Newsletter - 5 November 2021

In this week’s newsletter...

Face to face bridge at Deakin, past and future
Welcome New Members
Session Times - RealBridge
Promotions
Upcoming Events
Inaugural Grand National Novice Pairs for new players with <100 masterpoints CBC Heat on Saturday 20 November at 1pm
Cootamundra Bridge Charity Day 21 November
Beginners Lessons in 2022
Online Education
Bridge tips by Joan Butts
Shakespearean delight with Ian Morison
Lighter moments

From the President

As I am sure you are all aware a session of face-to-face was held at the Club on Tuesday afternoon, and will again be held this coming Tuesday. Do look at the Club’s website for information about future sessions of face-to-face at the Club.

Just a brief reminder to all, please alert all artificial bids, state the number of clubs for a 1 Club bid, and give the value of your 1NT bid.

Please enjoy your bridge, remembering that it is only a game.

Stay safe.

Margaret

Deakin Opens its Doors, slowly, slowly

CBC welcomed the return to face to face bridge on Tuesday afternoon for a session for fully vaccinated members, in particular those where one or both pair have not accessed RealBridge and had preregistered by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Our director Josh said it went well, both sessions were small so ran smoothly, with 7 tables in person and 8 tables online. People were careful to social distance and follow the club's COVID rules. It was nice knowing the exact table numbers beforehand and it would be good if we could get more tables next week. Josh praised the Committee and players and said it felt just like a normal session!

So the Club is set to run a Tuesday afternoon face to face session and Friday morning face to face session next week. Both sessions are open to all comers in particular those where one or both players aren't playing on Realbridge or would prefer face to face action with double jabs and paperwork to support. The Club is taking a measured approach to reopening and monitoring developments in the community before opening more broadly.

Please again preregister with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday 5.00pm for Tuesday's session. Extra spaces are highly likely to become available so watch for Pianola messages.

For Friday morning's face to face session at 9.30am, no preregistration is required at this stage. All comers are welcome - provided one time digital proof of vaccination has been forwarded to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or papers brought to the club. This is an open session - the same as for Tuesday afternoon. The supervised session at the same time will continue on Realbridge.

CBC COVID Plan Updated

CBC’s new COVID Plan and Checklist have been revised to reflect the arrangements for the return to face-to-face bridge for a limited number of prebooked people and are available on the website and in the Club entry hall. If you are coming to the club please refresh your memory of requirements, noting that neither kitchen is open, so bring your own refreshments for the time being.

CBC Pay October Statements

CBC Pay October Monthly Statements were emailed out on Monday 1 November. If you did not receive please check your junk mail or email us to resend. We have a large number of adjustments required and will work our way through these during the month.

Welcome New Members in October

Leah Andrews
Paul Collins
Marea Foley (Joanne Mitchell's sister!)
Robert Douglas
Glenda Levy
Tony Levy
Judy Mann
Andrew McCredie
Elly McGinness
Tony O'Dowd
Vicki Ratliff
Jane Routley
Marian Wolski

Please make our new members welcome to Canberra's home of bridge if you see them at the table (virtual or otherwise)!

Committee news

The final/agreed minutes of the Committee meeting of 20 September 2021 were approved recenttly and are available here or from the website.

Online RealBridge Session Times

Member Table money will be deducted from players CBCPay accounts. Visitors fees will be paid for by their member-partner, or via prior arrangement by emailing the office.

Cost: $8 members/visitors, $7 concession members (including event).

Monday morning 10:00am
Monday evening - 7:00pm (24 boards)
Monday afternoon 2pm Relaxed and Social
Monday Evening 7.15pm State Open Teams week 1 of 4 week competition
Tuesday afternoon 1:15pm
Wednesday morning 10:00am
Wednesday Supervised Lesson: 6.30pm (via Zoom), then Play at 7.15 on Realbridge
Wednesday evening 7:15pm (24 boards)
Thursday morning 10:00am - Duplicate (MP)
Thursday morning 10:10am - Butler (IMPs)
Thursday afternoon 2:00pm (24 boards)
Friday Supervised Lesson: 9:30am (via Zoom), then Play at 10.15am on RealBridge Supervised Only
Friday afternoon 1:15pm
Saturday afternoon 1:15pm

Links to sessions are on our RealBridge page.

Cootamundra Charity Duplicate Bridge Day - Sunday 21 November 2021

For those wanting face to face bridge please consider the Cootmundra Charity Duplicate Bridge Day . Please bring a partner. The day aids Can Assist.

At the Cootamundra Ex-Services Club (Auditorium) 299 Parker Street 9.00 am for start of play 9.30 am

$40 per head, morning tea and lunch provided, prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd, plus Novice under 35 MP

RSVP to Judy Harris by 15 November 2021, 0429 528 990 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Promotions

Congratulations to the following people attaining the rank as indicated in October!

Name	Promoted to	From
Marcia Carrick	Graduate	Nil
Carol Bates	Club	Graduate
Margaret Nicholls	Club	Graduate
Bricet Kloren	Local	Club
Penelope Shilling	Local	Club
Leonie Jones	Bronze Local	Local
Ruitan Lang	Bronze Local	Local
Doreen Hand	Silver Local	Bronze Local
Jo Maxwell	Silver Local	Bronze Local
Eric Glass	Gold Life	Silver Life

Upcoming Online Events

Inaugural Grand National Novice Pairs (GNNP) 2021

A unique opportunity for our new and less experienced players, and a chance to play in an Australian wide event, this event is for players with 100 Master Points or less.

This is a National Event from the comfort of your own home. Featuring CBC qualifying round, and potentially ABF sanctioned semi-finals and finals... you have to be in it to win it!

Cost: $10 (via CBCPay)
Online entry is required by Friday 19 November 12:00pm
More information about the event can be found on the ABF October Newsletter (page 25) article for the ABF Novice Pairs Championship.

The Club will run a single session qualifying heat on Saturday 20 November at 1.00pm. We will use the RealBridge format.

The cost of the CBC heat is $10 per player and Red masterpoints will be awarded.

The top 20% of pairs in the CBC heat may elect to proceed to the Semi Finals played on the RealDeal Online Bridge platform during the week commencing 29 November with a Grand Final on Saturday December 11. The Semi final and Final feature Gold masterpoints and no further entry fee for the lucky club winners.

Congratulations to keen as mustard Jenny Bell and Belinda Moss for being the first intrepid pair to enter! Let's get some more entries so you can have a game!

Beginners Lessons in 2022

The Club is planning and scheduling face to face bridge beginner lessons commencing in the first week of February 2022, on Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings. More details closer to the time. Please note and share with friends and family.

Master the Basics

Master the Basics, is on each week at 9:00am on Thursday mornings before the duplicate sessions, for approximately half an hour.
The lessons are available throughout the lockdown on Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

MTB caters for a range of abilities and each week covers a fundamental concept to an increased level of mastery. Students who have done a Beginners Course and/or some Supervised play and have limited experience are welcome to attend. With more experience you will still benefit from a deeper understanding of the concept being discussed.

No registration is needed.
Cost is $6 for CBC Members (paid via CBCPay) and $8 for Non-Members.

Download the MTB Lesson Schedule

Balancing Doubles by Joan Butts

If the opponents have an eight–card trump fit, it is likely your side also has an eight-card or longer fit too. If the opponents have a nine-card or longer fit, your side must have at least one eight-card fit. Why let the opponents play the hand if the points are evenly divided between the two sides? By competing for the contract, you might also push the opponents beyond their comfort level if they come back into the auction.

There are slight disadvantages to competing too: you might be doubled for penalty; you might push the opponents into an excellent contract they would never reach on their own; you might give away information about your distribution or the location of your side’s high cards. In general though, there’s more to be said for bidding than passing.

The origin of the term “balancing” is that your side might have the balance of power. When the opponents stop in a low-level partscore, there’s an inference that they have only half the points in the deck. If they had 26 they would have been bidding game.

If the opponents are known to have an eight- card fit, you should bid with shortage in their suit, and 8+ points. However, it's important NOT to balance when the opponents don't have a fit, or when you have too many cards in the opponent’s suit.

The Bard would be proud of your (non?) bid by Ian Morison

Bridge is a derivation of whist, dating back to the 1500’s.

The Bard undoubtedly played the game, for when he penned Hamlet, in around 1600, he wrote:

‘To bid or not to bid is the question that occupies the hearts and minds of bridge players…’.

You are sitting South and pick up this beauty:

AKQJ109

AKQ

AKQJ

29 HCP and no losers!

The mind goes into overdrive. ‘I will open 7H and show them all who is king (Editor - or queen) of the ACT Bridge Club!’.

‘No, hang on, if partner has SA, then 7NT is the par contract. Maybe I can engineer a double from the palookas sitting EW and then I will redouble, vulnerable = 2980, highest score ever in the club’.

‘All I have to do is a simple Ace ask sometime in the bidding’. There is a 1 in 3 chance partner has SA.

Then I think some more about what the Bard wrote back in the year 1600, as a foreboding to my hand just now:

‘…to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous distribution…’.

So, notwithstanding that powerhouse hand, I pass, true to the Bard’s warning. It was the correct decision, for this is the full deal:

5432

105432

5432

AKQJ109 876

8765432 -

- J9876

- 109876