COVID-19 Safety Plan for Canberra Bridge Club

Updated 10 February 2023

This updated Safety Plan outlines the COVID protocols that are continuing at CBC as at February 2023:

• While COVID safety plans are no longer required, ACT Health recommends that businesses maintain an up-to-date COVID Safety Plan to help manage the risk for staff, visitors and customers.
• The pandemic has not concluded, and CBC's membership has an older profile and a higher proportion of COVID-vulnerable individuals than generally applies in the community.  Accordingly, while many of the COVID protocols in place at CBC since June 2020 have been discontinued, players, staff and volunteers are asked to continue to observe the following protocols.

Play at the bridge table

Where possible given numbers, every second table will continue to be used in face-to-face sessions.

Hand sanitiser will continue to be available on each table and via the touch-free dispenser located near the entry to the main playing room.  Players are encouraged to use hand sanitiser, eg, at the end of each round.

CBC has returned to the pre-COVID  bidding box arrangements at face-to-face sessions, so East-West players will no longer use one bidding box for the full session carrying it from table to table.

Clean-up

Please dispose of your rubbish in the bins provided, and take your mug or glass to the dishwasher in the downstairs kitchen.

Please clean-up your own spillages when they occur.  If necessary, please assist players who are unable to attend to their own spillages. 

Kitchen access

Players and staff may use the downstairs kitchen.  As it is a small space, please ensure there’s no more than three people in the kitchen at any time.  Please be responsible and avoid overcrowding in the kitchen.

Infectious while at the clubrooms

If you are diagnosed with COVID and were at the clubrooms from 48 hours before symptoms started or you tested positive (whichever came first), please inform the CBC managers at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who can assist with advising others who were at the clubrooms at the same time.

COVID-smart behaviours

CBC players, staff and volunteers are asked to observe the COVID-smart behaviours that we are being asked to observe generally throughout the community, such as:

• Stay home if you are unwell, including if you have any COVID symptoms;
• Wear a face mask if you wish, eg, if it is difficult to be 1.5 metres from others.

Possibly changing Government requirements

Players, staff and volunteers should continue to stay up-to-date with and follow all ACT Government COVID requirements (see www.covid19.act.gov.au).

Thank you

CBC has managed the pandemic well, with some but not many cases of COVID-infectious individuals present at the clubrooms, and few suspected or confirmed cases of COVID transmission occurring.

The CBC Committee is grateful for the goodwill and co-operation shown by players, staff and volunteers throughout the pandemic.

Frequently Asked Questions about playing with CBC on BBO

Do I need to tell anyone which session I plan to play in, or who my partner is?

No. You only need to provide your BBO details to the Managers once to allow access to our CBC sessions. After that, you self-register your partnership for the session you want to play in, and join before the start of session.

For full information on how to register and join a CBC session, please read the "Playing in a CBC Session" section.

How do I pay for BBO sessions?

You need to load BB$ onto your BBO account first. Then, when you join a CBC session on BBO the entry fee will be deducted from your account balance.

For information on how to add BB$ to your BBO account, please read Step 4 of "Registering to play".

How do I enter my real name on my profile? How do I state the System I play?

The account tab on the far right hand side of the BBO screen allows members to change their BBO profile. 

• Please make sure your name is displayed – no nicknames or blanks are acceptable. 
• You can also fill in a very quick system summary in the notes section – i.e. 15-18 NT, Weak 2s, Reverse Attitude.

Will hand records be available for the online session?

• The results for each tournament are now posted on the CBC website and are also available through Pianola, with a results email being sent to all registered pianola members. These results have BBO names converted to member’s names. It can take up to 12 hours for the results to be posted.
• You can also get results from BBO by searching in your recent history. Only BBO has a record of each hand you played with a card by card replay. BBO itself provides a wide range of information in your recent results area (see video: How to check your BBO results).

Who do I contact for help?

During a session you are playing in please contact the director for help.

For Wednesday 10:15am newer-players sessions, please contact Barb Toohey.

For general BBO usage help, please read our BBO page. If you still need help, please contact:

• Non-urgent: please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (note we may not see your email for up to 24 hours, or on weekends).
• Urgent help: please contact Michele Grant or Jodi Tutty

For information on how to register your BBO details or join a session, please read our Playing in a CBC session online page. If you still need help, please email the Managers and we can help or direct you to the right person. Please do not call as we are working remotely without access to the phone.

How are Masterpoints calculated for BBO sessions? Why don't they match the Results?

The Masterpoints you will earn with the results at the end of the session are NOT ABF masterpoints. It is the BBO/US masterpoints system.  

When the ABF system is in place, the Australian Masterpoints will be about 25-33% of the number shown. Divide by 3 to get an approximation. There is no exact conversion, as they are calculated slightly differently.

How to I enter a smiley or sad face in chat?

• A smiley face can be shown in the chat line with a colon and a closed bracket, which looks like: :)
• A sad face is a colon and an open bracket, like: :(

You may also see these abbreviations typed in chat: 

• wd for well done
• glp for good luck partner
• typ for thank you partner

Honorary Life Members

(in order of conferral) 

• Olive Lott
• Horrie Holt
• Dorothy Jesner
• George Jesner
• Andy Hickey
• Bill Hunt
• Len Dixon
• John Brockwell
• Billie Cassidy
• Barry Turner
• Ted Crichton
• David Hoffman
• Val Mitchell
• Jon Hunt
• Neil Ewart
• John Hempenstall
• Andrew Leslie
• Julia Hoffman
• Earl Dudley
• Andrew Kettle
• Ross Crichton
• Peter Giles
• Ian Robinson
• Pam Crichton

Playing in a CBC session online

To play in a CBC session online, you first have to register with CBC and the ABF. After you have registered you can sign up for online sessions. Help with BBO is available on our Bridge Base Online page.

You may also wish to read our BBO Frequently Asked Questions.

Registering to play

These steps only need to be done once.

1. Become a BBO member. Remember to include your name in your profile so that other players can recognise you (no nicknames).
2. Link your ABF number to your BBO username. This allows masterpoints to be issued by BBO.
   This is done by completing the ABF Sign Up form. If the link does not work, go to the ABF website, click on “ABF and BBO arrangements for club bridge” and then click on their signup link.
3. Email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with 
   
   1. Your Name
   2. Your ABF number and
   3. BBO login/user name.
   This gets you included on the CBC members list on BBO so that you can play in the CBC sessions.
4. Buy some BB$ through their BB$ Purchase page. Sessions will cost $3 US (about $5 AUS). Bear in mind that using pay functions on mobile devices for the transaction may attract additional fees.

What is my BBO username?

It is your login username, or nickname displayed when in a session. In the examples below, it is "michelepg".

You can also view it in your Account Details page. Additionally, in the Account Details page, please make sure you have your "Real Name" entered so that other CBC members can know who you are when playing (by viewing your profile details).

Playing in a CBC session

To play in a particular CBC session, you need to

1. Make sure both you and your partner understand how playing on BBO is different to face to face.
2. Both you and your partner need to have completed the registration process.
3. You then need to sign on for the particular session. Both players need to be online and then one person needs to complete the process below. Sign on opens two hours before the session and needs to be completed at least 10 mins before the session starts.
   1. Log on to BBO.
   2. Under the blue ‘Play or Watch Bridge’ section, select the Competitive option and then select All Tournaments.
   3. Scroll down the list of Tournaments until you find a tournament starting with CBC (private). Typical Tournament names are CBC (private) Thursday AM or CBC (private) Tuesday. The tournaments are ordered by start time.
   4. Click on tournament name. Note that you need to click on the tournament name, not the host.
   5. Enter your partner’s BBO username. Click Invite. An invitation is sent to your partner.
   6. After your partner accepts the invitation, you should get a message saying you have registered. If flashes up quite quickly so you may miss it. If you are not sure, you can try and register again - BBO will tell you that you if you have already registered.
   7. Now you need to wait for the tournament to start.
   8. After registering you can log off and log back in later. If you are using BBO for the first time both partners should log on at least 30 minutes before the session in case of problems.
   9. Session may start a few minutes late.
4. Playing the session
   1. Both you and your partner need to be logged onto BBO at least 5 mins before the session start.
   2. At the start time you will be taken automatically to your first table.
   3. If you or your partner are not logged on at the start time, BBO will automatically remove you from the movement. You cannot be added to the movement once it starts.
   4. The time allowed to play each round (and the time remaining to complete the round) is shown directly under the board number.
   5. At the end of the round, (eg after 21 mins for a 3 board round), you will be automatically moved to the next table
   6. If you have not finished a board when the time runs out, or not started the last board with 3 minutes to go, the board you are playing will disappear. Both pairs will get 50% by default.  The SOUTH player ONLY please tell the Director you did not complete the board. The Director will check incomplete boards and if the play has continue far enough for the result to be clear, the result will be adjusted to that.
   7. If you make a misclick, not a misplay, you can ask for an undo. A misclick is accidentally clicking on the wrong bid (e.g. clubs instead of diamonds, dbl instead of pass) or the wrong card. If you change your mind, do not ask for an undo.
   8. If during the game you lose connection with BBO, log in again and you will be able to resume from the same point.
   9. If one of the players at your table has the word reserved after their name, they have lost connection. You will need to wait while they log in again.
   10. You can call the director if there is any problems. Click on the menu, which is the 3 lined box or "hamburger". 
   11. During the session you can see your results at the end of each round by clicking on the history tab at the extreme right of the screen. Everyone plays the same boards at the same time so neither you nor your opponents will see the boards later in the session. At the end of the session, your results will automatically appear.
   12. Enjoy yourself!

Tips on etiquette and procedures to make it go better

Make a friends list and then you easily know if your partner (or your friends) are on line.

• Click on a friends profile and change relationship to "follow".
• Or look at this 2-minute video on how to add friends.

Learn how to chat on BBO – say 'hullo' to your oppos

You can find out who you are playing against by clicking the BBO handle and looking at their profile - please note that all members should have their name shown in their profile – not their nickname.

You should update your profile in the notes section to provide a brief description of your methods. This may look like Standard, 15-18 NT, weak 2s , natural count and attitude

Alerting

You alert your bids to the oppos and your partner cannot see your alert (self alerting).

Best practice is to put in the explanation of the bid BEFORE you type in the bid so if you are about to open 1NT, type in 15-18 in the explanation line and then click 1NT.

Not sure? Look at this video on alerting in BBO.

Eventually – learn to claim – it speeds  up the game

Finding a partner to play with on BBO

Option 1 – Looking for a last minute game

• Under the blue ‘Play or Watch Bridge’ section, select the Competitive option and then select All Tournaments.
• Scroll down the list of Tournaments until you find a tournament starting with CBC (private). Typical Tournament names are CBC (private) Thursday AM or CBC (private) Tuesday. The tournaments are ordered by start time.
• Click on the tournament name and then click on the partnerships tab at top right hand side of the page to register your BBO name. Another CBC member will then be able to join for the tournament.