Newsletter 24 April 2025
In our newsletter this week...
- President's Message
- Beginners Lessons
- Pizza Night
- Trophy Cleaning - Thankyou!
- April is Auction Awareness Month
- Refresher Course - Tuesdays 13th May to 3rd June
- CBC Working Bee - Can you help?
- Mentoring in May
- Upcoming Events
- Lighter Moments
President's Message
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Jade & Alexis!!!
It gives me great pleasure to announce that two of our Youth players (Jade Wilkinson and Alexis Wilsmore) have been invited to represent Australia in the Under 21 Youth Teams Event at the 19th World Youth Team Championships in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy which is running from 12-17 July 2025. The Australian Bridge Federation will pay the Team’s entry fees and provide uniforms, but all other expenses are to be met by the young players. Last year we held a “Youth Fundraising Event” in the Clubrooms, and there will be a similar event to raise funds for youth players in June.
In the interim there will be a Youth Fundraising Box placed in the Clubrooms for those who would like to make a contribution. Proceeds will go to help the whole team meet their travel costs.
You can also donate to the Team via their GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/4b4c57ea
Finally, there will be a fundraising day to help both the Under 21s and our State Representative team on Sunday June 22nd - more details closer to the date!
Remember….
~Youth Bridge is Bridge’s future~
For all our members heading off to Adelaide next week for the ANOT, good luck and safe travels!
Lastly, I would like to thank Steve for “stepping into Elizabeths’ shoes” this week! They may not quite fit him, but, he has done a fabulous job in her absence, so thanks Steve! 😊
-Mary
Beginners Lessons starting in May
The next Beginners Lessons will be held in the club on Wednesday evenings (7th May ) and Friday mornings (9th May) and continue for six weeks finishing in June.
If you know of anyone wanting to learn our “addictive” game please get them to contact our Managers -
For futher details refer to our webpage through the link below.
Wednesday Night Pizzas
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.
o 30 April - 6:30pm
o $5 payable on the day for half a pizza
Those wishing to partake should place their name on a list on the noticeboard or contact Jon Pike directly. His email is
ANC Trophy Cleaning
Thank you to the ten volunteers who attended the working bee last week to clean and polish the Australian National Championship trophies that had been in storage since 2019. Thanks to this magnificent support, the job was done in just over an hour and then we were able to enjoy a chat over a cuppa.
The support from members is one of the things that makes the Canberra Bridge Club a great place to play bridge.
- Lyn Carter and Cathy Nichols
April is Auction Awareness Month
Finally in my series of articles regarding bidding practice, I have discussed the role of the director and the club recorder with respect to bidding practice. I have also captured a couple of miscellaneous points not covered in earlier articles. If you have any questions or suggestions, please send me an email to
Remember to be kind to your opponents and to you partner!
Rob Hurst
Role of the Director and Recorder in bidding practices
The director and recorder have broad roles, but here I am only going to discuss their roles with respect to bidding practices.
The director is your friend…
The director must be called if there is any issue in card play or bidding. Do not try to sort it out yourself, even if you know the rules very well. The director will do their best to keep things fair and friendly. Their specific role is to restore equity as far as possible and not to penalise anyone. We have all made mistakes at the table and my practice is usually to be the one to call the director if I have made a mistake!
Bidding explanations…
Bridge is a game of transparency, so we are obliged to convey any information that we have about our bids when asked, including what other bids may be available to partner to convey other meanings. Remember, the opponents are entitled to know what you know!
If your side is declaring and your partner has made an incorrect explanation of a bid you are required to alert the opponents prior to the opening lead. If you are on defence, then you should alert the opponents at the end of play. If the opponents feel that they have been damaged by the incorrect explanation, they can ask the director to adjust the score.
If the opponents make an incorrect or incomplete explanation that impacts on your bidding or defence, please call the director. If you become aware of a pattern of behaviour where opponents don’t give full explanations, please let one of the recorders know.
The role of the recorder…
Similarly to the director, the recorder’s role is to maintain a friendly and equitable playing environment. The difference is that the director’s view is the single session that they are directing, whereas the recorder takes a broader view and can address patterns of behaviour that may not be apparent to the director.
We take all potential unethical bidding behaviour seriously. However, recorders are most interested in patterns of unethical bidding behaviour rather than an isolated incident. If you are concerned about a player’s behaviour, please report it to us. You can request that we don’t take any further action. But at least the issue is recorded and if a pattern becomes apparent, we can then take appropriate action.
In the realm of bidding practices, please contact the recorder if you encounter any of the following…
1. Psyche bidding…
A psyche bid is one that grossly misrepresents the hand for the purpose of disrupting the opponents’ bidding. An example of a psyche would be to open 1S holding a single spade, however a bid of 3D with 3 points and 6 diamonds is an aggressive bid, but not a psyche.
Psyches are legal bids, but they create bad feeling, especially in club level play. I personally would strongly discourage psyche bids, they may give you an advantage for one hand, but they create long term resentment. I would request that all psyche bids be referred to the club recorders either directly or via the director / club manager. This will allow us to track psyche bids and to take action if there is a pattern of psyche bidding.
It is especially important to report psyches when they are made by strong players against those with less experience.
Even more concerning is the situation where the psyche bidder’s partner does not respond naturally to the psyche. In the situation above, if the psycher’s partner didn’t support the 1S opening holding 3S and 9 points (for example), we would be very concerned about this and would strongly encourage a recorder referral.
2. Unethical use of questions or comments during the bidding.
An example of this from my personal experience. My partner opened 1S, there were 2 passes and then the opponent sitting on my left pointedly asked me how many spades my partner was holding. After I told them 5 or more, they then bid 2S, their partner passed and they were allowed to play in their beautiful 6 card spade suit. The opponents usually played Michael’s cue bids, so 2S would normally mean 5 hearts and 5 of a minor. The question was unethical and their partner’s pass of 2S was very unethical. Unfortunately, I was an inexperienced player at the time, so I did nothing about this. If you encounter this kind of behaviour, please pass this on.
3. Body language.
If you believe that an opponent is conveying information via body language, please pass this on. This may take many forms, but a common one is obvious disappointment in partner’s bidding during the auction or card play during the hand. Sometimes it is difficult to contain our disappointment, but please do your best to save this for the post-mortem!
This concludes my articles on bidding practices. I am very happy to do a follow up article if there are any issues or concerns that people would like me to address.
Rob
Refresher Course
Barb Toohey is running another Refresher Course on Tuesday Mornings beginning in May. These are intended both for up and coming players who may be hearing the material for the first time and also for intermediate players who might benefit from brushing up on some fundamental concepts they first learned about years ago.
These workshops consist of a brief lecture and around six to eight hands specifically set to illustrate the themes covered in the lecture. This series will focus on high level decisions and discuss hand evaluation, deciding how high to bid and how which seat you are in and the vulnerability should influence your choices.
The details are as follows:
- Tuesday Mornings 10-45am until 12-00pm (allowing plenty of time for lunch if you wish to stay on to play in the afternoon session)
- Tuesday 13th May, 20th May, 27th May and 3rd June
- Cost is $10 and will be charged through MyABF or by cash on the day if you prefer
- Players can attend either in partnerships or as individuals
CBC Working Bee
Volunteers are needed for general outside gardening and cleanup, rail painting plus various jobs inside of the club. Bring gloves and garden tools. Please come and help us out for just half an hour or the entire 3 hours!
- Saturday 17 May 9am to 12pm
Any questions contact the managers at the club or Nick Vonthethoff on 0429 208 222.
Mentoring in May
The Mentoring in May program matches mentors and mentees for 2 games during May.
The mentor and mentee play for 2 sessions during May.
Mentees pay the table money for their mentors.
In general, the mentor plays the mentee’s system.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee (or both!), please email Rowan Corbett at
Please provide the following information in your email.
- Whether you are interested in being a mentor and / or a mentee.
- Your approximate skill level (beginner, intermediate, solid or advanced).
- In general terms, for which session(s) you would be available.
Upcoming Events
2025 ACT Open Team Selection Event
On weekend of 10/11 May an event to select the ACT Open team for 2025 will be held. Details and entry in MyABF (in Calendar view select State=ACT).
All pairs who are members of a BFACT affiliated club are encouraged to enter.
Kieser Pairs
The next day time red masterpoint event will be the Kieser Pairs, to be run for three consecutive weeks on Friday morning sessions.
- When: 9:30am Friday 2. 9 &16 May
Winner will be with the pair with the highest percentage who have played in all 3 sessions with the same partner.
Even if you don't play all three sessions red points will be awarded and then additional points will also be given for the top third of the overall field.
No need to book, usual table fees apply
Australian Bridge Novice Pairs
- Tuesday afternoon 27th May.
No need to book as this will be a walk in event during the normal Tuesday 1pm Duplicate Session. Entry will be subsidised by the CBC so normal table money will apply.
GNOT Qualifying Gold point Events
A series of Grand National Open Teams pre qualifying events played for 2 weeks in each regular Duplicate and RealBridge session between May and August. These feature Masterpoint awards at Gold Point level. The first event will be on:
- Monday morning 5th and 12th May (F2F at the club).
No need to book as this will be a walk in event during the normal Monday 10am Duplicate Session, normal table fees apply.
Lighter Moments
Finally, some wise words from Eddie Kantar, one of the greatest bridge teachers ever:
* We had a partnership misunderstanding. My partner assumed I knew what I was doing.
* There's a fine line between genius and stupidity at the bridge table. The difference is that genius has its limits.
* My play was much better tonight, and so were my excuses.
Have a great week everyone.
Steve
