About the EBU by Jeremy Dhondy Bring on the Juniors

My name is Jeremy Dhondy and I am the Chairman of the English Bridge Union. This column is to answer questions or comments about the EBU that you might have. If you have a comment or a question I would be happy to hear from you. [email protected]

What are the EBU doing to around the country. Sussex hold a invites schools to send students to the encourage more juniors to junior weekend event, Gloucestershire Houses of Parliament both to look Qplay bridge? Isn’t it the key and Oxfordshire also co-operate in around and also to play bridge against to the future of our game? running something similar. MPs and Peers. As well as these initiatives there are Are the young the future of groups of schools who have signed Junior Awards bridge? Will they be the only up to initiatives offered by a small A way to keep the game going? number of clubs and counties. One An important recent development Actually no, I don’t think they will such example is Stamford Youth is a national junior award scheme although the EBU and more recently Bridge Academy (www.syba.org.uk). formulated by one of our squad leaders, EBED have had a commitment to They started their work with nearly Alan Shillitoe and administered by bridge in schools. The short term 300 young people and starting this EBED. The scheme breaks down the fix, to avoid clubs dying out as their academic year have extended this to skills required to develop from raw membership ages, is to get teaching another 400+. If most of our bigger rookie to serious contender into a set and increase the numbers and target clubs could do the same the future of of steps and milestones which can be those coming up to retirement who the game would be in safer hands. easily understood and evaluated in the may have more leisure time. I am quite The Tom Bradley award is given to a classroom. heartened by the reaction to EBED’s non-school teacher who does most to These skills (covering bidding, new product ‘Fast Track Bridge’ and develop junior bridge in their area and play and defence) are grouped into hope that this and the more traditional this year it went to Jessica and Anton six progressive levels of attainment: way of teaching will prosper in more Mauve who are involved in a scheme Minibridge, Bronze, Silver, Gold, clubs over the next few years. in the Weald of Kent to get schools and Platinum and Diamond. Each Juniors pick up bridge and clubs involved in junior bridge. level requires the satisfactory minibridge quite quickly and are an A significant part of the role of our ‘demonstration’ of about twenty important part of strengthening the sister charity, EBED, is to assist and increasingly difficult elements of roots of the game but, of course, the promote these initiatives and run their technique. So, at the lowest minibridge juniors that learn often give up for own events. Two examples are: the level successful candidates should be some years after leaving school or Junior Teach In held in Loughborough able to (in the play category): university because jobs and families which brings together all from raw intrude on their free time. Some come recruits to junior internationals and l Count the total number of winners back after a number of years and it will the Youth Bridge Challenge held each l Knock out high cards to be good if they have clubs and an EBU March. www.ebedcio.org.uk/junior_ establish winners to come back to. calendar has details of junior events l Draw trumps in a suit contract around the country. The All Party l Count the points to work out To boldly go Parliamentary Group for Bridge led by where the outstanding cards lie Bob Blackman MP is keen on helping l Take a finesse against an There are some encouraging signs and, amongst other things, the group outstanding card

Page 14 BRIDGE December 2017 As players go through the levels it their pension but also to play bridge in gets more difficult and at the top seniors events. BERNARD level (Diamond award) those who MAGEE’S are successful might well be in a Junior Internationals junior squad and perhaps playing for TUTORIAL CDS England. So you can assess the card In each of our junior squads a squad play skills required (there are other leader organises training and this is tested skills also) I have listed them not just for the team but others who ADVANCED below: want to participate. We had four DECLARER PLAY teams, one in each category go to the l Overtricks in No-trumps l Demonstrate a trump coup European Junior Championships in l Overtricks in Suit Contracts l Demonstrate coup en July of this year. l Endplays passant and elopements All four of the teams qualified for l Avoidance l By playing, show that you are the World Championship (you need to l Wrong Contract £81 counting every deal you play finish in the top six to do this) and two l Simple Squeezes l Be able to explain Smith Peters of the teams, U21 and U26 Women, l Counting the Hand l Demonstrate a simple squeeze won bronze medals. l Trump Reductions & Coups A fine performance and one l Playing Doubled Contracts The last skill listed reminds me of unmatched by any other European l Safety Plays the player in a local duplicate who at country. Couldn’t be better you might about trick nine laid her cards down think. The World Championships and said, ‘The rest are mine on a are in Wu Jiang, China which is ADVANCED squeeze.’ Sadly this wasn’t true but this around 100km from the centre of ACOL BIDDING sort of ostentatious claiming can led Shanghai. To get four teams there l Basics to problems. I enquired as to exactly plus captains and coaches together l Advanced Basics what squeeze she had in mind. After a with accommodation, food and other l Weak Twos £96 short break and a sigh or two she gave expenses will not be a cheap matter. l Strong Hands in and gave us the trick to which we The EBU will be putting up money for l Defence to Weak Twos were entitled. this not least because one if its duties l Defence to 1NT Teaching people of any age to play as an organisation is to further our l Doubles is good for the EBU, the counties, representation in international events l Two-suited Overcalls the clubs and the players – we all and it is particularly pleasing that we l Defences to Other Systems need to do more. If your club offers have juniors doing so well. If they are l Misfits and teaching does it advertise? If it doesn’t to do well in China, and there is every Distributional Hands has it thought of co-operating with hope that they will, then a programme another local club? As far as juniors of training and other squad activities FIVE-CARD MAJORS are concerned does your club welcome will be taking place between now and and encourage juniors? next August. & Strong No-Trump Some juniors who learn at school are We are also going to have a fund l Opening Bids & Responses happy to play a little in school, perhaps raising drive and some clubs, counties l No-Trump Openings at home and don’t desire to spread and individuals have already offered l Support for Partner their wings but others have a strong help. There is detail at www.ebu. l Slams & Strong Openings competitive desire. co.uk/sponsor/WYB2018 for anyone l Rebids The EBU has four squads of juniors interested. l Minors & Misfits (U16, U21, U26 and U26 Women). Back to the original question. l Pre-empting £89 There are 58 juniors in the four squads Encouraging more juniors to play l Doubles at present. If you are thinking that 25 is one key to the future of our game. l Overcalls years old is quite old then be aware It’s one where there are now more l Competitive Auctions that a) when junior bridge first started centres of excellence such as the ones in the late 1960s the maximum age mentioned above but we also need ALSO was 35 and b) in many countries the more to develop to have coverage for l Defence (see p41) average age of the membership today all the country. It is, however, only l Declarer Play (see p45) is quite advanced. In the ACBL in one part of the strategy. Teaching l Acol Bidding (see p39) North America it is said to be 72. those who are older to learn to play As an aside there are now so many or to come back to bridge is another seniors aged over 60 that from the 1st part. Organisations such as U3A have January 2018 the minimum age will bridge clubs in some of their branches. ( 01483 489961 start to rise until it reaches 65 in 2026 Making clubs pleasant environments www.mrbridge.co.uk/mrbridge-shop so not only will people wait longer for is another. ■

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