This September sees the start of the second Oxford Festival of Bridge, four days of friendly bridge in and around the city, organised by the Oxfordshire Bridge Association with help from many others. There are a variety of different events being held over the course of the four days, culminating in a dinner at the main venue, St Hugh’s College. The dates are Tuesday September 18th to Friday September 21st.

I had not returned to Oxford when the first festival was organised last year, but I have agreed to lend a hand to this year’s event, and I hope that you may find an opportunity to drop by. I shall be offering expert supervision and advice for those who sign up for some of the events on the first two days of the festival, whose aim is to spread awareness of the game around the county.

Tuesday September 18th, at Maison Francaise.

Bridge Festival Day 1 There are a number of events being held at the Maison Francaise in Norham Road, starting shortly before 1pm. They include two sessions of supervised play (rubber or duplicate, with expert advice available on request), a bridge quiz and a tea break.  At 6.30pm I will be reviewing the most interesting hands that have been played during the day and taking questions.

Wednesday September 19th, at St Hugh’s College.

Bridge Festival Day 2 Starts with a seminar by a county expert at 10.30am and is followed by a morning and afternoon session of bridge. There is a choice of a duplicate event and what is called “drop-in bridge”, where you will have a chance to play a number of pre-dealt hands and win a prize if you end with the highest score on those hands. Alternatively you can opt for supervised play, with expert advice available on request, or simply enjoy a friendly game in congenial surroundings.

I have offered to supervise and offer the expert help to anyone who turns up for the”drop in” bridge. Why not come along and say hello? It will be a great opportunity to find out what bridge Andrew Robson style is all about. You can also quiz me about the autumn courses and discuss the timetabling of our supervised play sessions, where we are keen to find the most popular days for you to join our playing membership. The cost of the day’s drop-in bridge is just £6 a head.

The festival website has more details about all the events of the week, including what is planned on the other two days.  There is also a booking form. And finally a reminder that  we are holding a Chicago bridge evening on September 5th. Some of you have already signed up for that, but others are still welcome.  The first autumn courses are now also available for booking.

To all friends of Andrew Robson Bridge

As well as a host of new courses starting in the autumn (details on the website shortly), I am delighted to announce the first of what I hope will become a regular evening diary date for Robson bridge fans. This is an opportunity to come along, play bridge in a friendly atmosphere, meet new people and learn more about the game as we like to play it, all at the same time.

The date for this first evening event (An Evening of Chicago) is September 5th 2018, kicking off at 6.45pm in Portabello’s Restaurant in South Parade, Summertown. The evening will consist of a number of different elements. They include a short opening seminar, a minimum of two hours of supervised play with 16-24 pre-dealt hands, a break for refreshments and a Q and A/review session at which I will be discussing all the hands you have played. Why not come and see if you enjoy it? Invitation here.

Don’t worry if you are confused by the reference to Chicago – it is really just a different way of scoring that speeds up the game and makes it more exciting, as well as lending itself more readily to teaching and supervised play (see here for more).  All will be explained on the evening; if you have played rubber bridge before, you will have no trouble picking up what is involved. The bidding and play are exactly as in ordinary bridge.

I am afraid that I don’t think this evening is suitable for complete beginners, but anyone else, if they are familiar with the basics of the game, or have been to a Robson course, is welcome, as are experienced players – the more, the merrier. Space means that we will be limited to a maximum of 10 tables so early booking is advised. If you don’t have a partner, we will do what we can to match you up wth someone like-minded, but only those who have booked in advance can be admitted.

Most importantly of all, I hope you will feel encouraged to come and see what a friendly, civilised evening of bridge should be like – that is what the Andrew Robson Bridge Club in London is famous for. If you are competitive-minded, you will be able to check your bidding and score against a par score for the hands that I will have worked out in advance. But if you simply want to come along and play with some like-minded people for the fun of the game, ask questions and take away hand records and notes about the hands afterwards, that is fine too. Why not bring your friends and play and learn together?

To book a place, simply follow this link. The event listing has details of the cost and an outline of the expected timetable for the evening. An early bird booking costs £20, including a free glass of wine, and later purchases £22 a head. I shall hope to see many of you there. And do look out for details of the autumn courses which will be posted any day now. Our plan is to arrange at least two weekly sessions during term times (one evening, one afternoon) at which members, whatever their standard, can come and play and learn bridge in a friendly environment. I will be talking more about this as well on September 5th, but do feel free to email me (bridge@arb-oxf.uk) if you are interested.

We are now reaching the end of the first two Andrew Robson bridge courses in Oxford. The final lessons are scheduled for June 19th 2018 and that makes a good time to pause and take stock. I have hugely enjoyed the experience of teaching both the Beginners and and Essential groups for the first time and it is gratifying to hear that the teaching has been well received in both cases. Just as importantly, I have noticed a considerable improvement in knowledge and understanding of what it takes to play bridge well and in the right spirit.

Plans for the future are as follows

• There will be a new schedule of courses to sign up for in the autumn, which I hope will be ready by the end this month, as well as one or more free taster sessions towards the end of August, designed to attract beginners and those who want to sample what the Robson method of teaching is all about. I intend to offer up to a half a dozen courses in all – including some with more advanced material – with a view to finding out whether there is sufficient interest to teach them all.

• Of the summer I will be offering a series of topic by topic seminars for those who already know the basics of the game and want to add some more knowledge on a session by session basis. Details will go out shortly. I currently expect to offer one morning and one evening session a week.

• We will also be organising the first play and learn sessions – where you can come along, play some pre-dealt hands (with supervision available) and then have a debrief at the end at which I will go through the hands and take questions about what could/should have happened. This should be an excellent way to meet other like-minded players and try out your new skills and deepen your knowledge in a friendly atmosphere.

• I shall in addition be sending out a regular email to those who have signed up on the website with an instructive hand that I have either played myself or come across elsewhere. Some will be relatively straightforward and others will be a little more advanced. Either way I hope that you will enjoy them.

Finally please don’t hesitate to contact me by email if you have any queries or useful feedback. If you have enjoyed a course and want to persuade your friends to come along to the next one, please do spread the word. The more friends who sign up, the better the chances that you will soon be taking part in an enjoyable game, either at one of our sessions, or in your home.

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As promised I am happy to announce that I will be running a second series of Andrew’s Essential Bridge course on Thursday afternoons in Iffley between 2pm and 4pm, starting on May 10th 2018. If you are interested, you can book a place either by following this link or going to the Book A Place tab on the website. The course outline is shown on the Schedule page. The venue is Iffley Church Hall, a lovely listed building situated a few hundred yards from the church in Iffley at the end of Church Way. It is possible to park nearby for free.

Iffley is easily accessible from the southern bypass, as well as from the city centre. The address is 116-122 Church Way, Oxford OX4 4EG. The Essential course is Andrew’s most popular course, designed for those who know the absolute basics of bridge (how to deal, how to score, how to win tricks) but want to improve and master the Robson way of bidding and playing. Topics covered include opening the bidding, responding, the play of trump and No Trump contract and an introduction to good defence.

I am looking forward to seeing all those who have singed up for the first two courses (Essential and Beginners) at North Oxford Golf Club, which start this Tuesday (May 1st). Once we have completed the first couple of lessons, I expect to offer some dates for supervised play – a chance to practise what you have learnt with help on what to bid or play always at hand. Thank you also to all those who have contacted me about possible private group teaching.

To clarify one important issue, I am happy to offer refunds to anyone who for whatever reason cannot make every lesson of our eight-week courses. Once you have booked a place on the course, simply let me know if there are any dates that you know you cannot make. That will also help planning each session easier.

Thanks again to everyone who has expressed an interest in Andrew Robson Bridge in Oxford. I am happy to tell you that the first two courses have now been scheduled.

• 9.45am to 11.45am    Essential bridge course. This is Andrew’s most popular course – also known as the Intermediate course.
• 12.30pm to 2.30pm Beginners bridge course. Designed for those who have never played before.
• Venue for both courses: North Oxford Golf Club, Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8EZ (parking available).