English Bridge Union
However the BBL and another organisation, the British Bridge Association, continued to operate in England, which restricted the development of the EBU during the next few years.
According to the minutes, the 23 counties that were represented or sent their apologies were Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Derbyshire, Devonshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, London, Middlesex, North East, North West, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Salop, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Yorkshire.
During World War Two organised bridge was in abeyance, but by 1945 seven counties had been reformed: Gloucestershire, the North East, the North West, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire; next year there were 19 newly formed or reformed county associations.
[4] The Laws and Ethics committee [5] is the Regulating Authority for the game of duplicate contract bridge in England, when played under the auspices of the EBU.
It has three principal functions: it is the final EBU appeal body for appeals arising under the laws of the game; it is the principal disciplinary body of the EBU, hearing complaints against members; and it organises publication of the Blue Book,[6] which contains regulations for the conventions and agreements permitted in different classes of competition, and other directives which supplement the laws of the game, and the White Book [7] which handles technical matters of the game.
It determines the format of trial matches to assist in choosing teams for major international championships such as the European Championship competed for bi-annually and for the annual home international series involving England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Éire.
The home internationals are known as the Camrose Trophy (Open), the Lady Milne (Women), and Teltscher (Seniors).
These aims are achieved through EBTA membership and the provision, to its members, of information, advice and training related to all aspects of bridge teaching.
[11][12] The EBU also works with English Bridge Education and Development to co-ordinate a project in producing teachers from their affiliated clubs.
[14] It is an award scheme that offers graded attainment levels dependent upon teacher assessed ability demonstrated at the table.
The scheme breaks down the skills required to develop from raw rookie to serious contender into a set of steps and milestones which can be easily understood and evaluated in the classroom.
These skills (covering bidding, play and defence) are grouped into six progressive levels of attainment: MiniBridge, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.
This recognises the more elite players, and as these points decay at a rate of 20% per annum they are an indicator of recent success, rather than lifetime achievement.
[16] The National Grading Scheme (NGS) was introduced in April 2010 and aims to provides a fair and trustworthy measure of an individual players current performance when playing duplicate bridge.
EBU grades have been divided into 13 playing card bands, ranging from ‘Ace’ at the top to ‘Two’ at the beginners’ end.
[17] The most prestigious events in the EBU calendar, including the Gold Cup, contribute to the Player of the Year Championship.
[18] Since its introduction in 2014/15, the winners are:[19] The EBU launched its "Pay to Play" scheme on 1 April 2010 to create Universal Membership, replacing its previous method of financing.
A small payment (44 pence from April 2023 to March 2024[20]) is charged each time a player plays at an EBU affiliated club.
The English Bridge Union Quarterly was inaugurated in April 1966 and, in contrast to its predecessors, was the first EBU 'in-house' magazine.
[26][27] In turn, the English Bridge Union Quarterly was replaced by English Bridge in August 1984[28] which is still produced four times a year and distributed free of charge to eligible EBU members; electronic copies are available at the EBU website.
