Newsletter 29 April

 

In this week’s newsletter...

  • New Members
  • ABF Opens, Seniors and Women's Playoffs Results
  • ANC Trials Results
  • Egon Larson Butler Pairs
  • Novice Lesson "Even More Tricks for your Bucks" - Saturday 21 May
  • Bridge Tips by Joan Butts
  • Lonely Hearts (part 2) by Hilda Hills
  • Card Play with Ian Morison
  • Lighter Moments

From the President

As most of you would be aware the Club has had several incidents of persons unknowingly playing bridge at the Club whilst infectious with COVID. To lessen your chance of catching COVID, the Club recommends that players wear a face mask whilst in the Club. Your face mask should fit your face and cover your mouth and nose.

Please also remember to sanitise your hands between rounds, and clean the side tables, arms of the chairs and wipe the bidding boxes and bridge mates at the end of the session.

Stay safe and enjoy your bridge.

Margaret

 

Welcome to April's New Members!

  •  Paul Buck
  • Jo Heesom-Green
  • Georgie McWilliam
  • Maureen Shaw
  • Catherine Sheehan
  • Emma Stein
  • Coral Williamson

 

The Opens, Seniors and Womens Playoffs for the Australian Teams

Who knew? 

The Seniors, Opens and Womens Playoffs for the Australian Teams occurred here from 18 to 23 April.  There are 5 CBC members or past members eligible to play in the WBF World Bridge Series in Wroclaw, Poland from 19 August to 3 September 2022.

Drum roll -  Will Jenner O'Shea and partner qualified first in the Open

David Hoffman and long time member Richard Brightling qualified first in the Seniors

Life member Neil Ewart and our own engaging director Ian Robinson qualified second in the Seniors.  

For a full list of winners see the ABF results page.  Congratulations to all!

 

ANC Trials Update

Congratulations to Liz Van Der Hor and Janet Kahler, and Peter Kahler and Adrienne Stephens who played in the Stage 2 Preliminary on the weekend and qualified for the Territory Open Finals to be played in May.  

Congratulations also to Ruitian Lang and Simon Grant, and Colin Davidson and Peter Kowald who qualified in the Restricted Pairs and may travel to Adelaide to the Australian National Congress!

 

Sessions in the Club and on RealBridge are outlined below

Upcoming Sessions

Our weekly sessions

  • Monday morning 10.00am at the club
  • Monday 2.00 pm (24 boards) RealBridge
  • Monday 7.00 pm RealBridge
  • Tuesday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
  • Tuesday 7.15pm event RealBridge
  • Wednesday morning 10.00am at the club
  • Wednesday morning 10.15am RealBridge
  • Wednesday evening supervised at the club 7pm (18 boards following lesson) 
  • Wednesday evening 7.15pm at the club
  • Thursday morning 10.00am at the club - Butler and walk in duplicate
  • Thursday afternoon 2.00pm (24 boards) RealBridge
  • Friday morning supervised 9.30am at the club (18 boards following lesson) 
  • Friday morning walk-in session 9.30am
  • Friday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
  • Friday afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge
  • Saturday afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge

Watch the newsletters and website for advice on face-to-face sessions at the club, and RealBridge sessions as these are fluid, depending on COVID developments and demand.  At this stage it is intended that the Monday and Thursday afternoon RealBridge sessions will continue indefinitely.  

Member table money will be deducted from players CBCPay accounts. Visitors' fees will be paid for by their member-partner, or via prior arrangement by emailing the office.

Cost: face-to-face $10 members/ $13 visitors, concession $9.  RealBridge $8 members and $7 concession (including event) $10 visitors

Links to sessions are on our RealBridge page.

CBC Statements will go out next week. Remember to quote your ABF number in the reference field.  

 

May Supervised Sessions happening Wednesday nights and Friday Mornings at the Club

We run supervised duplicates on Wednesday evenings starting at 7.00pm and Friday mornings starting at 9.30 am.  

Each duplicate is preceded by a short lesson. The May lessons are as follows:

  • 4 & 6 May: Declarer Play: Finesses
  • 11 & 13 May: better minor responses and rebids
  • 18 & 20 May: responses to NT and Stayman
  • 25 & 27 May: Higher level opening bids

If you are interested please come along.  There is no need to book.  If you want to know more get in touch with Morag Lokan.  Morag’s email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 Master the Basics virtual lessons resume on Thursday 5 May at 9.00am. The topic is transfers after a 1 NT opening.  Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want to be added to the Zoom class.

 

Upcoming Events

Egon Larson Pairs 

Egon Larson was a co-founder of the Canberra Bridge Club and is commemorated annually.  

 The Swiss Pairs is a 3 week Butler pairs competition commencing from Tuesday night  3 May at 7.15pm on RealBridge.  It is an honour board event.  Enter here or email the managers before 10am on Monday 2 May.  

 

"Even More Tricks for Your Bucks" Lesson and Two Novice and Restricted Comps - Saturday 21 May 2022

Get your voting before or after, then join us (again) at the clubrooms on Saturday afternoon 21 May for a friendly one session pairs event (with Butler scoring*). This will be preceded by a short Kantar style lesson hosted by Jodi Tutty.

Bring your own lunch or sneak across the road to a Deakin café.

Two divisions – Novice (up to 50 Masterpoints per player)

Restricted (50 to 300 Masterpoints per player)

Cost for the lesson and session play is $20 per member and $25 for visitors

Session-only entries can be accommodated for a cost of $12

Lesson-only entries may be accommodated (subject to space) for $14

Enter on the CBC website entry lists in the what’s on tab (top of page in the middle)

Red Masterpoints will be awarded

Payment will be by CBCPay for members and bank deposit for visitors (No cash on the day)

*Butler scoring is an approximation of teams scoring where your team ‘partners’ are the average of all the other scores on each hand played.

 Declarer Play with Joan Butts

Tips for Making the Most of Entries

1. Recognise a low card as an entry by keeping a lower-ranking link card

Dummy: ♥️ 95 Declarer: ♥️ AKQJ102
If you need to reach the dummy, the ♥️2 (link card) will take you to the ♥️9 (entry).

  1. Recognise a high card as a link card by using a higher card as an entry

Dummy: ♥️ AQJ Declarer:♥️ K 
If you need to reach the dummy, the ♥️K (link card) will take you to the ♥️A (entry).

  1. When taking sure tricks and promoting tricks, play the high card from the short side first

Dummy: ♥️ AK2 Declarer:♥️ Q5 
TO make three tricks here, play the ♥️Q first, and then the ♥️5 over to the ♥️A and ♥️K

  1. Keep an entry with the suit being developed 

Dummy: ♠ KQJ10
                ♥️ A3

Declarer: ♠ 86
                 ♥️ K42 
If you’re working on promoting the spades, keep the ♥️A in dummy as long as possible.

  1. Take losses early to preserve entries

Dummy:  ♥️ A7654 Declarer: ♥️ 832
If you have no external (ie in other suits) entries to dummy, lose (duck)  twice before crossing over to the ♥️A76 which will produce three winners if the suit divides 3-2.

 

The Lonely Hearts (part 2) by Hilda Hills

[originally published in Australian Bridge, February 1987]

Due to the severe snow storm, the Fellowship abandoned its attempt at getting over the mountains and instead decided to go through by way of the ancient Mines of Moria. They arrived at the magic door to Moria at sunset. Beside it was a dark pool, which had oily ripples disturbing its surface.

Gandalf passed his hand over the door, causing shiny silver lines to become revealed. They said, "Speak, friend, and enter."

What does it mean by, "speak, friend, and enter?" asked Merry.

"That is plain enough," replied Gandalf. "If you are a friend, speak the password. The door will open and you can enter."

Further writing appeared on the door:

--------------------------------North

--------------------------------S ----

--------------------------------H AKQJT98765432

--------------------------------D ----

--------------------------------C ----

West-------------------------------------------------East

S KQJT8642-----------------------------------------S A

H ---- -----------------------------------------------H ----

D AKQJ9---------------------------------------------D 864

C ---- -----------------------------------------------C AKQJT8642

--------------------------------South

--------------------------------S 9753

--------------------------------H ----

--------------------------------D T7532

--------------------------------C 9753

Below the hands an inscription said, "South is declaring 7NT. Plan the defence."

Boromir scoffed, "What trivial pursuit is this? The defence has twenty top tricks!" Gandalf replied, "There is more to this than meets the lidless eye," and he tanked by the water.

Meanwhile Sam was saying goodbye to Bill the pony. He said, "If I was on lead, Bill, I would make one of Frodo's Chronicler Leads, and lead my fifth highest diamond." Gandalf chuckled, then he burst out laughing, "Of course! You are right Sam; the problem is to prove that you are a friend by finding a friendly defence which lets 7NT make!" Puzzled, Boromir queried, "If North could get the lead, sure. But how can South make thirteen tricks on their rubbish when dummy has nothing but lonely hearts?"

While the ripples on the pool grew larger, Gandalf explained:

"West leads their fifth highest nine of diamonds, East unblocking their eight of diamonds, and South winning with their ten. South now 'cashes' four clubs while West discards their remaining diamonds. Now South can win four more diamond tricks while the spade honours are being pitched. South then scores their four spades to make 7NT."

Gleefully Gandalf tapped the nine of diamonds with his staff while saying, "Friend!" and the door swung open.

Suddenly Frodo felt his ankle being hooked from under him, as twenty tentacles plotched from the pool.

 

 How do you play this hand? with Ian Morison

 

Dealer W, Nil Vul

                                          J86

                                           1095

                                           A874

                                          Q73

AQ95                                                            K104

KJ74                                                             86

K                                                                  J10963

AJ108                                                           642

 

                                 732

                                 AQ32

                                  Q52

                                  K95

THE BIDDING

 East - West made it to 3NT (a tad optimistic on 22 combined points, BUT they have three 10s and two 9s – always useful)

  1. South bid Hearts on the way, so North lead H10
  1. South took HA and returned H2

THE ANALYSIS

  1. Now, count your sure winners. You have 3S, 1H, 0D and 1C as certain winners = 5 Tricks
  1. So, some work needs to be done to find 4 more winners. Forget about Spades for the moment. You must develop Diamonds and/or Clubs for your extra tricks
  1. But there is no harm trying in Hearts as well. Put up the HJ on H2. It holds. 6 Tricks in the bag
  1. Where to now? Play DK. North thinks for an eon, then takes the DA, and North abandons Hearts (inexplicably) and leads S6. You duck in Dummy, South puts S2 on
  1. A key play now is to say: I need 2 entries to Dummy to knock out DQ and then to get to the long Diamonds. So, you must avoid the temptation to win with S9, but instead win with SQ. Then you finesse the SJ (it is very likely North has SJ, as South would have played it when North led a Spade)
  1. The finesse works, you play DJ, South plays DQ, North follows, and the South returns a Heart to your King
  1. Now the Contract has become certain – 4S, 2H, 3D (or 2D if they don’t break), 1C = 10 Tricks
  1. Over to Dummy with the SK, run the Diamonds (they break) and you make 10 Tricks

WHAT IF?

  1. What if North had not taken DK with DA? (I think North should hold off)
  1. You then cannot get to Dummy the 3 times needed to set up Diamonds, so you turn to Clubs
  1. Enter Dummy the same way – finessing SJ, then finessing Clubs hoping South has one or both of CK and CQ
  1. First time around it loses to CQ, North returns a Heart to your King. Over to Dummy via a Spade to SK, finesse Clubs again and this time it holds
  1. At this stage you have 4S, 2H, 1D and 2C = 9 Tricks
  1. You cash CA, felling CQ and wrap up 10 Tricks on the long Club

CONCLUSION

  1. In playing you need to be flexible – here you would abandon Diamonds if DK is not taken by DA, and switch to the 75% chance of one of the K or Q of Clubs or both being with South
  1. So with some luck and good play, you make 3NT +1 (10 Tricks) with 22 points

Ian Morison

Bridge lover  [who lives 1,609.334 meters from the Bridge Club. That’s 1 mile, for those obsessed with trivia]

 

Lighter Moments and Quotable Quotes

 

~ Jean Kerr...

The only reason they say 'Women and children first' is to test the strength of the lifeboats.

~ Prince Philip...

When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife.

~ Harrison Ford... 

Wood burns faster when you have to cut and chop it yourself.

~ Spike Milligan...

The best cure for Sea Sickness is to sit under a tree.

~ Jean Rostand...

Kill one man and you're a murderer, kill a million and you're a conqueror.

~ Arnold Schwarzenegger...

Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 million dollars but I'm just as happy as when I had 48 million.

~Cheers WH Auden..

We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea.

~ Johnny Carson... 

If life were fair, Elvis would still be alive today and all the impersonators would be dead.

 ~ Steve Martin...

Hollywood must be the only place on earth where you can be fired by a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a baseball cap.

~ Jimmy  Durante... 

Home cooking. Where many a man thinks his wife is.

~ Betsy Salkind... 

Men are like linoleum floors. Lay 'em right and you can walk all over them for thirty years.

~ George Roberts...

The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone.

~ Jonathan Winters... 

If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier to get to the airport.

~ Robert Benchley... 

I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it.

~ John Glenn... 

As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.

~ David Letterman... 

America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is  real but the moon landing was faked.

~ Howard Hughes... 

I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. Actually, I'm a billionaire.

~Old Italian proverb... 

After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. (bit like the cards in a deck)

 

Look after yourselves

 

Tamara (for Kerry and Tamara)