Newsletter - 7 July 2023
In this week’s newsletter...
- President's Message
- Welcome New Members
- Promotions
- Canberra Southern Cross Club Community Rewards
- Len Dixon's Bridge Column
- Upcoming Sessions and Events
- BFACT InterClub Teams -16 July - entries close - extended to 9 July
- Will Jenner-O'Shea Workshop on Weak Hands - Sunday 30 July
- Canberra In Bloom - 29 September to 2 October - BFACT Early bird discounts
- Competitive Bidding and Play - 4 week course with Barb Toohey from 8 August
- Ian Morison: 2C Opening and Replies
- Lighter Moments
President's Message
Good luck to all members attending the ANC over the next couple of weeks. We have a number of talented members attending and we look forward to hearing of their efforts. Members interested can follow events on the ABF website. We who are left behind might be able to enjoy perhaps some greater success.
At the tables on Monday, I was complimenting one member on their well-dressed presentation, and I got to thinking about manners and style. I remember the days when my mother would insist I dress well before travelling into the city to attend a movie or whenever I was going to be seen in public. These days that instruction now only seems to be occasionally addressed but when it is, I for one, really appreciate the trouble our members take to look stylish and well presented on their arrival. I have no idea what affect events at the table do to appearance, but I know I sometimes leave somewhat dishevelled.
Enjoy your bridge and remember it is also, just a card game.
Tim Mather
New Members
During the last month we welcomed the following new members:
- Verona Armstrong
- Maxwell Ashurst
- Ian Caddy
- Paul Craft
- Cathy Crawford
- Frances Davies
- Lynne Kendal
- Anne Merkel
- Ross O'Neil
- Julie Taylor
- Gladys Tulloch
Please say hello and help them if you see them at the tables - real or virtual!
Promotions
A very healthy two dozen promotions in June. Congratulations to the following:
New Rank Old Rank
- Toddy Medcalf Graduate na
- Louise Whyte Graduate na
- Helan Beard Graduate na
- Marcia Carrick Club Graduate
- Barbara Herden Club Graduate
- Jenny Heuston Club Graduate
- Marian Davidson Club Graduate
- Judith Phillips Local Club
- Joyanne Gough Local Club
- Marcia Murphy Local Club
- Sylvia Shanahan Local Club
- Miklos Tifan Bronze Local Local
- Lisa Bradley Bronze Local Local
- David Kenny Bronze Local Local
- Marilyn Miller Bronze Local Local
- Kerry Flanagan Silver Local Bronze Local
- Lillian Lesueur Regional Silver Local
- Ellen Blunden Regional Silver Local
- Kathleen Kenny Regional Silver Local
- Ruitian Lang Bronze State State
- Jennifer Yeats Bronze Life Life
- Brett Yeats Bronze Life Life
- Tamara Cutcliffe Bronze Life Life
Len Dixon’s bridge column
Readers of "The Canberra Times" should have noticed that Len’s bridge column of 55 years has been discontinued. This is the same fate that has befallen several special interest groups including chess and angling.The club is extremely disappointed. Since 1968, Len (aged 101) has written the bridge column in The Canberra Times, which has highlighted ACT players and their achievements and publicised ACT events.
Len’s family have created a website “Bridge Notes with Len” where he can continue to entertain his readers and provide support to Canberra bridge with fortnightly online columns. Please subscribe if you’d like to support his work.
https://www.lendixonbridge.com/
And here is a link to a recent "The Guardian" article about Len and his work.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/30/shuffling-the-deck-canberra-times-drops-101-year-old-bridge-columnist-as-part-of-cost-cutting-drive
Canberra Southern Cross Club- Community Rewards
The club can earn up to $20,000 per year through the CSCC Community Rewards program which aids nominated community groups by CSCC members. CSCC and CBC members both benefit when the attached form is completed and CBC is nominated as a recipient of the Community Rewards Program. As you may be aware the more visits to CSCC venues the higher the success rate in the program, so we encourage you to promote the Community Rewards Program to your family and friends at every opportunity. Attached is the group specific signup link below created for the Canberra Bridge Club – feel free to circulate to your family, friends or neighbours if they are existing or prospective CSCC members. They do not need to be CBC members to support us.
https://csccmarketing.wufoo.com/forms/q1p963gg1orhqqb/
Our weekly sessions are the same as last week.
Supervised Lessons
These happen on Wednesdays from 7pm, or Fridays from 9.30am.
- 12/14 July: Strong 2C opening
- 19/21 July: Slam bidding & Blackwood
- 26/28 July: Negative and other doubles
- 2/4 August - Reverses
- 9/11 August - Declarer play: Planning and Play points
- 16/18 August: Declarer play: Entries and Play order
- 23/25 August: Same bid - different message
- 30 August/1 Sept: System Card
Master the Basics
Master the Basics virtual lessons are on Thursdays at 9.00am. Please email Barb Toohey if you want to be added to the Zoom class. It's $6 for members and $8 for non-members. The lessons run for 30 minutes.
Next Thursday the session is on Competitive Bidding - Partner They Have Stolen My Bid!
Upcoming Events
ANC Perth
Good luck to all members attending the ANC in Perth next week.
Youth Team - Perth
There have been two Youth Days held at CBC in the last few weeks.
They were run by Will Jenner-O'Shea, Mary Tough, Cathy Nicholls and Steve Geddes who volunteered their time to help players who are under 30 - the future of our club and the future of bridge.
The ACT is sending a team of under 26s to the Australian National Championships in July to play again at all the other states.
Will Jenner-O'Shea also made a donation from his recent workshop to purchase team uniforms featuring the Royal Bluebell.
The Youth Team all attended a training day.
(L-R Ken Takizawa, Diya Shah, Dev Shah, Zara Chowdhury, Alexis Wilsmore, absent Jade Wilkinson, non-playing captain Josh Wilkinson)
If you know anyone under 30 who plays bridge, or wants to learn, pass their details along and we will add them to our youth bridge mailing list.
~Youth Bridge is Bridge’s future~
BFACT InterClub Teams - 16 July
It is CBC's turn to host the BFACT InterClub Teams which will be held at the clubrooms on 16 July. CBC teams will be subsidised by the club so that each entrant will only pay $20 (ie $80 per team).
There are Novice, Restricted, Intermediate and Senior categories. There is no limit on the number of teams playing.
To enter as a pair or team please use the online booking form or email the office before 9 July 2023.
We are looking for players willing to be a reserve for this event, in case players are sick or otherwise unable to play on the day. Players of any standard are welcome, and if you are needed, you play for free. We are also looking for players who might be able to make up a fourth player for some of the regional teams. If you are available, please email the tournament convener, Roger Brake.
Will Jenner O'Shea - Workshop: Making the Most of Weak Hands
Many of you would have attended Will's workshop last Saturday. Will's next workshop is on Sunday 30 July and will cover:
- Weak Two Openings and Responding
- Weak Jump Overcalls and Pre-empts
- Responding With Minimum Hands
- Staying Low and Finding The Best Contract When There Is No Game.
This event has a maximum number of entries of 144. We hope to see you there.
Forward Planning
Unfortunately the 3 week Thursday night pairs will not proceed at this time. The next CBC competitive Thursday night event is the Winter Butler Pairs that is the weeks of July 27th and August 3rd. Pre Entry will be required.
Save the Dates! BFACT have advised the following dates:
Gala Pairs - Saturday 16 September
BFACT AGM - Saturday 16 September
Canberra In Bloom - including Special Novice Event
Starting Friday 29 September, right here at Canberra Bridge Club! A national Gold point event with Pairs & Teams events for players of all abilities! See MyABF for more detail (or entries) and direct enquiries to
Note this year has the inaugural Butterfly Orchid Novice Pairs event on the Friday afternoon for beginners with less than 5 masterpoints - it lets you put your toe in the water to see what a congress is like:)
Encouragement from Jenny Bell who filled in at the Summer Festival of Bridge in January. "The Director at our Wednesday game mentioned that volunteers were needed to come in at short notice if someone was unable to play. My regular partner was at the coast, so I put my name down on the spur of the moment.
I'm a novice and really didn't expect to be called in. I was surprised, and thrilled to play four full days of bridge. One man's partner hadn't arrived, and I played with him. On the other days there were odd numbers of entries in the novice pairs, so two volunteers were called in so there would be no sit outs. Everyone was grateful to the volunteers for coming in, and we had a lot of fun. We even got some gold master points!
I learned a lot about how a bridge congress is organised, and was really impressed by the very smooth organisation of such a large event. I would certainly volunteer, or enter, again.
So if you're a novice, and thought that events like this were not for you, I say 'think again'. Volunteers are needed at all levels, you'll play in your appropriate level of competition, you'll learn a lot, and you'll have fun. And you'll be exhausted at the end. Give it a go next year"....
Thanks Jenny - give it a go - or better yet - enter - the inaugural Butterfly Orchid Novice Pairs event on the Friday afternoon for beginners with less than 5 masterpoints.
Beginners Lessons - Coming soon
The next beginners lessons start on Wednesday 7pm on 2 August or Friday 10am on 4 August. There are 40 registered already so plenty of room for more takers. If you have family or friends that would like to learn, get them to register online here.
Competitive Bidding and Play
Competitive Bidding and Play Training with Barb Toohey is coming soon on 8 August. The course will run for 4 weeks from 10am to noon. This is the next step after the beginners lessons, and suitable for Novice & Supervised Players. Topics covered include
- Week 1: Doubles
- Week 2: Overcalls
- Week 3: Leads
- Week 4: Signals
Please register using the online form. The cost is $55 for four weeks or $15 per week.
BFACT Upcoming Director's Courses
Saturday/Sunday 18 & 19 November - for aspiring new or in-training directors.
Ian Morison: 2C Opening and Replies
To read Ian's column please press here.
Lighter Moments
How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?
- Ten-tickles
Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer?
- He couldn't see himself doing the job.
How do you get a squirrel to like you?
- Act like a nut
What did one traffic light say to the other traffic light?
- Stop looking, I'm changing.
Especial thanks to Steve Geddes for fixing Jim Murray's portrait of an old man and for mopping the men's toilet. Keep your aim straight and true.
Thanks to our tablecloth washing volunteers, Barbara Priest, Pamela McKittrick and Nicole Finn.
We'd love a volunteer to help out on the technical bridge side of things to manage the bridge library. Please stop by the office if you can manage up to an hour a week to catalogue and cull bridge book donations.
Be kind in all things
Tamara (for Kerry and Tamara)
