Click the plaque to return to the main Events page
Click the plaque to return to the main Events page
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Pairs events start at 1.00 pm,
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The annual Congress at our purpose-built, fully accessible premises.
Thanks to the generous support of Specsavers North Bridge branch in Edinburgh, there are worthwhile cash prizes for the top teams and pairs!
If you are a new bridge player or you have never played at a Congress before, enter the Next Steps or No Fears pairs tournaments, where you will DEFINITELY be playing against people of similar ability to yourself (see below).
Entry is strictly limited to THIRTY teams of four and 76 pairs.
We aim to honour your request if you or your partner require a stationary (non-moving) seat in the Card Room, but we cannot guarantee to do so.
Event Registration begins at 12 noon. To help us start play promptly, we ask you to register NO LATER than 12.45 pm if you are playing in the pairs event, and NO LATER than 5.45 pm if you are playing only in the Congress Teams event.
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No Fears Pairs
1.00 pm |
Open to players with less than three years of lessons or playing experience, and SBU Novices. |
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Next Step Pairs
1.00 pm |
Open to unregistered players,
and SBU players below the rank of Club Master. |
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Congress Pairs
1.00 pm |
Open to all (Handicap Event: see below). |
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Congress Teams
6.00 pm |
Open to all (Swiss Teams Event: see below). |
The entry fee is £6 per player per event (£12 per pair, and £24 per team of four). Suppers (see below) cost an extra £8 per person.
Please make your cheque payable to THE CARLTON BRIDGE CLUB LTD.
A supper is available for an extra £8 per person, which you MUST book in advance: we will send you supper tickets which you MUST bring along with you on the day (no ticket—no supper!). Vegetarian food will be available, but PLEASE tell us if any of your party is vegetarian or has any other special dietary requirements.
Suppers will be served during the break between the afternoon Pairs and evening Teams events, starting at about 4.30 pm.
During the Congress, our snack bar is of course open all day, serving a range of alcoholic and hot and cold non-alcoholic drinks, home baking, biscuits, fresh fruit, and other snacks.
To download or print an Entry Form, click here. You can enter up to four players per Entry Form; if there are more than four in your party, please use a separate Entry Form for every four players.
We will acknowledge all entries (by e-mail or by post) and will post back your supper tickets if you have booked any.
The Congress Pairs event is handicapped, which is why we need to know your SBU rank, or if you don't have an SBU ranking, how many years you've been playing bridge (honest answers, please!). This will give you a personal handicap percentage as shown below.
| SBU Rank | Handicap† |
| Non-SBU registered player† or Novice | +2.5% |
| Club Master or Local Master | +5% |
| District Master or Master | +4% |
| Senior Master or Scottish Master | +3% |
| National Master or Life Master | +2% |
| Senior Life Master | +1% |
| Grand Master | zero |
† The Congress Director may, at his sole and absolute discretion, adjust the personal handicap of any player.
The handicap of +2.5% for non-SBU registered players is a GUIDE figure, and the Congress Director will adjust this according to how many years you have been playing bridge.
In the Congress Pairs, each pair's handicap is the total of the two personal handicaps. For example, a Local Master partnered by a Scottish Master would have a handicap of 8% (3% + 5%) added to their actual score.
The Congress Teams event is not handicapped, but is run as a Swiss Teams event.
In a Swiss Teams event, there are typically four rounds (matches) of six boards each. For the first round, teams are ranked and matched according to the SBU Gold/Silver/Bronze system. After each round, teams are re-ranked and re-matched based on the current event rankings, hence each team plays each round against a team of similar ability.
If you have any questions about the Carlton Specsavers Handicap Congress which we haven't already answered, please phone the Club any evening (Monday to Friday, after 7 pm) and we'll be delighted to help.
We look forward to seeing you at the Carlton for next year's Congress! Meanwhile, why not brush up your bridge at our Classes, or just turn up and play in one of our regular tournaments? Visitors are always welcome, and we assure you that you will enjoy a convivial game of bridge in comfortable, purpose-built, and fully accessible surroundings.
Click the plaque to return to the main Events page