In this week’s newsletter...
- President's Message
- Feeling unwell - Coughs and Colds
- Canberra Southern Cross Club Community Rewards
- Upcoming Sessions and Events
- Mentoring in May - Feedback
- Will Jenner-O'Shea Workshop on Weak Hands - Sunday 30 July
- Canberra In Bloom - 29 September to 2 October - BFACT Early bird discounts
- Competitive Bidding and Play - 4 week course with Barb Toohey from 8 August
- Results
- Ian Morison:
- Lighter Moments
President's Message
Please make welcome the increasing number of newer members to the club when you see them at our face-to-face meetings.
Have you noticed the two plastic boxes on the table outside the manager’s office? They contain your latest membership card from ABF. There are so many of them I am wondering how many of you have updated your information. By collecting yours, you may find out you have more master points than you realised.
In September we have the Canberra in Bloom Bridge festival which is being held in our own club rooms this year. Now is the time to get on the website, decide which competition you wish to enter, and assemble your pairings and teams. There are competitions for all categories of players from the most inexperienced novice to the most hardened professional players. Enjoy the home ground advantage and enter now.
Enjoy your bridge and remember it is also, just a card game.
Tim Mather
Coughs and Colds
If you are feeling unwell, have a cold etc please consider others before coming into play at the club.
Canberra Southern Cross Club- Community Rewards
The club can earn up to $20,000 per year through the CSCC Community Rewards program which aids nominated community groups by CSCC members. CSCC and CBC members both benefit when the attached form is completed and CBC is nominated as a recipient of the Community Rewards Program. As you may be aware the more visits to CSCC venues the higher the success rate in the program, so we encourage you to promote the Community Rewards Program to your family and friends at every opportunity. Attached is the group specific signup link below created for the Canberra Bridge Club – feel free to circulate to your family, friends or neighbours if they are existing or prospective CSCC members. They do not need to be CBC members to support us.
https://csccmarketing.wufoo.com/forms/q1p963gg1orhqqb/
Our weekly sessions are the same as last week - see our homepage.
Supervised Lessons
These happen on Wednesdays from 7pm, or Fridays from 9.30am.
- 19/21 July: Slam bidding & Blackwood
- 26/28 July: Negative and other doubles
- 2/4 August - Reverses
- 9/11 August - Declarer play: Planning and Play points
- 16/18 August: Declarer play: Entries and Play order
- 23/25 August: Same bid - different message
- 30 August/1 Sept: System Card
Master the Basics
Master the Basics virtual lessons are on Thursdays at 9.00am. 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. It's $8 for members and $10 for non-members. The lessons run for 30 minutes.
Next Thursday the session is on Competitive Bidding - Partner They Have Stolen My Bid!
Mentoring in May Feedback
Members who would like to add feedback to the Clubs regarding "Mentoring in May" please email Anne Flemming on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your information.
Upcoming Events
Will Jenner O'Shea - Workshop: Making the Most of Weak Hands
Many of you would have attended Will's workshop last Saturday. Will's next workshop is on Sunday 30 July and will cover:
- Weak Two Openings and Responding
- Weak Jump Overcalls and Pre-empts
- Responding With Minimum Hands
- Staying Low and Finding The Best Contract When There Is No Game.
Click HERE to enter.
This event has a maximum number of entries of 144. We hope to see you there.
Winter Butler Pairs
Thursday 7.15pm July 27 and August 3. Pre-entry required.
Forward Planning
Unfortunately the 3 week Thursday night pairs will not proceed at this time. The next CBC competitive Thursday night event is the Save the Dates! BFACT have advised the following dates:
Gala Pairs - Saturday 16 September
BFACT AGM - Saturday 16 September
Canberra In Bloom - including Special Novice Event
Starting Friday 29 September, right here at Canberra Bridge Club! A national Gold point event with Pairs & Teams events for players of all abilities! See MyABF for more detail (or entries) and direct enquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Enter before 31 August for an earlybird discount!
Note this year has the inaugural Butterfly Orchid Novice Pairs event on the Friday afternoon for beginners with less than 5 masterpoints - it lets you put your toe in the water to see what a congress is like:)
Beginners Lessons - Coming soon
The next beginners lessons start on Wednesday 7pm on 2 August or Friday 10am on 4 August. There are 40 registered already so plenty of room for more takers. If you have family or friends that would like to learn, get them to register online here.
Competitive Bidding and Play
Competitive Bidding and Play Training with Barb Toohey is coming soon on 8 August. The course will run for 4 weeks from 10am to noon. This is the next step after the beginners lessons, and suitable for Novice & Supervised Players. Topics covered include
- Week 1: Doubles
- Week 2: Overcalls
- Week 3: Leads
- Week 4: Signals
Please register using the online form. The cost is $55 for four weeks or $15 per week.
BFACT Upcoming Director's Courses
Saturday/Sunday 18 & 19 November - for aspiring new or in-training directors.
Results
ANC Perth
Interstate Teams final - Open
Sebastian Yuen, Christy Geromboux, Brad Coles, David Appleton, Bernard Waters and Malcom Carter are in the finals playoff.
The Womens', Seniors and Youth Teams all did us proud. We are so lucky as a Club to be able to participate in these events.
Andrew Struik dropped us a line to say that Queensland has been warm and sunny and that he and Nikki Riszko have enjoyed success:
- Coming second in the teams at Sunshine Coast on 17/18 June and
- First in the teams Bundaberg Congress on 8/9 July
Ian Morison:
Gambling 3NT
A good way to improve your Bridge is to read about it. There are some good writers who are published regularly in the newspapers. In Australia, I like Paul Marsden and Ron Klinger for practical tips
Another good writer is Andrew Robson who lives in the UK, but appears in The Australian
Andrew recently exhorted us to bid 3NT gambling with a solid long minor and nothing else. So, at this week’s game, sitting South I had this hand:
Dealer N, E-W Vul
1053
A74
Q8732
85
K9874 AQ
KJ1098 Q53
K6 A954
7 9632
J62
62
J10
AKQJ104
The Bidding:
N E S W
P 1D 3NT (1*)
1* EW are vulnerable. Given partner has Passed, EW may well have 4H or 4S on (+620 Score). If you go down just 3 doubled, that’s only -500. You have 6 winners in 3NT, so you hope Partner has 1 winner meaning only 3 down. [Maybe partner has 3 winners and you make 3NT!)
I bit my lip and bid 3NT. It was passed out (not Doubled)
The Play:
West led HJ (a bit lucky for me, as EW can take 5 Spades and AK of Diamonds immediately). I took HA, played the 6 top Clubs and then yielded to the inevitable – EW would get the rest. 2 down
But 2 down was -100, and they can make 11 Tricks in 4S or 4H (+650). So, we scored very well
Perhaps West should have bid given his shapely hand (I would have bid 4H), but he did not
MORAL OF THE STORY
Gambling 3NT bids can be lucrative; you must have a solid suit and preferably are NV with the opponents Vul
Bidding this way makes it hard for the opponents to find their best contract
Thank you, Andrew Robson
Ian Morison
Bridge lover
14 July 2023
Be kind in all things
Kerry (for Kerry and Tamara)