Nicola Patricia Smith[1] MBE, née Gardener (born 28 April 1949),[2] is a world champion English bridge player.

She played in eight successive World Team Olympiads, which were held every four years until 2004, winning the silver medal on four occasions.

In 2008, she was part of the English Ladies team that won the Gold at the first World Mind Sport Games (the successor competition to the Olympiad) in Beijing, China.

She made her representative international debut in the European Championships in Estoril in 1970, partnering Dorothy Shanahan and finishing fourth.

In 1981-1982 and 1983, she took part in Grand Slam, televised matches arranged by the BBC between teams representing Britain and the United States.

"[11] Smith was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1995 New Year Honours for services to bridge.

[12] In 2015 she was one of the first two winners of the English Bridge Union's Diamond Award, introduced to recognise players who have "represented England (and earlier Great Britain) with distinction over a long period".