New Tricks is a UK registered charity dedicated to bringing the pleasures and benefits of playing bridge to as many people as possible. We work in partnership with the UK’s main bridge education charity, English Bridge Education and Development (EBED) to meet our common goals as effectively as possible.

We have a strong emphasis on introducing young people to bridge as the range of cognitive and social benefits that learning and playing provide are widely recognised.   Young people generally love competition and they engage readily with the tactical elements of the game, as they do with video games that demand strategic thinking.  Bridge gives them the challenge and competitive fun of screen-based gaming alongside the social dimension that comes from partnership and face to face play.

We began by teaching in schools in September 2020 and have since introduced a large number of children to minibridge and subsequently to the full version of the game. We have broken through the previous domination of the independent sector in school-age bridge by focusing on state schools. We have a thriving Saturday afternoon club in North London where kids from different schools (and some of their parents who have been inspired to take up the game!) come to play together – a model we would like to see replicated elsewhere. So far, five of our 10 and 11 year old students – all from state  schools – have joined the England Under 16 squad and we have a great pipeline for the national teams of the future.

We also cater for adult bridge players with our extensive range of masterclass videos, bringing a level of improvement through entertainment – an area where bridge previously lagged very far behind chess in terms of online content.