Online plans – update

Thank you to everyone who has responded positively already to joining our online bridge sessions. There are at least 40 of you and I suspect quite a few more who will also want to take part. For tomorrow’s first trial session (24th March, starting 10am, but please be in place from 9.45am if you can to have a look around BBO) I have now allocated five tables and notified everyone who is down to play on one of them. I apologise to everyone who has not been asked to join a table.

The only reason is that I am not yet sure whether Annabel and I will be able to get round more than five tables and I suspect there will be quite a few technical glitches to iron out for this first one. However I hope you will all bear me. I shall certainly be running more of these sessions every week (maybe one a day) and everyone will get a chance to participate. Priority next time to those who cannot play tomorrow.

Bridge Base Online has also been overwhelmed with new members as a result of the virus and is unable to offer us our own private “room” where we could run games just for our group. That remains the longer term objective which would mean that it would be easier to organise and numbers can be increased more easily. I am also investigating other bridge websites, such as Funbridge, which make it easier to organise private groups at present.

The Refresher course on Thursday mornings will definitely be going ahead this Thursday morning, with initial priority for those who have already been to at least one session. That session is limited to four tables at present. Watch out meanwhile for my first videos and online topic seminars – the next ones will be on takeout doubles. They will be held using the Zoom videoconferencing facility and will also be recorded so that you can watch them later if you cannot make the first showing.

I am attaching again the video I have prepared before on playing at a BBO table. One correction: it is possible to turn off the sounds that accompany every bid and play, by going to the Account tab on the right hand side of the screen and unticking the ‘sounds on’ box).

Online plans

Here is what I am proposing this week for those of you want to continue playing and learning bridge in these tricky times and want to stick with the same friendly and like-minded group we have developed over the past year and a half. Having reviewed the various options I am proposing the following:

Supervised play

I am proposing to offer these sessions in two hour blocks for any group of two to four tables (= 8 to 16 players), starting on Tuesday morning (our normal Wytham time) from 10am to midday. It is a little complicated to organise, but with a bit of patience and understanding it will soon become second nature to you. I will act as what is called a kibitzer (=spectator) flitting from table to table and answering questions (what should I bid? How should play this?) via the online chat function.

At the end I can organise a short online review session for you to ask any other questions you might have about the hands you have played (which are all recorded online so you can go back and look at them all). I will need to know in advance who is coming, so I can organise you in to group of similar ability. Because it is new the first session will be free. I already know of about a dozen regulars who have said they are keen to participate.

Please also feel free to suggest other times when you would like to play a session like this, including evenings. Any group of 8 or more can be accommodated now that we do not have to find a venue. In principle I am available to run a session like this every morning (10 to 12), every afternoon (2 to 4), and every evening (8.30 to 10.30pm), though obviously subject to other commitments.

Video lessons

I will be offering a series of video lessons that you can watch at your own convenience.

(1) Play These Hands With Me.

These will give you a chance to sit behind my shoulder and watch a series of hands, during which I will explain my thinking and play – a good way to start bringing all the things you have learnt so far together when you sit down and play yourself. The first one should be available in a couple of days.

(2) Topic webinars.

I propose to continue with these for small groups using Zoom webinar technology. Once you have signed up you will receive an invitation to join the webinar and there will be a chance to watch and hear me talk through a series of slides about a topic and ask questions in the normal way via the tele-conferencing facility. The first one will be on takeout doubles, continuing The Next Level series.

(3) Advanced Defence course.

Because it is a small group, and the course has been interrupted by the virus, I am proposing to complete this course online in the same format as the webinars.

Private lessons and games

I am happy to arrange any number of online private lessons or games for groups of 3-4 or 7-8. Please contact me for details and price, which will be set on a session by session basis. This could be your chance to get a regular weekly lesson going…..!or game

Using BBO

If you have not played bridge on BBO before, I have posted a short summary (see below) of how to register and get started. I am so repeating here a video that I recorded earlier which will show you how a game of bridge is played online. BBO is free to join; all you need to do is register a username and password. I am putting together a table of usernames for all those who have expressed interest so far.

Signing on to BBO

This is a short introduction to playing bridge on Bridge Base Online, adapted (with thanks) from an English Bridge Union guide.

1) In an Internet web browser (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome etc) Go to www.bridgebase.com

2) Click ‘Play bridge now’ (red button in centre)

3) If you have not previously registered with BBO then click ‘Become a member (free!)

4) Type in a User name. It will need to be unique and it will show ‘Unavailable’ in blue if your chosen User name is already taken. Try adding a number or choose an unusual nickname if your preferred username is unavailable.

5) Type in a password and then type in the password again. The password may only contain letters and numbers.

6) Type in your real name if you want that to be displayed to other BBO users, otherwise leave this blank. Leave the ACBL number field blank. You can add your skill level (or simply highlight Private) and country of origin. The screen should then look something like this:

7) Click the checkbox for ‘I agree to the Terms of Service’

8) Click Register

9) You will now have been automatically logged on:

10) BBO has multiple different ways to play. When you log on you wil see a wide range of options. My online sessions will be organised for you: all you need to do is wait for an invitation from whoever is hosting the table. (If I have asked you to be a table host for the session, then you will need to look at this other post to see what to do).

Online bridge

One of the very few good things to say about the current coronavirus epidemic is that there are now many more online bridge sites than there used to be, and most are much more sophisticated than they once were. A good many of you have expressed interest in online lessons and supervised play now that all face to face dates in our calendar have had to be suspended.

As far as lessons are concerned, if you are interested in taking part in these, I would like to suggest that as a first step you should sign up to become a member of Bridge Base Online. It is free to join and all you have to do is create a username and password. BBO, as it is known for short, is the most advanced of all online bridge sites and has recently been undergoing modernisation. It is the one that all professional players use and the one I use too.

The drawback with it is that the robots it uses and most of the players you can play with at an online table use American bidding methods, which are different from the ones most people play and teach over here. Those methods typically involve a strong No Trump and you need five cards to open the bidding in a major suit, whereas in the UK we play four-card majors and a weak No Trump.

However for teaching purposes that does not matter as the teacher can control everything that happens at the table. What I would like to suggest is that once you have become a member you send me your username so I can set up tables where only those I invite can play. That way it will be possible to create a suitable teaching environment and also, I believe (though have not yet had confirmed), replicate something that is in principle similar to our Tuesday sessions with multiple tables.

I will provide more details shortly when I have fully explored the possibilities. In addition to teaching on BBO, I will also be creating a number of teaching videos and webinars to explore particular topics. The first necessary step however, if you do want to keep learning during our enforced absence, is for you to send me your usernames (to arb.oxford@gmail.com) so I can add them to the teaching/supervised play database. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

BBO website

Coronavirus update

Given the latest advice from the Government, it is inevitable that our regular bridge sessions will soon have to be postponed until the epidemic is properly contained. Thanks to those of you who have already told me that they no longer feel able to come to classes or play and learn sessions. I fully understand and support your decision. I was already planning on suspending most of our events even before the latest announcements. This is the BBC News analysis as of 4.30pm today (link here) – Sunday March 15th.

While the Health Secretary says that it is not yet the right time to urge anyone over 70 or those with health issues to self-isolate, that decision will be coming shortly. The peak of the epidemic is not currently expected to occur for around 10 weeks. It seems inevitable however that most people, whether or not they are in the highest risk category, will decide to take matters into their own hands sooner rather than later to try and minimise the risk of infection.

Bridge events as we organise them currently are particularly risky as sources of infection, given the use of playing cards and bidding boxes. We can minimise that risk to some extent by dispensing with boards that move round the room, replacing them with packs of cards that are not used at any other table and are thrown away at the end of each session, and also by stopping using bidding boxes. However there is no way to enable social distancing, which requires people to stay six feet away from each other, or to eliminate the risk of transmission through the atmosphere.

The English Bridge Union has today cancelled all its national events over the next few months and issued new guidance to bridge clubs that do decide to stay open, urging members who are vulnerable to stay away, and clubs that are still open to consider carefully whether their arrangements are still appropriate. Some of us already know somebody who has been infected and it is inevitable that the number of cases is going to continue to grow rapidly for a few weeks.

In these circumstances, I am proposing the following. The seminar tomorrow (on overcalling and the Unassuming Cue Bid) is going ahead, but the series will not continue after that until further notice. I have asked those who have indicated interest in attending to let me know if they are coming or not tomorrow.

The Tuesday play and learn session and Thursday morning refresher course will also not continue after this week, and will this week only operate on the basis set out above – no bidding boxes and no boards travelling around the room. I have created a new Doodle poll for the Tuesday Wytham session to replace the existing one. You can find it here. I would be grateful if you could complete it. I will be contacting those who have been coming to the Thursday refresher course directly with a similar message.

While sessions are suspended, I will be offering the option of online lessons and also a regular online tournament as well. If you are interested in either of those options, please let me know – playing online may not always be as much fun as playing in a social setting, but this could be a chance to work on your game so as to come back even better and stronger than before when the virus threat has subsided. If you unfortunately find yourself among those who have to self-isolate, this may also be one good way to while away the time.

There is, finally, the possibility of holding smaller private group lessons as well, in particular cases where everyone involved is not in the primary risk category, understands and is happy with the risks and suitable playing conditions can be created. For the moment I am monitoring developments closely and will only offer that on demand and in the light of prevailing medical advice.

I very much hope that those of you who have been regular or occasional participants in any of the classes or play and learn sessions will let me know what your thoughts are on all the above. I shall provide further updates on the website and by email so that we do not lose touch. If you have not already signed up to receive emails from this website, it would be very helpful if you could do so now, by adding your email in the box to the right of the page.

This is obviously a very difficult set of circumstances, particularly so as the lessons and sessions we run have been growing in popularity and I know how many of you have been enjoying the chance to play and learn with our convivial and growing group of participants. However it is obvious that we must do everything we can to minimise the risk of infection over the next few trying weeks and protect those who are at risk. I hope that we will all be back at the bridge table sooner rather than later.

Thank you finally for all your emails and messages. Please keep them coming!

Jonathan

Bridge this week

Monday 2nd March

Next Level seminars – every Monday morning

This week: Fourth Suit Forcing, the must have bidding convention

North Oxford Association, Summertown, Oxford, 9.45am to 11.45am

Follow this link to let us know you are coming

Tuesday 3rd March

Supervised play and learn

Wytham Village Hall, 9.30am to 12.30pm

Our regular Tuesday morning session

Follow this link to let us know you are coming

Thursday 5th March

Refresher course

Wytham Village Hall, 9.45 to 11.45am

Maximum four tables; sorted by ability

Expert tuition at the table

Email arb.oxford@gmail.com to enquire about spaces

Advanced Defence

Lessons 5 to 8 will be scheduled shortly

Latest news

Thanks to everyone who has so far responded to assorted Doodle polls about our regular events – Tuesday supervised play and learn at Wytham, the Thursday Refresher course (ideal for, but not limited to, budding partners) and topic seminars based on Andrew’s The Next Level book. Please continue to update those if your plans change. The subjects of the seminars are moving into territory that some of you may be interested in if you have not come across them before. Next Monday (March 2nd) for example will cover Fourth Suit Forcing, an essential addition to any player’s bidding armoury, and future topic include Roman Key Card Blackwood, Jacoby Two No Trumps, two-suited overcalls (Michaels and the Unusual no Trump) plus many others. The seminars are single two-hour sessions at the North Oxford Association in Summertown, north Oxford starting at 9.45am, and cost £20. You can find the topics on a week by week basis by following the What’s Coming Up link at the top of this page, or the dedicated The Next Level page. A reminder also that Andrew Robson’s charity day event at Rose Hill Community Centre is coming up on Monday March 9th.

Bridge this week

Monday 3rd February

The Next Level – 1st lesson:

North Oxford Association, Summertown, Oxford, 9.45am to 11.45am

Tuesday 4th February

Supervised play and learn:

Wytham Village Hall, 9.30am to 12.30pm

Thursday 6th February

Refresher course:

Wytham Village Hall, 9.45 to 11.45am

Advanced Defence:

Private venue, 1.30pm to 5.00pm

Friday 7th February

Next Step course :

Wytham Village Hall 9.45am to 12.45pm

Andrew Robson charity bridge day

It is not too late to book a place at Andrew Robson’s forthcoming charity day in Oxford – an annual event that supports a good cause and always draws a big local crowd. The date this year is Monday March 9th 2020 and the venue Rose Hill Community Centre, Carole’s Way, Rose Hill Oxford OX4 4HF. The bridge day raises money for the Rose Hill Junior Youth Club, a charitable organisation which supports youth activities in one of the poorest districts of Oxford.

You can find more details and book a place by opening the attached booking form. The day starts with coffee at 9.30am and includes four hours of tuition from Andrew Robson, with an excellent lunch in between. The day finishes at 3pm. It is helpful if you can indicate whether or not you have a bridge table that you can bring along. There will be several hands to bid and play to practise the themes covered in Andrew’s distinctive style.

Booking form here:

robson2020

I shall be there for at least part of the day to lend a hand, and I hope to see as many of you as possible on the day at this enjoyable and worthwhile event. Because it clashes with Andrew’s charity day, the Next Level course lesson scheduled for March 9th will be postponed until the following week.

Separately, some of you may be familiar with the Bridge for All programme, which is raising money for further research into the social and medical benefits of bridge. You can find out more about it here. The programme is run Samantha Punch, a formidable bridge player herself, and a professor at the University of Stirling. Bridge for All is organising a charitable “Play with the stars” dinner and pro-am tournament on February 20th in London, at which most of the top British (and some overseas) players will be taking part. Andrew himself is sadly not available because of his other commitments.

These players are giving their time for free and you can bid for them in an online auction. I have been persuaded to volunteer to play for free with anyone from Oxfordshire who would like to part in this event and is willing to donate a significant sum to the charity and its very worthwhile objectives. Please contact me (arb.oxford@gmail.com) if you would be interested in making that sort of commitment.

Bridge this week

Tuesday 13th January

Play and learn: Wytham Village Hall, 9.30am to 12.30pm

Thursday 16th January

Refresher course: Wytham Village Hall, 9.45 to 11.45am

Friday 17th January

Next Step course: Wytham Village Hall 9.30 to 12.45pm

If you have expressed interest in one of the two courses, but have not seen an email from me in the last few days, please check your spam folder or contact me on arb.oxford@gmail.com.