Entries for this annual event are now open – see link at right-hand side of this page which will take you to the entry form and payment details.   

It will take place at the Carlton Bridge Centre starting at 11.00am on both days.  On Saturday June 13^th it will be 48 boards of Swiss Pairs for the Cowan Cup in 8 x 6 board matches.  On Sunday June 14^th it will be 48 boards of Swiss Teams for the Hunter Cup in 6 x 8 board matches.  On both days, play will finish by approximately 18.00.  

Both events are red pointed.   There will be prizes for Silver and Bronze Pairs and Teams as well as the overall winners and runners-up.

The entry fee for the Swiss Pairs is £30 per pair (Register here) and for the Swiss Teams is £60 per team (Register here).

Food will be available from the Carlton caterer on both days.  As well as tea & coffee, there will be soup & sandwiches and cake.  The Carlton is cashless, so payment for food and drinks is by debit or credit card only.

It should be noted that players are not allowed to bring their own food into the premises.

We look forward to having you take part in our Congress.

Anne Perkins (East District Chairperson)

New Melville Club Member and Internationalist Mike Ash will be delivering a series of 4 highly thought provoking 2 hour seminars in June. Money raised will be going to charity and all members of the SBU are welcome.

Location: NMBC,1 Pinkhill, EH12 7BA Time: Friday 15:30hrs -17:30hrs
Dates: Friday 05th June, 12th June, 19th June, 26th June.

Cost £9 per lesson or £30 for all 4, sign up on the front page of their website, or use the payment link
https://pci.jotform.com/form/261193339266361

Each seminar is 'stand alone' but the concepts involved are cumulative. So, in order to get the most out of the course, it is desirable to attend all four. However, there will be hand outs and copies of the slides used in the presentations available on the club website for those who may have to miss a session. 

The club hope that attendees will stay on and play in the club’s Friday night tournament at 18:45hrs, to encourage this, we will be taking orders on the night for carry out food from attendees for those that want to eat between Mike’s lesson and the evening session.

The series title is: Improve Your thinking at Bridge.
Description: These seminars are designed for players who are comfortable competing at club events but wish to improve - particularly in those difficult areas of the game, such as defending and dealing with competitive bidding.  Each session will be approximately 2 hours long and will comprise of a 40 minute presentation, drawing on pre-work that will be sent out in advance, followed by playing some hands and then discussing key points from these hands. There will also be a "ask Mike anything" opportunity for those who wish to stay on at the end.

Presentation 1:- "Defending is hard!" An overview of the principles involved in being a good defender and an introduction to the ideas to be covered in presentations 2 and 3.

Presentation 2:- "What should I lead - and why". As well as examining how you can tell when to make the killing lead, we will look at various ways partner should react at trick one - and challenge some common practice.

Presentation 3:- "Communicating with partner when defending - legal ways to get your message across!" This session will discuss the theory, and look at some of the popular methods, of signalling/discarding.

Presentation 4:- "Why do the opponents bid up and make it difficult - and when to do this yourself?" We will look at some of the common situations that occur - and learn about the Law, which will help you get many of them right.

For those that don’t know Mike well:

Mike started teaching bridge - from beginners to aspiring experts - in the 1970's. He set up the Melville Bridge Academy when the club was at Grosvenor Crescent and, in his role as Director of Performance for the SBU, he has run a number of seminars for experienced players as well as developing a training programme for our youth teams.

Mike has represented Scotland at both Open and Senior level - 5 times in Home Internationals and 6 times in European Championships (he previously represented Great Britain and England). 

As he approaches his 60th year playing high level bridge, he is keen to pass on some of his learning and experience - and raise some money for a worthy charity."