DITTON BRIDGE CLUB RULES

1. Bridge shall be played at the Club on Monday and Tuesday evenings, excluding public holidays. The EBU’s regulations shall apply to all bridge played at the Club.

2. Play shall commence promptly at 19.30 and shall conclude at about 22.30.

3. To ensure that play can commence promptly at 19.30, all members, visitors and guests intending to play are required to be seated by 19.25. Members are encouraged to arrive early and assist in setting up the room for bridge. The Director shall be entitled to refuse anyone permission to play if they arrive after 19.25.

4. The Club guarantees that any player turning up before 19.25 without having arranged a partner for an evening when an ordinary duplicate pairs session is scheduled to be played shall be provided with a partner. No such guarantee applies to teams events or evenings at which a club championship or other special event will be played. To achieve this guarantee, wherever practicable, each member who plays on a Monday night is expected to agree to be a host, on average on about one evening every 2 years. The host will not be required to pay table money if he/she plays on the evening for which he/she volunteered to be host, or on the next evening he/she plays at the Club should he/she not be required to play on the evening for which he/she volunteered to be host.

5. North is responsible for collecting table money at his/her table and for ensuring that the table slip for names and pair numbers is completed.

6. The Director shall aim to ensure that between 24 and 27 boards are played on a Monday night and between 21 and 24 boards are played on a Tuesday night. Players are required to play at a pace that will ensure the appropriate number of boards is played. Slow play will not be allowed and may be penalised.

7. On Monday evenings players shall be entitled to use any convention permitted at EBU Level 3. On Tuesday evenings players shall be entitled to use any convention permitted at EBU Level 2.

8. All regular partnerships are required to offer to opponents two completed Convention Cards that set out clearly the system, conventions and carding methods used by the partnership. Ad hoc partnerships are required to fill out the Convention Card printed on the scorecards. Players or partnerships failing to offer Convention Cards may be penalised.

9. North is responsible for ensuring that the correct boards are being played against the correct pair at each round.

10. North is responsible for completing the traveller for each board and East is responsible for ensuring that the traveller has been completed correctly. At the end of the evening’s play, North is responsible for ensuring that the travellers are handed to the Director.

11. At the end of the evening’s play, where physically able, all players are expected to assist in returning the boards, bidding boxes, tablecloths, tables and chairs to where they are stored when not in use.

12. Smoking is prohibited in the playing area.

13. Players are permitted to drink alcoholic beverages purchased from the bar and non-alcoholic beverages, but must return their glasses to the bar and their mugs to the kitchen where they should wash them.

14. Players are expected to behave in a friendly and courteous manner to their opponents and their partners.

15. Players should not discuss hands between boards and those who finish a round early should not converse at a volume which disturbs play at neighbouring tables.

16. Towards the end of each financial year the Committee shall publish a calendar setting out the planned programme of events for Monday evening bridge during the following financial year. The Committee may revise the programme at any time and shall publish any changes at the Club.

17. The programme of events shall include the following championship competitions which shall only be open to Members and for which prizes will be available:

1. An individual championship;
2. A swiss teams championship;
3. A pairs championship;
4. A mixed pairs championship;
5. A ladies’ pairs championship;
6. A men’s pairs championship.

Issue 2
Adopted by the Members at an EGM held on 15th November 2004