Guelph Bridge Club
What’s on Tap?
644 Imperial Dr. Guelph Ont N1H 7M3
Phone: 519 763 7160
Web: http://guelphbridgeclub.org
Email: [email protected]
• In troduc ing …
• From the Boa rd
• D irect or Pl ease
• Ch ri stm a s Party
• T he T ourn am ent
Scen e
• Mov ing on Up
• Brid ge Best P ra ct ice
• T his an d Tha t
• T he Go T o People
Introducing – Joan Henry
When I first started out paying duplicate bridge at our club, there
was this very nice older lady who was an unassuming shark at the
bridge table. I didn’t really know her or her name but she used to
scare me. Whenever I had to play against her, Joan had this
terrible habit of doubling me. I was new to duplicate bridge, and I
didn’t know much about doubles but I assumed that it wasn’t going
Joan Henry
to be good for my contract. One day I was sitting at a table waiting
for the game to begin and Joan was talking about her upcoming trip
to PEI, I mentioned that both my parents were born in PEI and we got to taking about
PEI and this is how I really first met and got to know Joan Henry.
Joan grew up playing cards, her parents were bridge players but Joan never played
bridge when she was younger. The tradition continues because none of Joan’s seven
children play bridge but she is grooming her granddaughter to get into the game. Joan
was a military wife and moved around a lot with her husband Ron. Joan started to play
bridge when Ron was stationed in Summerside PEI; it was either play bridge or don’t fit
in. As Joan learned more about the game and tried to share what she learned she
realized that the ladies were more interested in the social aspect of the game than the
game itself. This is when Joan discovered Duplicate Bridge.
After retiring from the military, Joan and her family settled in Guelph. Joan continued
playing duplicate bridge, playing mainly at the Hunt club. Eventually Joan and Jim Rife
took over the running of the Country Club Bridge Club until in 2009 when they merged
their club into what became the Guelph Bridge Club. Merging with the newly formed
Guelph Bridge Club is a decision Joan doesn’t regret, she enjoys our club, finds the
people warm and welcoming and it offers bridge at all levels of play.
Joan is a regular at the Master/Rookie game; she enjoys helping newer players with
their game. Joan is an excellent mentor and I would highly recommend that if you want
to improve your game ask Joan to have a game with you. I have played with Joan
several times and it is a very pleasant experience, she is very quick to praise her
partner for a well played hand but Joan will also point out where you could have done
better and best of all you are not on the receiving end of her doubles.
I asked Joan what advice would she give to new players and without hesitating she
said, “Enjoy the Game”. You learn the rules, you learn the conventions, develop your
card sense but you need to have fun playing the game because it is a game!
Guelph Bridge Club
Page 2 of 7
From the Board:
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The Board met on October 14 ; sometimes there just isn’t enough time to discuss everything so the board
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decided that we would have a working session on Nov 8 to do detail planning for the coming year. The
highlights from this month’s board meeting were:
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We
We
We
We
are doing well financially.
had a debate over the chairs, we are looking into new chairs and buying additional cushions
are moving and changing the Friday night 199 Game - see the This & That section for more details.
are going to make changes to the Master / Rookie game, more details to come.
Director Please: Zero Tolerance!
We have seen the poster and have heard the phrase but what is Zero Tolerance? Here is what the ACBL has to say about zero
tolerance.
In accordance with Laws 74, 80F, 81C4, 90A, 91, and 92A (Laws of Duplicate Bridge) the following policy outlines what is expected of
all players during NABCs and other ACBL sponsored events, as well as in the playing area before and after each session. The
ultimate purpose of the Z-T policy is to create a much more pleasant atmosphere in our NABCs. We are attempting to eradicate
unacceptable behavior in order to make the game of bridge more enjoyable for all.
Below are some examples of commendable behavior, which, while not required, will significantly contribute to the improved
atmosphere:
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Being a good ‘host’ or ‘guest’ at the table.
Greeting others in a friendly manner.
Praising the bidding and/or play of the opponents
Having two clearly completed convention cards readily available to the opponents (This one is a regulation, not just a nicety)
The following are some examples of behaviours that will not be tolerated:
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Badgering,+rudeness,+insinuations,+intimidation,+profanity,+threats,+or+violence.+
Negative+comments+concerning+opponents’+or+partner’s+play+or+bidding.+
Constant+and+gratuitous+lessons+and+analyses+at+the+table.+
Loud and disruptive arguing with a director’s ruling.
If a player at the table behaves in an unacceptable manner, the director should be called Immediately.
Annoying behavior, embarrassing remarks, or any other conduct which might interfere with the enjoyment of the game is specifically
prohibited by Law 74A. Law 91A gives the director the authority to assess disciplinary penalties.
The following procedures have been given to the tournament directors for implementation.
1. At the start of each event, the director shall make an announcement that the tournament will be observing ZERO TOLERANCE for
unacceptable behavior. It is requested that the director be called whenever behavior is not consistent with the guidelines outlined
above.
2. The director, when called, shall make an assessment of the situation. If it is established that there was unacceptable behavior, an
immediate ¼ board disciplinary penalty (3 IMP in team games) shall be assigned to all offenders. This may involve any one or all
four players at the table irrespective of who initiated the unacceptable behavior. If both members of a partnership are guilty, the
penalties are additive (¼ board EACH = ½ board!). The Board of Directors strongly believes that assignment of disciplinary
penalties will improve the overall behavior at our tournaments.
3. If it is determined that the same offender is responsible for a second offense in the same event, then the offender(s) shall be
ejected from future competition in that event. An offender removed from an event shall be deemed to have not played in the
event, no masterpoints will be awarded and no refunds will be made. All previously obtained results shall, however, remain valid
as to their effect upon other competitors. In the case of a serious offense and in the case of multiple offenses (three) during a
tournament, a disciplinary committee may be convened to determine whether the offender(s) should be allowed to play in other
events at the tournament and/or whether additional sanctions may be appropriate.
4. Warnings are strongly discouraged and will be given only when there is no clear violation or in cases where the facts cannot be
determined. Offenders are to receive immediate penalties. Regardless of who may have initiated unacceptable behavior, ALL
offenses are punishable. Retaliatory behavior is a punishable offense. Frivolous accusations will also be considered as offenses
under this policy.
5. In accordance with the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, a director’s decision to impose a disciplinary penalty is final; however, all such
decisions may be appealed. An appeals committee may not overturn the director’s decision, but could recommend that the
director reconsider the imposition of a penalty. It should be noted that the committee may feel that the penalty assessed was not
severe enough and may refer the matter to a disciplinary committee.
The DIC (Director in Charge) shall provide a summary report of all behavioral penalties to the Tournament Chairman and/or Recorder.
Page 3 of 7
Guelph Bridge Club
Christmas Party – Dec 9th:
I know it is only November but just as the stores are starting to
decorate for Christmas, we must also start to think about and plan the Christmas
Party.
We decided that this year we are going to have 2 Christmas Parties. We are
hoping that by having 2 parties more members and non-members will be able to
come out and celebrate the end of the year with us.
The first party will be on Tuesday Dec 9th. Socializing will start at 5:30 and the
game will start around 7 pm. For the Tuesday party it will be a Team Game. We
will be making up the teams and they will be set up such that they are balanced, no
team of “A” players. This is the format we used for the BBQ & Game we had in
August and it worked out well.
The second party will be on Wednesday Dec 10th. Socializing will start at 12:00
and the game will start around 1:30. For the Wednesday party it will have a Pairs
game, and you can come and play with your favourite partner or invite someone
new to play with.
This year instead of asking people to bring food the board decided to cater it. It will
be still be appetizers / finger foods, things that are easy to eat while you are
standing and chatting. Cost is $20/pp. You must pay in advance to secure a
spot. The sign up sheet is at the director’s desk. If you can’t decide which party to
attend, well do like I do when I can’t decide between two things, I get both! You
are more than welcomed to attend both parties.
Please Note: There will not be a scheduled game on Wednesday Dec 10th – the
game is strictly for those attending the party. If you come to play that day it will
cost you $20
I am looking for volunteers to help with both parties, I need people to help with the
set-up and cleanup. If you would like to help please let me know.
Guelph Bridge Club
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The Tournament Scene:
Congratulations to all of our members who did well during STaC week, we had a number of players who
placed in the overall ranking. Here is a list of the tournaments coming down the pipeline.
November 2014
Date
Location
Category
Nov 1 - 2
Oshawa
Sectional
Nov 14 - 16
Stratford
Sectional
Nov 27 - 30
Ottawa
Sectional
Date
Location
Category
Jan 2 - 4
Toronto
Sectional
Jan 23 - 25
Kingston
Sectional
Jan 24 - 25
London
Sectional
Date
Location
Category
Feb 6 - 8
St. Catharines
Sectional
Date
Location
Category
Mar 7 - 8
Oshawa
Sectional
Mar 21 - 22
Guelph
Sectional
Mar 31 – Apr 5
Toronto
Regional
January 2015
February 2015
March 2015
Note: There are other tournaments; these are just the ones that are close. For a full list of tournaments
please refer to the ACBL website.
Guelph Bridge Club Sectional Tournament Update:
I will keep you up to date on the status of the sectional tournament we will be hosting next year.
Tournament Chair: Thea Davis
Tournament Committee: Jack McFadden & Catherine Spencer
Date: March 21 & 22, 2015
Location: Puslinch Community Center
Next Steps:
1. We are looking for Volunteers for specific tasks on the Tournament To-Do List.
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Guelph Bridge Club
Moving on Up:
I love to celebrate the accomplishments of our club members. Congratulations to the following people
who have moved up the ladder of ACBL Ranks:
Member
City
New Rank
David Levy
Guelph
Club Master
Madeleine Levy
Guelph
Club Master
Jean Rose
Belwood
Club Master
Bonna Simpson
Guelph
Regional Master
Catherine Spencer
Guelph
NABC Master
John Spencer
Guelph
NABC Master
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Note 1: Rank Changes are as of the 1 of the month based on the previous month’s data.
Bridge Best Practice:
If a player’s hand, e.g. dummy when you see it, is different from the explanation the partner had given,
you may call the Director to help find out what has gone wrong.
The usual reason is an unintentional mis-bid or an incorrect explanation.
For a mis-bid there is no redress as both sides are likely to have been fooled.
If the explanation is wrong however, and you are damaged, you will be entitled to redress. But
remember for wrong explanations, declarer’s side should make the correction at the end of the auction
and defendants only at the end of the hand.
A partner who does not want to be wrong but is unsure of how to explain a call, should alert, state the
uncertainty, but must NOT say how he / she will interpret it. So if you need an explanation before
bidding, it is best to call the director who may ask the person who is unsure to leave the table and get
their partner to explain their bid.
Guelph Bridge Club
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This & That:
All of the odd stuff I want to share:
199 Game: As you may have heard the board has been struggling to offer a restricted game for the newer players.
We have tried several things going from a Sunday afternoon 0 – 50 Game, a section of the Wednesday game for 0 –
99 players and finally offering a Friday night 199 game and the attendance at these games has always been low.
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We are going to try one more thing. Starting on Friday Nov 7 , the restricted game will be on Friday Afternoon (1:00
start). It will be a 299 Game (players with less than 300 masterpoints. The game will be stratified based on pair
average but no player can have more than 300MP, the only exception to this is when the director has to play.
Congratulation Mark & Melissa: Good things happen at the bridge club. Mark & Melissa met at a Master / Rookie
Game and the rest is history. They have recently become engaged and we wish many years of happiness together.
Interclub Championship Games: These are club championship games where we are competing against other
clubs in District 2. There is no additional fee for these games but extra masterpoints are available. We are
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registered for 2 games – Nov 11 (Tuesday Evening) and Dec 29 (Monday Afternoon). If these go well then we
will participate in more of these games next year.
Stratford Tournament: The Stratford Tournament is Nov 14 – 16, they are offering a deal to new and intermediate
players. If you have 0 – 19MP, you can buy a Single Session pass for $5, this is a $6 savings. If you have 0-19MP
you can buy a 6 Session Pass for $25, this is a $41 savings. If you have less than 300MP you can buy a 6 Session
Pass for $50, this is a $16 savings. If you want one of these they will be at the director’s desk
Master/Rookie Game: There will be a Master/Rookie game on Nov 20, 2014
Winter Team League: I know we haven’t wrapped up the fall team League yet but I wanted you to start thinking
about the Winter League, sign up will start in the new year. The start date for the Winter League is March 12th.
Housekeeping: I am back on the bandwagon again. We have all become a little lazy when it comes to
housekeeping at the club. It takes so little time to clean up after a game if we all do our part. When the game is
over if we could all do the following it will be very helpful:
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Put your coffee cups & water glasses in the dishwasher: not on top of the dishwasher, not in the sink but in
the dishwasher.
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Put your candy wrappers in the garbage.
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If you slopped coffee on the side table please wipe it off.
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Close the bidding boxes and put them on the side table.
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Push your chair in.
Well that’s it for now, if you have an article you want to share or an idea for the newsletter please let me know
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Guelph Bridge Club
The “Go To” People
Volunteers run the club; here is the current list of Club Officers and Volunteers:
Club Officers:
President:
Adrian Record
Secretary:
Sheila McLaren
Vice President:
Thea Davis
Treasurer:
Pat Fung
Board of Directors:
Game Directors / ACBL:
Thea Davis
Club Manager:
Catherine Spencer
Assistant Treasurer:
Neil McLaren
Marketing:
Vacant
Social/Volunteers:
Harry Hartfiel
Education:
Vacant (Note 1)
Note 1: Monica Skinner is continuing in this role until the new board member is elected
Game Directors:
Dave Baker – Team League, Special Occasions
Thea Davis – Monday Afternoon
Diane Bourdeau – Master / Rookie Game
Adrian Record – Wednesday Afternoon
John Spencer – Tuesday Evening, Friday Afternoon
Pat Fung – Various
Jim Rife – On Leave
Bob Griffiths – Thursday Afternoon Practice Game
Committees:
Teaching Team: Monica Skinner, Thea Davis, Malcolm Coutts, Sheila McLaren and Jim Rife
Dealing Machine Team: Dianne Westgarth, Liz Harloff, Peter & Marlene Grimwood & Mark Hendry
Garbage Collection Team: Jim Rife, Howard Simpson, volunteers while Jim is away
Greeting Cards: Joan Henry
Conduct: Adrian Record
Club Maintenance: Marcel Villeneuve, Ralph Lancaster, and Dirk Van Raalte
Laundry: Della Cremasco
Legal: The Firm of Miller Thomson
Library: Judy & Dirk Van Raalte, Barb McKay
IT: John Spencer
Magazines: Jeanette Hisaki
Community Bulletin Board: Barb McKay
Newspaper Results: Aline Plevka
Purchasing Team:
Water – Ralph Lancaster & Cathy Gage
Cleaning Products – Maureen Mercer
Paper Products – Gloria Carter
Stuff we Drink – Pam Servos, Peter & Marlene Grimwood