Newsletter 24 May 2024
In our newsletter this week..
- Message from the President
- Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea
- RealBridge Promotion
- Tip of the Week
- Pizza Night
- Refresher Course
- Youth Day 2nd June
- New Will Jenner-O'Shea Workshops
- Results
- Upcoming Events
- Ian Morison
- Wool for Beanies
Message from the President
A big thank you to everyone who attended last Sunday’s Under 26 Women’s Fundraising Event for Zara and Diya who are off to Poland in July.
Even though the day started off “a little chilly” (sincere apologises for the air conditioning not operating correctly), it soon warmed up and was very well attended!
Thanks to everyone involved in making the day a BIG success, and especially to the bakers for the delicious scones etc!!
I would also like to thank those members from other Clubs for coming along to support our ACT Youth!
And, a big congratulation to our newest recruits from our 2024 February Beginners Course who attended their very first “Event”. Congrats to Alex, Helen and Julie, well done.
Winners of the Open and Advanced Restricted:
1st – Martin Holmes & Kerry Holmes
2nd – Peter Grant & Pam Crichton
3rd – Daryl Whitfield & Ruitian Lang
Winners of the Novice and Rookies:
1st – Rajiv Shah & Dev Shah
2nd – Josh Schwartz & Max Ashurst
3rd – Belinda Moss & Jenny Bell
Good luck to those heading to the Wagga Congress this weekend, have fun and travel safely.
Mary
Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea
The Cancer Council's Biggest Morning Tea is an annual event that brings communities together over a cuppa to raise funds for cancer research, promotion and support services.
Canberra Bridge Club is hosting a morning tea on Tuesday, 18 June from 11 am.Come along, bring a plate if you like baking and want to share your treats, and stay to play.
There will be further information in the coming weeks.
RealBridge Promotion - Bring a Buddy
OMG – it’s about to get cold!
Yes! Wintie is coming fast and staying at home in a warm house is sometimes very appealing. But what about my bridge game, I hear you say.
Not to worry - the club has four sessions of RealBridge available each week on Monday evening at 7.00pm and Monday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons. And the Tuesday competition night moves to RealBridge from the end of June until the end of August.
To encourage our reluctant and slightly scared members to give the RealBridge platform a whirl, we are offering a reduced rate of $6 per session for any member willing to give it a go. What’s more, their partner also pays $6 regardless of their RealBridge playing situation. The offer is also valid for members introducing non-members as guests to RealBridge. RealBridge newbies without a partner can also log on to Realbridge session 15 minutes before start and we will organise a partner for you. This promotion will apply throughout the month of June and is available for up to three sessions in June per member or guest.
- Ian Robinson
Need help getting your computer RealBridge ready? How about giving our RealBridge promotions guru Tamara Cutcliffe a ring on 0419 289 120
More info is available on the CBC website in the RealBridge Section
TIP OF THE WEEK
New conventions and trade-offs
Before you and your favourite partner adopt a new convention, you both should consider the trade-off. Let me explain by way of examples.
Example 1 - Stayman.
Long ago, Sam Stayman invented a convention. A bid of 2C in response to an opening 1NT asked partner about major suit holding. The trade-off was that the partnership had to abandon 1NT-2C as a natural sequence. It was no contest. Information about major suit holding was immeasurably more valuable. So much so that the use of the Stayman convention became universal.
Example 2 - Weak jump shifts.
Traditionally, a strong jump shift shows a strong hand and is forcing to game. On the other hand, a weak jump shift - e.g. 1D-2H, shows 6 or more hearts, a weak hand and is not forcing. If you and your partner decide to adopt weak jump shifts, you have to find another means (trade-off) of forcing to game.
Example 3 - Gladiator.
A more complex example is the Gladiator convention, once popular in New Zealand. A 2C response to an opening 1NT is a transfer to 2D. Responder now bids a suit at minimum level to show a weak hand; other bids are forcing. The sequence 1NT-2D is Stayman. Gladiator has certain advantages but there are disadvantages (trade-offs) as well - not least its complexity. You and partner must discuss these aspects before even considering to adopt such a convention.
If you need advice about adoption of a new convention, don’t hesitate to ask one or two of our club’s more experienced players. You’ll find that they are flattered to be asked.
-John Brockwell
Wednesday Night Pizzas
The next Wednesday night pizza will be on 29th May 2024. For those unfamiliar with the activity, the Wednesday night pizzas provide the opportunity for social interaction while enjoying a pizza sampling. It provides a great opportunity to talk to and socialise with your fellow players, which is not always the case when engaged in playing bridge. The pizzas will be available from 6:30, which provides ample time to enjoy your pizzas before supervised and walk-in play begins.
The cost of the pizzas is a nominal $5 payable on the day. This entitles you to half a pizza. A variety of toppings will be available and participants can pick and choose. Vegan pizzas can be made available for those who want them. No drinks are provided, so if you want liquid refreshment you will need to bring your own.
Attendance is voluntary and those wishing to partake should place their name on a list on the noticeboard or contact Jon Pike directly. His email is
Refresher Course
Session 3 for the Refresher Course by Barb Toohey and Steve Geddes is in early June.
Barb will be focusing on Declarer Play and Planning and the lesson topics are:
- Tuesday June 4th - Counting winners and losers
- Wednesday June 5th - Using promotion and length to establish winners
- Tuesday June 11th - Using Dummies trumps and extra winners
- Wednesday June 12th - Entries and the order of play
Lesson times are Tuesday 10:45am -12:00 and Wednesdays: 1:45 pm - 3:00
Cost is $10 a lesson and we hope to see you there.
Youth Day
Will Jenner-O’Shea is holding another Youth Day on Sunday, 2 June from 11:00am - 1:00pm at the Canberra Bridge Club. These sessions are available to anyone under 30 for free. And if you know of any “Youth” who are not too far on the other side of 30 please let them know, they will also be very welcome!
Please contact Mary
Sunday: 2 June 2024
Venue: Canberra Bridge Club, 5-7 Duff Place, Deakin.
Time: 11:00am-1:00pm
~Youth Bridge is Bridge’s future~
Will Jenner-O'Shea Workshops
Will has just announced three new workshops to be run in the club.
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Improve Your No-Trump Conventions - Half Day Sunday June 2nd 1:30pm – 4pm
-
Common Bidding Errors, and How To Avoid Them - Saturday June 29th 10am – 3pm
-
Competitive Bidding - Sunday August 11th 10am – 3pm
For more information and to register click here.
Results
The Qualifying rounds to select the teams for the Nationwide Knockout Event have been finalised. The chosen teams are as below:
- Under 50 MP - Barbara Herden, Judy Pejovic, Adrienne Morey, Jen Saul, Gary Renfrey, Karen Renfrey
- Under 100 MP - Bricet Kloren, Hilary Merritt, Joan Mayhew, Kerry Webber, James Walcott and John Lee
- Under 750 MP - Jennifer Yeats, Brett Yeats, Jean Hydleman, Ralph Edwards, Patricia Burke, Karin Le Roux
Upcoming Events
The BFACT GNOT Teams is a teams event to select the ACT 1 Team to participate in the ABF’s Grand National Open Teams; but you are also welcome to play in the event if you are not contending for the GNOT
The CBC qualifying event is run as a knockout event with a repechage.
Depending on entries, the event will run for three or four weeks, commencing on 28 May. The first final between the second-placed team in the knockout and the winner of the repechage will occur on Wednesday, 19 June and the final will occur on Wednesday, 26 June.
If you qualify for the ABF event, it is run as follows
- Australia is divided into regions on a geographical basis.
- Each region provides a set number of teams to the National Final (a total of 60 teams in 2023).
- Clubs hold heats to qualify teams to a final within their region.
- Each Regional Final qualifies 1 or more teams to the National Final.
- From 2024 onwards, the National Final will be played in two stages:
- a knock-out with Swiss repechage in mid-September played online on RealBridge,
- face-to-face Finals involving 4 open teams and 8 non-metropolitan teams in late November in Sydney.
- The ABF provides travel grants to teams that qualify for the face-to-face Finals in Sydney.
Click here to Enter - this event will run face to face at the club on Tuesday nights on the following dates: 28 May, 4 June, 11 June, 18 June.
Ian Morison
Wool for Beanies
Knitt Witt would like to ask our members to donate any wool they might have, any colour, any ply, any type, any amount.
They knit beanies for cancer patients and other charitable groups.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Elizabeth
