Brevion
Bridge Club Newsletter September 26.10.2011
It is eighteen months since
I last wrote a Newsletter so it is time I did another if for no other reason
than to tempt you to put forward your thoughts on the various matters relating to
the game of bridge. Consider this letter a prompt for you to tell us your
thoughts about the club, teaching, competitions, the EBU’s Pay To Play scheme or any other matter related to bridge.
Brevion’s Mission – Is to
encourage students and newcomers of the game to progress and enjoy
Duplicate Bridge in a friendly and congenial atmosphere. By the very
nature of the game it is competitive. However, it must be tempered with
tolerance, help and understanding for, and by, all.
You
will note that Colin has changed our ‘home’ web-page to summarises our
objectives and provide a link to The EBU’s BEST BEHAVIOUR AT BRIDGE policy
document; please take the time to read it. If you do not have a computer look
at the copy I bring to the club each week, it is in ‘the case’.
EBU’s Pay2Play scheme – The scheme has now been
operating for eighteen months. With all the controversy that surrounded its
introduction I am surprised we have not seen more articles in the magazines
claiming success or otherwise.
Under the P2P scheme all
club members are now registered at the EBU. Providing you play in the main
section Master Points are electronically recorded, by us, at the EBU. When you
play twelve times per year, at any EBU affiliated club, you become entitled to
receive the magazine English Bridge and the EBU’s 2012 diary. It does cost more
both for you and the club but is it worth it? What are your views?
Children In Need – Our night for playing in this year’s
‘simultaneous pairs’ competition is 17th November. In these difficult
times I suspect it will be difficult to improve upon last year’s record figure
of £63,307.40. In the nine years Anna and Mark have run the event the bridge
community have donated the grand sum of £464,176.35. We are asking for £5.50
that night of which £3 goes to CIN; we have deducted your P2P cost.
Copper collection –I repeat my regular plea for your coppers. Surely, you don’t want to have the weight of coppers
in your pocket or purse so please add them to the table fee each Thursday.
I take the opportunity to thank those members that donate their coppers;
we use them as club donations to charities when appropriate occasions
occur.
Championship Pair – Will we get change of
names on the trophy this year? With five weeks left we have new names in first and
third places.
Bridge – Can the game of bridge
survive? We understand that last year Lyn’s one class (beginners) was the only
one running in the Essex Adult Education colleges. This year it is even worse,
Lyn’s single class has ten beginners! CAN YOU HELP? Can you encourage somebody
to take an interest in this mentally absorbing and social game?
Christmas Party – Your request is for a finger buffet on the 8th
December. Tickets priced at £8 (including table money) will be on sale at the
club from Thursday 26th October: -
·
Raffle - We will hold a raffle; Zena has agreed to co-ordinate the
collection of prizes so please tell her if you can donate a prize. Money raised
at the party will go to a charity of your choosing (recent years it has been
The Air Ambulance).
·
Tote - We will hold Brevion’s special tote based on the evenings winning
pair. To remind you how we run this - we require you to write your name on the
back of your ticket before you come. The ticket and £1 will be taken off you at
the door; when everyone is present you will draw a ticket and if the name on
the back is one of the winning pairs you will receive a quarter of the prize
fund (four winners).
Would you like to freshen-up
the party or suggest something new? Then tell Carolyn, David or me; or perhaps
somebody else would like to run the evening?
Teachers’ Corner – When choosing the opening lead, did partner
bid? Don’t forget an opening bid by
partner suggests a lead but an overcall by
partner demands a lead. All the more reason to make sure that your overcall
shows a good quality suit (minimum five cards and at least two honours).
On average we defend two games in four, play as
defender once and as ‘dummy’ once. It makes sense to develop your defensive techniques
with partner; when did you last talk to partner about your defence play? Talk
to partner about bridge that would be novel!
Directors' Corner – Remember, the director is there to apply the
laws of bridge which are designed to restore equity after an error, not
to punish the offender. Let us think about a common mistake made most weeks. A
card led face up and out of turn. You say “oh! put it
away let your partner lead”. Inadvertently, you may now have damaged yourselves
and other pairs sitting in your direction! I’ll put a situation to you in a
manner that I hope you will understand: -
·
You
are playing the contract. My partner, on your right, leads a card face up. I
now have information about my partners hand that I am not entitled to (yes, we
do “read” partners opening leads they often provide critical information about
the best defence).
·
You say “oh! Put it away”. You have just given away the choice of
selecting one of five options that are designed to prevent my partner and me
gaining an unfair advantage?
·
I choose to lead a a
card based on the information I have gleaned from partners card. As a result
you do not make a contract that others, playing in the same contract made; my
partner and I may have got a top score. While you may not be too bothered about
your result, all other pairs playing in your direction lost out because you did
not call “Director please”!
Want a partner?
Email Ann at annriddleston@btopenworld.com or telephone 01376-515400