Causeway u3a
bridge
BRIDGE
We offer bridge classes & practice, face-to-face games & online games
Bridge classes & practice
Learning to play Bridge when you retire is an investment in hours of future fun for the rest of your life, it is a wonderful brain exercise and a great way to make friends. It is not a game you can learn in a few hours; it is a long-term project which requires strong motivation, time, effort and commitment. You will be learning Bridge for the rest of your life as you move from level to level and come to grips with this beautiful game.
Causeway u3a has reserved the Hall at Star of the Sea Portstewart for Bridge teaching and learning. There will be learning opportunities for players at all levels.
Anyone interested in starting bridge should send an expression of interest to bridge.ed@causewayu3a.co.uk and we may be able to start a new class later in the year if there is sufficient interest".
Supervised practice and lessons for Improvers
These sessions are for members who have completed a beginner's course and have been playing for some time. It will also suit former club members who have not played online during lockdown and who feel “rusty”.
The main focus is on revising theory (from the EBU programme) and practising bidding and play to develop confidence.
Sessions will be led by Venie Martin and Kate McGurk.
- Thursdays - 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm
- Starts: 9 January 2025 - weekly
- Venue: Star of the Sea Parish Centre, Portstewart
- Fee for Term (12 weeks) : £20 (fee for “drop ins” £2 per session)
Contact:
Venie Martin bridge.ed@causewayu3a.co.uk
or Kate McGurk bridgeltp@causewayu3a.co.uk
Bridge - Learn Through Play - ZOOM
This is organised as a bridge session on Friday from 10.00 am - 1.00pm.
Starts: 10 January 2025
Normally about 4 beginners and 12 basic intermediate players participate. We all log into Zoom,
play games on BBO and discuss the bidding and play.
There are 3 sessions with usually 6 allocated to play in each session and we alternate players
at the table so no one sits out too long.
The remainder kibitz (watch play) for as long as they like.
There is no fee for this online group.
Contact: Kate McGurk: bridgeltp@causewayu3a.co.uk
Wednesday Bridge Club
This is the traditional format for bridge -- four players around a table!
- Start : 8 January 2025 (Wed)
- Ends: 28 May 2025
- Time: 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm
- Venue: Star of the Sea, Portstewart
- Group leader - Stuart Pollard bridge.wed@causewayu3a.co.uk
- Fee - £10 for term
We score the events using Bridgemate technology.
The system takes about 15 minutes to set up, so all players must be seated at their tables by 2:00 pm.
Online bridge - BBO
Through the Causeway Coast Bridge Club, we have made arrangements to run duplicate bridge games on the online platform hosted by Bridge Base Online (BBO).
Open to all bridge-playing members who have a computing device, a broadband connection and who have registered as a member of BBO. To be included in Causeway U3A's mailing list, please email the group leaders at bridgeonline@causewayu3a.co.uk
The
linked notes explain how to use Bridge Base Online.
Schedule
Please see the table below. Online bridge will continue throughout the year, subject to a minimum registration of 10 players.
Points to note
Members must register for each event in which they play. Registration is open on BBO on the day of the event as shown in the table below.
Members must also be online on BBO when the event starts or the system may start without them.
* Payment
Member pay a fee for each match they play to Bridge Base Online (BBO) the company that hosts the online game. Online payment must be made before the game directly to BBO.
* At the time of writing, $1.00 is approximately 80p.
| Day | Registration online starts | Play starts | Boards played | Time per board | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 5:00 pm | 7:00 pm | 12 | 5 minutes* | $1.50 |
| Friday | 12 noon | 2:00 pm | 18 | 8 minutes | $2:00 |
* We adhere strictly to the 5 minutes time limit to bid and play each board: please do not join this group if you cannot play a board within this time.