Wimbledon Bridge Club
Release 2.19r
BULLETIN

January 2025 courses are open for booking now!  New beginners, refresher, improver and intermediate all available.  Scroll down for booking links.

The Intermediate 1 course which was fully booked in the autumn term will now be repeated on Friday mornings starting on 17th January.

The "5 card majors and strong no trump" 6 week course will be repeated on Thursday mornings starting on 9th January.

Open Morning Saturday 11th January 10am to 1pm.  Drop in and meet the team and find out about the best card game.  No booking required.

WIMBLEDON BRIDGE CLUB
WIMBLEDON BRIDGE CLUB

Welcome to Wimbledon Bridge Club, one of the best bridge clubs in the UK, catering for players of all abilities. Visiting players are most welcome, please do join us for a session.  There is generally a host to make up numbers, so visitors don't need a partner to come along, but please check on the calendar.   Click here to see the regular playing schedule for our session times and descriptions, including sessions for beginners and novices, so you can select a session appropriate to your level.  The club no longer accepts cash so visitors should bring a debit card for payments.  We use Bridgemates and computer scoring so the results are available immediately after the session finishes.  We are affiliated to the English Bridge Union and Master Points are awarded for all duplicate sessions.  Special events are held throughout the year.

We offer a complete learning programme for all levels from complete beginners to intermediate players.  Our team of experienced teachers will guide you through the fundamentals of this endlessly fascinating game.  Please click here if you would like to register interest in learning, Or scroll down for current courses available.

SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR

The Calendar of Special Events for September 2024 to August 2025 is available.  Click here to view online.  Printed copies can be collected from the club.  Please make a note of club competitions and other special events in your diary.

CONTACT US

For general enquiries:
Email manager@wimbledonbridgeclub.co.uk
Phone the club on 020 8947 0147 during opening hours (see calendar below)
For urgent matters only outside opening hours:
Phone Janet on 07890 024 172

For Learning Bridge enquiries:
Email teaching@wimbledonbridgeclub.co.uk
Phone the club on 020 8947 0147 during opening hours

Or phone Hilary on 07816 982 030

Weekly updates are sent by email to all members. If you don’t receive these updates, please check we have your correct email address on the membership database

Results
Tuesday am F2F Duplicate - 18 boards
Dir: Calum Stewart
Host: Calum Stewart
Monday pm Online Duplicate
Dir: Stefan
Members' Christmas Party
Dir: Shirley
Host: No host
Friday am F2F Duplicate - 18 boards
Dir: Harriet Chappell
Host: Wendy Young
Friday pm F2F Duplicate
Dir: Vaughan Bishop
Host: Nathan Nathan
Friday pm Online Duplicate
Dir: Stefan
Thursday am F2F Supervised Duplicate
Dir: David Korman
Host: Dave/Ann
Dorin Salver Sims
Dir: Ian Tree
Host: Wanted NGS 6+
Mini Duplicate
Dir: Calum Stewart
Wednesday am F2F Duplicate - Ploughmans
Dir: Shirley
Host: Shamim Braganza
Calendar
Tue 10th Dec 2024
Tuesday eve F2F Duplicate
19:30
Dir: Alan
Host: Wanted NGS 6+
Wed 11th Dec 2024
Wednesday am F2F Duplicate - Ploughmans
11:00
Dir: Shirley
Host: Wanted NGS 6+
Thu 12th Dec 2024
Thursday am F2F Supervised Duplicate
10:30
Dir: Ann/Dave
Host: Dave/Ann
Thu 12th Dec 2024
Thursday pm F2F Duplicate
13:30
Dir: Vaughan
Host: Kitty Schreiber
Thu 12th Dec 2024
Fun Bridge Christmas Party
18:00
Dir: Calum
Fri 13th Dec 2024
Friday am F2F Duplicate - 18 boards
10:30
Dir: Harriet
Host: Martin Lee
  (Partner?)
Fri 13th Dec 2024
Friday pm Online Duplicate
14:00
Dir: Stefan
Fri 13th Dec 2024
Friday pm F2F Duplicate
14:00
Dir: Ian
Host: Tanya Heasman
Sat 14th Dec 2024
Saturday pm F2F Duplicate
14:00
Dir: Alan
Host: Wanted NGS 6+
Sat 14th Dec 2024
Gentle Play
14:00
Dir: tbc
Visitors and Members welcome at all sessions - Please call 020 8947 0147 for any queries
FunBridge Christmas Party Thursday 12th December 6pm
FunBridge Christmas Party Thursday 12th December 6pm

Join us for a sociable FunBridge Christmas Party on Thursday 12th December.  Doors open 6:00pm for a welcome drink and festive buffet.  A quiz will be on your tables ready for you to have a go - prizes for the winning table.  Course completion certificates will be presented to all students graduating from the Beginning Bridge or Improve your Bridge one year courses.  We will aim to start play at about 7:15pm.  No movement.  There are lots of chances to win prizes for the bridge - complete a bridge bingo target and you win a prize.  Keep a record of your plus scores and the top scoring pair at the end of the evening win a bottle of prosecco each.  Christmas jumpers encouraged!  Everyone is welcome, from new beginners to regular players.
Fully booked.  Email manager to be on the waiting list

Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas

To all our members, guests and visitors, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and all good wishes for 2025.

from the Wimbledon Bridge Club Committee.

Members' Christmas Party 2024

Thank you all for coming to the 2024 Members' Christmas Party.  It was a great success!  Here are a few pictures of the event:

 
Ready for everyone to arrive.  Trying to do the quiz by torchlight!  The entertainment begins!  Miranda, Billie and company
 
 Enjoying the carols
 The buffet and desserts

WINTER 2025 COURSES BOOKING NOW!!
WINTER 2025 COURSES BOOKING NOW!!
We offer a complete learning programme for all levels from complete beginners to intermediate players

Don't see the course you want? CLICK HERE TO REGISTER INTEREST IN LEARNING.
For more information on our learning programme, take a look at the Learning at WBC section of the website.  If you need advice, please email teaching@wimbledonbridgeclub.co.uk 

Course Schedule January to March 2025
Classes start from 9th January, Half term w/c 17 February.  Last lessons w/c 24 March.

Open Morning

 

FREE, drop in session - come and meet the teachers and find out about what makes bridge the most brilliant card game ever.  Taster games available,  no need to book.

Tea/coffee and cake available.

"Bridge helps you think. It's a game you can play your entire life and keep getting better and better."  Bill Gates

Saturday 11 January 10am to 1pm
Beginning Bridge Term 1 with Terry Suitable for complete beginners.  Rules, card play, scoring, tactics and basic bidding.

Mondays 19:00
starts 13th Jan

Click HERE to Book
Beginning Bridge Term 2  with Terry

Continue learning bidding sequences, declarer play and defence techniques

Priority booking for existing students who book by 10pm on 5th December

Mondays 10:30
starts 13th Jan
Click HERE to book
Beginning Bridge Term 2 with Hilary

Thursdays 19:00
starts 16th Jan

Click HERE to book
Refresh your Bridge with Lis Bingham Refresh your basic bidding and play.  Suitable for anyone who has completed the Beginners Course (1-3), returners, anyone who would like a revision of the basics.  See booking form for lesson schedule. Tuesdays 10:00
Starts 14th Jan
Click HERE to book
5 and Strong for Acol Players with Elisabeth Mathison 6-week course covering strong no trump, 5-card majors and associated conventions.  Suitable for Acol players wishing to move to "5 and strong" or seeking an understanding of the system to help in defence.  Not suitable for beginners. Thursdays 10:30
Starts 9th Jan
Click HERE TO BOOK
Improve your Bridge 1 with Hilary Set 1 of the Year 2 course - planning the play, hand evaluation techniques, transfers, fourth suit forcing, defensive cards plays, more about doubles.  Improver courses are modular and can be taken in any order.  Mondays 19:00
Starts 13th Jan
Click HERE to book

Intermediate 1 with Tim and Naomi

Advance your bridge with our brand-new course designed specifically for WBC players.  Learn conventions commonly played at the club plus develop your play and defence techniques. Fridays 10:30
Starts 17th Jan
Click HERE to Book

Intermediate 2
with Tim and Naomi
NEW COURSE

Advance your bridge with our brand-new course designed specifically for WBC players.  Learn conventions commonly played at the club plus develop your play and defence techniques

This course is now full.  Please enter your details on the booking form if you would like to be on the waiting list.

Mondays 13:30
starts 13th Jan

Click HERE to Book

Many games provide fun, but Bridge grips you. It exercises your mind. Your mind can rust, you know, but Bridge prevents the rust from forming.”  – Omar Sharif

SPECIAL EVENTS - COMING SOON

Save the Dates!

December 2024

Wed 18 11:00 Christmas Ploughman’s Just one place left. BOOK
Closed eve 24, all day 25 and 26 and eve 31 Dec

January 2025
Wed 1 11:00 New Year’s Ploughman’s BOOK
Sun 5 12:00 Surrey Teams of 8 at Richmond
Mon 6, 13, 20 19:30 Marietta Andree Pairs League
Sat 11 10:00-13:00 Open Morning
Tue 7 19:00 Cheese and Wine Tuesday
Thu 9 10:30 "Five and Strong for Acol players" course starts
Sat 11 10:00-13:00 Open Morning
Mon 13 19:00 New Beginners Course and Continuation courses start
Sun 19 11:00 Gullick Cup (Blue Pointed Pairs Championship)

Click HERE for the Calendar of Special Events to August 2025

LEARN AND PLAY SESSIONS
LEARN AND PLAY SESSIONS

FACE TO FACE LEARNING SESSIONS:

WBC offer a range of face to face play sessions suitable for all levels.  We encourage beginners and improvers to attend at least one play session a week to practice and consolidate what has been covered in lessons.
Monday afternoons 12:30pm -
 Supervised Play  Bid and play at your own pace with guidance if wanted.  All levels

Thursday mornings 10:30am -  
Supervised Duplicate  12 to 15 boards are played in a competitive format with guidance if wanted.  Improvers/Intermediate
Thursday evenings 7:30pm -
Mini Duplicate Introduction to duplicate. 10 to 12 boards in a competitive format with guidance and review of selected hands.  Beginners/Improvers
Saturday afternoons 2pm -
Supervised Play  Bid and play at your own pace with guidance if wanted.  All levels
Hosts are available at all sessions so you do not need to come with a partner
No booking required.
When you are ready, our shorter 18-Board Duplicate sessions on Tuesday and Friday mornings are suitable for novice pairs.

ONLINE LEARNING SESSIONS (with Richmond Bridge Club) Click here for the RBC website

Supervised Play sessions run weekly on Wednesday mornings, 10:30am-12:30pm on RealBridge.  There is no need to book, just click on the link on the RBC website about 10 minutes before the start of play and you’ll be taken to the RealBridge login page.  Enter your full name and EBU number to log in to the session.  Cost is £6 per session which will be charged to your WBC member’s account.

Three board reviews with Tim Chanter, Thursdays, 10:00-11:30am.  Suitable for improvers.  If you wish to attend, simply click this Zoom link from 10.20 for a 10.30 kick off (no pre booking is required).  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86037429431  If you cannot make it, but wish to be copied in on the recording and the commentaries then please let Tim know to add you to the distribution list.  The session will take about 1 hour and costs £5.  There will be a follow up of answers to the quiz.

Here are our Monday afternoon players enjoying their game!

Members' Account Balances
Members' Account Balances

To receive an Email of your balance and statement of activity, please enter your EBU number and click.
Payments into your account do not appear immediately, so recent payments may not show for a week or so.



 

 

PIANOLA

Login to Pianola

Get more information about your game: Personal results history; Your average score with different partners; Your score as declarer, defender - even dummy(!).
Find partners and play more bridge using our innovative partner-finder.
Share your contact details with other people in the club.

Update your contact information and email preferences.

ONLINE BRIDGE SCHEDULE
ONLINE BRIDGE SCHEDULE

Online Schedule:
Monday 14:00
Friday 14:00

The games are listed as MBC & WBC.  All games are 18-board duplicates with Master Points.  NGS calculated if sufficient players are EBU members.

Going to be LATE?
Going to be LATE?

If you are going to arrive later than 10 mins before the start of the session, it is essential that you call the club on 0208 947 0147  at least 15 minutes beforehand so that you can be included in the movement. If you don't do this you may not be able to play.

Best Behaviour at Bridge
Best Behaviour at Bridge

Regular sessions at WBC are intended to provide a friendly and enjoyable environment to play the game of Bridge, and members should conduct themselves in the spirit of this aim.  If you feel you have been affected by anything at the table that is not in the spirit of the Best Behaviour at Bridge code then the director should be called immediately.  The other players should not retaliate or enter into an argument or discussion.  Please click here to see the BB@B code.
It is hoped that most incidents can be resolved at the time.  If any player wishes to make a formal complaint, they should do so at the time so that the director can complete the appropriate report, which must be signed by all parties.  Where the incident occurs outside a play session or, if occurring at a play session is, for a valid reason not reported to the director, it must be reported in writing (or via e-mail) to the Chair or Secretary of the Club within two weeks of the incident.

Surrey County Bridge Association
Surrey County Bridge Association

SCBA supports and promotes bridge in Surrey.

Click here for the SCBA home page

CONGRATULATIONS
Master Point Rank Promotions and NGS Increases
Master Point Rank Promotions and NGS Increases

Congratulations to our members listed below who have attained a Master Point promotion in November:

John Troiano  3 Star Regional Master
Claire Smith  Regional Master
Sandra Grossman  Premier Tournament Master
Denny Endicott  3 Star Master
Ann Brunsden  3 Star Master
Michael Wood  Advanced Master
Patti Gamble  County Master
Helen Phelps-Palmer  District Master
Stephen Horn  District Master
Mark Gilbert  District Master
Brendan Doolan  Area Master
Chris Williams  Area Master
Mariette Akkermans  Club Master
Jamie Patel  Club Master
Andrew Wileman  Club Master
Andrew Thomas  Club Master

Congratulations to members who achieved an increase in their NGS in November:
Top 40 NGS Increases for Surrey Members:
> Month
> Annual

Click here to see the EBU Master Point Ranks and NGS Bands

Marietta Andree Pairs League
Marietta Andree Pairs League

Congratulations to the winners of the Marietta Andree Pairs League in November:
Gold: Andrew Bannock and John Dagnall (Prize £48 per pair)
Silver: David Solomon, Billie Stephens and Richard Cumming-Bruce  (Prize: £36 per pair)


The MAPL will take a break for December due to so many events leading up to the Christmas period.  We will restart in January 2025

Please email Janet at Manager@wimbledonbridgeclub.co.uk to enter.  All levels are welcome; whatever your grade or experience you can play, compete and enjoy.  We play on BBO, with Richard as your TD and starting at 7:30pm. There are three sessions per month and we normally play between 18 and 21 boards, so it’s not too onerous and in fact with IMPs scoring it’s a lot of fun.  £15 per person per month (of which £3 goes direct to the prize fund).  

CHARITY PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP
CHARITY PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the Charity Pairs fund raiser in aid of the Dons Local Action Group.  The total amount raised was £4,850 which is a wonderful amount for the charity.  Congratulations to the winners of the Championship, Paul Gibbons and Sharon Bayne, pictured being presented with the Scott Mitchell trophy by Cliff Simpson, who also spoke on behalf of the charity.  Raffle prize winners will be notified by email.  Winners of the silent auctions were Stephen Horn (for a game with Brian Senior) and John Troiano (for a game with Nevena Senior).

 

Competition and Ladder Winners 2024
Competition and Ladder Winners 2024

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Championships
Gullick Cup (Blue Pointed Pairs Championship).  Lars McBride and John Edwards
Bochsler Cup (Teams Championship).  Andrew Bannock, John Dagnall, Conor Murphy and Imogen Davies
Martin Warner Cup (Tuesday morning Championship).  Sue Perin and Karen Fearon
Gwyneth Sather Cup (NGS <6 Championship). Mary Dickens and Rosemary Hickson
Peel Bowl (Ladies’ Pairs Championship).  Janet Cahm and Hilary Stewart
Jim Ratcliffe Cup (Men’s Pairs Championship).  Andrew Bannock and John Dagnall.
Hetty Van Os Trophy (Good Friday Individual Championship).  David Champion
Improvers Cup (NGS < 8 Championship).  Eric Humphrey and Veronica Kerslake
Bartlett Bowl (Mixed Pairs Championship) - Wendy Lancaster and Peter King
Karlsen Cup (Pivot Teams Championship) - Roger Pratt, Elisabeth Bingham, Henryk Klocek and Martha Jaynes
Marietta Andree Memorial Swiss Pairs Trophy.  P
eter King and Alan Wakenshaw
Marietta Andree Memorial Swiss Pairs Award (NGS <9)  Pat Brown and Penny Brown

Scott Mitchell Trophy for the Charity Pairs.  Paul Gibbons and Sharon Bayne

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023/24 Ladders (Sept to March 2024)
The Peggy Griffin Ladder (all full sessions): Calum Stewart and Janet Cahm
The Don King Ladder (Tuesday morning): Lynda Melly and Susan Michie
Norman Robson Ladder (Tuesday evening): Janet Cahm
Bill Medd Ladder (Wednesday Ploughman's): Janet Cahm
Doreen Charteris Cup (Thursday afternoon):  June Middleton
Robert Pope Ladder (Friday morning): Tanya Heasman
Winter Novice Ladder: Bozena Zegarlinska

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Summer Ladders (April to August 2024)
Summer Ladder: Janet Cahm
Summer Morning ladder: Gina Chulack
Summer Supervised Ladder: Kirsty Hill and Liz Hearle