SCOTTISH BRIDGE UNION
As usual there’s a lot happening in the bridge world.
AGM Tuesday May 20th, 2025
We are looking for members to join the Board of Trustees. If you may be interested, please get in touch with me or any other trustee so we can explain what is involved. The AGM is also an opportunity for members to put forward Resolutions and ask questions. Board nominations and Resolutions must be submitted by 28 April. Formal notification and papers for the AGM will be issued during the first week in May.
Youth Bridge Camp
We are organising a weekend summer camp at Stirling University July 11-13. The camp aims to provide lessons for different skill levels and provide fun and sociable activities for youth bridge players. We are expecting a mixture of schoolchildren from those interested in learning the game to those who are relatively experienced and aspire to play in Scotland’s youth teams. Please look at the material on the website and persuade friends, children and grandchildren to come along for what will be a memorable experience costing only £85 for the whole weekend.
Café Bridge
A typical café bridge event is a duplicate pairs bridge game set up over multiple cafés and restaurants. Pairs move to a new venue after each round. The registration fee typically covers vouchers which are valid for refreshments at the venues, either for a single lunch or for a drink at each stop, depending on the style of event. Café bridge has a social component, whether by raising money for a good cause, attracting sponsorship for bridge from regional institutions, or gaining custom for local businesses. Café bridge also helps make bridge visible to the wider public, thereby encouraging more people to consider taking it up.
Events already confirmed in Prestwick, Strathaven, Elgin, Perth, Dunkeld and Plockton. For details, please refer to www.brianbridge.net
Other News
- Lots of national competitions still to be won including the inaugural Britannia Hotels pairs which will take place in September with very generous sponsorship and prizes. Look out for further details of all our competitions on the website.
- Another Improvers’ Seminar hosted by Julia Palmer is being held on March 30th on Real Bridge (details on website). This is aimed at bronze level players in response to the demand for seminars and training from those wishing to improve their game.
- Peebles is always very enjoyable for those who attend but numbers have fallen dramatically since the days when we often had over 80 tables in play. It is a shame not to have a thriving national congress once a year, so we are surveying members to ask what needs to change. Please see the survey on the website.
- Well done to the Scotland team who performed well in this year’s Camrose, finishing 3rd overall.
- Clubs were recently invited to attend an open Zoom meeting to discuss issues and exchange views. Feedback from the 20 clubs that attended was positive and such meetings will now be held regularly.
- There are still a few places left on SBU’s Overseas Congress in May. It’s lots of fun with bridge played in a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of time for sightseeing, sunbathing, eating and drinking. See the website for details
- We look forward to the opening of the new Clyde Bridge Centre in May. Well done to all those who have done a tremendous job in winding up three Glasgow clubs to create a new club in Hillingdon. It’s always tough to let go the wonderful traditions of the three existing clubs, but the new club promises to be an exciting and enjoyable place to learn and play bridge.
Ending on a serious but important note……do we believe bridge is an old person’s game?
Out of 4,500 current SBU members, less than 40 are under age 31, of which only 11 are under age 20. By contrast, Chess Scotland has over 5,000 members, with roughly half being juniors. There is no doubt that attracting youths to the game is difficult, but do we want the game of bridge to be defined as an old person’s game? If not, the whole bridge community must work together with the aim of expanding the number of younger players playing the game. Please give some thought as to how this is best achieved. Ideas would be very welcome.
Alan Goodman (
March 2025