Play to resume downstairs on Wednesday 17th July

Decorating is almost finished.  The new carpet will be fitted on Monday and Tuesday while still giving access for play upstairs.  Furniture and equipment will be moved on Wednesday so that we can play downstairs from Wednesday evening. Men will be on site Monday, Wednesday and probably Thursday to complete fan openings outside and minor jobs.  Front and rear window shutters will be fitted later when received. Please do not park at the rear in the daytime on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

   Stan Robertson

Friday Afternoon Session Suspended

Unfortunately, the Friday afternoon session couldn't go ahead on 5th July as we didn't have enough people playing to make it viable.

This Friday afternoon session doesn't seem to have been as popular as we thought it would be and with declining numbers, we have decided to suspend it with immediate effect.  We may decide to reinstate it later in the year if demand for the session is evident.  

If you would like to see the Friday afternoon session return later in the year and are able to regularly support it, please let me know.

Justine

Teams of Four - First Round

Monday 29th July - Evening Session

This is the first of the five teams events played on the fifth Mondays and Thursdays from July to March.  The best three of five results will determine which team is the overall winner of the Teams competition for 2024-25.  Teams are welcome to play as many or as few times as they wish.

The remaining dates are: Monday 30th September, Thursday 31st October, Thursday 30th January, Monday 31st March.

Social Event @ Harrogate Bridge Club
Sunday September 8th
National Handicap Pairs

We would love for you to join us for a Social Event on Sunday September 8th.  We are running a National Pairs event, scored on a Handicap basis, as part of the Festival Of Bridge, playing bridge to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.   We shall start at 11am, have a break for a light lunch with wine or soft drinks at about 1.30pm, then play another session in the afternoon finishing at about 4.30pm.   The handicaps are based on NGS grades and are automatically administered by the EBU when we submit the results.  Last year an inexperienced pair won nationally because of the Handicap system, so people of every level are encouraged to enter.   The entry fee is £20 of which £5 goes to the Charity and another £3 (most of which also goes to the charity) is sent to the EBU.

To join us on September 8th you will need to book in advance - BOOK HERE We look forward to seeing lots of you for what promises to be a sociable and enjoyable event!

Northern Midweek Congress
27th to 29th August
@ Cairn Hotel, Harrogate

The congress this year will be held at the Cairn Hotel in Harrogate, run by Oliver Cowan in partnership with the EBU.

The midweek congress will feature, Jack-High Swiss Pairs (a Blue Pointed event aimed at players with an NGS no higher than 56.99%), Open Pairs (a Blue Pointed duplicate session open to everyone and suitable for all), Swiss Pairs and Swiss Teams both Green Pointed (for the more competitive players).

For full details Northern Midweek Congress.

The English Bridge Union in partnership with Cancer Research UK

During the week beginning September 9th 2024 clubs, counties and players will join together to put on events which in addition to being great fun for players will raise the profile of the game of bridge in the community and demonstrate that bridge can play a part in raising funds for one of the UK's most important charities.

The YCBA programme of local events combines a day or afternoon of bridge with bowls, golf and a cruise from Skipton.  For more events and details: click here.

Congratulations to the following members who have recently earned Master Point promotions.

* Denotes first time promotion

We are a welcoming and friendly bridge club catering for players of all standards.  We run seven pairs sessions per week. Master points are awarded.  We also have classes for beginners and intermediates, and occasional instruction on specific topics.

For the more competitive players we have three teams in the Yorkshire Sunday League.   Many of our players also group together to make teams of four that play in the Harrogate and District Bridge League against more local opposition.

Harrogate Bridge Club is located in the centre of this beautiful spa town.  The club has its own private licensed premises and is well established with over 250 members. 

Visiting pairs are always made welcome.

Friday 27th September

For the full details, including seminars at York and Wetherby, and to book click here.

Mentoring

We would like to offer help to any pairs who are keen to improve their bridge and would be interested in discussing, with a more experienced player, any problems encountered in bidding or play.
None of us have all the answers but some of the more experienced players would like to offer help to any aspirational pairs who are aiming to compete in stronger sessions both in the club and in outside events.
One of the best ways for any of us to improve our bridge is to play against strong opposition.
If you feel you would benefit from help we would offer you a mentor who you could email, phone or arrange to meet in person to discuss anything at all that is causing you problems. You could also ask them to watch you play and give advice at the end of the session.

If you would like to discuss this further or possibly ask for a mentor please contact Janet Latham on 01423 879438, 07543 822638, or tedjan12@hotmail.com. 

New Competitions for 2024-25

The committee has decided to introduce some new competitions starting in April.  They will be in addition to the current format.

• Wednesday evenings an additional trophy
• The most improved player based on NGS
• The Mens, Ladies and Mixed pairs competitions will have an additional prize for the best pair based on a handicap.

For full competition details for 2024-25, including dates, click on the tab in the lefthand menu.

Schedule

Upcoming Events

YCBA
For details on all YCBA events click here.

For EBU events click here.

From 7th August 2023

The EBU has introduced some new alerting, announcing and bidding rules.
 

• *** New Announcing and Alerting Summary 2023***
• Reasons for and details of the Blue Book changes
• Blue Book list of changes
• White Book list of changes
• Blue Book Aug 2023 (with change marks)
• White Book Aug 2023
• Announcements and Alerting Table 2022

The content of these books applies to all events held on or after 7th August 2023. Please be tolerant of players who don’t get all the updated procedures exactly right straight away – it’s meant to be an exercise in informing your opponents of your methods, not an excuse for trying to get one over on them!

The committee would like to take this opportunity to remind players that 'Best Behaviour at Bridge' must be adhered to at all times.  This is essential to ensure that all our members enjoy their games of bridge.  Please take the time to read the new 'Best Behaviour at Bridge' statement from the EBU.  Click here to go to the tab.

Rob Cave
Chairman

 The club uses air purifiers with HEPA filters to provide clean air in playing rooms.