Welcome
Bridge is a fantastic game for young people. It’s fun, strategic, cooperative, and a great way to meet new friends. We hope you enjoy your experience playing bridge as much as us!
Meet some of our youth players
| When and how did you learn bridge? | I think 3 or 4 years ago? It’s been a while. My dad knows how to play but I learnt at some lessons at the club. |
| Apart from bridge, what do you love doing? | Hiking, inline skating, gym, world affairs, D&D, hanging out with my friends |
| What do you like about bridge? | The fact that it’s played in a partnership and you’ve got to communicate and coordinate. There’s a lot of guesswork but also deduction as well. Also just cardplay is fun. |
| Favourite memory / achievement in bridge? | Youth week 2024 – that was pretty fun |
| Would you rather be able to be invisible, or read people’s minds? | I dunno, neither are my first pick for a superpower. Reading people’s minds? I don’t know if i want to know what people think of me. So maybe invisibility, there’s no negatives about it. |
| Let’s play paper scissors rock. But I’m going to choose rock. Ready?… Why did you choose rock? | I just always choose rock the first time – that’s my strategy. |
| When and how did you learn bridge? | My grandma taught me when I was 17, then I went to a youth bridge event, and realised other young people play bridge too! |
| Apart from bridge, what do you love doing? | Cooking, running, sewing, and Netflix (current favourites: Arcane, and The Glory) |
| What do you like about bridge? | It’s really logical, but also very social. That’s what keeps me coming back |
| Favourite memory / achievement in bridge? | Representing Australia in the world championships in Poland, and playing in the final |
| Would you rather be able to be invisible, or read people’s minds? | Invisible – I don’t want to know what anyone’s thinking. That’s too much of a burden! |
| Let’s play paper scissors rock. But I’m going to choose rock. Ready?… …Why did you choose paper? | Because I believe you, and I wanna win. |
| When and how did you learn bridge? | 2 and a half years ago, I learned off my mother, and both my grandmas play. |
| Apart from bridge, what do you love doing? | Travelling – best places are Dublin where I’m from, Italy, and Dubai |
| What do you like about bridge? | It’s challenging and never boring because the hands are different every time. |
| Favourite memory / achievement in bridge? | Qualifying for the Australian youth team trials |
| Would you rather be able to be invisible, or read people’s minds? | …but I can already read people’s minds! |
| Let’s play paper scissors rock. But I’m going to choose rock. Ready?… …Why did you choose scissors? | <laughter> … I thought you were BLUFFING! |
| When and how did you learn bridge? | 5 years ago, one of my mates was playing and I just came along too. |
| Apart from bridge, what do you love doing? | Football (the real kind), cricket, building engineering stuff |
| What do you like about bridge? | I like the social aspect of it, coming to see my friends |
| Favourite memory / achievement in bridge? | Going to different places with bridge, it’s just like a holiday with your friends with a bit of bridge on the side |
| Would you rather be able to be invisible, or read people’s minds? | I think I’d rather invisibility – if I read someone’s mind and they didn’t like me I’d be very self-conscious |
| Let’s play paper scissors rock. But I’m going to choose rock. Ready?… | Z: Well, Michael, I’m going to choose… scissors. <Rock beats scissors> M: Why did you choose scissors? Z: Well, I watched this TV show, Catalyst, and they said going in the reverse cycle twice from your opponent’s previous choice was mathematically giving you the best odds to win. M: But we only played once.. |
Wednesday youth nights
We run a weekly casual session suitable for all experience levels, even if you’ve never played. Have fun playing cards, and meet other bridge players. Free pizza for dinner. We play from 4pm – 8pm on Wednesdays. Come when you can and leave when you need.
If you have any questions, contact Michael Gearing on 0419 733 930.
School holiday bridge lessons
We run a set of introductory bridge lessons in the December school holidays each year. These lessons are free and provide an interesting and enjoyable introduction to the game. If that’s too long to wait, come along to our Wednesday sessions and we’ll gladly show you the ropes there too.
Where else can I play?
You can play sessions at a local club. There are also plenty of congress events throughout the year that you can enter.
Join the ABF Youth Club (it’s free!), and you:
- do not pay any ABF or QBA annual fees
- get a 50% discount on entry fees in most congresses and club sessions.
Contact Michael Gearing for more details.
National youth bridge events
Australian Youth Bridge Championships (each January in Canberra) – also known as Youth Week. The QBA provides a travel subsidy for Queensland-based U/25 players who attend. Highly recommend!!
Youth Interstate Teams (each July). Queensland selects an U/25 representative team to compete in the Australian National Championships.
Our vision
- Queensland Youth Bridge is a group where every person is safe, feels valued, and has fun at each event or meeting.
- Each player is on a journey towards autonomy, knowing what they enjoy about bridge, what they would like to achieve in the game, and how to pursue these goals.
- Other states look to us to learn how to set up a good organisation and culture, and how to attract, retain and develop players long term.
Our mission
- To promote social, emotional, and intellectual wellbeing in school-aged kids and young adults through playing bridge and belonging to a wider bridge community.
- To provide opportunities for youth players to develop and excel at bridge.
Our values
| Fun | We ensure everyone enjoys their experiences playing bridge and being in the community. |
| Belonging | We cultivate a safe and welcoming environment for all players. |
| Respect | We are cooperative, patient, and considerate of the needs of others in our interactions. |
| Improvement | We eliminate barriers so everyone has fair access to opportunities to pursue their goals. |
| Equity | We eliminate barriers so everyone has fair access to opportunities to pursue their goals |
Contact and feedback
We want to hear from you about your positive and negative experiences in the bridge world because we can always be improving. Please contact Michael Gearing directly, or send your comments via our contact page.
Links
- QBA Child Safe Policy
- ABF Youth page
- Bridge Base Online – play bridge online with friends, or play solo tournaments
- Qld Youth Standard System Card (Upper)
- Qld Youth Standard System Card (Lower)