Below is your monthly update from the EBU. Please note there are a lot of important topics covered this month. This email is also available on the EBU website, along with all past EBU Updates.
Help Potential Players Find Lessons
Please check your club's website and make sure there is something on the home page for browsers interested in learning bridge.
You could add a news item with the name and contact details of a local teacher or a link to your county's website with information about learning. You could include a link to the EBU Find a Teacher search.
It might just help bring more players to the game and to your club.
Update from the Competitions Working Group
As a reminder, the qualifying period for the National Pairs takes place form 5th - 18th February. Any player that gets over 55% in a club game will qualify for the regional finals. All club games that award full rate master points (those of 18 boards or more that are submitted by clubs under Code 10 or Code 12) will count and the clubs do not need to do anything special - if the game is played and submitted, players who get over 55% will automatically qualify. Please let your members know and encourage them to participate in this great event.
If your club is taking part in next week's Junior Squad Sim Pairs, these sessions also allow your members to qualify for the National Pairs should they score 55%. There is still time to enter the Junior Squad Sim Pairs if your club has not already done so.
The Masters Pairs will take place later this month, 25th February. If you would like to host a heat, please contact sam@ebu.co.uk. The current heats are taking place at Cheltenham, Richmond, Scunthorpe, Stratford-upon-Avon and Wimbledon bridge clubs. Please encourage your players to take part.
County Membership Fees 2023/24
The counties have now finalised their county membership fees for the 2023/24 year, see the full membership fee list for EBU and Counites.
Please note, the Clubs Terms of Affiliation have been updated for the 2023/24 year.
Club Insurance Update
We have moved our insurance business away from Marsh Commercial, and our new brokers are called Partners& www.partnersand.com.
For clubs who renew their insurance via the EBU nothing will change, and we hope the premium will stay the same but that will be confirmed in March.
Any clubs or counties with a bespoke policy (outside our normal tier schedules) will receive a letter about this from Marsh Commercial. Do contact me and I will put you in contact with Partners& if you wish. Karen Durrell karend@ebu.co.uk.
Club Teaching Seminar
As a reminder, if you would like to join the next EBU seminar, titled "Running a Teaching Programme", please email sam@ebu.co.uk. The seminar will be held on 23rd February at 10am, via Zoom.
Important: tell us if your club does or does not teach bridge
We are aware of the huge importance of bridge teaching to the future of our game and need the best possible understanding of the current situation. Please complete the short survey, whether or not your club is currently offering teaching.
This information will help us better support clubs who are teaching, and to work on the issues that stand in the way for other clubs.
New Online Games
Please share with your members that we now have new EBU Acol Daylong games on BBO. These games will be in addition to the existing 12-board Daylong games on BBO and cost the same as them - currently $2.20. All three EBU 12-board Daylong games – two on BBO and one on Funbridge - will be combined into one monthly ladder.
These games are separate from the Acol Daylong tournaments, which are run by BBO and started at the beginning of the month, and which do not provide EBU master points nor contribute to our EBU ladders.
With Daylongs you can take your time and have a break if needed, as long as you finish your boards by midnight GMT.
Personalised EBU Logos for Clubs and Counties
As well as our Affiliated Club logos, we can now provide your club or county with a personalised EBU logo to display on your website or publicity materials (example below). Please email sam@ebu.co.uk for more information.
Promotional Material Still Available
If your club would like any posters, leaflets, postcards etc for the promotion of your club, we still have packs available to order from the Bridge Warehouse.
BridgeWhiz Free Online Teaching Course
BridgeWhiz is a FREE online course designed to teach students in Years 7 through 13 the mind-building challenge, great fun, and competitive excitement of bridge. BridgeWhiz is run in the UK by UK accredited teachers. Parents/grandparents are very welcome to register.
New courses are starting in March. BridgeWhiz UK run the following sessions:
Beginners who can already play Minibridge - Monday 7pm
Improvers who have completed 1 year of bridge - Thursday 4.30pm
Complete Beginners - After School Club on Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
Full details at BridgeWhiz or please contact Michael Rushworth and Douglas Wright.
Diary "Opt In" - Check with New Members
Please check with any new club members that they are aware of the EBU diary and that they will need to "opt in" to receive their copy in September. Members can do this by either logging in to My EBU or calling us on 01296 317200.
Bridge Warehouse
By Jacob Duschek (A former Danish Premier League Player and an active EBL Tournament Director) - only £12.
This book will make the laws of bridge more accessible for Tournament Directors and players alike. Improve your knowledge of the Laws of Bridge.
The Bridge Warehouse also sell The Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 (Latest edition) and Simplified Laws by Mr Bridge.
Club Director Training
EBED offers training to help you become a club director. Between February and May courses will be taking place in Richmond, Billericay, Pembury (Kent), Exeter, Chester and Darlington. New dates for this spring in Winchester and Stamford will be announced soon. See the director training calendar for details. For more about these courses visit the EBED website or contact mark@ebedcio.org.uk
Directing Courses – delivered online
For those wishing to gain an introduction to face-to-face directing at their club EBED is offering the “How to run a club duplicate” session delivered over Zoom, 30/31 March.
Also, you can be trained to use the EBUScore scoring program via an online session on 27 March, details of EBUScore Training.
For any queries related to director training courses, please contact Mark on 01296 317218 (mark@ebedcio.org.uk). All our current dates are listed on the TD Course Calendar and are bookable through My EBU, or by phone (call Lisa on 01296 317217).
Train to become a bridge teacher
Have you or any of your club members ever thought about becoming a bridge teacher? Why not join one of the upcoming Club Teacher Training courses run by English Bridge Education & Development (EBED). For 2023 the course dates are:
Ipswich and Kesgrave BC: 16-17 Feb
London (Young Chelsea BC): 23-24 Feb
Horsham BC: 22-23 April
Solihull (West Midlands BC): 20-21 May
New summer dates will be planned for Aylesbury and Yorkshire, details available soon.
The 2-day courses give aspiring bridge teachers the skills to teach bridge effectively. As an EBU affiliated club, you are eligible for discounts or concessionary places. If you are interested, please contact Mark on 01296 317218 (mark@ebedcio.org.uk).
Clubs Celebrations
If your club is celebrating an anniversary or special occasion, let us know, email sam@ebu.co.uk.
Social Media and Blogs
Please let us know if you would like to suggest a blog article that can then be shared across social media. There is no cost for this, and we welcome your ideas.
If you would like to write a blog, please email sam@ebu.co.uk.
Join us on social media:
EBU Facebook; 
EBU Twitter; 
EBU LinkedIn; 
EBU Instagram