The calendar of CBAI and IBU events for season 2023/24 is now online in the calendar section of the website. One or two congresses have yet to confirm the plans for the season.
In making your plans for next season, please note:
- CBAI and IBU events on Saturdays will, unless notified to the contrary, have the slightly earlier start time of 1:00 p.m. Feedback from members was that an overwhelming majority would prefer a slightly earlier finish on Saturday nights, so the Competitions Committee recommended this earlier start, with apologies to those having to travel long distances. Sunday events will retain the traditional 11 a.m. start time.
- The CBAI Simultaneous Pairs week has moved from the first week in February, which now contains the St Brigid’s Day bank holiday, which depleted our playing numbers on the Monday night in 2023, to the first week in March. The IBU Simultaneous Pairs stays in its traditional spot of the first week in November, and we’ll play again in the new Celtic Nations Simultaneous Pairs in the first week in December, with the proceeds of the latter going specifically to junior bridge. If your club does not currently play in any or all of these events, please encourage them to do so; they are enjoyable, and instructive, competitions, and represent an easy way for members to support the IBU, the CBAI, and junior bridge financially.
- We have two new competitions confined exclusively to Regional Masters – a pairs event on Saturday 3 February and a teams event on Sunday 4 February. These competitions are being held on a trial basis this season, to assess the ongoing demand, so, if you’d like to see them feature in the calendar on an ongoing basis, please be sure to support them this year.
- Both the National Pairs and National Teams finals are being held slightly earlier this season than is normally the case, due to some issues in securing the venues we wanted, each of which offer good value for money. Thank you to the congress committees of Tralee and Clonmel respectively for facilitating our moves. The Pairs will be in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon on 24/25 February, and the Teams in the Loughrea Hotel & Spa on 23/24 March. Regional committees should note these dates and ensure that their regional qualifiers are concluded in sufficient time for the national finals. We hope to return to the traditional weekends next season, venues permitting.