Alison Nicolson

Alison first encountered bridge when her boss and his wife decided to learn the game and needed a fourth player. They found a teacher, and Alison joined them. It turned out to be a life-changing decision — not only did she learn bridge, but she also ended up marrying the teacher. She went to her first duplicate session knowing how to count her points — 12 to open, 6 to reply — but quickly discovered how little she truly knew.

Bridge experience

Now with over forty years of experience in bridge, Alison has spent the last thirty teaching both children and adults. For her, the game remains fun, endlessly challenging, and incredibly rewarding. Bridge has taken her around the world, allowing her to share her passion for a game that truly offers something for everyone.

Hosting style

Alison’s hosting style can be summed up with the Five Fs: friendly, fun, fair, firm, and (un)flappable.

Other hobbies and interests

Alison says she only likes bridge — but she loves flowers. When she received word that it had rained in the Atacama Desert, she travelled there six weeks later to admire the vast carpets of wildflowers in bloom. She’s also passionate about travel — even during lockdown, she embarked on an imaginary journey along the Silk Road. Each day she researched a new stop, explored what she would see, do, and eat, and sent out a blog to friends each evening sharing the details.

A fun fact about Alison

When asked at a party what Alison did for a living, there were two possible answers

1. I was an environmental scientist ( you seem interesting, I’d like to chat)
2. I was in sewage ( I guess you will move on, but if you are interesting you will stay and chat.

The truth ….. you need to stop her and ask sometime.