Welcome to Scotland's largest Bridge Club with over 600 members
Our club is situated on Pinkhill Road not far from Edinburgh zoo about two miles from the city centre.
It easily accessible by bus with a stop close by with frequent services into town.
The club has a small car park and there is plenty of on-street parking. Scroll down the page for a map showing our location.
We have bridge sessions throughout the week and welcome players of all abilities.
We especially welcome people who are interested in learning this fascinating game that is played by more than 200 million people worldwide.
Experienced bridge players visiting the city are always very welcome at any of our regular bridge sessions.
Click on Members Website above for full details.
If you are interested in learning bridge then read about our lessons further below, but first read about why playing bridge is good for the brain!
Why Play Bridge?
Bridge is a mentally stimulating and socially engaging card game that is great fun to play!
It improves reasoning and memory and can be played by people of all ages.
Watch the video below to see what makes bridge brilliant or expand the paragraphs to read more.
Mental Stimulation
Bridge provides a comprehensive mental workout by engaging both the left and right sides of the brain.
It sharpens skills in logic, communication, memory, and visualization.
Regular play has been shown to improve reasoning skills and has been linked to a lower incidence of dementia.
It’s a game of continuous problem-solving, as every deal presents a new challenge.
Social Engagement
As a partnership game, bridge requires cooperation and communication, which helps build strong friendships.
It’s a social activity where you interact with partners and opponents and can meet new people from diverse backgrounds.
It provides a sense of community, whether playing at a local club or online.
It is one of the few competitive activities that can be enjoyed by all generations together.
Fun and Excitement
With more than 750 trillion possible hands, no two games are exactly alike, making it perpetually interesting.
Each hand is fast-paced, taking only a few minutes to play, leading to quick rounds and constant action.
It can be a source of great fun and excitement, especially when outsmarting an opponent or achieving a successful partnership.
Accessibility and Value
It is an inexpensive hobby, requiring only a standard deck of cards and three other people.
Bridge can be played anywhere, including online, making it easily accessible.
It is a game for all ages and backgrounds, with opportunities to play locally, nationally, and internationally.
Don't just take our word for it!
Read what some famous bridge addicts have to say ...
Martina Navratilova, winner of 59 Grand Slam tennis titles – the most won by any tennis player in the Grand Slam era: “No matter where I go, I always make friends at the bridge table.”
Warren Buffett, renowned investor and one of the world’s wealthiest people: “Bridge is such a sensational game that I wouldn’t mind being in jail if I had 3 cellmates who were decent players and who would be prepared to keep the game going 24 hours a day!”
Bill Gates, investor, philanthropist, author and founder of Microsoft Corporation in 1975: “I love Bridge. Bridge helps you think. It’s a game you can play your entire life and keep getting better and better. Everybody who is good at Bridge is going to be good at lots of things.”
Claudia Winkleman, TV presenter and “Traitors” host, says she is “Obsessed with Bridge” .
Alex James of Blur is also a fan. He says: “Bridge is utterly compulsive once it has got hold of you. It isn’t too hard to learn and the joy is that you can play it and actually start enjoying it before you get very good. You can take it on at any level that you want. The big problem is that very soon after you start you want to be brilliant.”
Learn Bridge with our Bridge Academy
If you are new to bridge or wish to improve your game then our Melville Bridge Academy is the place for you! We offer four levels of classes from complete beginner to more advanced courses for experienced players. Teaching takes place in ten week blocks with two extra weeks for revision and consolidation. Classes are held throughout the year.
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For complete beginners we have a ‘First Steps’ course that will take you through all the basics assuming no prior knowledge of bridge.
For those that have completed the First Steps course or people that have played in the past our Next Steps course will get you ready to start playing in our very gentle tournaments on Tuesday evenings or Wednesday afternoons.
We also offer an ‘Improvers’ course for those eager to know more and to start competing against the more experienced club players.
And for good measure we have some advanced classes led by an experienced international player.
Classes cost £100 for each ten-week term of ten lessons (£50 if you are under 26). There are two terms per year.
Click HERE for the latest information about our classes on the Academy section of our members website.
History of the Melville Bridge Club
The club, which was founded in 1935, first rented property at 44 Melville Street in the Edinburgh New Town, one of the grander streets in Edinburgh. In 1950 the club moved to a four storey Victorian Town House at 9 Grosvenor Crescent. 9 Grosvenor Crescent was built in 1868 firstly as a private house later becoming a maternity home during the Second World War and then part of the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science.
During the excavations for the new building some Bronze Age swords were found some of which are now part of the collection in the National Museum of Scotland.
In the summer of 2013, the club again moved premises to its current location at 1 Pinkhill in Corstorphine. At the same time, the club attained the status of a charitable organization and began trading under the name New Melville Bridge Club Ltd.