Newsletter - 21 May 2021

From the President

 The Club has recently spent money buying new cards and bidding boxes. With this in mind, if you have an accident and drop a bidding box, would you please either fix the box, or ask some-one else at the table to help you fix it. Please do not put both in a pile at the front of the playing room. Also please ensure that all bidding cards, including alert cards are replaced in the box, and not left on the playing table.

Some of our members are affected by perfumes etc. With that in mind would all players please refrain from using perfumes/aftershaves if intending to play at the Club.

Thanks for all your help in these matters.

Kind Regards

Margaret

Important changes to contact details in Pianola

Pianola is a management tool used by the Canberra Bridge Club for bridge players and club managers.

The benefits for the player of using Pianola are:

• As a Learning Tool: Pianola provides an excellent service for those players wishing to review their declarer play and defence.
• For easy access to other Club members: Your contact details can be shared with your bridge partners and the wider CBC bridge community.
• To find partners: you can see who is looking for a partner, and you can also ask for a partner for a particular session.

Please read our webpage about Pianola to find handy tips on how to access and use Pianola.

Please NOTE that your information is safe and secure on Pianola as it Is ‘locked’ and is only available to Canberra Bridge Club members. The site can only be accessed via a personal password. This is a very important protection for personal security.

The committee has decided to change the default position in Pianola:

• from a global ‘No phone numbers and email addresses are available without each member making the necessary change’
• to ‘All phone numbers and emails are automatically available unless a member makes the necessary change’.

This alteration will occur on 12 June 2021.

If you are happy for other members to access your email address and phone number, as they did in the Calendar booklets, then you do not have to do anything.

However, some members may not want other members to access their contact information.
Members who wish to opt out of the contact list can do so:

EITHER by:

• changing their Privacy settings in Pianola themselves (see advice that will be in the newsletter of 11 June) OR
• by emailing Mary Tough This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 10th June and requesting exclusion from the contact list for:
  1. their phone number or
  2. their email address, or
  3. both email and phone number

Please be aware that if you choose to opt out of the contact list other members of the club will have no method of contacting you and the club managers will not be authorised to disclose your contact information to other members.

 Once we have the membership contact list up and running, we will provide more information about how Pianola works.

Name Badges - Order Now

Regret not buying a magnetic-backed name badge in our last order? Or maybe you've joined since...

Whatever the reason, if you would like one of the spiffy printed badges (which have our Logo, your name, and your ABF Number) - please see/email the managers ASAP. They cost $15 each, which can be paid in cash, cheque, or bank transfer. CBCPay funds cannot be used for Name Badges. Payment must be made before we place the order with the supplier.

Note: If you have a magnetic name badge and need a replacement backing magnet, please contact the office and we can enquire of the cost to place into our order also.

Never forget your name or ABF Number again!

No perfume, please

Some members have severe respiritory (breathing!) reactions/allergies to perfume. It is a policy of the Club to please not wear perfume. 

Welcome to our new Director - Joshua Tomlin!

A big welcome and thank you to Joshua Tomlin for becoming our newest Director. If you were playing on Monday morning, you would have had the honour of being in his first CBC session.

A little about Josh...

Josh is a player in the ABF Youth as well as at CBC. He represented the ACT in the 2020 Youth Team, and is already a Silver Local Master rank! As with many young bridge players, we will no doubt be watching Josh's Bridge skills continue to skyrocket in upcoming years - and no doubt represent Australia in the not-too-far future.

When not playing Bridge, Josh is completing a PhD in 'pure maths' at Northwestern University (near Chicago!) - online currently, obviously. "Instead of studying I spend most of my time reading bridge books." 

Fun facts about Josh:

• plays basketball, and coaches a junior team
• teaches swing dancing, and is part of a performance troupe
• can solve a Rubik's cube in under 20 seconds, and can solve one blindfolded (but not at the same time!)

What a diverse set of interests and skills!

April Committee Meeting Minutes

The minutes from the April committee meeting are now available for download from our Committee Webpage.

Master the Basics - Bridge Lessons

Are you aware of our weekly "Master the Basics" lessons, taught by Barb Toohey? No pre-registration necessary, except if you plan to join via Zoom and need the link.

Master the Basics, at 9:00am on Thursday mornings before the duplicate sessions, for approximately half an hour.

The course caters for a range of abilities and each week covers a fundamental concept to an increased level of mastery. Students who have done a Beginners Course and/or some Supervised play and have limited experience are welcome to attend. With more experience you will still benefit from a deeper understanding of the concept being discussed. 

No registration is needed. Just turn up for any or all of the lessons in the schedule below. There is no requirement to stay on for the duplicate session too. Cost is $6 for CBC Members (paid via CBCPay) and $8 for Non-Members.

The lessons are also available each week on Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Download the MTB Lesson Schedule

Winter Warmers

We have heating at the Club, and most of the time it is sufficient for heating the large room. However, we know that everyone has different temperature preferences, and recommend that if you are prone to the cold that you bring some extra layers in case is it a little colder than your liking (lap blankets are also welcome) and/or try to sit towards the South side of the room - closer to the wall airconditioning heaters.  Those who find the Club too warm could try sitting further towards the North wall, away from the wall units.

We put the heaters on in advance of sessions, to pre-warm the rooms as much as possible. As we enter the coldest part of the year, it can take longer for the room to get to ideal warmth.

Check-In CBR App

Government laws require every person to be registered through the Check-In CBR App when visiting our Club. The scan and number code for the App are on the sidetables, so you do not need to gather in the doorway or foyer to sign in.

Reminders for in-Club sessions:

• It is a condition of entry that you have read and agree to abide by our COVID-19 Safety Plan.
• One person ONLY in the kitchen at a time. You are welcome to gently remind others if you see they have forgotten.

Session Times

Face-to-Face in the Clubrooms next week:

• Monday morning 10:00am
  
• Monday evening 7:00pm (walk-in & supervised) & Monday evening 7:20pm (event)
• Tuesday afternoon 1:15pm
• Wednesday morning 10:00am
• Wednesday evening 7:15pm
• Thursday morning 10:00am (MP and Imps)
• Friday Supervised Lesson: 9:30am, then Play at 10am
  
• Friday (regular walk-in) 9:45am
  
• Friday afternoon 1:15pm
  
• Saturday afternoon 1:15pm 

Produce Table proceeds go to Beyond Blue

Due to the lack of our regular program of events resulting from COVID-19 the Committee has dediced that we will use our Produce Table money to support this charity. Please support this worthwhile cause.

If you have any produce or other goodies to donate to our Produce Table for Beyond Blue fundraising, please bring them in!

Upcoming Events

Congresses Have Started Again, Yay!!

Some players may not be aware that congresses are gradually restarting across NSW. The NSW Bridge Association website has full details. However, it's possible some clubs may be being a little optimistic, e.g. Albury is not actually running its congress in October, so it might be worthwhile checking with the club concerned.

Some Canberra members have attended Cowra in September previously and enjoyed the experience of a friendly stratified congress, likewise Orange and Wagga come to mind as good congresses for intermediate players amongst others. Why not have a look at the NSWBA website and choose a congress to attend.

Upcoming Education / Lessons

More Bridge Basics for Continuing Students (Competitive Bidding)

Barb Toohey will run two 4-week courses on Competitive Bidding and Defence. This is the next step after the beginners lessons, and suitable for Novice & Supervised Players.

To register to attend, please fill out our online entry form or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Dates          :	Tuesdays 17th August - 7th Sept
Time:	10am - 12noon
Cost:	$15 for an individual lesson or $55 for all four (4) lessons Members - Payment will be deducted from CBCPay Table Money. Visitors - Cash, cheque or bank transfer
Program:	Week 1: Doubles Week 2: Overcalls Week 3: Leads Week 4: Signals

Master the Basics

Master the Basics is on Thursdays at 9.00am.

The lesson will be available face-to-face in the Club rooms and on Zoom at 9:00am.
To receive the zoom link, please email Barb Toohey.

You can download the topic list for the weekly schedule.

Supervised Lessons

The supervised lessons are on Mondays 7pm and Fridays 9:30am.

Results

ABF Online Nationwide Pairs - 14 May 2021

Open 
E/W 3rd:  Julia Hoffman & Noelene Law

Doubles: Doubles Over Preempts - by Joan Butts

• A preemptive bid (an opening by an opponent at a high level) has likely pushed the bidding a few levels higher than you expected at first
• The higher the preempt, the stronger you need to be when making a take out double, because you’re forcing your partner to bid at a high level
• Doubling in the direct seat means bidding immediately over the preempt
• Doubling in the balancing seat means bidding you're in the last seat after the bidding has gone: preempt, pass, pass to you
• Expect partner to have up to eight points when you double over a preempt
• If partner has more than 8 points, they will jump a level (if that is available)
• Double over a minor preempt promises at least 4-3 in the majors, hopefully 4-4

Movie/TV Review by Richard Hills

Paddington 2

Mrs Bird, housekeeper to the Brown family, "Actors are some of the most evil, devious people on the planet. They lie for a living."

This is one of many meta-jokes in Paddington 2, since the redoubtable actor Julie Walters is yet again excellent portraying Mrs Bird.

Recently a 70-year-old unfavourable review of Citizen Kane was unearthed, causing that film to drop from 100% to 99% on the Rotten Tomatoes website. Some snobs sneered at Paddington 2 consequently taking the top spot; but it is a very rare true family film, one which can be equally enjoyed by kids and their parents / grandparents.

In the books Paddington is loveable but accident-prone; likewise in the Paddington 2 movie a series of unfortunate events see the youthful ursine incarcerated in the Big House. But he has the help of a Hard Stare (taught to him by his loving Aunt Lucy) and also a supply of marmalade.