Newsletter 14 April

 

In this week’s newsletter...

  • Progress report on ANC Trials
  • ANC Qualifying - Restricted Butler Pairs - Sunday 24 April - Only 1 entry so far!
  • March Promotions
  • May Mentoring Month
  • Egon Larson Butler Pairs
  • Bridge Tips by Joan Butts
  • The Lonely Hearts by Hilda Hills
  • Lighter Moments

From the President

Thanks to Ian Robinson for a very informative lesson last Saturday morning on creating entries to dummy.  The afternoon play session and subsequent drinks was well attended. A very enjoyable day was had by all attendees.

I would like to congratulate the three pairs who qualified to represent the ACT in the Women’s playoff held over the last weekend. The event was won by Judith Tobin and Julia Hoffman, with Liz Van Der Hor and Janet Kahler second and Mary Tough and Bev Crossman third.

On a minor note, if you wear lipstick to the Club and use a glass/cup please remove the lipstick before placing the item in the dishwasher.

Enjoy your bridge and stay safe.

Margaret

 

Australian National Championship - ACT Trials

As mentioned in the President's column the Women's event was won by Judith Tobin and Julia Hoffman, with Liz Van Der Hor and Janet Kahler second and Mary Tough and Bev Crossman third.  This is the 26th year Julia Hoffman has represented the ACT and the 9th or 10th yearJudith Tobin has represented the ACT.

Julia has been in the winning team 5 times (3 with Nola Church, one with Judith and one with Pam Crichton). And the ACT has won two other times – if her memory is to be trusted - 1978 and 1991. Judith also played on the women’s Team with Karen Creet – 2004. 

Janet Kahler has also played on the Women’s Team several times – 8 or so. Liz van der Hor once before. Bev and Mary are 'debutantes.'  Good luck girls!

Good luck also to the Seniors playing next week on 20, 21 and 22 May.  There are 13 pairs competing in the Seniors.

The Last trials for the Championships on 24 April have only limited entries so far - 4 pairs in the Open and just 1 team in the Restricted Butler Pairs.  At this rate the Easter bunny will come early to Peter Kowald and Colin Davidson who may win by default!

 Entries are still open for playing in the Restricted Butler Pairs in the National Championships flagged below. Entries close Thursday 21 April.  

 

In Case you Missed it? Entries close Thursday 21 April - Butler Restricted Pairs - Sunday 24 April

Want to go to Adelaide and play at the National Championships?  

  • Restricted Pairs, 2 pairs to win a trip to Adelaide to attend Australian National Championships in July (eligibility criteria apply)
  • Open to PAIRS with each of the two (2) players having fewer than 300 masterpoints as at 31/12/2021.
  • Entries
    • Pre-entry essential.
      • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
      • Use Online Form
    • Entries close Thursday, 21st April 10:00 am.   Click on the Penultimate dot point on What's New on the Website or email the managers
    • Late entries accepted only under strict conditions and at the sole discretion of the event organiser.

The Australian Bridge Federation is offering subsidies for two restricted pairs (<300 MP on 31 December 2021) to contest the 2022 ANC Restricted Butler Pairs Championship in Adelaide * All restricted players are welcome to compete, although only those from BFACT affiliated clubs (Canberra, South Canberra, Capital, Monaro and Cootamundra) can win the prize.

 

March Promotions

Congratulations to the following masterpoint promotees:

  • Pat Clark                                          Graduate               
  • Marian Davidson                              Graduate                     
  • Judy Pejovic                                     Graduate
  • Robyn Banks                                    Graduate
  • Gary Renfree                                    Graduate
  • Karen Renfree                                  Graduate
  • David Kenny                                      Club
  • Rowan Sydney                                  Club
  • Susan Banks                                     Club
  • Olivia Witkowski                                Club
  • Jayne Francis                                    Club
  • Marcia Donoghue                              Local
  • Bricet Kloren                                     Bronze Local
  • Debra Birkby                                     Silver Local
  • Elizabeth Voveris                              Bronze Life

  

MAY is MENTORING MONTH

During May the club is running a mentoring program to help members wanting to improve their game. If you are a beginner, the club can provide a friendly mentor to help you with some of the fundamentals of bidding, play and defence.

If you are a mid-level player the club will assign a suitable mentor to help you get to the next level of the game. Some of the club’s top players volunteer to be mentors.

Applications for the program close on 27 April. If you are interested in being either a mentee or mentor please complete the application located under the screen in the club’s main playing room, and put it in the orange box.

For any inquiries please contact Anne Fleming on 0410 650 906 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Sessions in the Club and on RealBridge are outlined below

Upcoming Sessions

The Committee has decided to close down the Monday 10.15am Realbridge session from 2 May.

Members affected by this closure will have the option of playing face-to-face at the clubrooms at 10.00am or moving to RealBridge at 2.00pm or 7.00pm on Mondays.  If there are sufficient numbers on Monday afternoon RealBridge, the Club intends to establish separate Open and Restricted style sections with staggered start times.

Prior to the ACT lockdown last year, the Club did not run simultaneous face-to-face and RealBridge sessions.  Simultaneous sessions were intended to be a temporary transitional arrangement when we reopened the clubrooms in November 2021.  Another consideration is the extra pressure on our directors when running simultaneous face-to-face and RealBridge games.

Simultaneous sessions also occur on Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons.  No change is being made to these sessions at this time.  Unlike Mondays, there are no other RealBridge options on Wednesdays and Fridays.  As always, the Committee will monitor table numbers and aim to achieve the best possible mix of face-to-face and RealBridge games.

The clubrooms will also see a return to RED Masterpoints sessions for daytime players – with two red point sessions on both Monday and Thursday mornings from the beginning of May.

 

Our weekly sessions

  • Monday morning 10.00am at the club
  • Monday 10.15 am RealBridge (last session Monday 25 April) 
  • Monday 2.00 pm (24 boards) RealBridge
  • Monday 7.00 pm RealBridge
  • Tuesday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
  • Tuesday 7.15pm event at the club
  • Wednesday morning 10.00am at the club
  • Wednesday morning 10.15am RealBridge
  • Wednesday evening supervised at the club 7pm (18 boards following lesson) 
  • Wednesday evening 7.15pm at the club
  • Thursday morning 10.00am at the club - Butler and walk in duplicate
  • Thursday afternoon 2.00pm (24 boards) RealBridge
  • Friday morning supervised 9.30am at the club (18 boards following lesson)   NB  No Lesson on Good Friday
  • Friday morning walk-in session 9.30am
  • 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 indefinitely.  

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) $10 visitors

Links to sessions are on our RealBridge page.

 

Pianola Partner Finder

To use the Pianola Partner Finder, just log in to Pianola and the 4th tab across the top is Partner Finder. 

There are 2 options, Adverts and Preferences. Adverts shows any ads for other people seeking partners, preferences allows you to tailor your own advertisement so that any persons you prefer to not partner with do not see your ad. Don’t forget to delete your ad once you find a partner. 

The Neutral setting means that you will see ads when in Pianola but won’t get notification emails. 

 Thanks Rick Nehmy for all your help with Pianola.  

 

April Supervised Sessions happening Wednesday nights and Friday Mornings at the Club

We run supervised duplicates on Wednesday evenings starting at 7.00pm and Friday mornings starting at 9.30 am. 

Each duplicate is preceded by a short lesson. Remaining April lessons are as follows:

  • 20 & 22 April: Declarer play:  ABC of planning
  • 27 & 29 April: Declarer Play: Trumping losers and discarding

If you are interested please come along.  There is no need to book.  If you want to know more get in touch with Morag Lokan.  Morag’s email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Master the Basics

Barb Toohey is travelling during April so the only Master the Basics Session will be Thursday 21 April. The topic is Bidding 1 NT and Responses! If you want to register, the cost is $6 for members and $8 for non-members.  Please email barb2e48@gmail.com if you want to be added to the notification list and get on Zoom.  

 

Upcoming Events

Egon Larson Pairs 

Egon Larsen (1928-1969) was accidently killed in a vehicle accident 300 km north of Makassar in Sulawesi (Celebes) on 29th April. Mr. Larsen was on a seed collecting expedition jointly sponsored by F.A.O. and the Forestry and Timber Bureau, and was accompanied by Mr. Alan Cameron of the Papua and New Guinea Forest Service. Mr. Cameron was injured in the same accident but has now returned home.

Egon Larsen was born in Denmark in 1928, and obtained the degree M.Sc.For. (Copenhagen) in 1952. He worked in Denmark for two years, and subsequently was a Scientific Officer, F.R.I., Rotorua, New Zealand Forest Service (1954–1962) and Forestry Officer, F.R.I, Forestry and Timber Bureau, Canberra (1962–1969).

Egon Larsen was Officer-in-Charge, Seeds Section, Forest Research Institute from 1962–1969. He has undertaken seed collection expeditions to U.S.A. and Mexico. During 1967 he advised on reforestation with eucalypts in Colombia, under an F.A.O. assignment. He was a member of the F.A.O. Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources which met in Rome in 1968.

Egon Larsen was married, with 3 children.  He was a co-founder of the Canberra Bridge Club and is commemorated annually.  

 The Swiss Pairs is a 3 week Butler pairs competition commencing from 3 May.  It is an honour board event.  Enter here or email the managers.  

 

Both Sides in the Bidding: Bid or Not? with Joan Butts

  • It’s especially important for partnerships to work together when the bidding becomes competitive, i.e. both sides battling for the contract
  • Points become a bit murky when both sides are bidding, so the guideline for you is now to bid more with a good fit, and LESS without it
  • The more trumps you hold for partner, the more you'd bid, and the fewer trumps, the more you would choose to defend their contract
  • When the bidding is competitive, the opponents give your side (new) bids to use. You're able to “cue raise” by using their suit to show partner a good hand with a fit for your side. eg 1♦️ (1♥️ overcall) p 2♦️ shows a heart raise and 10+ points. 
  • Having this understanding allows you to take the opponents’ space away by jumping with weak hands eg 1♦️ (1♥️ overcall) p 3♥️ shows a weak heart raise with four trumps and fewer than 10 points. 

 

The Lonely Hearts by Hilda Hills

Gil-Galad was an Elven-king.

Of him kibitzers sadly sing;

The Last whose table fees were free

Inside his club beside the sea.

His thoughts were long, his bidding keen,

His shining smile afar was seen;

And victories in all bridge fields

Were graven on his cups and shields.

But long ago he passed away,

And where he shuffles none can say;

For into darkness fell this star

In Mordor where the psychers are.

As Legolas the Elf was singing that song the Nine Walkers were shivering in the snow halfway up a mountain pass. Half of them were keeping warm by playing a game involving a beer can and a small fireball. (Can-a-star.) Meanwhile, Gandalf and Aragorn were naturally playing a friendly rubber against the Forcing Pass pair of Frodo and Sam. The first deal saw the Hobbits take twenty-one bids to reach a frigid 7NT. On the second deal Gandalf and Aragorn retaliated by striding into an equally cold Grand Slam in only two bids. This was to be the deciding deal of the rubber:

DLR: South

VUL: All

----------------------------Aragorn

----------------------------S AK

----------------------------H KJ

----------------------------D AK97654

----------------------------C 32

Sam-----------------------------------------------------Frodo

S 954---------------------------------------------------S T87632

H 63----------------------------------------------------H A84

D 82----------------------------------------------------D QT

C AKQ974----------------------------------------------C 85

-----------------------------Gandalf

-----------------------------S QJ

-----------------------------H QT9752

-----------------------------D J3

-----------------------------C JT6

Gandalf believed in the obvious principle of "the higher your opening, the stronger your hand". As he explained, "You don't open 6NT with a Tuckborough and you shouldn't Pass with an opening hand," glaring at Frodo as he spoke. Therefore the Grey Pilgrim opened 1H (Weak One). Sam was torn between a lead-directing overcall of 2C and a weak jump overcall of 3C. However, he remembered that he was vulnerable and settled for silence. With his 18-point hand Aragorn made a slam try of 4H, but it then went all Pass.

Frodo had recently taught Sam a new leading method, called Chronicler Leads. Sam therefore led the queen of clubs (thirds and fifths). Upon seeing dummy Sam decided that the most likely way to defeat the contract was by a trump promotion, so he continued with two more high clubs.

Gandalf carefully ruffed with the king of trumps as Frodo equally carefully discarded the ten of diamonds. While Gandalf was eliminating the spades, Frodo was happily thinking how he would win the jack of hearts with the ace, and then return his now-singleton queen of diamonds to leave the master hearts lonely in declarer's hand.

But the wily Wizard cashed the ace of diamonds before advancing the jack of hearts. Hoping that Sam held the nine of trumps Frodo ducked, but Gandalf overtook with the queen and continued high trumps for game and rubber.

Frodo asked, "How did you guess that my ten of diamonds wasn't my only one?" Gandalf gruffly replied, "Even Sam would have overcalled with ace-king-queen to six clubs AND the queen of diamonds!"

TO BE CONTINUED

 

Lighter Moments

 It’s been a bit of a strange day! First I found a hat full of money. Then I was chased by an angry man with a guitar...

If it’s true that stress brings on weight loss, why the hell am I not invisible.

My wife asked me to take her to one of those restaurants where they make the food right in front of you. So I took her to Subway and that’s how the fight started.

I don’t think the therapist is meant to say “wow” that many times in your first session but here we are.

The three hardest things to say are:

  1. I was wrong
  2. I need help
  3.  Worcestershire Sauce.

I hate it when people act all intellectual and talk about Mozart while they’ve never even seen one of his paintings.

I went line dancing last night. Well it was a roadside sobriety test... same thing.

 The dyslexic agnostic insomniac used to lie awake at night wondering if there really was a dog. 

 

Final Bits and Pieces

 Belated but delightful news that Ian Robinson and Neil Ewart won the Tasmanian Festival of Bridge National event Roger Penny Seniors Swiss Pairs in March.  

Happy Easter everyone!  Remembering that the Club will be open for bridge Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday, so come for a game if you can!  Note that the managers take Easter Friday and Easter Monday off so milk supplies may run down.  

 When does Easter come before Valentines Day?  Every year in the dictionary.  

Best

 

Tamara (for Kerry and Tamara)