The NVBA is dedicated to serving players of all skill levels. We are especially eager to increase newcomer and intermediate participation in the bridge games we sponsor. At the weekly NVBA unit game and at NVBA sectional tournaments, players with under 5 masterpoints play for just $2, and players with under 100 masterpoints (as well as all juniors and full-time students) pay just $9.

Players of all levels are always welcome at the NVBA unit game on Thursday evenings, with a separate 99er section for players under 100 masterpoints (if attendance permits). NVBA has offered free lessons for newer players before the game in the past; see the list of past lesson topics, sometimes with links to handouts.

NVBA sectional tournaments offer a variety of events for intermediate and novice players, usually including at least one game just for players with under 20 masterpoints.

Some local club games also offer separate limited-masterpoint sections.

Bridge Teachers

See the list of DC metro area bridge teachers.

Ethics

Newer players often make unwitting mistakes that seasoned players believe to be ethical lapses. In order to educate the I/N community, we've put together a web page with articles that describe good and bad ethical behavior at the table. If you're reading this, you can probably benefit from this knowledge. See the NVBA bridge ethics articles to learn more about this important topic.

Online Resources for Newer Players

• ACBL offers Community Games on BBO on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6pm (players under 20 masterpoints) and 6:10pm (players under 50 masterpoints) with a free lesson on Zoom after the game.
• ACBL offers free Social Bridge games on RealBridge every Monday from 6pm to 9pm and every Thursday from 4pm to 6pm. Drop in any time and stay as long as you like. (These games do not award masterpoints.)
• ACBL Clubhouse games take place on BBO daily, with multiple sessions for players under 20, 50, 100, 200, and 300 masterpoints.
• Shark Bridge offers ACBL members a free daily 12-board tournament with a robot partner against robot opponents. No board timer or round timer. Start any time and finish by midnight. (These games do not award masterpoints.)
• The "Learn About Bridge" section of the NVBA home page has a list of links to other useful resources.