Welcome To Lawson Bridge Studio
Welcome to our bridge club! We welcome players at any level – especially beginners who need a place to start.
Take a look around our site to find out more information about the club, results of games with contracts at each table, deals of previous games, the game calendar, newsletters, bridge articles and more.
♣ Game Days ♣
We offer two friendly weekly games on Mondays and Wednesdays at Ann Sather Restaurant, 909 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. (Free parking is available in the restaurant parking lot behind the building.)
Both are open pair games, with a team game during October Club Appreciation, as the team game offers a small fraction of gold points (see the calendar for specifics). Players typically play 24 boards in the open game with the timer set at 7.5 minutes per board. Games start at 6:20 p.m., allowing about 3 hours and 10 minutes of playing time.
♣ Registration ♣
Since reopening from the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of tables started at 3-4 tables on game days. With players becoming more comfortable being out, the number of tables has been slowly increasing to 4-5 tables. It is expected that there may be further increases in the number of tables. However, like everything else, it is not expected to return to pre-pandemic days.
To ensure a game with a minimum of 3 tables, registrations are used for both games by responding to the weekly announcement or contacting Jerry Scholle, the Club Manager by calling or texting 773-209-7089 or messaging to lawsonbridgestudio@gmail.com. After a game is announced, players may just come, however, contacting Jerry that you are coming is greatly appreciated for determining the room setup.
A partner is guaranteed to welcome experienced/newcomers to our game, so just show up!
♣ Game Format ♣
The restaurant doors open to us at 5:45 p.m., so please do not arrive earlier. Games start sharply at 6:20 p.m., and we are by contract with the restaurant to be done by 9:30 p.m. (3.2 hours). Computer-dealt hands are prepared so analysis can be provided at the end of each game, so shuffling and dealing the cards are not necessary.
We use electronic scoring units, so please have your ACBL number handy to enter it on the scoring unit. As a bonus, this allows players to get to know your name as you move from table to table! It is not necessary to have an ACBL number to play. If interested in joining ACBL, Jerry can assist you.
Because of the closeness of the tables, please be considerate of your voice level and discussion so as not to convey information about a board to others who may not have played it yet, as well as others who are still playing within their allotted time for a round.
To maximize playing time and enjoyment of all players – as well as keeping everyone on schedule – it is at the director’s discretion as to how many boards will be in play, the movement, and whether boards need to be pulled so they are not played during the final round due to time constraints.
Bridge results are usually posted about 2 hours after the game on our site lawsonbridgestudio.org (see Monday results and Wednesday results), on ACBL Live for Clubs, and under our club name on the Chicago Contract Bridge Association.
Our regular game fee is $13.00/player, cash only, which is collected in an envelope on each table. Special game fees, which are announced on the newsletter and/or via email to the players prior to the game, may be $1.00 or $2.00 more. The envelope always states the fee for the game. Coffee, tea, and other snacks are provided at no extra charge.
If you are coming to play, but running late, please call the director, Jerry Scholle, at 773-209-7089 and let him know so we can maintain an orderly movement.
♣ For New Players ♣
As a club, we are working to build player abilities and confidences in the games, especially our many newer players, in three ways:
- Printed hand records from computer-dealt and analyzed deals used in the pair games are available at the end of each game. These are also available digitally for Monday deals and Wednesday deals.
- Results for each game include the hand record, the Deep Finesse makeable contracts, the player contracts and other table results. This information is helpful to use as a learning tool.
- A one-page, monthly newsletter outlines upcoming games as well as information on the game of bridge. Past newsletters have centered around the laws, recent issues that have cropped up, or a topic that has been in question during the month. Past newsletters are available under the Articles menu.
Feel free to ask questions and hopefully we can build your enjoyment and level of playing. We do have players of all levels who attend our games, so come check out the club and play with us.
If you have any comments or questions that you wish to share, please contact the Club Manager, Jerry Scholle, at lawsonbridgestudio@gmail.com or by calling/texting 773-209-7089.