The Young Chelsea Super League finished just before Christmas. Summaries of the final standings in each division are below.

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Congratulation to winning team Natt (Ben Green, Ankush Khandelwal, Sebastian Kristensen, Andrew Murphy, Shahzaad Natt, Ben Norton, Stefano Tommasini), impressively a match clear of the field having just been promoted from Division Two. Prizes were the same as in the Spring season. First place received £600.

In second place was team Huggins (Ollie Burgess, Jon Cooke, Ingar Hansen, Paul Huggins, Paul Lamford, Margaret Nygren, Cameron Small, Peter Taylor) picking up a £200 prize.

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Meanwhile, the top two teams in Division Two won promotion to Division One for the next season in the Spring. (Division Two was ranked by average VPs per match since some teams played eight matches and other teams played nine.)

In first place was team Green Baize Packers (Stephen Adler, Guy Beresiner, Peter Brook, Gavin Essex, Chris Goodchild, Dudley Leigh, Gill Stock, Lynton Stock) getting £300.

In second place was team McGuire (Charles Chisnall, Bob James, Trevor Mathews, Brian McGuire, David Muller, Gordon Rainsford) getting £100.

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Commiserations to the two teams at the bottom of Division One which are relegated to Division Two next season.

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Division One Final Standings

(Full details on the EBU website.)

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Division Two Final Standings

(Full details on the EBU website.)

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Item posted 7 January 2021

SIGN UP HERE - CLICK FOR FORM

A new weekly duplicate exclusively for junior players—more than 150 are signed up—is now up and running at the Young Chelsea Bridge Club. Under-26s from across the country and beyond are able to play via RealBridge on Friday evenings at 7.30pm free of charge.

Each session is scored using cross-IMPs, with EBU masterpoints awarded to the leading pairs.

These duplicates are being organised by William Clennell, President of Cambridge University Bridge Club, who ran the hugely successful junior pairs initiative last summer.

For further information, contact Will at wjc41@cantab.ac.uk.

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Congratulations to the winners of our latest duplicate on 9 July:

Benjamin Gardner & Henry Rose!

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Item posted 10 January 2021, updated 10 July 2021

The Spring season of the Young Chelsea Super League begins on Wednesday 27 January and continues at two‑weekly intervals to finish on Wednesday 19 May.

Matches will no longer be hosted on BBO but instead will be hosted on RealBridge. Matches will be played with screens and you will self‑alert and explain your bids. If further explanation is required of a bid made by the person who is not your screen mate you are able to request this by sending a private message to that player. On RealBridge you will log in using a link which will be provided and will sit down at the table marked with your team name. The director, Jonathan, will no longer need to set up all the matches and invite players, which means that both divisions will be able to start together at 7.30pm. You will not be able to start the second half until all matches in your division have finished the first half.

All matches consist of 24 deals played in two sets of 12 with a half‑time change of opponents. The IMP result for each match is converted to continuous Victory Points.

There may be the option to play matches at the club later in the season if Covid rules are relaxed and the club is in a position to be open.

The price for matches played online will remain at £6.00 per player (£3.00 for juniors). (Club manager, Ollie Burgess, will be contacting all captains about collecting match payments from last season.)

Thank you for your participation and please enjoy the Spring 2021 season.

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Super League Regulations.

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Division One has ten teams consisting of those who qualified from the Autumn season (two teams having been promoted from Autumn 2020 Division Two).

Division One: match schedule, current standings (which are maintained on the EBU website on their League Results page)

The teams in Division One are

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Division Two has thirteen teams (with current standings maintained on the EBU website on their League Results page). Rather than split the division or increase the number of matches, each team will face either nine or, if sitting out one round, eight opponents. (Since some teams have a sitout the ranking at the end of the season is by average score per match rather than total score.) Matches will be held on the same dates as Division One. In order to even out the strength of the opponents which each team faces, the movement is determined by NGS rank of the teams. (The team numbers are assigned broadly by descending strength, but randomly within the first four, within the second four, and within the last four.) The first four teams play all nine rounds; the rest sit out one round. No team plays more than three of the first four.

Division Two: match schedule, current standings (which are maintained on the EBU website on their League Results page)

The teams in Division Two are

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Page last updated 10 February 2021

The Young Chelsea Online Congress took place over the weekend 16 & 17 January 2021.

The Swiss Pairs on the Saturday attracted 36 pairs, and ran over seven 6‑deal matches. Congratulations to the winners on 107 VPs, Brian Senior & Clive Owen.

In second place were Paula Leslie & Sølvi Remen on 98 VPs, and third were Simon Gass & Alan Scott on 95 VPs.

On the Sunday the format was a traditional multiple teams. Twelve teams played a complete round robin scored as straight IMPs with no conversion to VPs. Congratulations to team Sushi (Kath Stynes & Debbie Sandford, Nick Sandqvist & Nathalie Shashou) winning with a convincing 84 IMPs.

In second place, some distance behind on 63 IMPs was team Binkie (Chris Duckworth & Brian Callaghan, Peter Taylor & Fiona Hutchison). And in third place on 37 IMPs was team Ollie (Ollie Burgess & Diana Nettleton, Maggie Knottenbelt & Heather Dhondy).

Complete rankings and hand records for both events are available via the results calendar.

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Item posted 19 January 2021

New Youth Initiative

India Leeming

Athena Chow

Louise Selway

Will Clennell

Update 25 September 2021:

The return to face‑to‑face bridge has been slower than hoped when this initiative was planned. Also the refurbishment of the new premises is still not quite complete. So the October events will not take place this year. Please watch for revised plans for 2022.

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We are very pleased to have launched an exciting new project aimed at recruiting new, younger members. We will primarily be targeting university students in London, and the aim is to offer to teach every single one how to play bridge. That’s a pretty massive task, as there are 375,000 of them! The project is being driven forward by a YC Youth Committee comprising four of our younger members—the YCYC chairman is India Leeming who is working alongside Athena Chow, Louise Selway and Will Clennell.

Covid permitting, the first courses will be held on 9 & 10 October and 16 &17 October. There is much to be done now in order to reach out and contact potential new players. And importantly, once basic tuition has been provided, new players will need mentoring through further lessons and supervised play etc until they are able to develop further without assistance. We will run parallel student duplicates, organised alongside the regular Monday‑ and Friday‑night games, so that in time those who are keen can graduate to the main duplicates.

Although teaching for the first courses will be provided by volunteers, there will be significant costs associated with the youth project as a whole. Publicity costs are substantial and teachers will need to be paid later. The cost of these two weekends alone will exceed £15,000 and there is much more we need to do. So we have launched an ongoing appeal to members to help raise funds.

The aim is to raise £50,000 to support this initiative, and we are confident that there are many YC members who will want to help out with donations for this important work. All donations will be ring‑fenced for the Youth Project, and because this is part of our work as a registered charity, donations can be made subject to Gift Aid, which makes them worth more. If you have not already signed a Gift Aid form, supplies are available at the club or you will can download one from the Gift Aid tab on the left of the website homepage.

Members can also help by recommending the course to young people that they know—it doesn’t need to be exclusively for university students. All of you must know someone you could encourage to learn to play—sons or daughters, grandchildren, nephews or nieces, brothers or sisters, boyfriends or girlfriends, younger employees, a friend with young relatives etc.

Donations are best made by bank transfer, using “YOUTH” as a reference (or “YOUTH ANON” if you don’t want your name publicised). The account details are:

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Item posted 24 January 2021, updated 25 September 2021

The Goldhawks of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club have now moved online! The next session will be on Thursday 19 August at 7.30pm prompt (please log on to the RealBridge session by 7.20pm so that we may start on time).

Once a month, we run an online Goldhawks session on RealBridge: a sociable bridge platform where you can interact with the other players as though you were sitting around a real table! These sessions are aimed towards beginners and improvers: improve your confidence and grab the opportunity to improve your game by discussing the hands with two experienced bridge teachers: Ollie Burgess and India Leeming.

These sessions take place approximately every fourth Thursday. This is a friendly group and everyone is welcome!

The session will be:

• 12 deals
• Zoom post mortem with Ollie and India—ask questions about the hands you played!
• normal end time of around 9.45–10.00pm
• £5.00 each

To sign up, please register (ignore the request for BBO IDs which are not used on RealBridge), pay (via the payments page) and let Ollie (YC manager) know that you have done so. On the day, you will be sent the information you need to access the session.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

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Item posted 7 March 2021, updated 13 July author India Leeming

The London heat of the Garden Cities Trophy, the inter‑county championship for club teams‑of‑eight, was held online on RealBridge on Thursday 18 March and contested by seven teams. The YC fielded four teams and the event was won by one of these, the team comprising Sally Brock & Barry Myers, Susanna Gross & Claire Robinson, Martin Nygren & Margaret Nygren and Ollie Burgess & Paula Leslie.

Results (on the LMBA website).

The Young Chelsea will therefore represent London in the Regional Finals to be held on RealBridge on 8 May.

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Item posted 22 March 2021

LOVE MATCH! Many congratulations to popular YC members, India and Shahzaad on their engagement. The YC wishes them all the best for their future—and we look forward to celebrating their news properly when we can all meet around the bridge table once more.

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Item posted 25 March 2021

Over the Easter period the club will run its regular online games on the bank holiday Friday but not on the Monday. That is:

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Item posted 29 March 2021

We hold weekly regular online games every Monday (suspended for the summer) and Friday at 7.30pm and, just on Fridays, a bonus, fun online 16‑deal speedball which starts, after the earlier game has finished, at around 10.45pm. (Should you wish, you can just play in the speedball.)

On Mondays (suspended for the summer) we have switched to playing on RealBridge instead of BBO and the session length is shorter—typically 18–20 deals. Scoring is usually by matchpoints. We encourage you to register in advance to play so that the director has some idea of expected numbers. In order to login to the session, follow the RealBridge session link, which appears in the calendar entry, before the game is due to start. A benefit of RealBridge is that if you are slightly late logging in to the session, the director may still be able to add you to the movement provided the second round has not begun. The session cost, which you pay by buying credit from the YC, is £4.00 per player.

On Fridays we play on BBO—for which you pay within the platform in BB$. Scoring is cross‑IMPs on Friday. We use single-winner movements of 26–28 deals that maximise the number of pairs you meet during a session and minimise the chance of playing the same pair again. The price per player for the main duplicate is BB$5.00 and for the bonus speedball BB$1.50. The games are visible in the normal way on BBO, so go to Competitive - All Tournaments, and then search for YC. New online players need to give the club their BBO names to gain access. If you are already on the list, you can just show up on the night!

Visitors can play two online games. After that, they need to join as online members (price £10.00) by buying credit with the club to continue playing.

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Item posted 24 May 2020, last updated 7 July 2021

As is customary, there is no Monday duplicate on 3 May, the bank holiday. On the following Monday, 10 May, the YC will, for a change, be hosting the evening duplicate on RealBridge instead of BBO. This game will be free to our members and you can  register to play. In order to play in the session, use the link, supplied shortly before the date, in the calendar.

If the feedback is suitably positive, we will look to continue our regular games on RealBridge.

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Item posted 2 May 2021

The EBU regional finals of the Garden Cities Trophy, the inter‑county championship for club teams‑of‑eight, were held online on RealBridge on Saturday 8 May. The YC, having won the London heat, fielded a team which convincingly won the Regional Final (South). Congratulations to Sally Brock & Barry Myers, Susanna Gross & Peter Taylor, Phil King & Margaret Nygren and Ollie Burgess & Paula Leslie.

Results (on the EBU website).

The Young Chelsea will go forward to represent London in the eight‑team National Final to be held on RealBridge on Saturday 19 June.

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Item posted 10 May 2021

After a positive reception to our first Monday duplicate on RealBridge the YC will, be hosting a second evening duplicate on the same platform on Monday 17 May. The game will again be free and you can register to play. In order to join the session on the day, use the link in the calendar. In response to some of the feedback from the inaugural game this second session will consist of around 18 to 20 boards to avoid too late a finish.

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Item posted 11 May 2021

Congratulation to the winners of Division One finishing on 127.29 VPs, team Hinden (Sally Brock, David Burn, Frances Hinden, Graham Osborne, David Kendrick, Mike Scoltock, Barry Myers, Paula Leslie, Paul Barden, Jeffrey Allerton). The prize is the same as in the previous season; first place receives £600.

In second place on 113.15 VPs was team Hillman (Keith Bennett, Brian Callaghan, Rob Cliffe, Richard Hillman, Nicola Smith, Franklin To) getting £200.

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Meanwhile, the top two teams in Division Two won promotion to Division One for the next season in the Autumn. (Division Two was ranked by average VPs per match since some teams played eight matches and other teams played nine.)

In first place averaging 14.74 VPs per match was team Martin (Martin Lerner, Nathan Piper, Natalie Hoff, Giles Ridger, Helen Robinson, Graham Pollack, David Goldberg) getting £300.

In second place averaging 12.25 VPs per match was team Lawrenzo (Oliver Lawrence, Patrick Lawrence, Jonathan Davis, John Wilson, David Barker) getting £100.

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Commiserations to the two teams at the bottom of Division One which are relegated to Division Two next season.

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Division One Final Rankings

(Full details on the EBU website.)

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Division Two Final Rankings

(Full details on the EBU website.)

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Item posted 20 May 2021, updated 26 May 2021

The Online Midsummer Swiss Teams is now completed. Thanks to all who took part. Congratulations to the Hinden team (Sally Brock, Barry Myers, Frances Hinden, Mike Scoltock, David Kendrick, David Burn and Graham Osborne) winners with a score of 128.18VPs (a very fine average of 16.02VPs per match). They had the event sewn up before their last match and finished more than a match and a half clear. See the final standings on the EBU website.

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Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Round Eight

Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Round Seven

Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Round Six

Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Round Five

Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Round Four

Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Round Three

Midsummer Swiss Teams Draw Rounds One & Two

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This year we are using the EBULeague utility to record and display the scores and positions of the teams, even though the event will finish after the eighth round. You may see artificial near‑average placeholder scores for matches as yet unplayed: 10.01 for Round One, 10.02 for Round Two and so on.

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Poster

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Now that the Spring season of the YC Super League has been concluded, entries for the YC Midsummer Swiss Teams are being welcomed.

The closing date for entries is 12 June; teams can register and pay online.

The format will run along the same lines as last year’s successful event with teams playing eight 16‑deal matches over the course of eight weeks. The first two rounds will be randomly drawn, and from Round Three, assignments will be done one round in arrears (which allows the event to run with greater ease when fixing up matches with the opposing team captains). Up to eight players are permitted per squad with the first round match to be completed within the week commencing 14 June. Unlike the Super League, the matches do not have to be played on a fixed evening, which gives teams greater flexibility to complete their games.

The entry fee for the event is £96 per team which when broken down, consists of £32 entry fee plus £2 per player for each match. (Please note non‑members are welcome to play.) It would be helpful if the team captain could submit this payment in advance and then recoup the entry fees from their squad to avoid the YC having to reconcile multiple payments. Any all‑junior team will have free entry, otherwise juniors are charged half‑price.

Finally, if anyone needs a partner or team mates, please let the manager, Ollie, know. Once the total number of teams is finalised, more information will be emailed to the team captains together with the draw for the first two rounds.

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Team Rosters

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Item posted 29 May 2021, updated 23 August 2021

As restrictions ease, I know that you will wonder about how the refurbishment of the new club premises is coming along and when the YC will be re‑opening for face‑to‑face bridge. This post will hopefully answer your questions.

The new building, the former Salvation Army Hall which has now been renamed as the London MindSports Centre, is an old building. Although it is sound, it needs quite a lot of work to bring it up to date and make it into a great new centre for bridge and other mind sports. This work is now in progress but, as is the way with renovation projects, early progress has been slow. We have had to deal with:

• Removal of debris in the roof space found to contain traces of asbestos;
• Upgrading the power supply to three‑phase electricity, involving re‑wiring most of the building;
• Stripping out all the old radiators and installing a new modern heating and air‑conditioning system using air source heat pumps—this will provide excellent ventilation, something that is particularly important in the Covid era and will be very cost effective to run;
• Creation of new larger playing areas by amalgamating some smaller rooms
• Updating the WCs and adding a new one on the first floor;
• Installing new insulation and various other requirements needed to meet modern building regulations.

The ground floor will contain the main playing area alongside the bar (arguably the most important room!) which doubles as a second large playing area. There is also a good‑sized kitchen and men’s, women’s and disabled loos. And I even have a small office all to myself! The first floor will have two more good‑sized playing rooms and areas that will be let out as commercial office space.

The builders are now working flat out to get everything done. We’re hoping to have the ground floor ready to use at the beginning of August, but just in case that slips we’re not planning any big events until the end of August. Development of the first floor will need to continue whilst we are occupying the ground floor but it shouldn’t impact on us too much. The layout of the building allows access to the first floor without going through the playing areas, and the commercial offices will have their own self‑contained access at the rear of the building.

We are planning an opening event at the end of August to which we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to come. Detailed plans will be dependent on how and to what extent Covid restrictions are lifted—as you know there seems to be some doubt about this at the moment. Fingers crossed that we will be able to hold a great event and fill the building—more details about the opening will follow as soon as possible, but I suggest you keep the August Bank Holiday free!

Meanwhile, the website will be updated with some pictures of the work in progress, so do take a look. It will be a fabulous club when finished! And if anyone would like a viewing of the club, health and safety laws providing, just drop me an email.

Enjoy the sunshine and I hope to keep seeing as many of you as possible during our online activities.

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Item posted 2 June 2021, author Ollie Burgess

As you may be aware, the European Bridge League has decided to hold their qualification event, for the World Championships, in late August using the RealBridge platform. Unfortunately, the European event will clash with the face‑to‑face Bank Holiday Teams which was going to be held at the YC and with this in mind, regretfully, the teams event will be postponed until next year. However, it is still hoped that there will be a special event at the new premises on Sunday 29 August—more details on that when we know when we are allowed to meet up and play face‑to‑face bridge again.

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Item posted 9 June 2021, updated 23 June 2021, author Ollie Burgess

You will be pleased to know that the debris (in the roof space) found to contain traces of asbestos has now been removed, so work on the first floor has resumed.

As you can see from the picture, much of the ceiling now needs replacing. The first‑floor corridor runs towards what will be completely separate commercial space, which has its own ground‑floor entrance, at the back of the building. Doorways, barely visible on the right of the corridor, lead to two rooms which will be combined to form a single “Hall Four”.

This is “Hall Three”, as it is referred to on the plans, a well lit room at the front of the new premises on the first floor.

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Item posted 10 June 2021

We have taken a dividing wall between two rooms down to create “Hall Four” on the first floor.

The hall is on the north side of the building and faces the adjacent property across a passageway a little under two metres in width, but the amount of daylight is still more than adequate.

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Item posted 15 June 2021

Summer is here! There’s the football, Wimbledon, the Olympics are on their way and the restrictions are gradually being lifted signifying a return to a normality of sorts. All we need now is a heatwave and we are set for a great summer.

In the last year, nights in playing on BBO (and latterly on RealBridge) have become a staple of daily life. And the YC is very grateful for the regular commitment of its members in supporting the venture into online play ensuring that the club still continues to thrive. However, the management committee has decided that for the summer the Monday night game will take a much needed holiday and will resume face to face with a bang at the new premises… just as soon as we can open. Friday nights will continue to run on BBO as normal and the Midsummer Swiss will continue to run in the background to make sure everyone gets their weekly bridge fix.

Thank you to all players who have played and supported the Monday night game and I am looking forward to its resumption with actual cards, bidding boxes and real people in the near future.

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Item posted 7 July 2021, author Ollie Burgess

Bridge is back at the YC! Leave the laptop at home and come to the new premises to take part in a test event on Thursday 12 August at 7.00pm.

The YC will be hosting a satellite event of EBU’s Summer Congress Mixed Pairs with the same deals being played across the country. No more clicking cards, no more partner telling you how you could have made 3NT because GIB has told them how it makes and no more being able to see partner’s hand when you’re dummy either! Although I am thrilled about the return to live bridge, it may prove that new restrictions are introduced or that the building is still not ready for play, in which case the event will be held online… but let’s hope that doesn’t materialise. As this will be the YC’s first face‑to‑face event in some time, entries are limited to 16 pairs and will cost £12 per player. Cannot wait to see you there and in the bar afterwards!

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Item posted 8 July 2021, author Ollie Burgess

Work is continuing apace and the ceiling grids have been fitted in most rooms now.

This is “Hall Three” upstairs; the device in the centre of the ceiling, part of the air conditioning system, is a fan coil unit used to either heat or cool the room.

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Item posted 23 July 2021

Many congratulations to popular YC members, India and Shahzaad on their wedding which took place over the weekend. The YC wishes them all the best for their future.

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Item posted 26 July 2021

The planned face‑to‑face heat of the Summer Congress Mixed Pairs will now be held instead as an online competition. The upgrade to the electricity supply at the new premises has unfortunately been unavoidably scheduled for 12 August, the day of the heat, meaning that face‑to‑face play that day will be impossible.

The entry fee for the competition will be reduced to £6 a head and the accounts for any players who have registered to play and already paid will be credited with the difference. Any entrant who no longer wishes to play should email the manager in order to de‑register and their account will be fully credited. Both Richmond and Wimbledon Bridge Clubs will be running face-to-face heats for anyone who is looking for an alternative venue.

Numbers in the club online heat will no longer be limited and further entries may be made on the registration page.

Login to session will be opened 6pm click RealBridge Login. Also in calendar

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Item posted 31 July 2021

Update: 13 September 2021

Late drop‑outs from Division Two means there are only seven teams now. Please note the draw has changed so that you will play six rounds with one sit out.

Update: 3 September 2021

A last minute drop‑out from Division One means there are only nine teams now. Please note the draw has changed so that you will face team Martin where previously you would have faced team Jones. And you will sit out the round in which you would have faced team Martin.

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Division One: current standings on the EBU website.

Division Two: current standings on the EBU website.

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The Autumn 2021 season of the Young Chelsea Super League is once more a face‑to‑face event at the new premises in Dalling Road. (The ground floor is ready for matches, so face‑to‑face play is confirmed.) The club will eceptionally consider requests to play online, at the face‑to‑face price, if both teams in a match request doing so. (And teams will be responsible for arranging any online match privately.)  As information on Division Two in particular has been provided at the last minute, the club will not strictly apply penalties for difficuties in playing on the Round One dates.

In order to provide adequate space for the players, Division Two matches move back to Tuesdays while Division One matches remain on Wednesdays. The season begins on Tuesday 31 August for Division Two and Wednesday 1 September for Division One. Subsequent matches are at two‑weekly intervals except for the last match which is only one week after the penultimate to avoid being too close to Christmas. If Division Two contains more than ten teams, the teams are ranked by NGS so that each team plays no more than nine matches without having to face too many of the highest ranked opponents. Match dates are:

Please check, before the start of the season, to see if your team can make all these dates. If you have a problem with a given date and let the club know now, we can rejig the schedule to marry you against another team in the same situation.

All matches consist of 24 deals played in two sets of 12 with a half‑time change of opponents. The IMP result for each match is converted to continuous Victory Points.

The price for matches is £12.50 per player and includes refreshments at half time.

Thank you for your participation and please enjoy the Autumn 2021 season.

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If you have not previously played or your team dropped out when we moved online for the last few seasons, you can contact the club (in good time before the season starts) to enter a team. Watch this page for more information as entries are finalised.

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Based on last season’s results, the teams in Division One are below, but please let the club know if you wish to withdraw.

Division One: match schedule

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And the teams in Division Two, based on last season’s results, are below, but again please let the club know if you wish to withdraw. Some teams have dropped out at the last minute. There are seven teams in the division this Autumn, which means seven rounds, with each team sitting out one round. The division plays its last round on 23 November.

Division Two: match schedule

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Page last updated 13 September 2021

Ollie Burgess has decided to step back from full‑time management of the club and, in the short term, Ian Payn has agreed to take over running the club on a day‑to‑day basis.

Ian, as well as currently being Chairman of the EBU, is a former chairman of the Young Chelsea committee and is very familiar with the way the club works. He also has a wealth of useful experience from his time, at various points in his career, as a bridge club host, IT consultant and as manager of a barristers’ chambers.  He will guide the club through the critical next two or three months as we make the transition to face‑to‑face bridge once more and establish the club in its new premises.

Ollie will continue to be a presence at the club, hosting some sessions and being involved with the teaching programme there. He is very conscious that he has not yet met many of the members in person and looks forward to the opportunity to do so soon.

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Item posted 5 August 2021

Congratulations to YC members Szczepan Smoczyński and Claire Robinson on their tremendous result over the weekend. They celebrated the EBU’s return to face‑to‑face bridge by winning the Swiss Pairs at the Summer Meeting in Eastbourne.

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Item posted 10 August 2021

The work is still on course for our re‑opening party on Sunday 29 August to take place as planned. The renovation of the new premises will not be completed, but enough should be done to allow face‑to‑face play to recommence in September, when we will revert to regular games on Monday evenings at 7.00pm and Friday evenings at 7.30pm. For our online members unable to come to the club in person, the Friday evening online games will continue on the first Friday of each month, run as hybrid sessions alongside the face‑to‑face duplicate.

We are all looking forward very much to seeing all our old friends playing in the club once again.

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Item posted 11 August 2021

Congratulations to YC players Phil King, Kevin Castner, Ben Norton & Mike Bell who won the Four Stars Teams, the main event, at the EBU Summer Meeting in Eastbourne over the weekend. They had to do without their captain, Charlie Bucknell, who had the misfortune to be “pinged” earlier in the week.

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Item posted 18 August 2021

The reopening party took place on Sunday 29 August at the new premises in Dalling Road. (Builders and YC helpers had worked tirelessly to get the ground floor ready for the event; the first floor will be available soon as well.) The main hall was full to capacity, with almost as many tables, about 18, as we could squeeze in. Normally the room will be laid out with around 12 tables, providing plenty of space for everyone.

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The front doors stood open and the YC sign was temporarily propped up by planters in case any visitor failed to recognise the building.

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Club member, Kitty Teltscher, provided a magnificent cake for the hungry players.

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Welcome drinks for everyone were set out in the bar, which is much more generously proportioned than the one in Goldhawk Road was.

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The familar figure of Tamara was behind the bar; Nataliya was busy in the kitchen. (Furlough payments during lockdown had enabled the club to hold on to its staff.)

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Justly fearing that one giant cake would not satisfy the members’ appetites, Kitty provided a second.

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The players had plenty of food and drink during the half‑time break. Here are Chris and Mary Anne chatting just inside the front door.

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Rosie and Ashwin enjoyed some intermittent sunshine outside in Dalling Road during the break.

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The members brought along prizes for the tombola draw.

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Gordon Rainsford directed the event (18 deals before the break and another 18 after), dealt with minor inconveniences such as lack of internet, and took this picture of the players in the main hall.

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Item posted 1 September 2021

The Young Chelsea’s teaching programme is about to restart at Dalling Road. We have a free taster session on Thursday 16 September between 3.00pm and 7.00pm, and then a beginners’ course starts on Thursday 23 September (7.00pm–9.00pm), running for eight weeks.

As the programme progresses, we’ll be adding intermediate and advanced classes, as well as supervised practices and gentle duplicates.

Anyone can pitch up to the taster session—if you know of anyone who’d like to enrol in the classes proper, just have them drop me a line, at manager@ycbc.co.uk.

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Item last updated 25 September 2021, author Ian Payn

Congratulations to YC members Debbie Sandford and Gad Chadha on their win on Sunday. This Mixed Pairs was the first LMBA event to be held face to face at the club’s new premises. Full results are on the LMBA website.

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Item posted 20 September 2021

CALLING ALL GOLDHAWKS

It’s now a month since we started our Tuesday daytime sessions for the Goldhawks, and so far, numbers are pretty small. For the time being, we have abandoned the duplicate pairs idea and instead we have been running a supervised play session. This is led by one of our top players, Margaret Nygren, and is proving a great success. The atmosphere is completely relaxed with lots of chatter—mostly about bridge.

Here are some of the comments we’ve been getting:

“So helpful and informative”

“The lunch was delicious“

“I’ve learnt so much”

“What a lovely venue”

“I’ve had a great time”

“I haven’t had so much fun since my partner’s false teeth fell out”

(OK, I may have made up one of those comments.)

We start at 11.00am and finish around 2.30pm. We take a 30‑minute break at 12.30pm when light refreshments are available. The price is £10.00 and includes tea and coffee. You don’t need to bring a partner, and if you can’t be with us for the whole session you are welcome to drop in for a while.

All ability levels are welcome—old hands looking to modernise their bidding, newbies looking to try out their new skills, in fact anyone who loves a game of bridge.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

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Item updated 9 November 2021, author Rosie White

Good news: Monday evening duplicates are back, starting next Monday 4 October at 7.00pm. There will be a host system, so no partner necessary.

Thursday 7 October at 7.30pm is Quiz Night.

Tuesday 12 October sees the resumption of our more social Goldhawks games starting at 11.00am, with a break for lunch.

Saturday 4 December sees the first Christmas Party at Dalling Road.

Hopefully, there is something of interest to you here, and that we get to see you soon (Friday nights, of course, continue as before).

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Item posted 30 September 2021

Final rankings

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Match results and current standings on the EBU website

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The fifth edition of our successful YCBC Women’s Swiss Teams event will return to face‑to‑face play and take place at the club over the weekend 27 & 28 November. As in previous years, we hope to have many international teams attend, but would love for plenty of YC players to take part too. If you would like to play but don’t have a partner or teammates or are only available on one of the two days, let me know (email paula2012leslie@gmail.com) and we will try to find a team for you. You may register a team for the event via the website. The entry fee is £300 per team (but free for junior teams) and includes lunch on both days and a drinks reception at the end of play on the Sunday.

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Poster

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Item posted 6 October 2021, updated 29 November 2021, author Paula Leslie

Course & Play Schedule—Winter 2021/Spring 2022

Beginners Consolidation Course

• Thursday evenings 7.30–9.30pm, provisionally starting on Thursday 18 November

Beginners Course

• Tuesday evenings 7.30–9.30pm, starting on Tuesday 11 January

Improvers Course

• Thursday evenings 7.30–9.30pm, starting on Thursday 13 January

Supervised Play

• Wednesday afternoons 2.00–4.00pm—online using RealBridge
• Wednesday evenings 7.30–9.30pm, starting on Wednesday 26 January

Goldhawks Social Duplicate

• Every Tuesday daytime 11.00am–2.30pm

Seminar Programme

• Seminars for regular club players on specific topics, always presented by expert players, are scheduled from time to time. Suggestions for topics that players would like to be covered would be welcomed.

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Further courses, play sessions and seminars will be scheduled according to demand.

To book places or enquire further, contact the club manager by email at manager@ycbc.co.uk or phone on 07713 322420.

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Item last updated 17 October 2021

Bridge Lessons at the Young Chelsea

The Young Chelsea Bridge Club runs a full programme of bridge courses, catering for everyone from complete beginner through to regular club player. To complement the formal courses, we offer a range of playing opportunities to help you consolidate what you have leant and to prepare you for joining in the regular club sessions.

Beginners

Our first course is for those who have no previous knowledge of bridge. Bidding and card play are the two main elements of bridge and we cover the basics of both, providing a firm foundation on which to build bridge expertise. The course consists of eight 2‑hour lessons, taking place once a week. This course has recently been modernized in order to teach the system of bidding that is used most widely across the world—so if you learn with us you will be equipped to play bridge wherever you go!

Beginners Consolidation

Following on from the beginners course, we have a four‑week course which helps to consolidate what has been learnt, and which concentrates on how best to play the cards—the most important aspect of bridge.

Improvers

The Improvers course is for those who have completed the Beginners course or who have the equivalent basic knowledge of the game. It covers a range of declarer play and defensive play techniques for the improving player, and explores competitive bidding and some of the less frequent higher level opening bids. It is again an eight-week course and includes two free social duplicate sessions to be attended after the course. These will help you put your newly‑learned skills into use in a gently competitive, but non‑threatening club game!

Improvers Consolidation

Following on from the improvers course, a four-week course is available to help consolidate what has been learnt, and provides an opportunity to develop further card play skills.

Advanced

This course is for those who have mastered the basics and wish to progress a little further with their bridge skills. The course covers some of the most useful bidding tools, such as transfers, slam bidding, and a few other really useful conventions. After attending this course, you will be a confident and capable club player. The course again comprises an eight‑week course of lessons, plus two free social duplicate sessions.

Supervised Play

We strongly recommend that after learning the basics of bridge you come along to supervised play sessions. These are suitable for anyone who has completed the Beginners course or for anyone with more experience but who does not feel ready to plunge into a formal club duplicate session.

In a supervised play session you play at your own pace under the watchful eye of one of our expert tutors or players, who is available to help and advise where needed. Supervised play is an enjoyable and social learning experience where you are able to put into practice what you have learned and gain confidence at the bridge table.

Supervised play sessions are held every week and last for two‑and‑a‑half hours, but you can come and go as you please—there is no need to book, nor to come with a partner.

Goldhawks Social Duplicates

Goldhawks is the name we have given to our social duplicate bridge sessions, to distinguish them from the regular club games which are of a higher standard than is comfortable for many players with limited experience. They provide a relaxed and friendly opportunity to play and meet others of a similar standard, allowing individuals to develop their bridge skills at their own pace in a gently competitive environment.

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Courses are based on the Standard American Bidding system, as used not only in the USA but also in most countries across the world, including very widely in London and the rest of the UK.

Course fees are £160 for an eight-week course or £80 for a four‑week course. This includes:

• expert tuition throughout the series of eight lessons provided by expert bridge teachers and players
• comprehensive student notes
• membership of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club and of the English Bridge Union, the national governing body for bridge
• plenty of opportunity to ask questions of the tutor outside the formal lesson time, enabling you to catch up on any sessions you might find difficult or be obliged to miss.

All play sessions cost £10 a head.

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Item last updated 17 October 2021

The next Annual General Meeting of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club will be held at the club on Friday 12 November 2021 at 6.30pm, prior to the regular duplicate. Here is the Agenda for the meeting.

All Full, Honorary, Student and Online Members over 16 years of age are eligible to attend and vote, and those unable to attend in person may appoint a proxy to attend and vote on their behalf.

All members able to attend are urged to do so. Those who have not yet visited the new premises will have an opportunity to look around—the entire club premises will be open—and everyone will be able to make their contribution to helping to ensure the success of the club in its new venue. Remember that you, the members, own the club and have a vested interest in its future.

It is important that the AGM is quorate, so if you are unable to attend in person, please ensure that you send your proxy. All that is required is to send an email to the club in the following format (you can if you wish change the name of the person to act as your proxy to that of any other member who will be attending in person):

                 PROXY 

                 I, ...................................,  

                 hereby appoint David Ewart 

                 (YC Management Committee Chairman) 

                 to act as my proxy at the Annual General 

                 Meeting of the Association to be held 

                 on Friday 12 November 2021, giving him 

                 full authority to vote on my behalf. 

                 Signed:                    Date: 

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Item posted 22 October 2021

Congratulations to the YC members listed below who attained a promotion in EBU rank during October!

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Item posted 17 November 2021

London MindSports Centre has acquired its second bridge client to run alongside YCBC. Ned Paul is moving his Tuesday evening New Chiswick Bridge Club duplicate to the MindSports Centre with effect from Tuesday 16 November 2021. Game time will be 7.15pm.

This will be a more social duplicate than the Monday and Friday games, more akin to the old YC Tuesday/Thursday games. The game will be registered with the EBU and will award master points/NGS, etc. All players and pairs are welcome and the game will be hosted, so single players are guaranteed a game. Table money will be £8 and membership of New Chiswick BC is free.

Please note the game will initially be every other week to fit in with the usage of the MindSports Centre by the YCBC Super League, so the next game will be on 30 November, etc.

For more details, contact Ned Paul on ned_paul@outlook.com or 07792 715517.

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Item posted 9 November 2021

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 12 November 2021 are available for viewing.

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Item posted 18 November 2021

We missed out on a Christmas Party last year, but now we're back with a vengance and ready to rumble.

The doors will be flung open on Saturday 4 December  at 4.00pm and there will be a Christmas Duplicate Pairs at 4.15.

A Festive Buffet Supper is promised for 7.30, and at 8.30 there will be a quiz, described as “light‑hearted” in the publicity. There will be general knowledge and music rounds, the latter provided by the almost legendary Dr Bob and the Brentford Sound Machine. The winners of the October quiz will be in attendance, so time, perhaps, to knock them off their pedestal.

For those still standing, a Speedball will be arranged after the quiz.

All this for the bargain price of £25 per head, which includes not one, but two free drinks vouchers.

Please register via the  website.

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Poster

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Item posted 20 November 2021

YCKO 2022

Fourteen teams have entered this year’s competition. After seeding the teams by NGS, the draw (updated regularly with match results) has been made. The competition is under way with all Round Four matches completed. The play‑by date for the Quarter‑final was 11 September. However, with many teams unable to fix matches during the summer, some earlier matches ran late. The play‑by dates will not be enforced over the summer and autumn, but teams should be pro‑active in preparing dates for subsequent rounds, should they get through.

The director, Gitte Hecht‑Johansen, made a draw on Friday 9 September at the end of the evening duplicate to decide the Quarter‑final matches (from possibilities that prevent teams which have already met from facing each other again):

As the undefeated team, Binkie has qualified for the final. The remaining two teams have played the only semifinal.

The 48‑deal final on Monday 16 January 2023 between Binkie and Orca, a match that was close all the way, was won by Binkie by 4 IMPs (95–91).

Once the match has been played, please notify the result to the club manager at manager@ycbc.co.uk, stating the names of the players in both teams as well as the outcome. Team captains will be notified of their opponents for their next match as soon as the team to be played is known.

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The Young Chelsea Knockout (YCKO) is the club’s annual teams event that runs on “double elimination” lines—every team has to lose two matches before it is knocked out. Teams may consist of up to six players, all of whom must be YC members.

For 2022, the event will be played as a face‑to‑face competition with matches held at the club. Table money per match will be £12.50 per player, all of whom must be paid‑up club members before taking part in a match. (Anyone who needs to may subscribe via the payments page. An online membership is insufficient for face‑to‑face play.) Should the club exceptionally allow you to play a match online, the charge per match will be the same as if played face to face. No other entry fee will be charged. Prize money will be £800 for the winning team, £300 for the runners‑up.

The winning team will hold the YCKO Trophy for the following year and will be eligible for a play‑off match against the team winning LMBA London Championship Teams‑of‑four to decide which team will represent London in the 2023 Lederer invitation tournament.

Please enter by 21 December on the registration page of the website. or by emailing the club manager at manager@ycbc.co.uk.

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Team Rosters

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Arranging matches

The play‑by dates below for completion of each round are below. Play‑by dates must be strictly adhered to. (Except Round Two matches will be given extra time.)

As soon as you know who you will be playing, each captain should offer at least four dates before the play‑by date to the opposing captain. Teams that have not agreed a date by the play‑by date may apply for an extension, but should be aware that the result may, if necessary, be awarded to one of the teams or be decided on the toss of a coin.

Assuming a maximum of 16 teams competing, after Round Four there will be one undefeated team and five once‑defeated teams. These six teams will play a quarter‑final, matches being decided by a random draw but avoiding re‑matches where possible. Then:

a) If the undefeated team wins there will be one undefeated team and two once‑defeated teams. The undefeated team will get a bye to the final and the other two teams will play a semifinal match, the winner of which will play the undefeated team in the final. The undefeated team may claim eight extra deals if behind at the end of the final.

b) If the undefeated team loses there will be four once‑defeated teams and there will be a straightforward semifinal and final, with no one claiming extra deals.

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Page last updated 16 January 2023

The Christmas Party returned as a face‑to‑face event this year, taking place for the first time in the club’s newly renovated premises in Dalling Road.

The festivities kicked off with a friendly pairs event which attracted seven‑and‑a‑half tables and was ably directed by Mike Eden with assistance from Gitte Hecht‑Johansen.

The winners were Alex Hannon and Szczepan Smoczyński.

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In a close second place—doing well while directing too is always difficult—were Carrie and Mike Eden.

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A sprinkling of people in addition to the bridge players, turned up for the rest of the evening, which continued with a well received hot buffet meal. Thanks to Chris Duckworth for days of offsite food preparation and cooking. And thanks also to Tamara who single handedly ran the bar and catering, while finishing off the cooking.

Post‑meal activities consisted of a quiz, expertly prepared by manager Ian Payn. Music rounds were given by The Brentford Sound Machine (the lack of the advertised Dr Bob was not an obvious impediment). The quiz winner was Rosie White (well, formally team Binkie, but Rosie is the music expert while the rest of the team were essentially spear carriers).

And afterwards celebrations carried on into the night.

Hope to see you there in a year’s time.

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Item posted 6 December 2021

Looking for a face‑to‑face event to provide a welcome change from the monotonous diet of online games? Then register for the club’s New Year Pairs to be held on Sunday 2 January 2022 at the YC’s new home: the London MindSports Centre, 21 Dalling Road, Hammersmith, LONDON, W6 0JD.

You will play a single extended‑session of at least 36 deals starting at 1.30pm, finishing around 6.30pm and including a short refreshment break—food available to pre‑order. After the game, an expert will lead a discussion of some of the deals. The price is £12.00 per player if registered by 20 December or £17.00 on the day—half price for juniors and students. Please arrive by 1.15pm.

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Poster

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Item posted 8 December 2021

Congratulations to the YC members listed below who attained a promotion in EBU rank during November!

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Item posted 9 December 2021

As you will be aware, from Friday 10 December, the government’s “Plan B” for dealing with the Omicron Variant comes into effect with regard to social clubs, including members clubs (such as the Young Chelsea).

Put simply, face coverings are to be worn in all areas except when eating or drinking in the bar. Face coverings can be briefly put aside to enable eating or drinking at the table.

This is a government restriction, not a club restriction. Please observe it; TDs or bar staff should not have to remind you. but please respect them if they do.

If you are exempt, then of course, you are exempt.

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Item posted 9 December 2021

Update: 17 December.

Tonight (Friday)—Owing to increasing concern about the number of Covid cases, we appreciate that some may not wish to attend the club in person. Consequently, tonight will be a Hybrid game—come to the club and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, or stay at home, and see how you score against the “live” field.

Monday (20 December)—We will now be closed, and not holding a Monday game next week. Games will resume on Monday 3 January as advertised.

We obviously cannot say with any certainty at the moment whether games in January will be live or online. We will do as instructed by the government, and member safety will remain our primary consideration.

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This Friday will see the last Friday Duplicate of the year. The club will not be open on Christmas Eve.

The schedule between now and the New Year is:

• Friday 17 December: Friday Hybrid Duplicate
• Tuesday 21 December at 11.00am: Goldhawks

The club will then close until Sunday 2 January, when the New Year Pairs will take place.

Duplicates will resume on Mondays, starting on 3 January at 7.00pm. Beat those Bank Holiday blues!

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Item posted 14 December 2021, updated 17 December 2021

Division One kept to schedule and finished on Wednesday 15 December.

With a win in their final match, moving them into first place to finish on 102.26 VPs (an average of 12.78 per match) was team De Botton (David Bakhshi, Janet de Botton, Stelio Di Bello, Thor Erik Hoftaniska, Artur Malinowski, Tom Townsend).

And in second place on 98.85 VPs (an average of 12.36 per match) was team Hinden (Paul Barden, Sally Brock, David Burn, Frances Hinden, David Kendrick, Barry Myers, Graham Osborne, Mike Scoltock).

Commiserations to the team in ninth place who go down to Division Two next season. (There were only nine teams in Division One this season; two will come up from Division Two so that we will be back to a full complement of ten in the Spring.)

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Dates for next season are in the calendar, but be warned that plans are still in flux and the likelihood is that all matches (including Division Two) will be played on Wednesdays.

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Division One Final Rankings

(Full details on the EBU website.)

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Item posted 19 December 2021

While Division One still has matches to play, Division Two, with fewer teams, kept to schedule, finishing on Tuesday. Congratulation to the two top teams who have gained promotion to Division One for next season in the Spring.

In first place finishing on 77.89 VPs (an average of 12.98 per match) was team 32BG (Mike Bull, Richard Creamer, Mark Davies, Konrad Mau, Mark Nichols, David Reuben) getting a prize of £300.

And edging into second place on 75.33 VPs (an average of 12.56 per match) was team Saucepan (Alex Crystol, Susanna Gross, Ewa Kater, Sara Moran, Claire Robinson, Szczepan Smoczyński) getting £100.

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Division Two Final Rankings

(Full details on the EBU website.)

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Item posted 25 November 2021

This is just a brief note to let you know that the New Year Pairs on Sunday and the Club Game on Monday are going ahead as planned.

If there is a change to this (because of new regulations between now and Sunday) I will circulate an email, and there will be a notification here on the club website. If you have already booked to play, or decide to come on the spur of the moment, then please check the website before you leave home.

I would add that the Goldhawks session on Tuesday morning, the New Chiswick Bridge Club on Tuesday evening and the usual Friday evening duplicate are all currently due to go ahead next week, but please, again, have a look at the website before venturing forth.

A Happy New Year from all at the Young Chelsea.

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Item posted 29 December 2021, author Ian Payn