St Ives Christmas Party

St Ives Bridge Club

Members Exclusive 

Christmas Lunch

Thursday 18th December 2025

at 12pm

Tregenna Castle

Please email Brenda or phone her on 07704850383 if you would like to come. (Members only!)

St Ives Bridge Club is contributing £8 toward the cost of each meal.

2 Courses: £28 £20

3 Courses: £35 £27

Download the Christmas Menu

 

Masters of Bridge
Masters of Bridge

70+% Club Percentages

1st Phil D. & Geoff P.  79%  
Nov 30th  2023

2nd Diana S. & Heather U. 76.74%
Oct 12th  2024

3rd Hugh F. & Carol F. 74.21%
August 21st 2025

4th Graham K. & Diane J. 72.84%  
April 12th  2025

5th David C. & Sue D.  71.1%  
May 25th 2023

6th= Colin L. & Phil D.  70.83%  
March 20th  2025

6th= Geoff P. & Phil D.  70.83%  
March 6th  2025

8th Frances B. & Jim B.  70.14%  
March 16th 2023

EBU Bridge Masters

Promotions in 2025

National Master
October 2025: Maureen Brinton

Regional Master
February 2025: Judith Williams

4 Star Premiere Master
February 2025: Heather Peers

Advanced Master
May 2025: Geoff Plowman

Master
March 2025: Graham Kidson

District Masters
February 2025: Lesley Pool
April 2025: Colin Lee
October 2025: Sarah Bell

Area Master
July 2025: David Batchelor
September 2025: Heather Rogers

Club Master
May 2025: Eugene Pitts

 

NGS Partnership Leaders

Phil Dickson & Geoff Plowman
 J  55.69%

Heather Peers & Owen Prior 
 J  55.18%

Owen Prior & Pat Meade 
 J  54.41%

NGS Individual Leaders

Phil Dickson  Q  58.17%

Heather Peers  Q  57.61%

Judith Williams  J  55.80%

To see your own scores please login to MyEBU on the EBU website 

 

Ray Bliss Cup 2025

Final Results

1st Place:  Phil Dickson & Geoff Plowman 59.33%

2nd Place: Owen Prior Carol Trezise 54.31%

3rd Place:  Betty Rawlings & Eugene Pitts 53.25%

 

See the table of results on the Ray Bliss Cup Page under Competitions on the main menu.

Contact us

You can contact

Jim Barker 

jimfrances@talktalk.net

Tel:  01736 794134

Website managed by Jim Denham-Vaughan

Recent Updates
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7th Dec 2025 14:27 GMT
Ray Bliss Cup Results
6th Dec 2025 18:21 GMT
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Welcome to St. Ives Bridge Club

Welcome to 

​​​​♣  ​​​​​​

St. Ives Bridge Club!

St Ives Bridge Club
St Ives Bridge Club

Come and Join Us!

 We play live duplicate bridge at St Johns Church Hall TR26 2JJ every Thursday starting at 6:30pm

If you wish to play please contact Jim Barker 

at jimfrances@talktalk.net or phone (01736 794134)

Cost

Members: £3 per session

Non Members: £4 per session

Membership: £5 per annum

 

If you need to find a partner for our Thursday Session

please contact Jim Barker

at jimfrances@talktalk.net or phone (01736 794134)

 

Tihana Brkljacic Really Likes Two Diamonds

 

SORRY, PARTNER is a hit podcast about bridge (the card game) and the worldwide community of bridge players.

 

 

Bonus Episode: Susanna Gross Remembered 

 

 

For more information go to the Sorry Partner Webpage.
For previous episodes go to the Sorry Partner Archive

     

New Bridge News

September 2025

The September edition of New Bridge News is out now with a profile of UK Bridge Clubs, including our own
St Ives Bridge Club.

For previous editions go to the
New Bridge News Archive 

www.bridgeforpleasure.co.uk

..... see less

Director's Call: Responder Doubles their Partner's Bid...

This happened at St Ives and proved quite complicated at the time

West illegally doubled the 1♠  bid made by East

The illegal double (intended as a negative double) provided information to East about West's hand 

 

*West's illegal (negative) double of their partner East's bid
North East South West
1  1♠  Pass X*
??      

As Director, what should you do...

.

EBU LAW 36 - INADMISSIBLE DOUBLES AND REDOUBLES. ..........

..... see more
To Bid or Not to Bid?

Let Sleeping Bids Lie?

Is it better for South to pass...
...or open in ♣ and be overcalled in ?

Taken from a hand played at St Ives Bridge Club.

How would you bid as South?

Possible Answers...

This hand has 5 possible calls, any one of which could have been correct!

  1. Pass: The Rule of Fifteen suggests adding HCP to the number of Spades. Less than 15 Pass (too easy for the opponents to overcall in Spades and outbid you)
  2. 1 Club: you have 13 HCP and a good suit, is any game possible??
  3. 3 Clubs: you have 7 Spades and partner will assume you have more than 10 HCP
  4. 4 Clubs: Probably keeps the opponents out! You may well make it, you have 8 tricks if they lead Hearts so only need a couple from partner
  5. 3NT: Gambling with a solid minor and lack of stops in the other suits. Partner bids 4 Clubs if they can’t stop the suits and if they are void in Clubs or Diamonds. Usually you will be able to work out partner’s suit

If you open 1 Club and the bidding goes as it did at our table:

West North East South
Pass Pass Pass 1♣ 
1  1♠  2  3 ?

 


 

This is an extension of the Gambling 3NT: "Partner I have a solid minor (Clubs!) and if you can stop Diamonds bid 3NT.  Otherwise bid 4 Clubs".

So two ways of getting to 4 Clubs which is the making contract and Pass would not be the top score.

West North East South
Pass Pass Pass ?
Carbis Bay Bridge Club

Carbis Bay Bridge Club

Carbis Bay Bridge Club meets weekly on a Monday afternoon from from 2pm – 5pm
We also hold one duplicate session a month (usually on the 4th Friday) at

The Memorial Hall, Trencrom Lane, Carbis Bay TR26 2TA.

We are a mixed ability group from complete beginners to seasoned hands with the more experienced players always ready to help those with less experience. We welcome complete beginners who want to learn the game but also improvers keen to advance their game. The club is very fortunate to have Jim Barker as our Bridge Tutor. Jim is a Professional member of the EBTA (English Bridge Teachers Association) and is also a Cornwall County Bridge Director and Secretary of St Ives Bridge Club.

 

To join us please contact Graham Kidson  (01736 762512or Jim Barker  (01736 794134)
or just turn up at the hall

Penwith Pairs

 

♠   ♣ 

Penwith Pairs Saturday Bridge

Carbis Bay and Penzance Improvers are jointly running Saturday afternoon duplicate sessions once a month on the second Saturday of each month.  These are open to all levels of duplicate players and include afternoon tea.

They are held at Leedstown Village Hall,

Leedstown, Hayle TR27 6DQ,

situated near the middle of Leedstown on the B3302.

Parking is available beside the hall.

The Hall is open from 1.30 pm  for a 2pm start. Table money is £5 per person including afternoon tea (cash only).  You need to register as a pair.   If you would like to play. then please email Jane Ritchie or phone her on 01736 711818

Penwith Pairs
Results
Ray Bliss Cup
Director: Jim Barker
Scorer: Jim Denham-Vaughan
Host: Jim Barker
Carbis Bay Duplicate
Director: Graham Kidson
Scorer: Graham Kidson
Host: Graham Kidson
St Ives Duplicate Pairs
Director: Jim Barker
Scorer: Jim Denham-Vaughan
Host: Jim Barker
Calendar
Thu 11th December 2025
St Ives Duplicate Pairs
St John's Church Hall 6.30pm
Director: Jim Barker
Host: Jim Barker
Sat 13th December 2025
Penwith Pairs
Leedstown Village Hall 2pm
Scorer: Graham Kidson
Host: Jane Ritchie
Thu 18th December 2025
Christmas Lunch & Bridge
Tregenna Castle 12pm
Director: Jim Barker
Host: Jim Barker
Fri 26th December 2025
Carbis Bay Duplicate
Memorial Hall 1.30pm
Director: Graham Kidson
Host: Graham Kidson
Thu 1st January 2026
Ray Bliss Cup
St John's Church Hall 6.30pm
Director: Jim Barker
Host: Jim Barker
Thu 8th January 2026
St Ives Duplicate Pairs
St John's Church Hall 6.30pm
Director: Jim Barker
Host: Jim Barker
This Weeks Duplicate Pairs
 

St Ives Duplicate Bridge

Thursday 11th December

6.30pm

Contact Jim Barker if you want to play
(preferably with a partner)
jimfrances@talktalk.n

Brenda & Lesley P

David C & Liz S

Diana S & Jenny

 Jim Barker & Steve

Frances & Sally

Geoff & Phil

 

 

 

 

 

 

Announce or Alert?

Bridge Etiquette: Announce or Alert?

When should you "alert" and when
"announce" a conventional bid?

The answer may surprise you!

 

Announce:

Stayman & Transfers: When you open 1NT and your partner responds 2 ♣  you ANNOUNCE “Stayman”

Also if your partner responds 2  or 2  you ANNOUNCE “Transfer to   or ♠ ”; or just the suit shown

 e.g. 1NT, Pass, 2  - opener announces “Spades”

 

Pre-emptive Weak Bids: If your partner opens a WEAK 2 or 3 bid you ANNOUNCE “Weak”

 

Alert:

Strong 2 Bids: If your partner opens a strong & conventional 2♣  or 2  bid you ALERT with the  ALERT  card

 

All other conventional bids: If your partner makes a conventional bid in the first round you must  ALERT 

 

After the first round you must  ALERT  any conventional bids by your partner up to 3NT

You DO NOT ALERT any conventional bids above 3NT after the first round.

 

At your turn to bid you may ask the conventional bidder’s partner for the meaning of the bid

If they can’t tell you... Call the Tournament Director!


Penwith Pairs at Leedstown
 

Penwith Pairs Duplicate

Next on Saturday 13th December 2025 at 1.45pm

 

Contact Jane Ritchie if you want to play (preferably with a partner).

 

Carbis Bay Duplicate Pairs
 

Carbis Bay Duplicate Pairs

Next on Friday 28th November 2025 1.15pm

 

Contact Graham Kidson if you want to play (preferably with a partner)