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.
Until further notice, masks worn over the nose and mouth are strongly recommended.
Game Days
We offer two friendly weekly games at Ann Sather Restaurant in Chicago. (Free parking is available in the restaurant parking lot behind the building.)
♣ Mondays ♣
Mondays are an open pair game with a team game the last Monday of even-numbered months (see the calendar for specifics). Monday players tend to have more bridge experience, so the timer is set at 7 minutes per board so 26-27 boards can be played. Games start at 6:20 p.m., allowing about 3 hours and 10 minutes of playing time.
If you want to play, but need a partner for the Monday game, contact Jerry Scholle, Director, at 773-209-7089 the weekend before the game, and he will try to arrange a partner for you.
♣ Wednesdays ♣
Wednesdays are an open game with the option of an invitational game* (see the calendar for specifics). Players typically play 24 boards in the open game with the timer set at 8 minutes per board. Games start at 6:20 p.m., allowing about 3 hours and 10 minutes of playing time.
A partner is guaranteed to welcome newcomers to the game, so just show up! Many new players have made their bridge debut right at our Wednesday game.
*An Open section has no restrictions and an Invitational is one where both members of a pair are non-life-masters with less than 500 masterpoints.
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! 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 (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 $12.00/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. 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 773-209-7089.