RealBridge and BBO, 2nd – 5th April 2021
Due to Covid, the usual Easter Congresses in London and York will not be taking place face-to-face this year. Instead we will be running an online Easter Congress, held on RealBridge*.
The online congress will be held over the four days of the Easter Weekend, as usual.
Event format
Championship Pairs The Championship Pairs is a ‘stratified’ event scored across the field. Each pair will play in five sessions of 18 boards - making a total of 90 boards. All pairs will play two sessions on Friday and three sessions on Saturday. See below for the session times. Prizes and Master Points awarded in three categories: below Premier Regional Master, below Premier Life Master & Open. The Championships Pairs is part of the Championship Series, in which points can be earned towards the Player of the Year Championship.
The Swiss Teams on Sunday is a two-session event with seven 7-board matches in all. The event is now also a stratified event.
Swiss Pairs on Monday - open to all with seven 7-board matches.
Improvers Pairs - To be run by Kent Contract Bridge Association on BBO
- 9 High Improvers Pairs on Saturday
- Enter via KCBA website (please note pre-entry is essential)
- This event is aimed at club players who are interested in taking the first steps into congress bridge but who may have found it daunting to jump straight into a major congress event. The format will be two 18 board sessions with a break between the sessions. Players can play in either or both sessions. This competition is priced at a discounted rate to encourage new participants to congress bridge.
- Both players per pair must be a 9 or below on the NGS on 1st April 2021. We reserve the right to decline entries from those who may meet the NGS requirements, but have significant tournament experience and are not among the 'congress-novices' at whom the event is aimed.
Junior Pairs
The Easter Festival Junior Pairs will be run in conjunction with the Young Chelsea Bridge Club Friday night junior session, open to all junior members. Please enter via email to charlie@ebu.co.uk.
Event Programme
To enter
The easiest way to enter is online through My EBU. Log-in and select 'Book Events' from the Utilities menu. You can also call 01296 317203 or email comps@ebu.co.uk.
Congress Prices
The prices for our online congresses and competitions are significantly lower than they would have been face to face (about 20% less), but reflect the fact that green-pointed events always attract a premium.
We have been working hard to keep bridge going since last March, but with no end to the pandemic expected soon, we also need to work hard to keep the EBU going. Despite taking advantage of all government support that has been available, making a number of staff redundant and cutting costs everywhere we can, we are still using our reserves at an unsustainable rate. With the furlough scheme coming to an end this will only get worse.
Competitions are one way of raising the money necessary for the EBU's survival and we will be following this pricing strategy for all our online congresses and major competitions.
| Day | Times | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 2nd | 11.30am - 1.45pm | Championship Pairs, session 1 (18 boards) |
| 2.00pm - 4.15pm | Championship Pairs, session 2 (18 boards) | |
| 7.00pm - 9.30pm | Easter Junior Pairs (20 boards) | |
| Saturday 3rd | 11.30am - 1.45pm | Championship Pairs, session 3 (18 boards) |
| 11.30am - 1.45pm | 9 High Improvers Pairs, session 1 (nine x2-board matches) | |
| 3.00pm - 5.15pm | Championship Pairs, session 4 (18 boards) | |
| 2.30pm - 4.45pm | 9 High Improvers Pairs, session 2 (nine x 2-board matches) | |
| 5.30pm - 7.45pm | Championship Pairs, session 5 (18 boards) | |
| Sunday 4th | 11.30am - 2.20pm | Stratified Swiss Teams, session 1 (three x 7-board matches) |
| 3.10pm - 7.00pm | Stratified Swiss Teams, session 2 (four x 7-board matches) | |
| Monday 5th | 11.30am - 2.20pm | Swiss Pairs, session 1 (three x 7-board matches) |
| 3.10pm - 7.00pm | Swiss Pairs, session 2 (four x 7-board matches) |
Number of Days Playing |
Price Per Person |
|---|---|
Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd (Championship Pairs) |
£50 |
Sunday 4th (Swiss Teams) |
£30 |
Monday 5th (Swiss Pairs) |
£30 |
Combined Championship Pairs and Swiss Teams |
£77 |
Combined Championship Pairs and Swiss Pairs |
£77 |
Combined Swiss Teams and Swiss Pairs |
£57 |
Whole Congress |
£104 |
Friday evening short session |
£5 (or free to those playing in other Easter events) |
Improvers Pairs (Enter via KCBA) |
BBO $5 per session, paid via BBO |
Master Points
Championship Pairs: Green Points to the top half of the field within each stratification. Swiss Pairs, Nine High Improvers Pairs and Swiss Teams: fully Green Pointed.
Agreements
Level 4 agreements are permitted in all of the main congress events. Level 2 agreements are permitted in the Nine High Improvers Pairs. Please can you email your Convention Card in the correct format (WBF for Trials and EBU card for EBU Congresses) to EBUConventionCards@gmail.com. We will send you a link to a pdf version which you can then provide at the table for your opponents.
Venue and Tariff
Due to Covid-19, this event will be held via online bridge platform RealBridge
*RealBridge
RealBridge is a new online bridge platform currently undergoing extensive testing among clubs and national organisations across the world. Its most distinctive feature is that it uses your computer's camera and microphone (if it has them) to provide video and audio of the players at the table, aiming to replicate the experience of playing face to face. However, players without that capacity will still be able to play by typing comments in the traditional manner.
Find a partner/team mates
If you are looking for a partner or team mates for this congress, please use the comments board below. Please note: To reduce confusion, messages relating to a previous year's congress will be removed from the board. Please see this page if you need help using the comments board.