Newsletter -14 January 2022

 

From the President

If you are playing at the Club, please remember to have your face mask on before entering. It is a requirement of the ACT Government to help protect people from COVID.

To all those members playing at the Summer Festival, which this year is on RealBridge, the best of luck, and enjoy yourselves.

Stay safe.

Margaret

 

 

 Extra points awarded this week to one of our most compassionate directors at the club.  When faced with a broken sandal and unable to walk across the road to the shops or back to her residence, Rita Powning was delighted by the offer of a substitute set of footwear from our own Jodi Tutty.  Luckily they have the same shoe size! Eat your heart out Cinderella!

 

 Most Improved 2021

 It's worth visiting the most improved for 2021.  The top 20 calling home CBC'ers are as follows

1. Ruitian Lang
2. Bricet Kloren
3. Simon Grant
4. Andrew Spooner
5. Anne Fleiming
6. Paul Nelson
7. Martin Holmes
8. Ian Morison
9. Paul Birkby
10. Debra Birkby
11. Penelope Shilling
12. Leonie Jones
13. Philip Mitchell
14. James Walcott
15. Jennifer Carter
16. Sau-Yem Lo
17. Chris Evans
18. John Lee
19. Joan Lipscombe and 
20. Colin Davidson

Congratulations to all! 

The ABF formula for Most Improved Player + (Points This Year * 10000)/(Total Points +100)   There were a number of ex Grand Slammer's barred from the calculations.  Will be interesting to see how they feature in 2022!  

 Any enquiries should be made to the ABF Secretary (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

 

Sessions in the club are outlined below.  Many people are away on holidays so the number of tables is smaller, but the bridge is still wonderful!  NB There are possible changes next week but if any of the advertised sessions below change we will send another email advice.  

Upcoming Sessions

Sessions for the rest of the week are as follows:

• Friday Afternoon 1.00pm at the club
• Friday Afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge
• Saturday Afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge

From 17 January 2022  we have the following sessions 

• Monday morning 10.00am at the club
• Monday 10.15 am RealBridge
• Monday 2.00 pm RealBridge
• Monday 7.00 pm RealBridge
• Tuesday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
• Wednesday morning 10.00am at the club
• Wednesday morning 10.15am RealBridge
• Wednesday evening 7.15pm RealBridge
• Thursday morning 10.00am at the club - Butler and walk in duplicate
• Thursday afternoon 2.00pm (24 boards) RealBridge
• Friday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
• Friday afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge
• Saturday afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge

Watch the newsletters and website for advice on face-to-face sessions at the club, and RealBridge sessions as these are fluid, depending on COVID developments and demand.  At this stage it is intended that the Monday and Thursday afternoon RealBridge sessions will continue.  

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: face-to-face $10 members/ $13 visitors, concession $9.  RealBridge $8 members and $7 concession (including event).

Links to sessions are on our RealBridge page.

 

CBC Pay Statements

CBC Pay Statements went out on Monday to all members with surnames up to "U".  If you missed your CBC Pay Statement please ask and we can issue on site, or email and we can respond in kind.  Notices to people with low balances will go out next week, but only to those with negative balances.  

 

Magnetic Name Tags

Last chance this month to treat yourself to a snazzy magnetic name tag please transfer funds - exact amount - $15 via electronic transfer with your ABF number and state "nametag", or drop in $15 cash with your name and number in an envelope.  We'll put an order in at the end of next week.  

 

Upcoming  Events

Festival of Bridge

The Summer Festival of Bridge is a national event hosted by the Australian Bridge Federation. It takes place from 13 to 23 January 2022 on RealBridge. A wide range of events are scheduled.  To follow porgress - entries, results etc go to the website.  

 

Swiss Teams RealBridge

Form a team of four and enter the two week competition on 24 and 31 January 2022.  Please enter by 10am 24 January. There are 4 teams entered so far.  

ABF Foundation Fundraiser: ProAm BridgeTournament

An ABF Foundation was established in 2020 to assist participants at all skill levels to enjoy and promote our fascinating game. 

There is a Pro-Am Bridge Tournament to raise funds for the Foundation by auctioning a session with a professional or leading players (including  our own Jodi Tutty).  The auction finishes on 25 January with the ProAm to run on either Tuesday 1 February or Tuesday 15 February at 7pm by arrangement.    

The winners will receive gold points! Click on the link above for details on players and the auction!  

  

Beginners Lessons in 2022

The Club has face-to-face bridge beginner lessons commencing in the first week of February 2022, on Wednesday evenings starting at 7.00pm (2 Feb - 9 Mar)  and Friday mornings  at 10.00am (4 Feb - 11 Mar).  Please note and share with friends and family. Earlybird payments are discounted at $59 or $69 after 26 January 2022. 

The lessons are two hours long and  include a textbook, detailed notes and 3 free "supervised play" sessions.  

 

Master the Basics

Master the Basics is on holidays until the first week of February.

 

Supervised Play

Thanks to all the supervised players during 2021 and an especial thanks to all the volunteers and helpers during the year (you know who you are!).  

Thursday Zoom lessons recommence on 3 February.

 

Results 

January Swiss Imp Pairs 

The two week competition yielded the following results:

1. Peter Grant & Tony Marinos
2. Des Manderson & Rob Hurst
3. David Wawn & David Hoffman
4. Roy Nixon & Emlyn Williams
5. Ian Robinson & Adam Robinson

Congratulations to all the participants!

 

Transfer to the Minors (Four Suit Transfers) by Joan Butts

 

1NT p 2♠️ (transfer) asks opener to bid 3♣️.
Responder is showing at least five clubs.

1NT p 2NT (transfer) asks opener to bid 3♦️.
Responder is showing at least five diamonds.

Using four suit transfers, you lose the the natural invitational raise  (1NT p 2NT = 8,9 points balanced) because this becomes a transfer to diamonds. But Stayman followed by 2NT is the replacement: 1NT p 2♣️ p 2 of any suit  p 2NT (= a balanced 8,9 points).   

Responder could have any number of points for a minor transfer. Mostly their partner accepts the transfer, but if you particularly like the suit (eg you hold three cards to a top honour), "super-accept" by bidding the suit in between, NOT the suit partner asked you to bid via the transfer. This sometimes gets you to a good 3NT when you might otherwise have stopped in 3 of the minor. 

North   East     South   West
1NT      P          2♠️        P
2NT (not 3♣️) is a super accept to clubs, showing something like ♣️Kxx

When to transfer to a minor?
With a very weak hand (0-8) and a long minor. (1NT p 2♠️ p 3♣️ p p p)
  ♠️2   
  ♥️542  
  ♦️32  
  ♣️J987654
 
The weaker you are, the worse the hand will play in no trumps, because there won't be entries to your long minor.
OR
Sometimes you might want to try for slam in the minor, and opener will know this if you actually do transfer and then bid no trumps or show shortage. 

When not to transfer to a minor?
Think twice about it If your hand is semi- balanced  
   ♠️ 54   
   ♥️ 32   
   ♦️65   
   ♣️AKJ9765

DON'T transfer to clubs here, just bid 3NT. You were always going to play no trumps anyway, so don't give extra information to the opponents. 
If you have no interest in playing in the minor, don't transfer! Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, transfer to a minor.

 

Spotlight on Members

New year, new initiative, we are undertaking a random selective survey to get to know some of our members better.  A regular set of questions will be emailed and the answers featured in our weekly newsletter.  

First cab off the rank, the initiator Bricet Kloren, number 2 on the most improved for 2021 and near winner with Penelope Shilling of the Inaugural National Novice Pairs.

How long have you been a player/member? 

• Playing around 10 years and a member here since Nov 2020.

Most memorable occasion at the club?

• Bidding and making first ever Grand Slam this Tuesday 11/1/2022 Board 19 with Tamara, against Roger Busch and Jenny Walpole. Woohoo!

What do you do when you're not at the club?

• hang out with grandchildren
• Knitting warm blankets for cold humans  - Wrapwithlove.org
• Outings with the Mazda MX5 Club

What's your  favourite travel destination pre COVID?

• London

What's your  favourite travel destination now?

• London Circuit

Thanks for kicking this survey off and well done on a stellar year Bricet!

 

Lighter moments

 Things to think about:

• Anytime you feel like the dumbest moron in the universe, just remember Kim Kardashian played poker wearing mirrored sunglasses.
• And then there's Donald Trump on 22.1.2000 on COVID19: "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. It's going to be just fine"
• Everyone has the right to be stupid.  It's just that some people abuse the privilege.
• The leading course of injury in old men... is them thinking they are still young men.
• Old coots giving advice: it's probably bad advice but it's free.
• So many people these days are judgemental, I can tell just by looking at them.  
• Don't be mad at lazy people....they didn't do anything.
• Lazy is a very strong word.  I prefer to call it "selective participation"
• It amazes me how much exercise and extra fries cound alike.
• Do you ever feel like your body's "check engine" light has been on and you're driving it like "nah, it'll be fine"?
• If the earth was flat... cats would have pushed everything off it by now.  
• I stood waving to my neighbour for 10 minutes this morning before realising she was cleaning her windows
• Poor Novak Djokovic may go down in history as the first player knocked out of a major for missing 2 shots.