What Special Events and Tournaments Does Bridge Manitoba Organize, and Are They for You?

Bridge Manitoba lists two kinds of play on bridgemanitoba.org: regular weekly club games and a separate Tournaments/Special Events section. The special events named on the site are the ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Game and CNTC qualifying games, alongside tournament and special-event listings organized by club (Bridge Manitoba, Lorraine's Game, Kirkfield Westwood, Carman, Pembina, and Pinawa). Whether they suit you depends mainly on your experience level and whether you want a one-off event with extra masterpoint value or a qualifying competition.

What the site actually announces

The Announcements section currently highlights:

• ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Game — Wednesday, October 21st, hosted by Bridge Manitoba. The site states that this game awards one full gold point to section tops in each direction, and that hand records are provided.
• Upcoming CNTC Qualifying Game — listed as an upcoming event, with details on the announcements page.

These are the two event types the site explicitly names. Everything else under Tournaments/Special Events appears as club-level listings rather than a single unified calendar, so you check the club you play at rather than one master schedule.

Are these events for you?

If you are new to duplicate bridge

The ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Game is the more approachable of the two named events. It is a single-session game played across many clubs on the same day with the same hands, and the site notes hand records are available afterward — useful for reviewing what happened on each board. It is still a duplicate game with matchpoint scoring, so you should be comfortable with the mechanics of duplicate play (bidding boxes, scoring, moving between tables) before entering.

Bridge Manitoba's newcomer path runs through its Newcomers section: lessons and teachers (Jim and Keran Sanders, Bill and Sue Treble, Rasim Sari), an "Easy Intro to Duplicate Bridge," a Learn How to Play Bridge seminar, and novice/intermediate games. If you have not yet played a club game, start there rather than with a special event.

If you are an experienced player

Both named events are aimed at players chasing masterpoints and competition:

• The Instant Matchpoint Game offers gold points for section tops in each direction — a reason to enter if you are accumulating points toward a rank.
• CNTC qualifying games are the entry route to the Canadian National Team Championships, so they suit pairs or teams intending to compete beyond club level.

How to decide, side by side

Practical steps

1. Open the Tournaments/Special Events section and pick your club (Bridge Manitoba, Lorraine's Game, Kirkfield Westwood, Carman, Pembina, or Pinawa).
2. Read the Announcements entry for the event — it gives the date, host, and what is awarded (for example, gold points for section tops in the Instant Matchpoint Game).
3. Check the Calendar for the date and any conflicting regular game.
4. If you are unsure of your level, look at the Novice/Intermediate Games listing and the Mentorship Program before entering an open event.
5. Confirm entry details with the club contact under Contact Us — the site does not publish entry fees or registration mechanics for these events.

Common sticking points

• No single master calendar. Events are listed by club, so an event at one club may not appear under another. Check the club you intend to play at.
• "Special event" is not the same as "beginner-friendly." The Instant Matchpoint Game is open duplicate play with gold points at stake; the newcomer route is the lessons and novice games.
• Qualifying games have consequences. A CNTC qualifier is a competition with advancement, not a social game — enter only if you intend to pursue the team championship path.
• Details live in announcements, not a brochure. Dates, point awards, and hand-record availability are stated in the Announcements entries; read the full item rather than the headline.