As 2018's Simultaneous Pairs events organised by the EBU have come to an end, we're looking ahead to a new year of competitions. If your club already takes part then thank you, and we hope you will continue to support the EBU, EBED, and all bridge players, through your participation.
If your club hasn't taken part in the past, or has but didn't in 2018, we hope you can be encouraged to participate this year.
In response to feedback from clubs which take part, and those which don't, there will be some changes to the prize structure in 2019. More information on these is below. The prize draw for 2018 took place at the EBU AGM on 28th November, and details of the winners are below.
The EBED Simultaneous Pairs supports the charity, English Bridge Education & Development, which is working to promote and develop the game in many areas. It work is funded, in part, by the proceeds from these Sim Pairs events, so your participation helps it undertake activities which help the game to grow, such as organising and supporting junior activities, or holding teachers' courses. We hope you will take part in 2019 and help them to continue their efforts.
The proceeds from the Bridge England Simultaneous Pairs go towards supporting our international teams. In 2018 you supported the four junior teams which played in the World Youth Team Championships in China, and in 2019 the three 'adult' teams will also be heading to China for the World Championships, having qualified at the 2018 European Championships.
New format for 2019: This year there are two competitions in the BESP, but you have a choice of days on which to play. The first set of deals can be played on Monday or Tuesday. The second set can be played on Wednesday or Thursday. This means a larger field in each competition, making it more interesting and enjoyable for those who take part. To register: To play on Monday, enter for Tuesday but play the boards a day earlier; for Wednesday enter Thursday's competition and play early.
These events all support your EBU. The proceeds from these events help us to provide services to the members, clubs and counties. By participating you are enabling the EBU to do more for bridge in England, and your club and members will see the direct benefit. The Club Stratified Sim Pairs in March is great introductory event for clubs which haven't previously played in a sim pairs. The cost of entry is lower to encourage participation, and the results are stratified in to four categories so less experienced players can still win bonus Master Points based on their position within their stratification. More information is available here.
Heat winners: Rather than giving cash prizes to those randomly selected, the budget will instead be more evenly distributed across those who win each competition. All EBU-hosted competitions are now included, and the winners will now receive £100 - increased from £50 in 2018.
The draw in which cash prizes are given to selected members will be scrapped.
Club hosts: The draw for host clubs will continue. Every club which enters a heat of any EBU organised event, excluding any participating unaffiliated English clubs, will be included and the draw will be made at the AGM in November.
This allows the EBU to redistribute some of the proceeds back to the clubs which have participated. The club can then decide to invest it in providing services and activities for its members, or to support a local cause of its choosing.
10 clubs will be drawn, each receiving £250. There is a no longer a larger prize for the first few places and smaller runners-up prizes - the prize fund will instead be evenly distributed.
All these events are open to all British clubs, including unaffiliated clubs. There is a surcharge for unaffiliated English clubs in most events, but this is waived in the EBED events as the charity supports all bridge players. So if you know someone at an unaffiliated club then please let them know and encourage them to take part - if they do then we all benefit. To enter, unaffiliated clubs should get in touch with Richard Banbury at EBED - richard@ebedcio.org.uk.
* Please note that standard Universal Membership Subscription fees also apply.
The top prizes went to:
In addition, runners-up prizes have been drawn in both categories. A full list of the winners can be seen here – https://www.ebu.co.uk/node/3298.