More advanced training is also provided for aspiring County Directors. We run a 1-day Advanced TD Training Day. This is for those who need some practice at the type of material that will be tested on the main weekend. It is also suitable for those who want a 'refresher day' but who do not intend to go any further. The main course continues to be run as a weekend residential event, once a year, as detailed below.
Club Tournament Directors Courses: These are administered by English Bridge Education and Development.
Advanced TD Training Day (previously known as County TD Preparation course)
This course will next take place on Sun 3 Mar 2024 at Sutton Coldfield BC.
Details This is a one day course, beginning at 10:30am and ending no later than 4:30pm. The course fee includes tea and coffee but you will need to bring or make your own arrangements for lunch.
Further details available from Clive Turner - 01296 317212 or by email: clive@ebedcio.org.uk. To get ready for the preparation course - or to see if it may be suitable for you - please download this test paper consisting of 40 situations to consider. Some are book rulings, some judgement rulings and, in some cases, good old-fashioned common-sense. Some are quite intricate and others straightforward, but hopefully they will all make you think.
Further details available from Clive Turner - 01296 317212 or by email: clive@ebedcio.org.uk.
County Directors Courses
The course will next be held on 18-19 May 2024 at Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre. It will be run by EBU National Tournament Directors Sarah Amos and Phil Godfrey.
The course fee of £245 for residential delegates includes dinner, bed and breakfast at the centre for one night, and a light lunch on Saturday and Sunday, plus course materials. Courses are only open to qualified Club Directors or previously qualified County Directors. This intensive course starts on Saturday afternoon at 2pm, with other sessions on Saturday evening, Sunday morning and afternoon, finishing at approx 3:30pm. The County Directors' course is for qualified Club Directors who will normally have at least one year's experience of directing and some experience of organising events at County level. The prime objective of the course is to assess candidate's experience to become fully qualified County Directors, based on their performance in the exercises therein. Participation is also a learning experience - those attending will; on completion of the course:
- Have answered a pre-course test including topics from the Blue and White Books.
- Understand the role and responsibilities of a county director.
- Have a good understanding of the Laws and EBU Directives governing duplicate bridge.
- Able to deal confidently with common table situations.
- Have participated in an appeal.
- Have dealt with harder judgement rulings.
- Have a better understanding of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017.
The course is a mixture of table simulations, lecture and written assessment. Booking and further details available by calling 01296 317203 or by email: comps@ebu.co.uk.
2024 County Directors’ Course Timetable
| Date | Time | Details |
| Saturday May 18th | 2.00pm | Introductions followed by Discussion Groups. Course members will be divided into groups to discuss some unseen material and to consider the role of the County Director. |
| 3.00pm | Tea/coffee break | |
| 3.15pm | Discussion group feedback | |
| 3.45pm | TD Simulations – first batch | |
| 5.00pm | Feedback on TD simulations and preliminary Quiz including discussion of use of Blue Book and White Book | |
| 6.00pm | End of afternoon session | |
| 6.30pm | Dinner | |
| 7.30pm | Talk on Unauthorised Information and Judgement rulings | |
| 8.30pm | TD simulations – second batch | |
| 9.45pm | Feedback on Simulations | |
| 10.15pm | End of evening session | |
| Sunday May 19th | 10.00am | County Course Quiz |
| 11.00am | Appeal | |
| 12 noon | 4 hands for discussion (2 groups) | |
| 12.30pm | Feedback on discussion hands and CC Quiz | |
| 1.00pm | Lunch | |
| 1.30pm | TD simulations – final batch | |
| 3.00pm | Feedback on TD simulations and final plenary session | |
| 3.30pm | End of Course |
Results will not be available on Sunday. They will be forwarded by email on the following Tuesday.
Panel TD Training and promotion examinations
The TD panel meets as a group every two years for a training weekend to discuss matters of importance and to keep up to date on modern thinking regarding tournament direction. Panel TDs are also interviewed and examined if they wish to progress through the ranks. Past examination papers for 2007 and 2009 are available to download.