Congratulations to the 2018 YC bidding quiz winner: Ryan Stephenson, followed by 2nd Dimitre Stoev, 3rd Jacques Olivier (France), all three receiving Funbridge prizes. HUGE THANKS to all our fantastic international panelists for supporting this initiative by providing their votes and comments this year. The best comments throughout the year were, unsurprisingly, from Sally Brock and Phil King who received a special prize from the organizer.

I hope we will relaunch very soon a “YC 2019 Bidding Quiz”.

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Item posted 19 January 2019, author François Picard

The Monday evening duplicates on 4 and 11 February and the Thursday evening duplicate on 7 February will all be Simultaneous Pairs to raise money to help finance the English and Scottish teams playing in the World Championships in China.

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The duplicates on Monday 4 and Thursday 7 February are in aid of Bridge England.

This aims to raise funds to support, and aid performance in, our international teams. In 2019 England will be represented at the World Championships in China by the Open, Women’s, and Senior teams, all of which qualified from the 2018 European Championships. England’s four junior teams will compete at the European Youth Teams Championships, and all England’s teams will compete in their specific competition for the teams of the ‘home nations’.

For the Monday 4 February sims we are charging normal session fees; the club is subidizing the sims. We will be charging the sim entry fee on the Thursday 7 February, but the Spring Saver phase two is in effect, so you will only be paying half price, (£5.00 members/£7.00 visitors) plus £3.00 sim fee so £8.00 (£10.00 visitors) in all.

Then on Monday 11 February, the sims will be to raise money for the Scottish Women’s team, who have qualified for the World Championships for the very first time. As with the sim a week earlier we will be charging normal session fees; the club will be subsidizing the sim.  

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Item posted 31 January 2019, author David Muller

Our club has relaunched, today, the famous monthly bidding quiz with international panellists, similar to the successful YC 2018 one. At the end there will be a special prize for the best ranked YCBC members (11 quizzes this year, due to the delayed start).

There is also a monthly prize offered by Funbridge.

All previous winners will participate. Don't miss it… Good luck!

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Item posted 10 February 2019, author François Picard

The Young Chelsea held its second mixed pairs tournament on Saturday 9 February. Nineteen pairs took part in the enjoyable single extended‑session event. There was a tie for first on 60.61% between Qian Li & Tony Ye and Chris Duckworth & Brian Callaghan. Upon consulting the venerable YC tie‑breaking regulations, Qian & Tony were declared the winners and received the £80.00 first‑place prize.

Chris & Brian had to be content with £40.00 for second. And another £40.00 prize for a partnership of Significant Others went to Sally Brock & Barry Myers in fourth place on 58.33%.

Full results are on Pianola.

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Item posted 10 February 2019

The YCBC Manager, Louisa Spawls, has resigned from this role due to personal circumstances. The club is sad to see her go but is very pleased to announce that a new manager has been appointed to take over. He is James Thrower, a former junior international player who has been making his mark recently in the London area as a bridge professional. His particular interest is in bringing new players into the game through teaching and the YCBC looks forward to a bright future with him at the helm.

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James Thrower—Biographical Notes

Originally from Harrogate, North Yorkshire James learnt bridge in a maths lesson at school and soon became hooked joining both his school and local bridge clubs. Fortunate to receive plenty of support and excellent tutelage, he went on to represent England at both U20 and U25 levels.

Just over two years ago he made a life‑changing decision and left the gambling industry to focus fully on and try to make a full‑time living from Bridge. Since then he has not looked back and has established himself as one of the busiest players on the London Pro‑Bridge circuit.

Not only a successful player, James is also known as a popular bridge teacher whose students value his passion and ability to explain new material in a variety of ways so that everybody can understand it! He plans to bring these skills to the YC to help build upon the existing teaching to attract new players to both the club and the game we all love.

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Item posted 17 February 2019

The winners of the Open Teams Challenge for the Hecht Cup, played over the weekend 2 & 3 March were

Chris DUCKWORTH, Brian Callaghan, Fiona Hutchison, and Mark Lehto.

Seven teams entered. The top four teams after Saturday's play qualified for semifinals on Sunday. In qualifying order, they were

Sarah BELL, Steve Kennedy, Stefano Tommasini, Sebastian Kristensen

Chris DUCKWORTH, Brian Callaghan, Fiona Hutchison, Mark Lehto

Ali AHMED, Szczepan Smoczyński, Todor Tiholov, James Thrower

Jonathan HARRIS, Maruša Gold, Niall Igoe, Steve Root.

Qualifying leader BELL, after picking HARRIS as semifinal opponent, lost the match by a very narrow margin. In the other semifinal DUCKWORTH reversed a half‑time deficit to prevail against AHMED. DUCKWORTH then went on to win the final against HARRIS by 28 IMPs. The winners received a prize of £400; the runners‑up got £200. (The losing semifinalists dropped into the consolation event.)

Thanks go to club member Gitte Hecht‑Johanson for her sponsorship of the event.

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The winners of the consolation teams on Sunday (contested by the three nonqualifiers from Saturday, one additional team entering just on Sunday, and the losing semifinalists) were

Tony YE, Qian Li, Neeraj Tanna, and Claire Robinson.

They picked up a £100 prize. Results from the multiple‑teams events on Saturday, Sunday Session One and Sunday Session Two are on Pianola.

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Item posted 4 March 2019

We are very sad to report that Richard Harris, a former member of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club, died last month, aged 68, peacefully in a care home in Dorset. Long‑standing members will remember him from the 1980s when he was a regular participant at the club. Our sympathies go to his family and friends.  

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Item posted 7 March 2019

We will be holding Sims on Monday 11 March and Thursday 14 March. The cost for the Monday session will be the normal price (£10.00 for members). The Thursday session price will have a £3.00 simultaneous fee added to the currently running half‑price “Spring Saver” (so £8.00 for members).

(And remember that these sessions count towards the Spring ladder too.)

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Item posted 8 March 2019

The EBU has asked us to try to find them a Standby Pair for the Portland Pairs.

The deal for standby pairs is this. They are asked to come to the venue in time for the start. If they are required to play, they are not required to pay anything, and they play with full standing in the competition (as long as they are a Mixed pair!). If they are not needed, we thank them for their trouble by offering the choice of reasonable travelling expenses or a free game at the club for which the EBU will pay.

If you are a pair that is willing to be the Standby Pair, please let the club know.

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Item posted 15 March 2019, author David Muller

The London heat of the Garden Cities Trophy, the inter‑county championship for club teams‑of‑eight, was held at the YC on Thursday 21 March and contested by six teams. The YC fielded three teams and the event was won by one of these, the team comprising Peter Taylor, Margaret Nygren, Paula Leslie, Fiona Hutchison, Susanna Gross, Martin Nygren, Janet de Botton, and Thor Erik Hoftaniska.

Results.

The Young Chelsea will therefore represent London at the Regional Finals to be held at Richmond BC on 27 April.

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Item posted 24 March 2019

It is with regret that I have to announce that the Seniors Pairs will not take place this year. (It was to have been held on Sunday 31 March.) There have been too few entries for there to be a viable event.

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Item posted 28 March 2019, author David Muller

The Young Chelsea's Swiss Teams held on Sunday 7 April attracted nine teams. Since numbers were on the low side to run a Swiss movement, the contest reverted to a multiple teams event. Each team played every other in six‑deal matches with the result converted from IMPs to victory points. At half time each team had played three deals against every other, at which point both the teams to finish at the front at full time were below average. Emerging as winner and picking up a £160 prize was team BROCK (Sally Brock, Thor Erik Hoftaniska, Janet de Botton, Barry Myers) on 101 VPs. Close runner‑up on 98 VPs and receiving £80 was team TANNA (Neeraj Tanna, Claire Robinson, Qian Li, Tony Ye).

Session 1 results
Session 2 results

Overall results

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Item posted 8 April 2019

On Saturday 15 June, the Civil Engineers’ club is holding the James Jones Cup, named after the first Secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The event is a two‑session Swiss Pairs at the Young Chelsea starting at 11.00am. Fortunately you don't have to be a Civil Engineer to take part. Anyone can play. It costs £15.00 per person and includes a buffet lunch.

Email peter.c.richardson@btinternet.com to register.

Poster.

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Item posted 9 April 2019

The Spring 2019 ladder finished on Thursday 18 April, having run for 28 sessions, taking into account scores from the regular Monday and Thursday duplicates.

Ranking is by average of the six best scores. To qualify for a ladder prize someone had to take part in at least three Monday sessions, at least two Thursday sessions, at least one more Monday or Thursday session, and play with at least three different partners. (Any duplicates scored by IMPs are converted to percentages for ladder purposes; the Cross‑IMPs page explains how.) Nineteen players satisfied all the criteria (much better than the previous season. The top five get prizes.

Congratulations to the winner on 59.59%, Olivia Woo, who gets first prize of £180.

Runner-up on 59.41% was Graham Orsmond whose prize is £90.

In third place on 59.13% was Gordon Rainsford, getting £40.

In fourth place on 59.05% was Alan Woo, getting £30.

And in fifth place on 58.95% was Richard Granville, getting £20.

Spring 2019 final ranking.

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Item last updated 21 April 2019

The Young Chelsea held a 12‑hour half marathon on Saturday 27 April. The event was cross‑IMPed over three sessions and a total of 91 deals. Fourteen pairs took part. (The number would doubtless have been higher had the event not clashed with the regional final of the Garden Cities inter‑county teams‑of‑eight, in which a YC team represented London.)

Congratulations to the convincing winners Petar Ivanov & Stefano Tommasini who finished on 182.50 IMPs. They were in front after the first session and stretched out their lead over the course of the event. They picked up the £250 first prize.

The overall ranking and individual session results are on Pianola:

• Overall ranking

• Session one of three
• Session two of three
• Session three of three

In second place, getting £100, were Neeraj Tanna & Claire Robinson on 105.50 IMPs.

And in third place, getting £50, were David Kendrick & Victor Milman on 81.53 IMPs.

Thanks to Margaret & Martin Nygren for their generous sponsorship of the entry fees of the junior players, to David Muller for devising the movement and donating his time as tournament director, and to the staff at the club for their work behind the scenes keeping the contestants fed and watered.

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Item last updated 28 April 2019

We are continuing with more of our Sunday afternoon lessons for intermediate and aspiring players from May. The lessons start at 2.00pm and will finish at around 5.00pm.

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Update 4 September 2019:

Turnout for the classes has, unfortunately, fallen to too low a level to make continuing with them viable. The three lessons that were to have taken place from 29 September onwards have, with regret, been cancelled.

Schedule:

All the “card play technique“ sessions will be teaching classes run by John Lee. Topics covered will be declarers’ play at no trump and trump contracts, as well as card play techniques by defenders.

The sessions of “gentle duplicate“ bridge are to be based on play (cards) & learn (Bridge) with up to 16 pre‑duplicated deals in play. During these gentle duplicate sessions, participants may seek advice and guidance on the bidding of the hands and the playing thereof, as appropriate.

Fee for the above, to include tea/coffee and biscuits, is £5.00, payable on the afternoon with full‑time students free.

Sessions are open to all bridge players, whether members of YCBC or not. However these classes are, unfortunately, not for novices, and not for players with a ranking of ten or higher on the EBU’s NGS.

n.b. Notes on the topics for teaching classes will be provided in advance, if requested. For Gentle Duplicate Bridge a copy of the hands played will be made available.

For any further information please contact Philip Watson.

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Item posted 28 April 2019, author Philip Watson

On Saturday 6 July, the club is running its annual individual tournament for the fabled Keith Loveys tankard (displayed on a shelf in the bar), followed by the summer party.

You can come along to both or either 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). The individual starts at 2.00pm; the party will get going at around 6.00pm.

The party will include a general knowledge quiz (expertly prepared by club member Rosie White), a buffet dinner, and a speedball pairs (for which partners will be found if necessary).

See the poster for details on pricing and registering. Note that juniors are half price!

Pay for the party by Monday 1 July to ensure you receive vouchers for two free drinks. You can pay at the club or by bank transfer. The club’s bank details are

• Young Chelsea Bridge Club Ltd
• Account Number: 22117282
• Sort Code: 40‑03‑04

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Item posted 14 June 2019

The annual Young Chelsea Individual is held in memory of the late Keith Loveys, a popular club member and expert bridge player who had no trouble partnering anyone.

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The event was held on Saturday 6 July 2019. Congratulations to the winner, Paul Casselle, who vaulted into a close lead on the very last round. This was a poignant first win in the event for Paul, who was a good friend of Keith. Paul (otherwise known as Pablo) is pictured in the bar holding the Keith Loveys tankard upon which the names of past winners are engraved.

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The summer party followed the individual, and featured a quiz expertly prepared by club member Rosie White. Paul used his knowledge of sport as part of team Binkie to winning effect in another close finish. (Sport is a blind spot for his teammates Chris Duckworth and Brian Callaghan.)

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After a generous buffet dinner, laid on by staff members Nataliya and Tamara, the players voted for teams play instead of the advertised speedball. And Paul’s luck finally ran out when the team of Carrie & Mike Eden and Jackie Fairclough & Graham Orsmond emerged victorious.

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Full results for the Individual.

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Item posted 7 July 2019

Update: A wake for Andrew Thompson has been organized for Thursday 22 August 2.00pm–4.00pm at the Wimbledon Village Club which is at 26 Lingfield Road, London, SW19 4QD.

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We are very sad to report the death at the age of 69 of Andrew Thompson, a succesful and well known tournament player whose name graces the Young Chelsea honours boards. (He won the YC's flagship event, the Marathon, in a threesome with Keith Loveys and John Reardon in 1979 and again in 1980.) Our sympathies go to his family and friends.

His funeral will be at 2.30pm on Tuesday 23 July at Telford Crematorium, Woodhouse Lane, Red Hill, Telford, Shropshire, TF2 9NJ and after at the Swan Inn, 4 Lower Bar, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 7BQ.

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[The following is reproduced from the English Bridge Union website, with permission.]

Andrew Thompson—an Appreciation (by Ian Payn)

Andrew Thompson, a perennial on the tournament scene for fifty years has died, aged 69. He had been ill for some time, confined to Edgbaston Hospital.

His father was a doctor and his mother was from the Orkney Isles. Andrew attended St Paul’s school, where he was a contemporary of Alan Woo. How his education progressed thereafter is unclear, but the early seventies saw him enter the world of bridge in a big way, being one of several in the circle of Joe Amsbury. Early Gold Cup victories and International appearances (mainly partnering John Reardon) cemented his reputation. He gained another reputation as well: he was often unreliable—he might book to play in two teams in the same event, he might have two different partners for an evening’s duplicate. Indeed, one evening at the Young Chelsea he rang up to speak to me at 7.29. He apologised and said that he was stuck in South Croydon and consequently would not be able to partner me that evening. I assured him this was no problem. Just as I was about to ring off, he said, “By the way, could you see if you could find Freddy Herd and tell him? I’m supposed to be playing with him, as well.” In the days when the first and second rounds of the Gold Cup were played in large venues, two teams at Hove Town Hall were looking at their watches, wondering where Andrew was: he was, of course, playing at another venue altogether.

Life was too short to get annoyed about this sort of thing—it was just what Andrew was like, part and parcel of being a friend of his. It seemed somehow churlish to get upset about someone who was such good company, and who was such a terrific player when he eventually arrived at the table. After a spell teaching at the newly set‑up West of England Bridge Club with his friend from the Amsbury stable, David Carlisle, Andrew returned to London—his mother’s house in Chiswick—and led a life that seemed to revolve around playing bridge, mainly at the Young Chelsea and London Duplicate Club, where I first met him, and we fell into an easy friendship.

It helped that we had another shared interest, Golden Age Detective Fiction. For a while Andrew was a member of the Edgar Wallace Society and stood unsuccessfully for the office of Treasurer. He was a lifelong Liberal, and would canvass for the party, come rain or shine.

Andrew was known to all his friends as The Professor. Something about his manner and dress suggested an academic background, and if he never really gained the dizzy heights of professorship, I can’t see that it matters all that much.

For a long time his regular partner was Tony Clark. If I can offer a travel tip, it would be this: don’t sit in the back of a car going through Paris with Tony Clark driving and The Professor navigating. This, as The Professor himself might have put it, is more than flesh and blood could reasonably be expected to stand. Later Andrew enjoyed playing in various tournaments with Mike Fletcher (their itinerary seemed to be based on where they fancied going on any given weekend), and more recently with Rob Lawy or Dan Crofts.

Andrew liked a quiz (woe betide the quizmaster who got an answer wrong), he liked a cigarette (happily not for the last couple of decades) and he liked a drink. That sounds to me like a fairly normal person. His eccentricities were not extreme and did not prevent him being one of the most extraordinarily gifted bridge players that the country has ever seen. As recently as 2008 he was due to go to play in the World Seniors Championships in Beijing. A last‑minute illness, alas, prevented this, but in the period since then he has been a prominent feature across the tournament scene, perhaps not standing on the winner’s podium as he so frequently had in the past, but not too far away from it, either.

His memory for bridge stories was excellent. Now they are gone forever. But those who knew him will never forget him. And if some of the stories about him are not for the faint‑hearted (don’t get me started on the row in the Star Kebab House on the Earl’s Court Road) they will be told and re‑told for the foreseeable future.

Andrew Thompson—The Professor (1949–2019)

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Item posted 16 July 2019, updated 15 August 2019

We will be holding Children in Need Charity Pairs again this year in the evening sessions on Monday 11 November and Thursday 14 November. Please come along and compete in these simultaneous pairs events organised by ECatsBridge.

Update 12 November 2019: The club collected £233.00 for Children in Need.

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Item posted 23 August 2019, updated 12 November 2019

The next Annual General Meeting of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club will be held on Thursday 17 October in the Match Room at 6.00pm prompt—light refreshments available from 5.45pm. The normal duplicate (possibly with a delayed start depending on the length of the meeting) will follow.

Please note the following:

• The agenda for the meeting. This is subject to additional items requested by members. Any member wishing to add any items to the agenda should submit them to the Management Committee Secretary, in writing (email or post) to arrive no later than 12 noon on Thursday 10 October. Send items to manager@ycbc.co.uk or the club address.
• The current members of the committee are:
  Elected: Brian Callaghan, John Dean, David Ewart, Paula Leslie, David Muller
  Co‑opted: Rosie White
• A nomination form for membership of the Management Committee is available to download from the website or to collect from the club. All nominations must reach the Management Committee Secretary by Thursday 10 October.
• A proxy form is available for use by those unable to attend the meeting in person. Please note that in principle all Full, Honorary, and Student Members over 16 years of age will have one vote, whether attending in person or by proxy.

• AGM Agenda
• AGM Proxy Form
• AGM Nomination Form
• 2018 AGM Minutes

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Item posted 24 August 2019

Another old issue of Chelsea Bridge, the club newsletter, has turned up. Newsletter scans are available via the history page. The newly added issue has no date on its front page, but was probably, to judge from the contents, published in the first half of 1993 and has been designated March 1993.

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Item posted 15 September 2019

We are sad to announce that our club manager, James Thrower, is stepping down to concentrate on his career as a bridge professional and teacher. We thank James for all the work he has done for us, and we are pleased that he will still be around to help with the teaching side of the business. We look forward to working with him in the future.

We are delighted to announce the return of Nick Sandqvist who has volunteered to manage the club’s bridge functions. Meanwhile we have a number of other volunteers who will be looking after our administration, finances and premises.

The Management Committee is keen to build our membership and provide the kind of playing sessions that members want. We want to make the club the number one venue for bridge in London. We are already a favourite location for many regional and national events and we will be working to attract even more of this business.

We thank everyone for generously offering their free time to ensure we have a great future.

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Item posted 20 September 2019

Congratulations to all the club members who represented us in the World Bridge Team Championships in China. All four England teams did brilliantly. David Muller’s Seniors Team won the silver medal in the d’Orsi Trophy, Nicola Smith, Nevena Senior, and Heather Dhondy won the bronze medal in the Venice Cup, and club regulars Sally Brock and Barry Myers finished fourth in the Mixed Teams. Commiserations to Paula Leslie, in the Scotland Women’s Team, who finished a very creditable fourteenth in the Venice Cup opening round, and to the England Open Team who got through to the Bermuda Bowl quarter‑finals. Check the championship website for the full results.

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Item posted 22 September 2019, updated 29 September 2019

The 2019–2020 Young Chelsea Knockout starts in November this year 25 teams have entered. (See the draw and rosters). We will keep the popular double‑elimination format, but new for this year is that we give you a designated playing date—a Thursday. With more matches being played on the same night, interesting discussions about the hands may take place afterwards. If you can’t make the designated Thursday you’ll have two weeks on either side of it to arrange the match. There’ll be a first prize of a minimum of £800 for the winning team, and we’re hoping that they’ll be invited to—or get a chance to play off for—the prestigious Lederer Memorial Trophy.

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Item posted 27 September 2019, author Nick Sandqvist

The club has done very well in the NICKO 2018–2019 and will win the trophy! Susanna Gross’s team (Mike Bell, Phil King, Paul Russell, & Richard Bowdery) will face James Thrower’s squad (Ali Ahmed, Andrew McIntosh, Neil Rosen, Szczepan Smoczyński, & Joe Fawcett) in the final.

We have thirteen teams playing in this year’s competition. We wish them all good luck and will keep you posted on their progress.

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Update 15 December 2019

Winners of the NICKO 2018–2019 final, Young Chelsea L—playing were Neil Rosen, James Thrower, Andrew McIntosh, Ali Ahmed

The teams played their 48‑deal final on Saturday 14 December. Congratulations to the Young Chelsea L squad which won by 11 IMPs.

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Item posted 27 September 2019, updated 15 December 2019

The third edition of our successful YC women’s teams event will take place at the club over the weekend 23 & 24 November. We expect to have at least 24 teams but would love for more YC players to take part. 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. The entry fee is £300 per team and includes lunch on both days and a drinks reception at the end of play on the Sunday. This year we are also arranging an optional dinner, at Bill’s Restaurant on the Saturday evening, to which all participants are welcome.

Poster.  

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Item posted 24 October 2019, author Paula Leslie

On Thursday 21 November, Richard Granville and David Burn will be presenting a seminar on modern bidding theory and how the principles have been applied to build the effective hybrid system called MOSSO. The event starts at 7.00pm and will finish at about 10.15pm. Refreshments will be provided at the start and also during the half‑time interval. The fee for the evening is a very reasonable £20. MOSSO will be described in sufficient detail for attendees to try out a simple version of the system, but the presenters won’t be lecturing throughout: there will be breaks for quizzes and bidding practice. Guidance on defending against MOSSO will also be provided. No sign‑up needed, just drop in on the night.

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Item posted 2 November 2019

A very successful “Taster” evening for the new Goldhawks League was held on Thursday 7 November. We have the basis for a great fun league, and all of the teams are anxious to get their hands on the new trophy. The league meets on Thursday evenings from 9 January. We still want more Goldhawks—please spread the word to all your friends who are bridge newcomers, returners, or social players. To become a Goldhawk, contact Rosie at the club. Individual players, partnerships, and teams are all welcome.

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Here are some pictures from the evening.

Ivan, John, Tania, Alex

Anne, Olita, Sean, Lynne

David, Paul, Maree, John

The “awesome” Goldhawks bridge league trophy

Pat, Graham, Mary, Beverley

Antony, Vivek, Kevin, Alastair

Carl, Caroline, Steph, Moyna

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Item posted 8 November 2019

Update: 18 November 2020

Since the opportunity for face‑to‑face play has remained out of reach for longer than hoped, the club has reluctantly discontinued this year’s event. An online (at least initially) version of the event for 2021 will start soon.

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Update: 25 March 2020

Event suspended until the club re‑opens for face‑to‑face play.

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The Young Chelsea Knockout (YCKO) is the club’s annual teams event that runs on "double elimination" lines. Other than in the semifinal and final a team has to lose two matches before it is knocked out. The undefeated team gets a bye through the round before the semifinal stage, and has the option of extending one of the semifinal or final by eight deals should it be behind at the normal end of the match. Only YC members may take part in this competition. The play‑by date for Round One is 23 December 2019. The winning team will receive a prize of £800 and will hopefully be eligible for a play‑off match against the team winning the 2020 London Championship Teams‑of‑four to decide which team will represent London in the 2021 Lederer invitation tournament. All matches are played at the YC. Matches in the early rounds are of 24 deals, and are priced (inclusive of half‑time refreshments} at £12.50 per person.

Although default play‑on dates were originally specified, so far almost no‑one has actually played on these dates, so the club has abandoned this idea. But the play‑by dates for completion of each round are certainly not being abandoned and the club will be aiming for them to be strictly observed. The dates have been revised and are now as shown:

These dates allow seven weeks for each round, which should be plenty if you make an effort to arrange your fixtures in good time. As soon as you know who you will be playing, each captain should offer at least four weekday dates before the play‑by date to the opposing captain. Teams that have not agreed a date by the play‑by date may apply to the club 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.

At the semifinal stage there will be one undefeated team (which is not required to play a quarter‑final match). This team may choose its opponents from the three remaining once‑defeated teams. They also have the option—at the end of either the semifinal or final—of adding one extra set of eight deals to be played.

All matches must be played at the club unless special dispensation has been given by the Management Committee. Once a date has been agreed, the match should be booked into the club by email. Send your booking, and also your match results, to the club with a copy to the organiser, Chris Duckworth, please.

Round Three Undefeated Pool Draw (and results when completed).

Round Three Once‑Defeated Pool Draw (and results when completed).

Team Rosters.

Round Two Undefeated Pool Draw (completed with results).

Round One Draw (completed with results).

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Item posted 15 November 2019,  last updated 18 November 2020

The tournament was held for the third time over the weekend 23 & 24 November 2019. Club committee member Paula Leslie, organiser of the event, persuaded 25 teams to enter this year—up by five teams from last year. And the regular tournament director, Jonathan Lillycrop, came back to conduct a smoothly run event. Congratulations to the winning team Black Widows (Tonje Brogeland, Lisbeth Glaerum, Torild Heskje, Tove Haugen) on 126 VPs (just two VPs in front of second place with 100 being average over the ten rounds). Prize money for first place was £1,600. Full results may be found on the eventsinlondon section on BridgeWebs. More pictures are posted on the Young Chelsea facebook group.

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In second place, picking up £600, was team Kitty (Nevena Senior, Kitty Teltscher, Lizzie Godfrey, Pauline Cohen) on 124 VPs.

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And another two VPs back in third place, picking up £400, was team Bakhshi (Heather Bakhshi, Jasmine Bakhshi, Claire Robinson, Maruša Gold, Diana Nettleton) on 122 VPs.

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The ascenders prize of £300 went to The Hanimals (Hanna Tuus, Alexandra Birchall, Elizabeth Gahan, Ewa Wieczorek). The juniors prize of £200 went to France Girls (Anaïs Leleu, Mathilde Thuillez, Marie Coupel, Margaux Kurek, Wilhelmine Schlumberger, Constance Belloy). And finally best team name, getting no cash merely kudos and confectionery, went to The Noise Festival (Kath Stynes, Debbie Sandford, Gilly Clench, Jane Moore).

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Item posted 25 November 2019

It’s an expensive time of the year, and our members have given us fantastic support this year. As a small thank‑you we’ve given our beer prices a good hard look and we’ve found some reductions we can make. Come and see for yourselves.

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Item posted 12 December 2019

Monday 23 December will be the last day before Christmas on which the club will be open. Come along for the regular duplicate at 7.00pm. Sorry no supervised practice that day.

The club reopens for the first duplicate of the new year on Friday 3 January.

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

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Item posted 18 December 2019

The Management Committee would like to advise our members that Nick Sandqvist has resigned from the club with immediate effect and is no longer dealing with any club matters. David Muller will handle bookings and deal with bridge related correspondence. David can be contacted by email at the club. A further update will be provided in the New Year when we know who will be taking over Nick’s duties in the longer term.

Nick also successfully ran the London Super League at the club. He has announced that he intends to move this to the Acol Bridge Club with effect from January 2020. The club is keen to carry on with a Super League at the Young Chelsea and hopes that the club’s current members will support this move.

Please register your team online ASAP to enter so that we can organise this YCSL event. As in the previous season, matches will be held at two‑weekly intervals. The first division will continue to be on Wednesdays from 22 January. Second division matches will move from Tuesdays to Wednesdays to be played alongside the first division.

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Item posted 19 December 2019

In the near future, the Young Chelsea will be switching to a BridgeWebs website. Benefits from the move are:

• The cost to the club will be lower
• It will be easier for us to keep up to date
• It looks better on mobile phones

The new website is www.bridgewebs.com/youngchelsea. Please have a look round, bear with us while we smooth out the rough edges, and let us know what you think.

In future results will be loaded to Pianola (as now) and to BridgeWebs. We will not be dropping Pianola, so you have a choice of which you prefer.

When we switch over early in the new year, the “ycbc.co.uk” address will take you to the new site

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Item posted 29 December 2019