The brand‑new YC Super League started on 22 January. An amazing 21 teams have signed up for our top‑class competition—the giants of Division One will play for the honour of becoming the first ever YC Super League champions (and the big money prize of course), while the up‑and‑coming teams in Division Two will fight for promotion (and their own money prize). More details…

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Item posted 14 January 2020

Update: 15 March 2020

The EBU has announced that its Portland Pairs event is postponed in the light of concerns about the increasing spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). The club will let you know if and when a new date for the event is scheduled.

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The club, as usual, is to run a heat of the Portland Pairs which this year is on Sunday 29 March starting at 12.00 noon. Please note the date in your diaries.

The Portland is a two‑session mixed‑pairs event held at various venues. The event is matchpointed over the entire field via the internet.

The easiest way to enter is online on the EBU website through My EBU.

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Item posted 20 January 2020, updated 15 March 2020

Please come along and take part in the Sim which we will be holding on Monday 3 February. The £3.00 surcharge to our normal session fee promotes junior bridge in England by going directly into the junior squad budgets. The event, previously titled the Bridge England Sim Pairs, remains in the familiar fun format, suitable for everyone to play, not just juniors!

Bear in mind that the same deals, which you can only play once, are used in other clubs on Tuesday 4 February. Hand records will be available online after the Tuesday session.

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Item posted 24 January 2020

This is the LMBA’s two‑session green‑pointed matchpoint pairs event from which the leading pairs qualify to represent London in the Corwen Trophy at the end of May. Held at the club on Sunday 8 March, the start time is 11.30am. Register your entry (or make an enquiry) by email to LMBAentries@gmail.com.

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Item posted 25 January 2020

Congratulations to team BLACK (Andrew Black, Phil King, Andrew McIntosh, Gunnar Hallberg) for winning the YCKO 2018 final. (This is the previous season’s event, not the one currently under way.) Behind team TELTSCHER (Victor Silverstone, Tom Townsend, Alex Hydes, Stelio di Bello) after 48 deals, BLACK as undefeated team used the right to play an extra eight deals and edged in front by 2 IMPs at the end.

The prizegiving took place at the club on Wednesday 5 February. BLACK received the £1,000 first prize and TELTSCHER got £400 as runner‑up.

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Item posted 28 January 2020, updated 6 February 2020

Update: 17 March 2020

In the current circumstances the LMBA has decided to cancel the heat scheduled for this coming Thursday at the YCBC. Apologies for the short notice.

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The Garden Cities is the national teams‑of‑eight championship for EBU affiliated clubs.

The winner of London’s single‑session qualifying heat (at the club on Thursday 19 March at 7.00pm) will be eligible to play in the South‑East Regional Final, and, if successful there, in the National Final.

Clubs may enter as many teams as they wish, subject to space restrictions at the venue. (The LMBA reserves the right, if necessary, to restrict the number of teams per club.)

Clubs must be members of the LMBA. Players must be members of the EBU and of the club they represent but do not have to be LMBA members. It is not necessary for the same eight players to represent a team at each stage of the competition but no player may play for more than one club.

Entry fee: £80 per team.

Advance entry is required and should be made to Chris Duckworth at LMBAentries@gmail.com or on 020 7385 3534.

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Item posted 29 February 2020, updated 17 March 2020

We are sad to report the death of  Bernard Teltscher, president of the London Metropolitan Bridge Association and sponsor, as well as winner of, the prestigious Lederer (held at the YC for many years before its move to the RAC) and Teltscher trophies.

EBU Chairman, Ian Payn said “Not only was Bernard a fine player, but also a great patron of the game he loved so much and played so well. He was President of the London Metropolitan Bridge Association and a deserved first recipient of the EBU’s Tony Priday Award. Our condolences to Bernard’s family and friends.”

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Item posted 29 February 2020

You will all be aware of the current situation regarding the coronavirus crisis. Bridge clubs are not yet required to close, so for now, we have decided to keep the YCBC open. The regular playing sessions and the YC Super League will continue, and you will be able to book matches as usual. We know that the position is very fluid and could change at any time and if we are required to curtail our activities, we will let you know as soon as we can.

We are very aware, however, that many of our members are amongst the high‑risk groups. We are not as young or physically fit as we were, and it is very important that all our members protect themselves as well as possible, and that we do everything that we can to help in this respect.

At the club, we have improved the hand‑washing facilities in the kitchen and have ensured that the toilets are equipped with a supply of paper towels as well as plenty of soap and hot water. We are upping our cleaning routines and trying to ensure that boards and cards are not re‑cycled more often than every four days—the period for which the virus is able to survive. We will be providing tissues adjacent to tables for use by anyone who needs to cough, sneeze or blow their nose.

Despite these measures, please do all that you can to protect yourselves. That means:

PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE CLUB IF:

• you are feeling unwell or suffering from a cough, any fever or respiratory symptoms, even a cold;
• you have been IN CONTACT WITH a confirmed case of COVID‑19 (coronavirus) or have been advised to self‑isolate because of your travel history or contact with a suspected case;
• you have recently returned from a heavily infected area.

WHILST AT THE CLUB PLEASE:

• wash your hands on arrival and use antibacterial gel.
• use tissues to cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing and discard them in a closed bin immediately. Wash your hands and use your hand sanitiser if you have some.
• try to avoid making contact between your hands, face or mouth when playing cards.

Obviously, every individual will make their own decision about whether they feel comfortable playing in the prevailing circumstances. Your partner will forgive you if you do not want to play and the club will not penalize you if you find you have to cancel or postpone a match.

Stay well.

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Item posted 15 March 2020

Following the latest government advice, it is with deep regret the Management Committee have decided to close the club with immediate effect. The support of our members during this crisis has been very much appreciated but we understand that to continue our operations might put players at risk and we are therefore taking the measure most likely to safeguard the health of everyone.

You will be aware that the club has been in financial difficulties for some time; the closure—probably for several months—is going to hit us very hard, but the Management Committee members will be doing our utmost to ensure we have a future once this crisis is over.

We are currently investigating whether we can hold our Monday and Friday duplicate games online and will let you know if we find a way to make this happen. We will be staying in touch by email and keeping the website updated with any news.

Let’s hope we all manage to weather this storm and meet up again soon.

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Item posted 17 March 2020,

Most club members will be aware that the YCBC has been operating on limited financial resources for some time. It is particularly frustrating that we are no longer able to keep going just at the time when the enormous amount of effort which has recently been put into the club was beginning to show dividends.

The Management Committee is continuing to meet (by conference call/Skype) regularly and is working to keep the club alive and solvent. It will be tough, but one way that you might be able to help is to donate to the club some portion of what you would normally have spent when visiting the club—your table money, or the cost of a pint, perhaps?

One member, Richard Bowdery, has set up a regular weekly donation to do just that, and if you would like to follow suit, it just might make all the difference. (By the way, the club, as a charity, benefits—and you do not lose out—if you have signed and returned a Gift Aid form.) To remind you, our bank details are:

Please use the reference LOCKDOWN when you send any donations in this way, so that we can identify them separately from any other income, such as that from the online games that we will soon be arranging. And thank you so very much.

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Item posted 25 March 2020

Update: 10 April 2020

Tonight’s Friday duplicate will be at 5.30pm. BBO has just announced that in order to manage the overwhelming demand on the platform, clubs will temporarily no longer be able to run games starting between 6.00pm and 10.00pm UK time. We expect there will be opportunities to run evening games at our preferred times online in the future, when BBO has had time to adapt to the new demand and other platforms are developed. However, in the very short term, we will have to change the time of this evening’s duplicate to 5.30pm. We will be running an afternoon duplicate at 2.00pm on Easter Sunday. And on Easter Monday at 2.00pm we will run a cross-IMP afternoon duplicate in addition to our regular matchpoint evening duplicate at 5.30pm (not 8.15pm).

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Update: 8 April 2020

There will be evening duplicates on Good Friday and Easter Monday! But due to the crush on BBO at the moment, which led to our Monday game this week being disrupted, we will now start our Monday and Friday online evening duplicates a bit later, at 8.15pm on both days.

As usual, the games will be visible for you to register on BBO two hours before the start. We do encourage you to log on early as it can be a bit slow.

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Update: 4 April 2020

BBO is heavily loaded in the evenings and sometimes you cannot log in at first and you need to keep retrying. Attempting to log in at least 15 minutes before the start time is prudent. If you are not in BBO on time we either have to proceed without you or delay the start of the tournament.

Note also that BBO’s recent actions to manage its system load have two affects on us.

• Our duplicate size is now limited to 20 tables.
• If you have not previously provided the club with your name and BBO nickname, make sure we get the information by 2.00pm on the day you intend to play.

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Update: 30 March 2020

You can now pay through the website for online membership or credit for online games.

From 6 April, the start time of Monday games moves to 7.30pm.

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The Young Chelsea is excited to announce that our usual evening duplicates on Mondays and Fridays will now be running online! They will be on BBO starting this Monday 30 March, and we do hope you’ll join us—whether you have played recently at the YC or haven’t been for a while.

Games will be on the same days as regular YC face-to-face duplicates were, but the start time on Mondays has been moved back by half an hour to 7.30pm. The schedule is:

• Monday at 7.30pm 7.00pm (matchpoints)
• Friday at 7.30pm (cross-IMPs)

The duplicates are open to YC members and guests playing with members, with a special online-only YC membership available for £10.00.

Cost is £4.00 for members, £5.00 for guests, and £2.00 for students/under-25s. We will shortly be taking payments through the YC website, and will let you know when this is up and running. Members will need to pay for their guests.

To play, send your name and BBO nickname to the club, and I will add you to the list. For Monday’s game, I will need this by 3.00pm on Monday, but you can be added to the list at any time and are then able to join all future YC online games.

If you have any questions about the games or how to play on BBO, then do let me know. We hope to see you online soon!

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Item posted 28 March 2020, updated 15 April 2020, author Rachel Lillycrop

The Young Chelsea Bridge Club is pleased to announce that we are arranging a 48‑deal (two‑session) online matchpointed pairs tournament on Saturday 11 April. The tournament will take place on BBO.

There will be two sessions: 1.00pm–4.00pm and 5.00pm–8.00pm. Open to both YC members and non‑members.

Cost: £10 per person for YC members and £15 per person for non‑members.

You can register via the website, or by emailing either Paula Leslie or the club. Please mention your BBO IDs.

You can pay either by bank transfer or by debit/credit card via the website to get online game credit.

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Item posted 6 April 2020, author Paula Leslie

New Year… New Skill… New Friends!  

Goldhawks Bridge for Beginners

A fun and social course by a professional bridge teacher.   A series of eight weekly lessons taught at the Young Chelsea Bridge Club. Meet new people, exercise your brain, and discover why bridge has gripped millions of people for decades. Lessons take place once a week on Mondays at 7.00pm. Contact the club for more information!

About the Teacher—Niall Igoe

"Energetic" and "hilarious" are two adjectives that Niall's students frequently use to describe him. His boundless enthusiasm ensures there's never a dull moment in his lessons, but he also has an endless supply of patience and can adapt to every learning style. Despite still being under thirty (just), he plays a very high standard of professional bridge and has seen success both in the UK and abroad. His talents don't stop at bridge; he has a PhD in Chemistry, making him one of the most educated bridge pros on the London scene. When not playing bridge, Niall enjoys reading an incredibly wide variety of books and seems to have a huge amount of knowledge on virtually every topic.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I get there?

The Young Chelsea is situated directly opposite Goldhawk Road station. The entrance is next to and slightly behind Sainsbury’s. See more about transport links and parking.

• How much does the course cost?

The full course is £160. However, your first lesson is free, so there’s no risk! Turn up and see if you like it, then pay later. Your course also includes free Young Chelsea membership for a year, worth £60!

• How long is each lesson?

Each lesson will be around two hours long. However, we often find that people are having so much fun that they choose to stay longer and keep playing after the lesson has finished!

• I’ve never played cards before. Is that a problem?

Absolutely not! The courses start at complete beginner level, and they’ll be tailored to each student’s pace.

• What happens after the course?

After the beginners’ course we’ll run a follow‑on improvers’ course, for those who want to sharpen their skills. You’ll also be able to play in friendly supervised sessions, our social Goldhawks League, or just for fun with friends.

• I’ve played a bit of bridge before, but not much. Is this course suitable for me?

If you’ve already had some experience of bridge but want to go back to basics, you’re welcome on the beginners’ course. However, you might also want to consider the Goldhawks League or trying our supervised play sessions. We can find you a bridge partner for these if you’d like—just call or email us.

• What happens if I miss a lesson?

It’s best if you can make the whole course, but we understand that sometimes unavoidable commitments come up. If that happens, your teacher will be happy to provide notes on what you’ve missed and help you to catch up.

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Page last updated 6 April 2020

Update: 6 April 2020

Since the Young Chelsea is closed for face‑to‑face events to comply with goverment instructions to cope with COVID-19 (coronavirus), the weekend bridge course planned for 18 & 19 April has been cancelled.

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The Young Chelsea Bridge Club's Bridge Introductory Weekend for Chess Players and Mindsports Enthusiasts will take place over the weekend of 18-19 April 2020. Cost is £35 and food is provided.

As a bridge player you will find yourself using many of the skills from chess - but while dealing with incomplete information, and communicating with your partner in a fashion constrained by the game's laws. Some of the greatest bridge players started out in chess; bridge is an ideal complementary interest for a chess player, given the two games' similarities and contrasts.

• GM Jonathan Mestel writes: Bridge has many different things to offer. Each hand starts in the deep unknown and the discovery element in bidding and play is intriguing. The psychological aspects of understanding what opponents are up to, and how to mislead them, is appealing. (For Jonathan's full article, click here). 
• WGM Irina Levitina writes: Both games are fantastic. The best part of bridge is that it is a sociable game. You have people rooting for you. (For Irina's full article, click here).

Your teachers will be Youth Initiative Coordinator and England Junior India Leeming, and Young Chelsea stalwart David Parry. 

Founded in 1968, our club remains an international destination for the younger generation of bridge players - so there is no better place to start.   

Course schedule:

Please use the form below to book and secure your place. Places are limited so don't delay. We look forward to meeting you in April.

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Item last updated 6 April 2020

We will be running afternoon games online on both Easter Sunday and Monday, starting at 2.00pm. These will have the same format as our normal duplicates, so you can just show up on BBO—as long as you are on our list of online players. If you would like to be added to the online list, then please send the club your name and BBO nickname at least two hours before the start of play.

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Item posted 10 April 2020, author Rachel Lillycrop

Following the success of our Easter online matchpointed tournament, we will be running an online cross-IMPed tournament on Saturday 25 April.

Format will be two 18-deal sessions on BBO at 2.00pm and 5.30pm. Members £8, visitors £12 per person.

You can register via YC website, or by emailing the club. Please mention your BBO IDs.

Please could you pay the club in advance to reserve your space. You can use any existing YC credit that you have, or pay via bank transfer or online through the website. Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 17 April 2020

Following the success of our Easter online matchpointed tournament, we will be running an online matchpointed pairs tournament on Saturday 9 May.

Format will be two 18-deal sessions on BBO at 12.30pm and 3.30pm. Members £8, visitors £12 per person.

You can register via YC website, or by emailing the club. Please mention your BBO IDs.

Please could you pay the club in advance to reserve your space. You can use any existing YC credit that you have, or pay via bank transfer or online through the website. Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 29 April 2020

The YC is continuing its fortnightly series of Saturday online pairs events on BBO alternating between matchpoint and cross‑IMP scoring. The next, scored by cross‑IMPs, will be held on Saturday 23 May.

Format will be a 36-deal single extended-session with a half‑hour break in the middle. Start at 2.00pm—please give yourself adequate time to login—and finish around 7.00pm. Members £8, visitors £12 per person.

You can register via YC website, or by emailing the club. Please mention your BBO IDs.

Please would you pay the club in advance to reserve your space. You can use any existing YC credit that you have, or pay via bank transfer or online through the website. Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 10 May 2020

Interested in learning bridge? Know someone who might be? We can help!

Many people may be looking for new ways to spend their time whilst normal life is on hold. As anyone who has ever tried it knows, bridge is absorbing, fascinating and fun. It is also the most social of games—you make many new friends at the bridge table. For a lifetime of future entertainment, now is the ideal time to learn.

Bridge translates remarkably well between online and face‑to‑face formats. We are very pleased to announce that Mike Eden, long‑standing club member and experienced bridge teacher, is now teaching bridge lessons online! He offers a fast‑track course for beginners that will teach you the basics (and more) in an accessible and stimulating way, so you'll soon be ready for your first duplicate bridge session.

Mike has a wealth of experience teaching bridge to people of all ages, and currently runs online courses for both teenagers and adults. Courses use Bridge Base Online (the world's biggest online bridge platform) alongside simultaneous interaction with Mike and the rest of the class over Zoom, so students are fully engaged and supported throughout the lessons.

The initial beginners' course is ten two‑hour lessons for £100, with follow‑on courses available. Depending on demand, the course can be run as weekly lessons, or with more frequent lessons if the class would like to move faster. An intermediate course may also be available.

For those who already play a little bridge and would like help to improve, Mike also offers online supervised play. If you are interested, or would like more information, please contact the club manager, Rachel, at manager@ycbc.co.uk.

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Item last updated 12 May 2020

The YC is continuing its fortnightly series of Saturday online pairs events on BBO alternating between matchpoint and cross‑IMP scoring. The next, scored by matchpoints, will be held on Saturday 6 June.

Format will be a 36-deal single extended-session with a half‑hour break in the middle. Start at 2.00pm—please give yourself adequate time to login—and finish around 7.00pm. Members £8, visitors £12 per person.

You can register via YC website, or by emailing the club. Please mention your BBO IDs.

Please would you pay the club in advance to reserve your space. You can use any existing YC credit that you have, or pay via bank transfer or online through the website. Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 24 May 2020

The Online Midsummer Swiss Teams (see poster} is now completed, thanks to all who took part. Congratulations to the Hillman team (Richard Hillman, Keith Bennett, Brian Callaghan, Nicola Smith, Rob Cliffe and Frank To) who won by 15 VPs ahead of second‑placed Michael Jackson’s 5. See the final rankings.

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Item posted 4 June 2020, updated 19 August 2020

The YC is continuing its fortnightly series of Saturday online pairs events on BBO alternating between matchpoint and cross‑IMP scoring. The next, scored by cross‑IMPs, will be held on Saturday 20 June.

Format will be a 36-deal single extended-session with a half‑hour break in the middle. Start at 2.00pm—please give yourself adequate time to login—and finish around 7.00pm. Members £8, visitors £12 per person.

You can register via the YC website, or by emailing the club. Please mention your BBO IDs.

Please would you pay the club in advance to reserve your space. You can use any existing YC credit that you have, or pay via bank transfer or online through the website. Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 7 June 2020

The Young Chelsea Bridge Club is delighted to announce its first Online Bridge Course, which will take place on the weekend of 27 & 28 June! [Poster]

Format

• Saturday session 11.00am–1.00pm
• Sunday session 11.00am–1.00pm
• Both sessions will comprise a lesson followed by play, with the opportunity to ask the teacher questions as you go

Details

This course is aimed towards those who like to just get stuck in. By the end of this course, you will be comfortably able to play bridge with your friends—and have lots of fun doing it! The whole weekend is just £20 per person. The lesson will take place in a Zoom meeting hosted by the teacher. For playing, we will use the Bridge Base Online website, for which you will need to create a free account in advance. You can sign up via the YC website, or by emailing our club manager, Rachel, whom you can also contact with any enquiries. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Please send your payment to the club in advance to reserve your space. You can pay either via bank transfer, in which case please put COURSE JUN20 as the reference, or online through the website. Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 9 June 2020, author India Leeming

The Young Chelsea Super League finished successfully earlier in June, having overcome an unanticipated challenge in mid‑season from Covid‑19. Thank you for your flexibility in continuing the competition online. Summaries of the final standings in each division are below.

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Congratulation to winning team De Botton (Janet de Botton, Thor Erik Hoftaniska, Artur Malinowski, Tom Townsend), back in the event after too long an absence, picking up the £600 first prize. The club usually publishes a picture of the happy winners together, but none is available this time.

In second place was team Hinden (Jeffrey Allerton, Paul Barden, Sally Brock, David Burn, Frances Hinden, David Kendrick, Paula Leslie, Jonathan Mestel, Barry Myers, Graham Osborne, Mike Scoltock) receving £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.

In first place was team Natt (Alexandra Birchall, Ben Green, Stephen Kennedy, Ankush Khandelwal, Sebastian Kristensen, Shahzaad Natt, Stefano Tommasini) getting £300.

In second place was team Robinson (Susanna Gross, Ewa Kater, Graham Orsmond, Claire Robinson, Szczepan Smoczyński) getting £100.

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Commiserations to the unlucky teams relegated to Division Two next season. Let’s see if they are able to rebound immediately.

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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 23 June 2020

On Saturday 18 July, the club is holding its summer party online. The festivities kick off on BBO at 1.00pm with the annual individual tournament for the fabled Keith Loveys tankard (displayed on a shelf in the bar). A quiz on Zoom will follow shortly after the individual. Then, after a break to allow time for an evening meal, the players are welcome back to BBO for an online speedball pairs.

You can come along to any or all of these events. You don't need to be a Young Chelsea member (and for the individual you don't need to worry about finding a partner).

You can register via the YC website, or by emailing the club. Please mention your BBO ID.

Please would you pay the club in advance to reserve your space. You can use any existing YC credit that you have, or pay via bank transfer or online through the website. Cost for the whole day: members £8, visitors £12 per person.

Poster

Our Metro Bank account details are:

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Item posted 1 July 2020

Update: 25 November 2020

Looking forward to the Spring 2021 season, matches for both divisions start on Wednesday 27 January and continue at two‑weekly intervals to finish on Wednesday 19 May.

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The Autumn season of the Young Chelsea Super League begins, for Division One, on Wednesday 26 August and continues at two‑weekly intervals to finish on Wednesday 16 December. 

Division One has ten teams consisting of those who qualified from the Spring season who wish to continue. With a Division One place up for grabs due to a withdrawal, team Rusty beat team Lehto in a playoff before the start of the Autumn season.

The teams in Division One are

Please note that matches in Division One start at 7.15pm, a quarter‑hour earlier than they did in the previous season. The change is to allow more time for the director, who is very busy setting up matches and inviting all players in both divisions to the tables. The draw for Division One has been made: match schedule.

Division One current standings are maintained on EBU website on their League Results page.

Division Two has attracted thirteen teams. 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.

The teams in Division Two are

Matches in Division Two start at 7.30pm, the same time as they did in the previous season. The draw for Division Two has been made: match schedule.

Division Two current standings are maintained on EBU website on their League Results page.

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.

In Spring the teams responded to Covid-19 by moving the competition online. At present, the plan is to continue wholly online on BBO in the Autumn season. But, should the club by then be able to accommodate some face‑to‑face play, then the two teams in a match may, provided both agree, request to play at the club.

The updated regulations can be found here.

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

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Page last updated 25 November 2020

Sadly, we are losing our club manager and now we’re looking for someone to take over this role. Although the club is currently closed in lockdown, we are hoping to re‑open soon and meanwhile we are still very active—running online games and developing plans for the future.

We are a members’ club whose overall control is in the hands of a volunteer Management Committee, but we wish to employ someone to take over most aspects of the day‑to‑day running of the club. Whilst a bridge player would be ideal, we feel it is more important to find the right person who is enthusiastic and hard‑working enough to help consolidate and grow our business.

We feel sure that in the current situation there may be many people looking for employment who could be well‑suited to this role, and we are seeking your help on finding our ideal candidate. If you know of anyone who might be suitable, please would you draw this opportunity to their attention. Below is the job description which we are using to advertise the post.

Thank you in anticipation of your help.

Update: 5 August 2020

Thank you all for your responses. The club has had a number of applications for the post and is in the process of interviewing candidates. No more applications are being considered at present.

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Bridge Club Manager—an opportunity to manage and develop the Young Chelsea Bridge Club, a top London venue for bridge based in Shepherd’s Bush, London W12.

The YC is seeking a dynamic individual who will be responsible for managing all aspects of the club, including ensuring the smooth running of bridge events, the upkeep of the premises and the efficient operation of the club’s licensed bar. The right person will also have plenty of opportunity to grow the business through expansion of the club’s activities.

The post will be full‑time, though short term whilst the club is in lockdown it will be part‑time and home based. Salary: negotiable, in the range £25–30,000 pa, with growth potential.

Requirements are willingness to learn, self‑motivation, enthusiasm, ambition and the ability to get along with a wide variety of people. Some managerial experience would be an advantage, as would a basic understanding of bridge, but all candidates will be considered and training will be provided. We seek a hard worker with a positive attitude.

Please send your CV to youngchelseajobs@gmail.com.

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Item posted 24 July 2020, last updated 5 August 2020

Would you like to play in a quality teams‑of‑four league without having to go through the hassle of arranging dates for every match? If so, try the Young Chelsea Super League in which each team plays the same deals on fixed alternate Wednesdays.

In the Autumn season, which starts on 26 August, places are available in Division Two, away from the big beasts in Division One. Please contact the club if you are interested. The deadline for registering new teams is 19 August.

Don’t worry if you don’t have teammates, we will try to match you up. And if you think you can’t commit to playing so regularly, you can improve your team’s situation by having more team members (you are not limited to just six players per team). Although the club discourages re‑arranging match dates, if all else fails you can do so, with enough notice.

At present, you can expect to play your Autumn season matches online. In the Spring season just finished, the event started face‑to‑face, but moved online in response to Covid‑19. The situation is under review and, when the club can handle face‑to‑face play again, your team and your opponents’, provided both agree, may ask to play a match at the club.

Note that Division Two has attracted thirteen teams, each of which will play against either just nine or just eight, if sitting out one round, other teams on the same dates as Division One. The teams are ranked so that the movement evens out the strength of the opponents which each team faces.

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Item posted 4 August 2020, updated 24 August 2020

We are pleased to announce a brand new event, the Autumn Handicap Ladder, to be played for the Warwick Trophy. All YC duplicates played in the club and online until mid‑December will count towards the final score, which will be calculated using your NGS grade on 1 September. Your best ten handicap‑adjusted scores with at least three different partners will be used, and we’ll be posting regular updates to show the leaders. Anyone might win this prestigious trophy—all you need to do is play better than your NGS rating a few times. If you win, you get to keep the trophy for ever on your mantelpiece—think of the bragging rights! If you believe your rating is too low, then this is your chance to prove it! If your NGS grade changes during the competition, it won’t matter—your ranking on 1 September is the one we will use throughout. You can find more details and follow your progress via the ladder page.

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Page last updated 31 August 2020

Although we were very sad to lose Rachel, who has now left to pursue her studies to become a vicar, we are delighted to have appointed Ollie Burgess as our new club manager. He starts at the club today, 7 September, and looks forward to meeting everyone at the club as soon as he can. Although previously based in Manchester, Ollie will be well known to many of you as a player—he was a junior international not too many years ago. He has helped out at Manchester BC in the past and comes to us with a great passion for bridge and to make the YCBC a thriving bridge community once more post‑Covid.

Ollie has selflessly provided us with the following potted autobiography.

I was first introduced to bridge at the age of 11 when in 1995 my mum, who had played since a teen, thought it might be a game I would enjoy. I learnt the basic rules and then kibitzed a session of her playing at Lytham Bridge Club. At the end of the session, my mum eagerly asked if I had enjoyed the experience. My response, “That was boring. If I don’t get to play, then I’m not bothering.” Armed the following Saturday evening with some basic instructions, I was ready to go and Board 1 arrived, and I opened 1NT (12 to 14) one of the few things I knew, and it got passed out. My mum tabled a 16 count, and I cashed my seven top tricks at quick speed. This game was so easy. Fortunately, I was blissfully unaware that at the end of the evening, the traveller was littered with 660s!

But from that day, I was hooked on bridge. At first, I was only allowed to play once a week and I would count down the hours until Saturday night when I would be allowed to play again. There was plenty of tuition in the week—you probably don’t encounter too many mums quizzing their offspring on Stayman and transfers whilst walking down the milk aisle at Tesco. Over time, I was allowed to play with more regularity and at the age of 14, I attended my first England under‑20 training weekend—guess the venue? The YC, of course! I remember making 3NT on a double squeeze and Jon Cooke, who was helping run the weekend, quizzed me at the end to see if this was a fluke. “Why did you duck the spade?” was asked and as a precocious 14‑year‑old, I replied, “To rectify the count. My mother has already taught me that.” “Is your mum a strong player?” he continued, and I responded, “The best. She plays for Lytham A team!” Fortunately, that precocious kid is a distant memory.

From there, I was so fortunate and privileged to travel the world representing England at under‑20, ‑25 and ‑28 level, respectively. Junior bridge encompassed some of my best days, and I made so many lovely friends who helped me on my way. I have lived in Manchester for the last ten years, but working full time in a non‑bridge role meant that I couldn’t continue to devote as much time to bridge as I would like. It was much easier being 16 and playing bridge the night before your maths GCSE! But I have carried on playing, won a few domestic tournaments and also took on a role as part of one of Manchester Bridge Club’s teaching wing.

Why do I love bridge? I love the complexity and satisfaction of solving a bridge problem but I what I really love is how bridge, is the all‑inclusive nature of the game. Everyone is equal at the bridge table and should be showed equal respect, kindness and patience. Bridge is great in that you are never alone at the table and you get to share the highs and lows with your partner. When you successfully strand your 12th trick in the dummy in the Spring 4s in 6NT and go one down, you need a caring partner. That memory still haunts me ten years later…

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Item posted 7 September 2020

The YC teaching wing is now offering a course of lessons aimed at improving bidding and card play. This is a six‑week course run by our club manager, Ollie Burgess, which takes place on a weekly basis on Bridge Base Online. A Zoom chat also runs in the background so questions can be asked. It’s informal and you can chat to the teacher and other players just as if you were in the actual bridge club. The course takes the following structure:

Contact us now to sign up for the course for £60.00. Alternatively, there is the option to sign up for any individual lesson that catches your eye for a one‑off cost of £15.00.

Each lesson comes with notes on the specific topic together with an assortment of challenging play hands to follow on BBO. If you would like to join as a one, two, three or four, please email the club and we will organise a time and date with you.

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Item last updated 16 September 2020

We have scheduled a new course for those completely new to bridge. Bidding and card play are the two main elements of bridge and we will cover the basics of both, providing a firm foundation on which to build bridge expertise.

The course, comprising eight lessons, will be held online using Zoom and Bridge Base Online—a wonderful platform for playing and practising bridge online. The cost will be £120.00 per person to cover tuition and comprehensive course notes. It will be taught by our club manager, Ollie Burgess, who has lots of bridge teaching experience and who knows just how to make your learning a fun and rewarding experience. Learning groups will be small so you will receive as much individual help as you need to get to grips with the wonderful game of bridge.

Provisionally, the course is scheduled to run on Wednesday afternoons between 2.00 and 4.00pm, starting on Wednesday 23 September (though there may be scope to adjust the timing if there is demand for something different).

Contact Ollie at the club for more details and to register.

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Item last updated 17 September 2020

The YC is holding another of the Saturday online cross‑IMP pairs events, that were popular during the summer, on BBO on Saturday 3 October.

Format will be a single extended‑session of approximately 36 deals with a short break in the middle. Start at 1.00pm—this is an hour earlier than the summer events so please give yourself adequate time to login—and finish around 6.00pm. Members and visitors BBO $10 per person. Note that, unlike the process for the summer events, you do not need to  pay in advance. Everything now happens within BBO in the same way as in our regular weekday duplicates and the event will have a YC director in charge.

Please would you register your entry using the form below (not the register menu button—we’re trying the built‑in BridgeWebs way) to help the club prepare for the event. (You can see previous entries in the list.) In particular, if you have not already played in a regular YC duplicate you need to let the club. know your BBO ID etc. in advance. Please do not leave this to the last minute as it complicates the director’s job on the day and you risk the event starting without you.

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Item posted 21 September 2020, updated 24 September

The next Annual General Meeting of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 22 October 2020, using Zoom. Here are the Agenda for the meeting and a document explaining proposed changes to the club’s Articles of Association, to be voted on at the meeting.

All Full, Honorary, Student and Online Members over 16 years of age will be able to attend and vote, and those unable to attend in person are able to vote by proxy. It is an important time for the club in this difficult year, and you are urged to come along to hear about the club’s situation and to make your views known. Remember that you, the members, own the club and have a vested interest in its future.

It is important that the AGM meets the current quorum, which requires one tenth of the membership to attend, 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 Thursday 22 October 2020, giving him 

       full authority to vote on my behalf. 

       Signed:                    Date: 

To take part in the AGM, you can either start Zoom and supply the meeting information manually or use the meeting link directly.

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Item posted 4 October 2020

Since it now seems unlikely that we will be able to re‑open the club and sell drinks at the bar this year, we have cleared out the bar stocks and are offering them for sale to any members who would like them. See the pictures for what is available at the special sale prices.

If interested, please contact Ollie at the club or on 07469 877918 to arrange a time to come and collect items from the club. If coming by car, please note that the gate across the driveway is now in use, but Ollie can give you the padlock combination to gain access to the yard.

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Item posted 30 September 2020

Update: 23 October 2020. Currently suspended.

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Whilst the Monday and Friday evening BBO games are well established, we are branching out with more daytime activities. At present, we already have the ongoing flexible teaching programme and Mike Eden’s supervised practice. Now the YC is pleased to announce the introduction of a new weekly session commencing on Tuesday 6 October at 2.00pm. It will be limited to a maximum of 18 deals with a generous allocation of time for each round. This will provide a relaxed atmosphere where no one will feel rushed or flustered with the technology. David Muller will direct the sessions, which will cost $5 BBO to enter.

These games would be ideal for those who are members of the “Goldhawks” group, but experts are welcome too. And as an added incentive, your scores for the games will go towards the ladder handicap competition for the chance to win the prestigious Warwick Trophy.

If you haven’t played in one of our online games before, send me your BBO ID the day before your first visit. To locate the game on BBO, log in and head to the section entitled “competitive” --> All Tournaments --> Pending and then type YC into the search box, which should locate the game and allow you to register. If you have never used BBO before or need a refresher, contact me and I will arrange to go through this with you.

Finally, if anyone needs a partner, please email  by the day before and I will do some matchmaking!

Hope to see you Tuesday.

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Item posted 2 October 2020 updated 23 October 2020, author Ollie Burgess

The YC is holding another of its Saturday online cross‑IMP pairs events on BBO on Saturday 31 October.

Format will be a single extended‑session of approximately 36 deals with a short break in the middle. Start at 1.00pm—this is an hour earlier than the summer events so please give yourself adequate time to login—and finish around 6.00pm. Members and visitors BBO $10 per person. Note that, unlike the process for the summer events, you do not need to  pay in advance. Everything now happens within BBO in the same way as in our regular weekday duplicates and the event will have a YC director in charge.

Please would you register your entry using the form below (not the register menu button—we’re using the built‑in BridgeWebs way) to help the club prepare for the event. (You can see previous entries in the list.) In particular, if you have not already played in a regular YC duplicate you need to let the club. know your BBO ID etc. in advance. Please do not leave this to the last minute as it complicates the director’s job on the day and you risk the event starting without you.

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Item posted 7 October 2020

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 22 October 2020 are available for viewing.

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Item posted 6 November 2020

We are pleased to announce that the Young Chelsea Bridge Club is moving home. In January we will be moving from the Goldhawk Road premises to a new home in Dalling Road, Hammersmith—the former Salvation Army Hall.

It’s a great location, just off King Street and very close to Ravenscourt Park tube station. We will have ground‑floor accommodation with a super double‑height playing hall plus quiet rooms for teaching and matches.

We will be part of a new mind sports centre housing bridge, Go, chess and any other games we can fit in. Here’s hoping the new venue will be ready as soon as we can safely resume face‑to‑face play.

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Item posted 6 November 2020

The Young Chelsea is holding its fourth annual Women’s Swiss Teams online this year over the weekend 14 & 15 October. Over 30 teams have entered. The competition will not be on BBO, but instead on RealBridge.

RealBridge Session Link

The event will consist of four sessions of 20, 40, 20 and 20 deals respectively. As a player, you may use the link below to join each session.

Join Women’s Teams RealBridge Session

If you want to kibitz the event you may do so via

kibitz.realbridge.online

which allows you to see deals once everyone has completed them.

Prizegiving

After play in the last match has finished you may use the Zoom link below to join the prizegiving.

Join Women’s Teams Prizegiving on Zoom

(Meeting ID: 863 6747 0148 Passcode: 123140)

Provisional Match Times

Please note that these are United Kingdom times (UTC/GMT). Each match consists of ten deals.

Team Numbers/Tables

Team numbers have been assigned. When you have logged in to RealBridge for the first session, you should sit at the table which corresponds to your team number. The draw for the first round will be random.

Regulations

A brief set of specific regulations for this event details differences from or additions to standard EBU regulations.

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Item posted 11 November 2020, updated 15 November 2020

For those looking for a trip down memory lane, another old issue, November 1997, of the club newsletter, Chelsea Bridge, has surfaced. Scans of all newsletters so far found are available via the history page. If you have a missing issue that you would like to add, please get in touch with the club.

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Item posted 18 November 2020

YCKO 2021

Twenty‑five teams have entered this year’s competition. After seeding the teams by NGS, the draw (updated regularly with match results) for the first five rounds has completed. A random draw avoiding rematches was made for Round Six with results:

Team Muppets is undefeated and has a bye through to the final. The result for Round Seven, the semifinal and a rematch, is:

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The final between teams Muppets and Leslie took place online in mid‑December. Maybe the teams were uncharacteristically shy in letting the club know the result, but for whatever reason the news was slow to reach the webmaster.

Without further ado, congratulations to team Leslie (Tim Leslie, Mike Bell, Ben Norton, Michael Byrne, Kieran Dyke) who won by 30 IMPs over a 56‑deal match. (Team Leslie was 7 IMPs ahead after 48 deals so their opponents exercised their right, as the undefeated team, to an extra eight deals, but to no avail.)

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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 (full or online members).

For 2021, the event will be played as an online competition (although face‑to‑face matches may become possible later in the year). Matches will be played on BBO and teams will pay an entry fee of £72.00 per team which will cover the cost of BBO charges, the EBU UM (pay‑to‑play) charge, and prize awards. There will be no further costs per match for matches played online. Payment of the entry fee can be made via the payments page, along with membership subscriptions for any new club members.

The winning team will hold the YCKO Trophy for the following year and will hopefully be eligible for a play‑off match against the team winning the LMBA London Championship Teams‑of‑four to decide which team will represent London in the 2022 Lederer invitation tournament (assuming the relevant events take place).

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Team Rosters

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The full regulations for the competition are as follows:

Arranging matches

Play‑by dates for completion of each round are shown below, with details of the number of boards to be played at each stage. Play‑by dates must be strictly adhered to.

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 32 teams competing, after Round Five 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 boards 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 boards.

Setting up matches

It will be the duty of the home captain (the first‑named team in the draw) to set up the home match and the duty of the away captain to ensure that the home captain has the BBO usernames of the away team. Twenty‑four‑board matches should be played in two stanzas of twelve, with a mandatory change of opponents at half‑time. Players should aim to login to BBO at least 5–10 minutes before the agreed start time of matches to ensure they take place promptly.

When creating teams matches, barometer should be switched off, as should the option to allow kibitzers unless both teams agree otherwise.

UNDOs are allowed in the auction for genuine “misclicks”—a “misclick” corresponds to a “mechanical error”, see Law 25A2. The time limit on corrections in Law 25A (until partner makes a call) does not apply—there is no way to stop LHO and partner bidding as a player locates the UNDO button, or otherwise indicates that they have misclicked. UNDOs are allowed even if partner has called as long as the situation has not got completely out of hand. UNDOs should also be requested (and allowed) when there has been a correction of a mistaken explanation and Law 21B1 (a) allows a non‑offending player to change the last call by their side

An UNDO should not be requested or granted during the play of the hand.

For any situation not covered by these regulations, the appropriate EBU regulations will apply.

Results

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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Page last updated 20 January 2022

First, remember to join our fabulous online Christmas Party on Saturday 19 December. It begins at 6.00pm with a duplicate on RealBridge (check the Calendar entry for the session link to login), continues with a general knowledge quiz on Zoom, and concludes with a speedball on BBO.

Then Monday 21 December will be the last day before Christmas on which the club will run a regular online duplicate. Register for the session on BBO before the start time of 7.30pm. There will be a regular online supervised session run by Mike Eden on Wednesday 23 December.

As we in London are now in tier four and there really is nowhere to go, we have decided to hold a short cross‑IMPed online duplicate on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December. The session will commence at 2.30pm on BBO and will consist of approximately 18 deals. Afterwards there is a Zoom meeting for those who want to socialise and/or discuss the deals (link available in calendar entry).

The first online duplicate of 2021 will be on New Year’s day itself hosted on RealBridge (not BBO), Friday 1 January. There is no charge for this duplicate, but players are encouraged to make a donation to our chosen local charity: Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank. Please would you make any donations via Ollie Burgess’ page on Virgin Money Giving—https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-portal/fundraiserPage?pageId=1230013. If you intend to play, please register for the event. The login link appears in the calendar entry.

Regular duplicates begin again on Monday 4 January. Supervised sessions resume online on  Wednesday 6 January.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our members and visitors!

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Item posted 5 December 2020

Congratulations to the top six pairs, who qualified to represent England, in the recent EBU Camrose trials. They are Jon Cooke & Cameron Small, Sally Brock & Barry Myers, Richard Hillman & Keith Bennett, Shahzaad Natt & Ian Pagan, Neil Rosen & John Atthey and Keiran Dyke & Michael Byrne. Well done you superstars and we will all be watching and cheering you on in the actual event. How cool is it that of the twelve players selected, all are YC members.

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Item posted 24 December 2020, author Ollie Burgess

The information below refers to the club’s previous location just before it moved to its current premises in Dalling Road, Hammersmith, near Ravenscourt Park tube station.

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The entrance to the club premises, which comprise the basement area of the building, is to the left of the Young Chelsea signboard at the back of the courtyard behind the Sainsbury’s Local store at 54 Goldhawk Road. (Do not bother to look for an imposing building by the name of Brooklyn House—that is just a Google artefact.) Access from the main road to the courtyard is via a gate and a passageway between Sainsbury’s Local, and Goldhawk Watch & Clock Repairers at 54a Goldhawk Road.

Those of you who come to the club outside the normal arrival times may sometimes find the gate from the main road closed. This is to provide security for the students who live in the flats above the club. There is an intercom system installed to the left of the gate, so if you find you can’t get in, just buzz on this and you will be given admittance.

The passageway to the premises is directly across the road from the western Goldhawk Road, entrance to Goldhawk Road tube station on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. The club may also be reached by a walk of about nine minutes from Shepherd’s Bush tube station on the Central line or Shepherd’s Bush station on the Overground. If you feel like some exercise, you might also choose a walk of about 15 minutes north via Hammersmith Grove from Hammersmith station on the District and Piccadilly lines (but it is usually quicker to change tube lines at Hammersmith and go one stop to Goldhawk Road).

Buses 94 and 237 go along Goldhawk Road and stop just outside the premises. The 94 is a 24‑hour service.

A night tube service runs throughout Friday and Saturday nights on the Central and Piccadilly tube lines, but not yet on the Hammersmith & City or Circle lines. And throughout the night, Shepherd’s Bush tube station on the Central line is served by bus 94 eastbound, while Turnham Green tube station, at which Piccadilly line night tube trains stop, is served by bus 94 westbound.

Numerous other bus routes serve the Shepherd’s Bush area—numbers: 31, 49, 72, 95, 148, 207, 220, 228, 260, 272, 283, 295, 316, 607, C1, and N207.

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Item posted 31 December 2020