EBED runs three residential bridge camps each year in Spring, Summer and Autumn, welcoming young players aged 7–21 of all experience and ability levels.

Camps combine lessons, supervised play, competitions and social activities in a friendly and supportive environment. Players are grouped by age and experience, allowing complete beginners and experienced junior internationals to enjoy the event together.

Many young players make lasting friendships at camp, while also improving rapidly through intensive tuition and regular duplicate play. Accompanying adults are welcome to attend and participate fully in tuition and competitions.

Each camp includes a varied programme of duplicate bridge, speedballs, Swiss Pairs and team events, alongside evening activities and informal bridge sessions.

Booking links & more information:

• More information about camps
• Flyer for next camp
• Book now

Young players can enjoy bridge online through a variety of platforms, supervised games and teaching sessions. Online bridge makes it easy to practise regularly, meet other young players and stay involved wherever you live.

Many players use online bridge to build confidence, improve their bidding and cardplay, and prepare for camps and competitions. Friendly supervised games are available for beginners, while more experienced players can take part in duplicate events and online leagues. Check out our partners for promotional offers on some of these platforms.

Links:

• Thursday Junior drop-in
• Funbridge
• IntoBridge
• No Fear Bridge

If you really want to push your bridge to the next level, you could join one of our Youth Development Squads, who train twice a week with highly experienced coaches. Train hard, and you might get the chance to represent England at U16, U21 or U26.

Junior membership of the EBU is free if you are under 26, and provides access to a number of benefits including:

1. Reduced entry fees to EBU events and competitions
2. Promotional offers with EBED partners such as Funbridge, IntoBridge and No Fear Bridge.

Adults join the EBU either through their local bridge club (where the club is EBU-affiliated) or as direct members.

To sign up as a direct junior member, click here to be taken to a fillable pdf application form.

Bridge offers opportunities to compete at every level, from local school events to national championships and international matches.

Many young players first experience competition through school bridge clubs, local duplicate sessions or friendly matches. From there, opportunities expand to county events, national youth competitions and representative teams.

Competition helps players develop confidence, teamwork and decision-making skills while giving them the chance to meet other young bridge players from across the country.

Whether your goal is simply to enjoy the challenge or to represent England internationally, there is a competition pathway for every level of player.

Click here to find out more about competitions.

MiniBridge is a simplified version of bridge designed for beginners. Players start playing hands immediately while learning the core ideas of tricks, trumps, contracts and partnerships. It provides an easy pathway into the full game.

Bidding is how partners communicate before the play begins. Through a series of bids, players describe the strength and shape of their hands and agree on the best contract. Good bidding is one of the most rewarding skills in bridge.

Cardplay is the skill of planning and playing the cards once the bidding has finished. Players learn how to establish winners, manage trumps and make the most of the cards available to them. Strong cardplay turns good contracts into successful results.

Duplicate Bridge is the most common form of competitive bridge. The same hands are played by multiple tables and scores are compared to see who achieved the best result. This removes the luck of the deal and rewards skill and judgement.

Conventions are special bidding agreements that allow partners to exchange information more efficiently. Popular conventions help players find the right contract and explore game or slam opportunities. Most players learn conventions gradually as their experience grows.

A system is the set of bidding agreements used by a partnership. Systems provide a common language that helps partners understand each other's bids. As players progress, they often learn more advanced systems and partnership agreements.