the first one
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
Thursday, 4th September 2025
10:15am - Soloway Teams - KO Semi Final
10:15am - 2-Session Swiss Teams – Open to all
10:15am - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
3pm - Soloway Teams - KO Final
3pm - 2-session Swiss Teams - Open to all
3pm - Open Pairs - Separate awards for Intermediate A & B, Area Master and Open
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
7:30pm - Gala Dinner, Awards and Prize Giving (€35 entry)
All entries for this event to:
Register for ACBL Competition
Followed by
Grand Master Bridge Congress
5th - 7th September 2025
The congress starts in the same venue as the ACBL Ireland Tour in Lansdowne Football Club, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4, for the Friday evening only.
Friday the 5th of September Lansdowne RFC
from 7.30pm
Mixed Pairs
Novice Pairs
We then switch on the Saturday and Sunday to
The Bridge Centre
Templogue Road,
Templeogue
Dublin 6W
Saturday the 6th of September The Bridge Centre, Templeogue - 1pm start
Intermediate B Pairs
Intermediate A Pairs
Area Master Pairs
Congess (Open) Pairs
Sunday the 7th of September The Bridge Centre, Templeogue - 11am start
Intermediate Teams
Congress Teams
All entries through the following link:
Register for Grand Master Bridge Congress
This will be an historic week for Bridge in Ireland and I hope you will all take part and enjoy all or some of it.
On behalf of Thomas, Jade, Donna and myself we look forward to seeing you there
Until then, be good, be safe and be nice to your partner!
Rory & Thomas
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| Last updated : 1st Sep 2025 11:09 BST |
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| C.B.A.I. Update - End of 2024 -2025 |
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Dear Member,
As we wind down towards the end of the 2024/25 bridge season, I'd like to thank you for all your support during the year. The CBAI's major events have all been very well-attended, and the majority of our congresses are also reporting increased numbers, which is great to see.
The remaining CBAI events this year are the Lambert and Cooper Cups (confined championships for Area Master/Intermediate A Pairs and Teams respectively), and the JJ Murphy Trophy (Novice Pairs Championship), all of which are on in the Loughrea Hotel & Spa over the weekend of 26/27 April. Entries are open on the CBAI website. The Novice event will be over a single session on Saturday 26 April, starting at 1 p.m.; the TDs will be especially welcoming to the novices, some of whom will be playing their first competition outside their own club.
We also have the IBU Pairs in Templeogue on Saturday 10 May at 1 p.m., with separate sections for Masters and Intermediates (two sessions, entries also open online), and the very popular 4Fun Teams competition in Westmanstown on Saturday 24 May (please note the change from the originally advertised date) at 12 noon. If you'd like to enter that, please contact your Regional Secretary with a view to putting together a team. Each team must consist of a Novice and a Master in partnership and an Intermediate A and B in partnership.
Turning to congresses, the IBU Seniors Congress is in Cavan on 22/24 April (our only midweek congress of the season). We also are delighted to have two congresses returning live for the first time since the pandemic, the Yeats Country (Sligo) Congress on 6/8 June, and the Killarney Congress the following weekend, 13/15 June. In addition, one of Ireland's oldest bridge clubs, the Regent Bridge Club in Dublin, celebrates its hundred birthday this year (making it a few years older than the CBAI), and is marking the occasion with a special centenary congress in the O'Reilly Hall in UCD on 11/13 July. All are welcome to all these congresses; please support them if you can.
You are also cordially invited to the CBAI's Annual General Meeting, to be held in the Greenway Manor Hotel in Waterford at 2 p.m., followed by the traditional game of bridge for those interested.
Finally, proving that there is no rest for us here in the CBAI, we have also been putting the finishing touches to the calendar for next season, 2025/26, which has been uploaded to our website recently, to allow you to plan your diary. The only major events not listed yet are the various international trials; we hope to be able to add those dates shortly.
Thanks again for your support in 2024/25, and I hope to see many of you at the CBAI AGM on 5 July in Waterford to inaugurate our new National President, John Phelan.
With best wishes,
Dermot O’Brien
Chief Executive, CBAI
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| Last updated : 21st Aug 2025 11:37 BST |
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| Laws of Bridge - 2017 |
Click to access Amended Laws of Bridge, to come into effect in September 2017
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| Last updated : 21st Aug 2025 11:44 BST |
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