Play and learn

As well as teaching bridge, I also host a regular online weekly supervised play session on Tuesday mornings (from 9am to 11.30pm) with a faithful, fun band of students. This weekly event has now been running for more than four years, originally in the delightful surroundings of Wytham Village Hall. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has successfully migrated online, using a combination of Zoom and the fabulous Bridge Base Online website.

To join us for one of these sessions, you can book ahead with the payment buttons on the home page of the website or from the weekly emails I send to anyone who signs up to join our bridge playing community. For the online supervised play sessions, players are grouped into tables of four, each whom has their own dedicated online room on Zoom. Annabel Wade and I move from table to table to offer advice and answer questions as the play progresses. The atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed.

The sessions were originally held in the village hall at Wytham, a lovely village just off the A34 (a couple of miles to the north east of Oxford) and we will be returning there for a monthly face-to-face sessions this year. There is plenty of free parking and tea, coffee and refreshments are provided. During each face to face session we bid and play through a series of up to 20 pre-dealt hands, with friendly expert supervision and advice available at every point. This is a snapshot of the venue, which overlooks the village cricket pitch and across towards Wytham Woods.

If you think you might be interested in coming along to either the online or the face to face session, please feel free to send me an email (arb.oxford@gmail.com). You will be made very welcome. There is no need to bring a partner, as we can find you one. Many of our regulars came on their own originally, but have since found themselves a regular partner by playing with us.

The charge for each session is £15 a head, which includes the pre-dealt hands, supervision and Q and A. You can pay by bank transfer (preferred) or by credit or bank card; details are provided when you book in advance. Cash on the day is also acceptable. Apart from complete beginners, whom we are happy to teach separately from scratch, we cater for almost any standard – come along and try us if you are not sure. It is a great chance to meet like-minded people and play some enjoyable bridge.