The club is supporting the ECats  (more info by clicking the link)

'January Charity Pairs for UNICEF' by playing supplied hands on

Thursday 29th January at Nairn Bowling Club - 1.45pm for 2.00pm start.

The club will make a £3 donation on each players' behalf.

If anyone would like to donate more you can do so directly through the donation page on the ECats website.

And the good news is that overall master points will be awarded this year for the first time.

Happy New Year! I hope you have had an enjoyable festive season and are looking forward to getting back to some regular bridge. The Scottish Bridge Union has some exciting plans for 2026 to promote the benefits of playing bridge via various media. We want to be able to tell some real life stories of how bridge has changed peoples’ lives; given them useful skills; offered a regular social get-together; kept the brain cells ticking along. Please look out for communications coming on this, as we would love to hear your story. “Teach the Teachers” Training day 11 April 2026, Edinburgh We need to be ready for a spark in interest in bridge and so the Scottish Bridge Union is hosting a “Teach the Teachers” Training day for anyone interested in teaching bridge to adults and/or children. No experience of teaching is necessary, just an enthusiasm for the game and patience. Whether you want to be the lead or just a helper, please contact education@sbu.org.uk for more details. Increasing the number of bridge teachers will make a significant impact on the numbers of people playing bridge in Scotland, please help us – and your club/district - to achieve this. Youth Development The Scottish Bridge Union has increased the number of volunteers managing our work with schools, to bring the game to the younger generation. This is still at an early stage but thank you to the following volunteers who have joined our team; Youth Convenor – Zhenya Winters youthconvenor@sbu.org.uk; Youth Teachers Co-ordinator – Norma Bain ytc@sbu.org.uk; Youth Teaching Resources co-ordinator – Prajjwal ytrc@sbu.org.uk Our Youth Bridge Camp will be held at the University of Stirling Campus 19-21 June 2026 and promotional materials for this will be coming out to clubs and members very soon. The debut camp was a great success and we had youngsters aged from 10-23 years old attending, many of whom had never played bridge before. Please look out for further information, coming your way. Improving your game Bronze Bidding Challenge. Thanks to Troy van de L’isle you can have a go every month at the bronze bidding challenge here. It’s a great way to improve your game and learn a few tips As well as the bidding challenge Barnet Shenkin has offered to write a fortnightly article, for the website, on a variety of interesting topics – useful to all levels of play. His first one is here and I’m already looking forward to the next one. Training day for gold/silver+ players, Saturday 31 January, Edinburgh. The SBU is delighted that Sally Brock, a multiple world and european champion is coming to Edinburgh. She will be giving a full training day to any experienced players interested and will focus on the kind of decisions being made by those who play at or near international level. Details here. Education news – keep an eye out on this page as improver seminars are planned over the next few months. Don’t forget the Bridgefest is back 24-26 March in Lanark and the Meet and Play, social and friendly event in Dumfries 10-12 April. Playing Bridge I’m sure we are all keen to get back to the bridge tables after a couple of weeks celebrating the festive season with family and friends. There are a number of national events planned, as well as district and club congresses and some summer café bridge days – please keep looking at the calendar to plan well ahead. There’s something for everyone. There are two online leagues hosted by the SBU: Bronze League and Scottish Online League (SOL) both begin their season on 12 January. These are a great opportunity to play with teammates (and opposing teams) all around the country. We have players competing from Orkney Islands down to the Borders. Please contact the relevant TDs if you would like to put a team in for the next iteration. Bronze League: Howard Greenwell, bronzeleague@sbu.org.uk SOL: Angus Macdonald, competitions@sbu.org.uk International Competitions The first Home International is being played in Ireland (Camrose 9-11 January) and the results will be broadcast live. Scotland is hosting the Junior Camrose (U26) and Peggy Bayer (U21) competitions at the Adamton hotel in Prestwick, 20-22 February and the results will be broadcast live. Please go to our international news section to get details of how to watch on vugraph and access live results, nearer the date. It really helps the players if they know fellow bridge enthusiasts are interested and are watching and supporting from afar. We wish them all the best. A Big Thank You Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers who have worked tirelessly for the Scottish Bridge Union over the last twelve months. We wouldn’t be able to provide any of our activities without their dedication and commitment. The same goes for all the volunteers in our clubs and on district committees; the bridge playing community relies completely on these selfless individuals. As always, please email me with any queries or concerns and I hope to see as many of you as possible across a bridge table over the next twelve months. Best wishes, Sarah Gunn chair@sbu.org.uk Chair of Trustees, SBU View this email in your browser Copyright © 2026 SBU, All rights reserved.    You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.     Our mailing address is: SBU Mitchell House 4-5 Mitchell Street Edinburgh, Midlothian EH6 7AD United Kingdom     Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

                                      ♦  

Our friends at Strathspey Bridge Club are hosting

The Annual Minnie Lorimer Trophy Sunday 15th February at

Boat of Garten Community Hall.

There will be a trophy for both North/South and East/West winners.

Plan for the afternoon

Arrive 12pm for a light lunch followed by tea, coffee and cake

Bridge in main hall

Break for tea/coffee and cake

Finish at 4 after prizegiving

All are welcome

If you plan to attend please reply to: annecaitken@hotmail.com by Sunday 1st February

Our Thursday F2F sessions are held at

Nairn Bowling Club

Albert Street IV12 4HP  - 1.45pm for 2.00pm start

with a Refreshments break.

A Partner is not required - we can always pair you up

We look forward to seeing friends old and new.

News from the Sue Pollard at the SBU with Diary Dates

Many of you will be up to your ears making arrangements for the festive season but it might be worth your while having a look at a few events coming up which are specifically for Bronze players. The Bridgefest and Meet & Play events offer you the opportunity to improve your Bridge in a relaxed atmosphere with your peers while the Ranked events provide a chance to play against those of the same level as yourself. The upcoming seminar may also help you to improve your play. The Kennedy Ranked Pairs event will be played in local heats and is limited to Novices and Club Masters.

• 22^nd February – Improvers’ Seminar on RealBridge
• 28^th February – Ranked Individual competitions on BBO
• 24^th – 26^th March 2026 - Bridgefest at the New Lanark Hotel
• 6^th – 9^th April – Kennedy Ranked Pairs
• 10^th – 12^th April - Meet & Play social event in the Holiday Inn, Dumfries

Merry Christmas!
Sue

Sue Pollard 
Education & Development

Welcome to Handle, a daily deal to test your card-play!

What is Handle?

• The weekly tournament starts every Sunday, with a beginner-friendly hand.
• A new deal appears at 00:00 GMT, getting a bit trickier each day.
• Most deals are layered, with overtricks rewarded for more advanced technique.
• Follow the hint to form a strategy.
• Make overtricks to go better than par.
• Make maximum tricks for a golden crown.
• Check out the run-through to learn best technique.
• Build stats and share your results with friends.
• With onboarding, hot tips and the game-play starting after the bidding, Handle is designed to be accessible to all.  

How do I play Handle?

• Play Handle on your phone, tablet or PC/Mac.
• Enjoy a 30-day free go, then just $60/£48 per year.
• Sunday’s Handle is always free.
• It’s a web app (not a download), so internet is required – see sign up email for how to appify.
• Find Handle at handle.bridge128.com 

We use the RealBridge platform to play online.

If you have not played on RealBridge before there is information Here.

Also available are Taster Sessions for you to try - really worthwhile.

Just Click on the highlighted links - one of the few things in life that are free.

Also the Lounge provides a relaxed environment for practice and/or establishing a new partnership or just for a private foursome. for you and your friends.

Click on the RealBridge Lounge button on left and follow the link.