Notes From Our Chairman

Monday & Wednesday Afternoon Starting Times.

Following the EGM, which took place on 24th September 2016, the starting time for Bridge Sessions on Monday and Wednesday afternoons returns to 2.00 PM with effect from October 3rd 2016. The vote in favour of a 2.00 PM start was won by “a comfortable majority.” In order to ensure a prompt start players are urged to be seated at 1.45 PM. This allows the Director to plan the movement, set the computer and distribute the boards. Partnerships arriving after 1.45 may not be able to play. If one member of a pair is seated and their partner is late we ask the latecomer to contact the Club to confirm that they are en route. Telephone your partner’s mobile or the Club on 01903 239234. Directors are encouraged to keep play moving and limit the tea interval to ensure a timely end of play.

David Pavey Heat

This is the next County event we are holding at our Club. It is on Thursday October 6th when both players must have less than 10,000 Master points. Please support this, as it is some years since we held a heat at Worthing. Remember the final is held at Worthing towards the end of January (so home advantage.)

New President

Your Committee are pleased that Roy Skelton, a Trustee of our Club and member since 1972, has agreed to become our second President.

Hills Trophy

This is the next major club held event at Angmering Community Centre on Sunday November 27th. Entry forms are available on the notice board so start thinking about entering a team. This is a good experience for less experienced teams as you will play teams of a similar standard to you as the event progresses. Notes on the scoring format appear later in the Newsletter.

Christmas Party

An early reminder that this is on Friday December 16th 2016. It is not necessary to come with a partner. It is a chance to meet other members and forget master points etc. this is a fun evening with prizes.  A notice will go up in November asking for names so we can judge how much food is required and ensure we can accommodate all those who want to come.

Mentoring

Dates for the remainder of the year are first Thursdays October 6th, November 3rd and December 1st.  These will also be on the website. Timing from 2 to 4 PM.

General

Keep an eye on the notice board and website for any additional information and the minutes from committee meetings.                Ernie Rivett

Worthing Bridge Club Newsletter

October 2016

EBU Promotions July & August 2016 - Congratulations to: -

4 Star Master; Tony Lawson

1 star Master; John Hardy

District Master; Christine Ardley, Leslie Ardley; Marie Willey

Club Master; Virendra Chinoy

Local Master; Robert Delacour

New Members

A warm welcome to Chris Constable, Peter Leighton, Stephen Waters and Pauline Dorrell

Obituary

We note with sympathy the passing of Honorary Member Paul Warren. Paul joined in the mid nineties and partnered many of our members.  He was the bar steward at the club for many years undertaking this job in his usual quiet and efficient manner. His EBU grading was a 5*Premier Master. Though his physical activities were curtailed latterly this did not prevent him from playing bridge, as friends from the bridge club would make up a foursome when he was in hospital and subsequently at his home.  Gone but not forgotten.

We note with sympathy the passing of Francis John Francis. Francis enjoyed playing at our Club and contributed his technical skills by managing the Club’s Web-Site. Farewell and Goodbye.

Winter League Bridge

Following my article in the last Newsletter I am very pleased to report that we have a full complement of seven teams wishing to participate in the Worthing Bridge Club Winter League. Matches will be played from October to March. I see Team play in Bridge to be one of the purest forms of the game.  It contains so many varying elements/tactics/skills, and is therefore “different” to duplicate. It highlights your safety play when in a contract.     

American Bridge Player, Steve Gaynor, gives 12 guiding principles for Team play.  I’ll just highlight some, which I feel to be the most important:

∙    Make or set the contract.  Do not worry about over (or under) tricks;

∙    Stretch to bid a game;

∙    Do not stretch to bid slams;

∙    Play your safest contracts.

Nigel J Utting Tel:  07956 486367 -  Email:  boxman_4@hotmail.com

Health & Safety

Your Committee strives to keep the Club in a good and safe condition to enable our Members and Guests to enjoy friendly games of competitive bridge. You can do your part by ensuring that Fire Exits, stairs and passageways are always kept clear. Also please stay away from the Club if you are likely to pass on germs or infections to others. Should you spot anything that is in need of attention please inform a Committee Member or use the Suggestion Box.    Duncan MacFarlane

Team Events - Including The Hill’s Trophy

Teams’ events are different to the usual pair’s events. A team usually consists of four players. In other words two pairs. During a match against one other team or in a multiple team event, one pair will sit stationary at N/S, while the E/W pair move and play against the other N/S(s). Each team will therefore play the same boards against each other. This also means that if the majority of boards for points favour the N/S hands then the N/S pairs from both teams have an equal chance to bid and play those boards. When everyone has played a designated set of hands, you return to your home table and you then aggregate the scores for each board.

First Example:

·    N/S as “Team A” played in 4S just making on a board, scoring +420, against E/W from “Team B” who will score minus 420.

·    At the other table N/S from “Team B” played 4S+1 scoring +450, so the E/W “Team A” score is minus 450.

·    The net score for this board is minus 30 for “Team A” (+420 and - 450) and +30 for “Team B” (-420 and +450).

·    This is converted to IMP’s from a table at the bottom of the score card and in this case it is minus 1 IMP for “Team A” and +1 IMP for “Team B”.

Second Example

·    N/S as “Team A” played in 4S just making on a board, scoring +420, against E/W from “Team B” who will score -420.

·    At the other table N/S from “Team B” played 4S -2 scoring -100, so the E/W “Team A” score is +100.

·    So the net score for this board is +520 (420 + 100) for “Team A” and -520     (-420 and -100) for “Team B”.

·    This is converted to IMP’s from a table at the bottom of the score card and in this case it is +11 IMP’s for “Team A” and -11 IMP’s for “Team B”.

It is said that teams is the purest form of bridge – you bid to the full value of your hand, bidding game if at all possible, and you play to make your contract. It is not important to make overtricks - unlike pairs, when an overtrick could give you a top. If you look at the IMP table, you will see that an overtrick makes very little difference to the score. But it is important not to go off, so if you can make your contract you do so, you don’t try a finesse which might give you an overtrick but might also mean you don’t make your contract.

There are team events at the club on the second Thursday of the month, the Chairman’s Cup, and on the third Thursday of the month, the President’s Cup, which is for less experienced players.  All you have to do to play in either of them is to put your team’s names on the notice on the board.

The Hill’s Trophy is a Swiss Teams event which is run every year by Worthing Bridge Club. It takes place in Angmering Community Hall on Sunday 27th November 2016 There are usually about 20 teams, from Sussex and beyond. The same principles apply as above. However you start in a random position, then after scoring your first set of boards, your team moves up or down the room depending on the score from that match. So you play the next match against a team who is scoring at about the same level as you.  After you have played that team, you again move up or down depending on how you did. Apart from the first match, you are always playing against teams of a similar standard. So people do not need to worry that they will be playing against very much more experienced players!

The Hill’s Trophy format is a 12.30 start to play; there is a break for afternoon tea and cake and then a break for supper (John Porteous, our caterer, provides an excellent spread of both cold and hot dishes, a selection of deserts and coffee). It finishes about 8.30-9 pm.

Macmillan Coffee Morning
We were lucky with the weather and had around 60 people come to the Macmillan Coffee Morning. A fabulous array of cakes were on offer (see the Club Website for photos). The coffee was delicious thanks to Gillian Mayhew. Judy-Ann Cheevers ensured that there were fresh flowers at every table and a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses on the Director's table.

So many people produced cakes that I am sure to forget to name some, please forgive me if you are one of those that I have omitted. Many thanks for their bakery skills must go to Eileen Perrigo, Gillian Mayhew, Sandy Reimoser, Lizzy Hornsey, Pam Duffield, Avril Strong, Gill Skelton, Derek Kearney, Esmé Churchill, Simone Burke, and Nigel Utting.

A special mention must be made of all those "back room" people who made this event as successful as it was. Room decorators, Tombola ticketers, hosts, washer uppers the list is endless. Many thanks to you all.

Money raised so far came to £525.70 and this plus any late donations will be sent to the Macmillan Charity.                Rosemary Churchill
 

A Cynical Observation!

A developer is someone who wants to build a house in the countryside. A conservationist is someone who already owns one.

End of Newsletter

Notes From Our Chairman

Sussex Venture Pairs 
This was held successfully at Worthing Bridge Club with excellent support from our club, my thanks to all those members who supported the event and to Eileen who organised it. Congratulations to Janet Cretchley and Susan Napper who won this year's SCCBA Venture Pairs on Sunday June 26th.  The runners-up were Marie Willey and Susan Pettit.

David Pavey Heat
This is the next County event we are holding at our Club. It is on Thursday October 6th when both players must have less than 10,000 Master points.  Please support this, as it is some years since we held a heat at Worthing.  Remember the final is held at Worthing towards the end of January (so home advantage.)

Hills Trophy
This is the next major Club held event at Angmering Community Centre on Sunday November 27th.  Entry forms will be available during August so starting thinking about entering a team.

Car Park
I have now introduced myself to the new management company for the flats. Their takeover is not yet complete but they have agreed to meet us at the club for further discussion on parking arrangements as soon possible.

The Alan Jeffery Cup for Teams on the Third Thursday
The cup has been engraved and is ready for the eventual winners at the end of the year. The results so far indicate it is going to be close.  We will try to show the participants what they are playing for at some point in the coming months.

Wall Fans in the Margaret North Room
Two of the three fans have been serviced and cleaned. The third fan over the rear fire exit is also working.  All three fans have had their speeds set to minimise noise and will extract warm and blow in fresh air  -  thanks to Nigel Utting.

Mentoring
Due to holidays there is no mentoring in August. Mentoring will resume on Thursday 8th September and then on the first Thursday of each month. Timing from 2 to 4 PM.

Honours Boards
Members will have noticed the Honours Boards have been removed and the wall repainted.  I know from comments that the room looks lighter as a result, but they will reappear in their revised format!! The company carrying out the work are currently producing proofs for our approval and once agreed they can start renovating the boards and then adding the names.  It may be late August or early September before this work is complete.

Directors Course - Training
We have agreed with the EBU for a Directors Course to be held at our Club over 4 Saturdays. Anyone interested in taking the Course should contact Colin Smith.
    Essential –         Saturday 15 October 2016 
    Book Rulings –     Saturday 12 November 2016 
    Judgement Rulings – Saturday 10 December 2016 
    Assessment –     Saturday 14 January 2017 
There will also be a Refresher Session - Saturday 17 September 2016

General
Keep an eye on the notice board and website for any additional information and the minutes from committee meetings.                Ernie Rivett

EBU Promotions June 2016 - Congratulations to: - 
District Master; Linda Stevens

New Member
A warm welcome to Chris Constable

Winter League Bridge
Now is a good time to begin to put your Team together to participate in the Worthing Bridge Club Winter League, which has a well-established history at WBC, but as with many historical events, the whys and wherefores often become lost over time!  From my perspective I see the event as a time for developing and learning team-play within a “relaxed” and social setting.  Although how relaxed one can be when playing Bridge at any level is questionable!  But at least we can be nice to each other!  The other reason why this Team event works well is that it is held in the quieter Autumn/ Winter/Spring months when perhaps folks are looking for a “bit more Bridge” (should their partners allow it!!).  Matches can be played at people’s homes or at Byron Road, and usually teams play each other one at a time.  However, there are no reasons why a triangulation match could be played, although we are yet to do that!

My other motive I guess is that I see Team play in Bridge to be one of the purest forms of the game.  It contains so many varying elements/tactics/skills, and is therefore “different” to duplicate.  The other main difference to general team play is that you play with each of your team members and not as a pair as you would in standard team play.  Over the past few years we have had between 5 and 7 teams, and each team play each other once, and 24 hand-dealt or duplimate boards are played (depends who can operate the duplimate machine!).  Although clearly we have a set-up and atmosphere that encourages improvers (roughly 200 Master Points), it still is probably best if the team captain or one of the players is experienced (roughly 7000 Master Points plus).  Matches are played from October to March.  A reasonable entry fee is charged, and there are cash prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams.  

The way of scoring is via IMPS, which are then converted to Victory Points.  At IMP scoring, the net score is converted using an IMPs table that "compresses" big differences in score. For instance if the net score was 20, as in the above example, this would be converted to a score of 1 IMP, while a net score of say 450 (e.g. +620 versus +170) is worth 10 IMPs. If the match between the two teams is part of a larger competition, then usually the total difference in IMPs in a single match is again converted into so-called Victory points or VPs. The VPs awarded to each team in their matches are summed up to determine the overall team ranking.  This basically means that a team can achieve “small” rewards despite losing to the team they are playing.  A loss is not necessarily an outright loss, and you can even draw a match by each team receiving 10 VPs each.  (Those initially unfamiliar with this scoring method will find it fairly easy and the IMP scale is on the inside pages of the Club’s Convention Card. Also help from your more experienced team members is always available).  

American Bridge Player, Steve Gaynor, gives 12 guiding principles for Team play.  I’ll just highlight some, which I feel to be the most important:
•    Make or set the contract.  Do not worry about over (or under) tricks;
•    Stretch to bid a game;
•    Do not stretch to bid slams;
•    Play your safest contracts, and do not be over concerned which is the fit.  E.g. a score of 630 in No Trumps vs a score in a major of 620 will give you an outright top in Duplicate, but in teams this makes no difference in IMPS.  

Please speak to me if you’d like to be part of a team, or you have a team to enter for our forthcoming 16/17 Winter League Season.  
Nigel J Utting  Tel:  07956 486367  -  Email:  boxman_4@hotmail.com

Fridays at Our Club
There is no organised activity at our Club on a Friday. Occasionally Colin Smith holds a practice class for his pupils on a Friday morning. You may wish to note in your diary and attend a charitable Coffee Morning on Friday 30th September 2016 in aid of Macmillan. 

Wise Words
Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but playing a poor hand well!

End of Newsletter

Notes From Our Chairman

Sussex Venture Pairs

I remind members that our Club is hosting this county competition on Sunday 26^th June. One member of the pair must be below 5,000 master points. Full details are displayed at the club. Please let Eileen Perrigo know if you can attend.

Spring Festival

This was another success following on from the changes made last year. Thank you to those able to support this annual Club event. The committee will be canvassing opinion regarding a competition next year for those only able to attend afternoon sessions. They will also be asking if the teams’ event would be better supported if held on Saturday instead of the Sunday.

Car Park

Unfortunately no further news as there is a new managing company for the flats. The earliest we can meet them is July.

Construction at 10 Byron Road has been approved by Planning. It involves the demolition of the garage and outbuildings along the car park wall separating us from 10 Byron Road. The starting date for this is not yet available although it may be some time; please keep looking at the notice boards as it may not be appropriate to park near the wall during the demolition work.

A New Cup for Teams on the Third Thursday

Joy Soar and Mary Oates have kindly donated a cup in memory of Alan Jeffery which will be awarded to the winning team played for on the third Thursday evening of each month. It will be called the “Alan Jeffery Cup”. Alan was always keen to encourage the less experienced members to play teams and this is an appropriate competition to remember his contribution to our Club.

Sunday Bridge

The Sunday Bridge continued to be well attended during May and June. Those taking part will be kept informed of future dates in July and September. There will be no Sunday Bridge in August.

First Aid/CPR

The committee is looking to provide training for those interested in assisting with any emergency that may occur at the club. Please let Ernie Rivett know if you have skills in this area or would be interested in refreshing your skills.

Colds, flu and norovirus are easily spread in a Club environment so I would urge anyone with symptoms not to ‘bravely carry on’ but to consider the health of your fellow members and remain at home. You will not be letting your partner down by taking this action, you will be improving their wellbeing. One of the best ways to limit the spread of these debilitating conditions in an enclosed environment is regular hand washing using soap and water. Hand gel is also provided at the front door of the Club and on the upstairs landing.

Club Calendar

An office style calendar has been purchased at the suggestion of members. It will show all the planned events and sessions both for club and county events. It will be displayed in the hallway and will become the main point of reference. Fuller details of particular events will also be made on the notice boards.

Honours Boards

The committee has agreed to a new arrangement for the honours boards and this will be progressed over the coming weeks. Boards will be taken away to facilitate the changes so the walls will look bare for a while. Headings and names will now be displayed using transfers instead of the metal tags currently in use.

Afternoon Starting Times

Following feedback the committee carried out a survey of opinions regarding the new 1.30 PM starting time voted in at the AGM. The result was no clear majority to change back to 14.00. The committee cannot on its own change the decision made at the AGM. The Chairman is willing to speak with those asking for a return to 14.00 on the options available to them before the next AGM.

Directors Course - Training

This is being progressed with the intention of starting a course in the autumn for those interested. The committee may also arrange a one day refresher course.

Bridgemates - Training

This was held at the beginning of June and those who attended found it very useful.

Speed of Play

There has been feedback that some players are playing slowly to the irritation of others. I appreciate that certain hands may require a little extra time to bid and play, but it is worth reminding all players that the Director can prevent a board from being played, if a pair is persistently slow during any session. If this did happen the pair deemed to be slow would be awarded an average minus and the non - offending pair an average plus. It may also be appropriate to remind the faster and perhaps more experienced players that it is the job of the Director to control the flow of play and comment/adjudicate on any “mistakes” made by others. To help maintain our reputation as a good, friendly and competitive club please call the Director rather than attempting to sort it out yourself at the table. Remember, one person’s helpful corrections may be viewed as unfriendly and unnecessary by others!

General

Keep an eye on the notice board and website for any additional information and the minutes from committee meetings. Ernie Rivett

EBU Promotions April & May 2016 - Congratulations to: -

7 Star Master; Laurence Chiswell

1 Star Master; Anne Goldsworthy

Advanced Master; Ray Fieldgate

Area Master; Rita Kay

Club Master; Marilyn Craine, Keith Guiver

Thursdays at Our Club

Thursday is a busy day at our Club with training, mentoring, teams and duplicate sessions available.

Training Beginners Year 2 Classes are held from 10 AM to Noon and from 6^th October a new session of Beginner Classes will be run from 1.00 to 3.00 PM.

Mentoring On the first Thursday of each month some of the more experienced players meet between 2.00 & 4.00 PM in order to pass on their knowledge and advice to players who want to improve their standard of play. Prepared hands are bid and played by improvers under the watchful eye of friendly volunteers.

Teams On the 2^nd Thursday of each month at 7.30 PM a Level 4 Teams Event takes place. On the 3^rd Thursday of each month at 7.30 PM a Level 2 Teams Event for less experienced players takes place.

Duplicate Each Thursday at 7.30 PM a Level 2 Duplicate session of 27 Boards is played. Duncan MacFarlane

Changes to email Addresses etc

If your email address, phone number, or postal address alters, you can now amend the records yourself on Pianola. Log into Pianola. There is a drop down menu by your name on the top right hand corner. Choose My Account from this. The first screen is personal details and you can alter any of your personal details (except EBU number and club ID). There are other tabs along the top, two of which give you the option of choosing which emails you receive from the club (communication preferences) and what information you are willing to share with other members of our Club (privacy). Alexa Baxter

Learning Bridge

There will be a new beginners bridge class starting Thursday 6 October from 13.00 to 15.00, so if you know anyone who wants to learn bridge or would like to find out more details then they can contact Colin Smith on 01903 262496 or colinsmithbridge@gmail.com Colin Smith

End of Newsletter

Notes From Our Chairman

AGM This was well attended and the new committee elected.

Chairman Ernie Rivett

Vice-Chairman Eileen Perrigo

Hon. Treasurer Alexa Baxter

Hon. Secretary Penny Mitchell

Committee Rosemary Churchill, Nigel Utting,

Duncan MacFarlane, Colin Smith, Lynda Smith

Afternoon Starting Times

At the AGM members voted to start the afternoon sessions at 13.30, effective April 2016, in order to ease traffic congestion going home and allow more time between sessions for those attending in the evening. As usual please be at the Club 15 minutes beforehand so that directors can complete their duties.

Spring Festival

This is the next Club event which was well attended last year in its new format. Entry forms for all the competitions being held are on the notice board in the hall. You can help make it an even more successful occasion this year by entering one or more of the competitions.

Car Park

The Registry of Title relating to the car park was obtained by Sue Simpson to try and finalise our car parking arrangements. Sue and I intend to hold a meeting with the new landlords to the flats as soon as they take over in order to reach a suitable outcome. In the meantime current arrangements for Monday afternoon and other days will have to continue.

New Lighting in the Margaret North Room

New low energy lights were installed at the end of March. Initially they were set at the maximum level which was considered too bright. Some have been reduced and the electricians are coming back to make further adjustments. .

County Competitions

The team we entered for the Elisabeth North trophy came second. Congratulations to our representatives.

We hosted the David Pavey final for players with less than 10,000 points and this went well. We will be holding the final again next year and will also hold a qualifying heat on Thursday 6^th October. Those who qualify will play against those who don’t but the event will be “stratified” to allow the separation between both groups. Both members of a pair must be below 10,000 points. Please check the notice board nearer the time for the entry list.

In addition a reminder that we are holding a heat of the Venture Pairs on Sunday June 26^th Details will be posted on the notice board and website.

A team represented Worthing at the Inter-Club teams’ of eight held at Eastbourne on Sunday 3^rd April. They were ninth out of eleven.

Winter League

The winter league has been completed with John Hardy’s team winning. Congratulations to them. Now might be the time to organise your team for this winter!

Honours Boards

Some competitions have no space left to display future winners so the committee is looking at ways to create new spaces. This is likely to involve a major reorganisation of our Honour Boards.

Defibrillator

An application to have a defibrillator has been declined as allocated funds were used up before ours was considered.

Directors Course

A number of our members would like to train as directors alongside other who want to refresh their knowledge. The committee is currently trying to arrange this. Anyone interested but not already enrolled should let Ernie know.

Bridgemates - Training

We are also arranging a session to improve our knowledge on operating the Bridgemates. It is likely to be attended by members from other clubs in the area.

General

Keep an eye on the notice board and website for any additional information, bridge hands and the minutes from committee meetings. Ernie Rivett

EBU Promotions Jan to March 2016 - Congratulations to: -

4 Star Master; Roland Heathfield

1 Star Master; Phillippa Clark

Advanced Master; Brenda Brooks

Master; Peter Nursten
District Master; Bill Gledhill

Area Master; Linda Stevens; John Gough; Ann Button

Club Master; Sandy Devlin; Mike Perle

Local Master; Virendra Chinoy
 

Wednesdays at Our Club

Two very popular sessions are held on Wednesday at Level 2 & 4

Wednesday Afternoon is a Level 2 Sessions which start at the newly introduced time of 1.30 PM. Players are requested to be gathered by 1.15 to allow the Director to set the movement, distribute 24 boards and set the bridge mates. The Barnacle Cup, provided by Leslie Barnacle a founder member, can be competed for. It is awarded over your best 25 Wednesday afternoon results to the player with the highest average percentage. Current holder is the late Alan Jeffrey.

Wednesday Evening Sessions start at 7.30 PM and participants should be in place by 7.15. This is a popular 27 board Level 4 session. You can compete for the Eve Harrison Salver which is awarded over your best 25 Wednesday evening results to the player with the highest average percentage over the year. The current holder is Mike Rounds. Duncan MacFarlane

Obituary

We shall all miss the cheerful chuckle of our Club President Alan Jeffery who passed away peacefully on March 3^rd 2016 at the lively age of 101. His Thanksgiving Service was a bright and joyful event, celebrated in style with smoked salmon and champagne and attended by a large number of family, club members and friends. Club Chairman, Ernie Rivett, gave a moving account of Alan’s bridge achievements noting that he had played in the first teams for Surrey, Kent and Sussex. Alan was a regular winner of county events, including the Sussex pairs, bi-annual congress pairs and teams. His name features so frequently on our Club Honour Boards that it will remain a constant reminder of his playing prowess.

Tom Townsend, Bridge Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, included a slam bid and made by Alan in one of his daily columns commenting that “the slam was made where most players went down in game“. (See Club Notice Board). Many people have benefited from Alan’s bridge lessons and his friendly encouragement at the table to newer players.

To me Alan was inspirational, helpful and encouraging. He seemed to have an uncanny knack of working out what cards his opponents held from the bidding and play of the first card. I always marvelled at the way he pulled out his card ready to play before I could even think what my response to my partner might be. It was so appropriate that the final music at his Service was MY WAY by Frank Sinatra. It is the intention of Mary Oates and the committee to award a trophy in his memory, Duncan MacFarlane

New Members

A warm welcome to the following new members to our Club. Barry Mitchell, Evelyn Ransom, Jackie Baker, Ann Spree and Simone Burke Rosemary Churchill

Sunday Bridge.

We really have to thank Jerry Attwood and John Hardy for starting and running the Sunday bridge sessions that have become so popular. It was an idea that Jerry had and due to his hard work, enthusiasm and cakes it has grown in popularity Originally it was to occur throughout the winter season only but popular demand sees it set to continue through the summer with Alexa Baxter and Eileen Perrigo acting as Directors. The summer sessions are experimental and will only continue if there is enough demand.

The original reason for having these Sunday sessions was to have a relaxed game of bridge and to introduce beginners to the game of duplicate bridge. It has turned out to be a valuable stepping stone for players wishing to progress their game. We more experienced players need to remember this and make them especially welcome. It is also very important that we are patient and think back to when we were starting out and remember how nerve wracking it was. I say this as unfortunately there have been a couple of instances where some of the beginners have been spoken to in an unfortunate manner and made to feel very inadequate and they have not wanted to return. We are well known as a very friendly club and we certainly do not wish to tarnish that reputation. We have a wonderful beginners programme and to have this facility which allows newer members to integrate, play our favourite game and feel welcome is so important.

At the moment Sunday Bridge is not included in the hosting programme as some of the more experienced players willingly partner the less experienced. Alexa Baxter and I are delighted that so many of you wish to continue into the summer and we shall make you all welcome on April 10^th and 24^th at 2.00 PM. May Sunday Bridge continue throughout the year and be a regular and permanent fixture on our calendar. Eileen Perrigo

Director Advice

When using Bidding Boxes Players should refrain from touching any bidding cards until they have fully decided their bid. Any form of touching could be viewed as passing unauthorised information “A call (bid) is considered to have been made when the call card is removed from the bidding box with apparent intent.” Ernie encourages improving players to literally take a second look at their bid (in front of their face, like you would when turning out at a junction in traffic!), before placing it down on to the table. I think it’s a tip many of us could take on board, regardless of how long we’ve been playing!

Completion of auction: Another not uncommon occurrence is when all players do not complete the bidding by using their bidding cards, which is usually the green pass card. And although the following is drawn from the rules: “When a player acts in such a way as to indicate they have passed and an opening lead is faced they have passed“. An action may be deemed by the TD to be a pass in the pass out seat (e.g. general ‘waft’ of the hand, tapping cards already there, picking up the cards) it can present problems and ambiguity when the auction is not completed correctly.

Questions about the specific bids: Do not ask what a bid means unless you are intending to bid. Asking for explanation without bidding could in certain circumstances be construed as passing unauthorised information to one‘s partner. If one doesn‘t intend to bid then questions of the opponents, should be made after the auction has concluded. Nigel Utting.

Learning Bridge

There will be a new beginners bridge class starting in October, dates to be confirmed later, so if you know anyone who wants to learn bridge and would like to find out more details then they can contact Colin Smith on 01903 262496 or colinsmithbridge@gmail.com Colin already has a waiting list for those wanting to join the new class. Colin Smith

Social Bridge

Gilbert Jones who lives at number 51 in the Warne Building, Steyne Gardens, Worthing would like to meet any other residents to perhaps arrange a bridge foursome. Contact Gilbert on 01903 234619

MISSING CLOCK

We are trying to find the lovely clock that used to sit on the shelf behind the door in the downstairs room. If you know where it might be will you please let Ernie or a Committee Member know. Ernie Rivett

Hosts Wanted

I am running short of hosts and urgently need volunteers, particularly on a Monday Evening. Can you do your bit for the Club and help me please. Contact Eileen on 01903 520540 or eperrigo@hotmail.co.uk to offer or discuss your services. Hosting is a vital part of our friendly club atmosphere and the more helpers the lighter the load. My thanks to the current Hosts for your continuing help. Eileen Perrigo

End of Newsletter.

Notice of Worthing Bridge Club

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Saturday 12th March 2016 at Byron Road at 10.00a.m.

Election of Officers and Committee Members

The closing date for Club members to put themselves forward for the Committee is: 10.00 a.m. Wednesday 2^nd. March 2016

The following standing members have put themselves forward for re-election:

Chairman Ernie Rivett

Vice-Chairman Vacant

Hon. Treasurer Alexa Baxter

Hon. Secretary Vacant

Committee Members Rosemary Churchill

Sue Pettit

Nigel Utting

So far, nominations have been received from Eileen Perrigo for the post of Vice-Chairman, Penny Mitchell for Hon. Secretary and Duncan MacFarlane for Member.

Club members who are interested in offering themselves for the Committee must complete an application form (copies on Notice Board) with a proposer and a seconder. These should be sent to 12, Byron Road BN11 3HN or by email pennymitchell263@gmail.com enclosing a scanned copy with names and signatures clearly visible by the date above. The names of all nominees will be displayed on the Club Notice Board for seven days prior to the AGM.

Any queries should be addressed to Penny Mitchell (Acting Secretary)

Notes from our Chairman

AGM

I remind everyone about the WBC AGM (details above) I have been impressed in previous years by the numbers that turn up to contribute and listen to how your club has performed throughout the year. Please make this year no exception. Four full time members of the committee are standing down, Chris Reimoser, Peter Nursten, Dick Wheeler and Keith Guiver, my thanks to them for the hard work each has put in over the years. Other members are prepared to stand again if re-elected by you the members. Full details and proposal forms will be on the notice board. We do need replacements for those standing down so use this opportunity as a way of being more actively involved in the club operations.

Christmas Party

The Christmas party saw the numbers increase, and from the member’s feedback I had, was something they enjoyed away from master points with a chance to meet other members and partners. My thanks to those that helped arrange the food and organisation on the night. We will hold it again on Friday 16^th December 2016.

County Competitions

We are entering a team of eight for the Elisabeth North trophy, for players with less than 25,000 master points, which is at Horsham next month.

By the time you read this we will have hosted the David Pavey Pairs final for players with less than 10,000 master points. Unfortunately we have no finalists as the nearest heat was in Horsham. To give Worthing members a chance to qualify this time, we have informed the county that Worthing will be holding a heat on Thursday 6^th October. Those who qualify will play against those who don’t but the event will be “stratified” to allow the separation between both groups. Both member of a pair must be below 10,000 points. Please check the notice board nearer the time for the entry list.

In addition we are holding a heat of the Venture Pairs on Sunday June 26^th again details will be posted on the notice board and website nearer the time.

Congratulations to the following Worthing pairs who all came in the top ten in the Sussex Charity Simultaneous Pairs played earlier this month. Details can be found on the county website. 3^rd Barbara Miles & Jean Meneely; 5^th Maureen Winn & Peter Mayhew; 7^th Jack Woodard & Chris Reimoser;

10^th Rosie White & Ernie Rivett.

Defibrillator

An application to have a defibrillator has been put in and acknowledged, we are now waiting to hear whether available funding will be forthcoming.

Ernie Rivett

Sunday Bridge

The next dates for Sunday Bridge sessions are February 7th and 21st, March 6th and 20th. The start time is 2pm but please arrive no later than 1.45 to enable the Director to organise the session. A feature of the event is the home made cakes we enjoy during the interval. Also established experienced partnerships like Colin and Linda Smith, & John Hardy and Jerry Attwood do not partner each other on Sundays and make themselves available for other players. Come and try it, everyone welcome. Jerry Attwood

Recent Promotions - Congratulations to: -

Area Master; Angela Neale

Master; Jean Meneely
Advanced Master; Jerry Attwood; Jenny Guiver; John Hardy

1 Star Master; Edna Jefferies; Nigel Utting; Howard da Vall
2 Star Master; Janet Cretchley Sue Pettit

Tuesdays at Our Club

Tuesday is a day of learning at Worthing Bridge Club with two practice classes and a tuition class available.

The Tuesday afternoon practice class run by Rosemary Churchill takes place from 1.30 - 4.30 each Tuesday afternoon. Partners are not required. Cards are shuffled and dealt in Rubber Bridge style and played in Duplicate Bridge style. Problems with both bidding and play can be discussed with tutor. Rosemary at worthingbridge@yahoo.co.uk

Bridge Tuition - February sees the start of term two for the second year students running from 7pm to 9pm on Tuesday evenings with Colin Smith. Most of the students have already completed the whole of the first year, with only a few joining mid-way through. They are now progressing to slam bidding, learning Blackwood, cue bidding and Gerber. The emphasis for all the students is on making sure they are in the right contract and encouraging them to play duplicate bridge, but also to have fun and to enjoy it.

Colin on 01903 262496 or colinsmithbridge@gmail.com

The second practice class of the day is currently run by David Hughes and takes place from 7 to 9 15 PM. Run along similar lines to the afternoon class David is on hand to guide and advise on bidding and play as participants gain confidence and experience in a duplicate style environment. Duncan MacFarlane

New Members

A warm welcome to the following new members to our Club. June Garland, Robert Sortain, Linda Stevens, Aidan Raleigh, Linda Sones, Brian Partridge, and Sylvia Partridge Rosemary Churchill

PIANOLA

Pianola is the database the club uses for its membership records. It also enables the Club to contact you by email, if you agree, and offers you additional information. As a member, once you log in you can see the results, the hands, the travellers etc. You can also update things like your address, phone number and email, and choose which emails you receive from the club and how much information you share with other members – to do this log into Pianola either by clicking on an email you receive through Pianola or by www.pianola.net then go to the dropdown menu by your name in the top right hand corner and choose My Account. The club pays for Pianola, it does not cost you anything unless you choose to subscribe to Pianola Plus, which gives you feedback on your bidding and play and allows you to replay the hands. If you have never logged into Pianola, or have forgotten your log in details, please let Alexa know on alexabaxter@btinernet.com. Alexa Baxter

End of Newsletter.

Notes from our Chairman

Hills Trophy

Thank you everyone who supported our event which was well received by those attending. The committee has reviewed the event and found some areas for improvement which will be put in place for next year. We will hold the event again on Sunday 20^th November 2016 which is the week following Remembrance Sunday. Please make a note of the date in your diary.

EBU NGS Grading

Some members have expressed concerns that when playing with weaker partners, a player they have not partnered before or when partnering the host, could impact their EBU NGS grading adversely. The committee wrote to the EBU on this matter and their reply is below which should allay fears. From a personal point of view I have partnered numerous members of various standards and if anything my grading has improved and I therefore agree with Gordon’s comment below. So please come along and use the hosting system or support weaker players without the fear of losing out.

“This is covered in the NGS regulations on our website where you will see that there is a section devoted to this question on page 31. In brief though, you cannot exclude more than one pair/player from the NGS. 

However, I think your stronger players must be misunderstanding the way it works if they think that they are likely to suffer from playing with weaker players: the NGS takes the average of the two players’ grades and so they can have a correspondingly lower score with a weaker partner without it damaging their own grade.  

On a personal note, I played as a host player for several years, partnering a different partner several nights of each week and although my grade fluctuated quite a bit the overall trend was up rather than down. I think anyone who is concerned about this may be worrying needlessly – after all if there are lots of partnerships in the same situation, they are each as likely to go up as down”. Gordon Rainsford EBU Chief Tournament Director

Car Park

Thank you all for keeping to our designated area in the car park. It has helped calm the situation down following the incident a few weeks ago. The committee is looking into obtaining a more detailed copy of the deeds from the Land Registry to resolve this issue once and for all.

Committee Members

Our 2016 AGM is scheduled for Saturday March 12^th at 10 AM and we will require a Vice Chairman, Keith Guiver is standing down and there are vacancies for at least two further committee members. Application forms will be posted towards the end of January on the notice board.

Welfare

Please let a Committee Member know if another member has fallen ill or passed away so that the appropriate action can be taken.

Water Leak

Southern water has agreed with the club a bill of about £120 regarding our water use during the period in which the water leak occurred, instead of the original demand for about £2,800. A good result for the club.

Electricity Supply Renewal

A further 3yr contract has been agreed with EDF Energy to supply electricity at a rate slightly less than the current contract. This means that for a 6yr period the club has and will experience a constant price for electricity at a very favourable price.

Christmas Party

Is on Friday 18^th December at 7 .00 PM. It has been advertised on the notice board for a few weeks with a list for names of those attending. It is important that if you are coming your name is on the list to enable those organising the catering to have some idea how much buffet food to order. One free drink is provided and no partner is required. It was very successful and friendly last year so please come along enjoy the company and forget the worry of master points and your position at the end.

Sunday Bridge

This has started up again for the winter months and has a very good attendance. If you need more details contact Jerry Attwood or John Hardy.

Session Review

A Committee Review of Bridge Sessions recommended that Wednesday Afternoon Bridge be played using Partnership Understanding: Level 2, with immediate effect. This replaces any other descriptions. The EBU Blue Book is available on the EBU web site and Level 2 is located in Section 6 Pages 20 to 22. An extract will be displayed at the club. Regular players will experience little if any difference but will benefit from one definitive ruling.

Your View

We are pleased to have received positive feedback on our Newsletter with members saying that it is “interesting and informative“. In order to ensure that we continue to write about things of interest to you please contact our editor, Duncan MacFarlane, at duncan26@btinternet.com or telephone him on 01798 812065 if you have improvements to suggest. Ernie Rivett

Recent Promotions - Congratulations to: -

October November

Carol Lucking Master John Jefferies Club Master

Barbara Gledhill District Master Robert Fuller Club Master

Marie Willey Area Master Mike Perle Local Master

Marilyn Craine Local Master Robert Craine Local Master

Greg Brown Local Master
 

Mondays at Our Club

Monday is quite a busy day at Worthing Bridge Club; there are bridge tuition classes held upstairs and two playing sessions downstairs.

Bridge Tuition. Monday is a good opportunity for beginners to learn the game, starting on 8^th February and running for 10 weeks. Colin Smith, an EBU trained Bridge Tutor, runs two classes for beginners. Term 2 for beginners is in the morning from 10 AM until Noon and Term 1 for beginners is in the afternoon from 1.00 to 3.00 PM. If you know of anyone interested in learning in a nice friendly environment then please get in touch with Colin on 01903 262496 or colinsmithbridge@gmail.com

Afternoon Bridge Session Level 4 at 1.45 for a 2.00 PM start when normally 24 boards are played with tea and biscuits served part way through. Sessions end between 5.00 and 5.30 PM. Regular participants are eligible to compete, if they wish, for the Basil Marks Cup awarded to the player with the best overall percentage and this year 30 members are participating. However, the afternoon playing session has room for many more players so please come along if you’re free.

Evening Bridge Session Level 4 at 7.15 for a 7.30 start with the opportunity to play around 27 boards - sessions ending at approximately 10.30 PM. There is a bar available offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Regular players are eligible to participate, if they wish, in one of two competitions. The Goulding Cup is awarded to the best player over the year with 10,000 or more Master Points. This year 28 members are participating. The Goff Cup is awarded to the best player over the year with fewer than 10,000 Master Points. This year 22 members are participating. Duncan MacFarlane

Director’s Corner.

Many thanks to all hosts for your willing support and participation. I am hoping that I can call on you again in 2016 so please make a note of the allocations posted on our web site and on our notice board. It is particularly helpful to me when you tick your name on the notice board list. Thank you. Eileen Perrigo

RNIB
The Royal National Institute of Blind People has very gratefully received a great number of used postage stamps collected by our Club. Collection box in the hall. I have been asked to remind you that each and every stamp is of value to them. Thank you very much indeed to all those members who have donated, and to those who continue to do so. Sue Pettit
 

A History of WBC – Part 4 – Postscript to Players of Note

You may remember that in Part 2 of these histories I recorded the achievements of various members past and present. Since then, Roy Skelton has kindly given me sight of an article from the April 1949 edition of Bridge Magazine (passed to him by Tony Lawson courtesy of Tony Priday) which provides a fascinating insight into bridge at what was then the Worthing Residential Bridge Club. The author records that “we had the rare pleasure of spectating at a bridge tournament which was quite free of the attendant evils of over-keenness, argument and interminable post mortem”, a standard to which I am sure we all continue to aspire! The tournament in question was the De Bruyne Cup and if any reader has information as to the background to this competition I would be grateful to receive it. We do know that on this occasion Winnie Goff (with whom you will all be familiar following Part 3 of the WBC history) came only second despite scoring over 60%.

However, the most interesting part of the article concerns the author’s hosts, Captain W H (Tommy) Ricardo and Mrs E (Evelyn) Morgan (later to become Mrs Ricardo). In order to provide the postscript to our players of note, I can do no better than reproduce the relevant paragraph from the article:

“Our hosts, Captain Ricardo and Mrs Morgan, need no introduction to British tournament players. They have both represented Wales on many occasions and Captain Ricardo was a member of the Welsh team which had a fine victory over England in the 1938 series. His partner on that occasion was Mr S Rivlin with whom, in 1936, he had an even greater triumph when they won the Culbertson World Olympic Championship. With such a record he is obviously very much an expert at the table, however, he has an air of bland innocence which has often proved fatal to unsuspecting opponents.” [On which, more later, see ‘ An interesting hand?’ below.]

The reference to “Olympic” is intriguing given the continuing, but still unsuccessful, efforts to get bridge recognised as an Olympic sport in modern times. Was the description of Captain Ricardo’s feat a case of journalistic inaccuracy, or were the World and Olympic championships combined before the Second World War? Any further information on this would also be gratefully received. Dick Wheeler

An interesting hand?

As indicated above, in Part 4 of the WBC History, this hand is taken from the De Bruyne Cup held in April 1949. As North you are 4^th in hand and you hear your right hand opponent open 1H after two passes. You are vulnerable and your opponents are not. What action do you take? Many possibilities but I think my choice would be to double in pursuit of a 4-4 spade fit. If you can find South with a good spade suit, you don’t need much else opposite to make 4 Spades a reasonable proposition. In 1949, North passed, presumably to await events which might have led to a juicy penalty, but, unfortunately (as it turned out), East and South also passed. The full hand is reproduced below and West (the redoubtable Tommy Ricardo) played well in 1H to amass three tricks (perfect defence gives him only two) for an absolute top! Or put it another way, North’s original pass scooped an outright bottom!

North

S 9765

H AK984

D AQJ

C A

West                               East

S J108                             SQ4

H 763                                H QJ

      D 53                                     D K10764

  C KQ763                                  C 10985

South

S AK32

H 1052

D 982

C J42

I get the impression that outrageous psychic bids were by no means unusual in the post-war years when bridge was not as ‘well’ regulated as it is today. Nevertheless, was Tommy Ricardo’s coup bound to succeed? We have no details of the bidding methods employed by the four players in question but we do know the event was match-pointed pairs. In addition to North’s potential take-out double (or 1NT if that is to your taste despite the singleton CA), surely, today, East would bid 1NT in response to 1H, wouldn’t he? With his values, he might be missing game by passing. Unless, of course, he ‘fielded’ the psyche!

That said, if East had bid 1NT, presumably Tommy would have removed to 2C and passed his partner’s possible raise to 3C. Even doubled, that contract would probably only go for 300 which would still have scored well. As you can see, if allowed to bid ‘normally’, North/South have an easy 4S game losing just a spade and a diamond. As to North’s ‘failure’, the key question is – were take-out doubles available in 1949? As far as I can tell, take-out doubles were part of the Acol system originally developed in the 1930s, but whether those at the Worthing Residential Bridge Club had adopted such methods by 1949 is unknown. If not, North had little choice but to pass unless he was prepared to ignore his singleton and ‘punt’ 1NT. As the cards lay, in 3NT, North would have made his contract even on a C10 lead because HQJ come down giving him five hearts, two spades and two minor suit aces.

Truly an interesting hand, from more than sixty years ago, and reflecting a style of bridge which we could perhaps learn much from today, were it not for the regulations! I should add, of course, that psychic bids are not illegal even today, but they must be used so sparingly as not to run the risk of being fielded by your regular partner(s) even unintentionally. In practice, because such bids seem to generate much angst and indignation on the part of (at least some) opponents, their use seems to have all but disappeared. Is there really any difference between a well timed psychic bid during the auction and a carefully chosen false card in defence? Both have the capacity to mislead opponents and your partner and, therefore, potentially an equal chance of ending in triumph or disaster.

Club Hills Trophy - a WORTHING Bridge Club Event - Sunday 15^th November

Posters are now on the Club notice boards with sheets available for putting in team captain and members.  It is important that we know as early as possible who intends taking part so the Caterers can be informed and the director can work out the board requirement. The Angmering Community centre is booked, the director and caterers confirmed. The entry fee @ £92 per team remains the same as last year.

Remember this is our Club event and so members please make every effort to play.  If sufficient teams of less experienced players take part then we can award a separate prize for the highest placed team.

Refurbishments

The car parking issue is resolved.  Leaseholders of the flats would prefer the current situation of informal parking arrangements to continue.  This means that we continue to have the area between our building and the red line for our use, along with two extra spaces against the wall for use by club members and leaseholders.  These two extra spaces are on a first come first served basis. There is one new notice indicating our parking area on the wall, but nothing against the two marked in yellow for shared rights. Can I ask members when parking to consider the leaseholders right of way into and out of the parking area and therefore not to cause a blockage.

The damage/repairs associated with the break in have now been completed and invoices submitted to the insurance company.

The new dealing machine has been received and is working well. Recompense for postage and the underlying fault is being pursued. A new sound system is installed and working. A  new heater with thermostat has been fitted in the ladies toilet.

Mentoring

The first of the winter mentoring sessions took place on October 1^st  with 5 full tables benefiting from the expertise and advice of the more experienced players. Mentoring will continue on the first Thursday of each month - Starting at 14.00.

Hosting System - Questions Answered

The Committee has fielded a number of questions recently about the way in which the hosting system is intended to work.

Hosting - The Normal Process

- Normally Members are expected to attend sessions with an agreed partner having establish one or more regular (or occasional) partnerships.

- The voluntary hosting system is intended to provide a fall-back option for those players who find themselves without a partner for a particular session and without time to seek an alternative. It is also intended to accommodate potential new members who are visiting the club prior to seeking Membership.

- A volunteer host attends each session by agreement with the host manager (Eileen Perrigo) and the host will make up a pair if required.

- Where there is more than one ‘spare’ player, they will be paired by the Director on a first come, first served basis. The host will only play if there is a single ‘spare’ player at the end of the process.

Hosting - Important Additional Points

- All members wishing to take advantage of the hosting system are expected to accept the pairing made for them by the Director.

- Members planning to attend in order to play with a particular host (because he/she is perceived as a ‘good’ partner) must accept that they may not see their wish fulfilled. Notes from our Chairman

- The Director should not be put under any pressure to make pairings in any way other than as indicated above.

-The hosting system should not be used repeatedly by one or more individuals as a substitute for the development of regular partnership arrangements over time.

Winter League

Nigel Utting has indicated that 5 teams are taking part.

Constitution Changes

The wording for proposed changes to the constitution of our Club have been approved by the committee and will be put on the notice board for members to comment on before the AGM.

Defibrilator

The committee had a presentation regarding the possibility of having one at the club for emergency use.  A decision on whether to go ahead will be made once a consultation has been made with SE Ambulance Services.

Monday Afternoon Sessions

Numbers have fallen again please try to attend or let a committee member know the reason that prevents you.  The committee is trying to understand why Wednesday afternoon sessions are so popular and Mondays less so.       Ernie Rivett

President’s Cup.

This continues to be well attended and enjoyed.  It takes place every third Thursday.  As this is a level 2 session it would be nice to see more of our less experienced members taking part.  Please speak to Eileen Perrigo if you would like to participate then we can put interested parties into teams.

Bognor and Worthing Sunday Teams

The date for this match is set for Sunday 13^th December.  This will be hosted by Bognor and will start at 2pm.  A notice to this effect will go up on the notice board in the hall way.  This is chiefly aimed at players who have not being playing very long;  all those who have played in the past are strongly urged  to participate again, please encourage others to join us,  the more the merrier.

Hosting

The hosting system is a very valuable asset that our club offers. Thank you to all our volunteers who make this system work so well. Recently there have a been a couple of no shows and unfortunately some players have had to return home without getting a game. To improve our hosting cover I have placed a hosting list on the Notice Board in the Club Hallway. Will hosts kindly tick this list to confirm their availability. If I see that someone has not ticked I can then ring to remind them of their hosting commitment. New volunteers welcome - please contact Eileen Perrigo.

Director’s Corner.

A question often asked - which calls to  announce and which to be alerted?

ANNOUNCEMENT  -   applies to range of 1NT and 2NT plus 2C standard Stayman and simple transfers over 1NT and 2NT ;

* Opening 2 level bids of 2D , 2H and 2S either weak or strong.

* Announcing does not apply at the 3 level or above.

CALLS TO BE ALERTED  Any call made by your partner ( other than those that should be announced) that does not show the suit bid OR gives extra information.

Eg 1    Landy defence to 1NT /Pin point astro etc

      2   2S response to 1NT that shows 11 pts or long minor

      3   2C opening (even in std  Acol )  STRONG  is not enough!! There are too     many variables.

      4   2 suited overcalls

      5   Transfers after 1NT-  X  - ?

      6   2NT asking bid after a weak opening bid

      7   2C after 1NT   if non promissory

I may not have mentioned all of them but have included those that occur more often.

NB      No conventional bids over 3NT should be alerted  BUT any conventional bid on the first round must be alerted if it happens to be above 3NT level.

                                                                                                Eileen Perrigo

A History of WBC – Part 3 – Background to the Competitions

A glance at the Club honours boards reveals the wide range of competitions which are contested each year. The vast majority of the trophies in question were presented to the Club by past members, or their loved ones, reflecting the many years of enjoyment each of them had at WBC. The names on the trophies provide a permanent reminder of this generosity of spirit. The background to four other events is not so obvious. The Brooches was a ladies pairs event held annually in the Autumn and the original brooches were presented to the Club by Mrs Head and Mrs Coram-Wright. The Flitch was a handicap pairs event for husbands and wives, again played annually in the Autumn. The prizes were donated by Joan Pinker in memory of her husband Gordon. The Chairman’s Cup is a teams competition contested on the second Thursday of every month and the trophy was presented by Leslie Skiming during his tenure (1973-1993) as WBC Chairman. Lastly, the Hill’s Trophy is an annual teams event held in November and regarded as one of the principal SCCBA events. The trophy was presented to the Club by Colonel Hill, one of the founder members of WBC.

One of our ‘ladder’ competitions, the Winnie Goff Trophy, has an even more intriguing background. Winnie died in 1993 aged 98 and her younger years were distinguished by service as a Queen Alexandra Ambulance driver in France during the First World War. Such courage was, perhaps, not unusual in those days but the history of Winnie’s family demonstrates what must have been a not inconsiderable influence on her. Winnie’s grandfather, Charles, and her great uncle, Hugh, both won the Victoria Cross (VC) in 1857 in action in India and went on to become Generals who were knighted for services to their country.  Winnie’s father, Hubert, and her uncle, John, also rose to the most senior ranks in the Army and John won the VC for action in Somaliland in 1904. Winnie’s brother, William, also served with distinction as a commander of a parachute brigade in the Second World War and was subsequently knighted for services to his country. Given the rarity of the award of the VC, for one family to receive three and for three generations to be knighted is, if not unique, certainly quite remarkable.                             Dick Wheeler

Recent Promotions - Congratulations to: -

AUGUST                                                                    SEPTEMBER
2* Premier Master. Roger Bill                         3* Premier Master. Roger Bill
County Master. Peter Harrison                       Advanced Master. Lizzie Hornsey
District Master. Duncan MacFarlane             District Master. Sue Napper
Area Master. Tony Lovatt

Obituary - Joan Pinkerton - George Cooke
We note with sympathy the recent passing of two Club Members

Alan Jeffery offers his tips for all 7 Steps on the Bidding Ladder

Step 1             Don’t lie to your partner. If you intend to open the bidding make sure that you hold the promised values for your bid.

Step 2.            Try not to let the opposition play a simple contract at the two level

(1 Heart - Pass - 2 Hearts - Pass - Pass.  Good protective defence is essential .

Get the bridge manual out!

Step 3.            The third step on the bidding ladder is a dangerous area because you need length and strength to compete. If you don’t agree with me try playing some rubber bridge for real money!

Step 4.            Don’t compete at the 4 level in a minor suit - unless you are prepared to bid again - if you push your opponents into game in a major suit.

Step 5.            At the five level tend to defend. After a highly competitive auction both sides have likely bid the full value of their hands.

Step 6.            Many players opt out of the bidding at this level so make sure that the odds are very much in your favour if you continue to bid.

Step 7.            The 7th step is the easiest because you only need 13 guaranteed tricks to succeed.                                 Be lucky    -     Alan Jeffery

End of Newsletter.

The following is an update following from the recent committee meeting. Some of this information is available in the minutes on the committee notice board. I would like to firstly thank Francis Francis for his work with the Club website over the last few years. Unfortunately due to ill health he cannot now continue this work and also it prevents him from attending further bridge sessions. His contribution is very much appreciated.

EBU Brighton Meeting

Congratulations to Sandy Reimoser and Sue Simpson who came top with 63.96% E/W in the Tuesday afternoon session of the Next Step Pairs. This was followed up with 59.71% in the evening session giving them a credible 3rd place.

Club Hills Trophy -2015

Entry forms are available in the County Year Book but members will be able to sign on forms which will go up on the notice board in September. The entry fee @ £92 per team remains the same as last year. For further information contact the WBC Chairman. The Angmering Community centre is booked for Sunday 15th November with the director and caterers confirmed.

Refurbishments

The car parking issue is resolved. Leaseholders of the flats would prefer the current situation of informal parking arrangements to continue. This means that we continue to have the area between our building and the yellow line for our use, along with two extra spaces against the wall for use by club members and leaseholders. The new lines by the wall and re painting of the current yellow line will be completed in the near future. Also two new notices will be placed on the wall highlighting these arrangements. Can I ask members when parking to consider the leaseholders right of way into and out of the parking area and therefore not to cause a blockage.

The flat development proposed at 10 Byron Road, adjacent to the south wall, was rejected by the council, but the company has gone to appeal.

Damage caused by the break in has now been repaired. The fire escape doors upstairs and downstairs now meet current requirements for security with vertical bolts and we have a new safe.

We have recently encountered a water leak, on our property, and it has been agreed that the connecting pipe from the meter in the street to our building be completely replaced rather than just a repair. This work should be completed by the time you read this at a cost of around £1,800.

The new dealing machine has been sent back for repair and should be back hopefully and in use by the time you read this. The people preparing the hands had tried manfully to make it work in consultation with the suppliers, but eventually thought it best to return it. My thanks to Nigel and the team in making this happen.

A new sound system will be installed as the current one has “Gone Quiet” on us mainly due to old age. This should happen in the near future.

The committee have agreed with Owens Electrical to replace the heater in the Ladies toilets with a new secure thermostat similar to those in the hall and playing areas. This should prevent random tampering with the temperature and ensure it is at an acceptable temperature when required. This work should be carried out in the next few weeks before Autumn/Winter arrives.

The downstairs room has a new plaque on the door naming it “Margaret North Room” as a memorial for her contribution to the club.

A new First Aid Kit and logbook are now available kept in the cupboard in the downstairs room. Signs will be posted showing its location.

The cushion replacement comes to an end next month.

Mentoring and Pro-Am

The committee reviewed these events due to falling numbers over the last few sessions. It was decided to stop the Pro-Am and try mentoring with a different approach. Bidding has featured primarily so far and it is thought that play and defence should be highlighted more from the next session.

The first of these mentoring sessions will be on the 1st October and will continue on the first Thursday of each month. Starting at 14.00. The change is due to the third Thursday now having the President’s Cup in the evening making it difficult for those wanting to take part in it. A list for those interested will be on the notice board for names so we can gauge the interest.

Winter League

Nigel Utting is looking for those interested to contact him. Without your support it will not happen.

Constitution Changes

A number of changes are being proposed and drawn up for the Club Constitution to bring it up to date and in line with the EBU recommendations. A copy of the proposal with the changes highlighted will be on the committee notice board for all to look at and comment on. These need to be discussed and either approved or rejected at the next AGM.

Bank Holiday Mondays

Please note that on Bank Holiday Mondays there will be no afternoon session but an evening session will be held.

Details regarding Christmas will be advertised at the time.

Ernie Rivett, Chairperson

The President’s Cup

This is a team’s event being held every third Thursday evening. It is being

used as a platform to enable those players who have not had any or very little

experience in playing in a team’s event. Some experienced players have helped out

on occasion to augment some teams when some regular players have been unable

to participate. It has proved to be very popular and the general feeling is very

positive. Congratulations to all who have participated and hopefully have benefited

from this event.

Teams Return Match

There will be a return Teams Match between Bognor, Arun and Worthing Bridge

Clubs hopefully in the next few months. A date is yet to be finalised as it will be held

at Bognor Bridge Club.

Director’s Corner

It has been suggested that we include helpful tips to remind players of some of the

basic rules to aid play that may have been forgotten or misused.

1) Please DO NOT touch or handle your bidding box until you are ready to make a call. Far too many are fiddling with bidding boxes and hovering between bidding and passing. This could be construed as giving information especially when you then pass. TO BID OR NOT TO BID? Think your hand through then reach for a bid.

2) DO NOT ask questions concerning a call that has been made by the opposition

a) Until it is your turn to bid

b) ALSO, more importantly, only if you are intending to make a call yourself.

c) Do use the time after the auction to clarify any questions you may have before the initial lead.

3) Always call the director to sort out any problems at the table. It is becoming far too common for players to try to solve the problem themselves. The director is there for a reason!!!!!!! Eileen Perrigo

A History of Worthing Bridge Club – Part 2 – Players of Note

A little over fifty years ago, a young lady called Sandra Landy was introduced to WBC by her parents. Sandra went on to become one of the most accomplished and successful bridge players in the World, representing her country over many years and captaining the team on countless occasions. In more recent years, she has sought to spread the appeal of the game by championing the cause of Standard English, a relatively straightforward bidding system. Around forty years after Sandra’s arrival, another young lady was introduced to the club by her parents. Catherine Ashment (as she was then) was a very keen student of the game, and, after graduating successfully from Cambridge University (reading mathematics as well as bridge), and getting married to Chris Jagger, she has blossomed into one of the youngest Grand Masters and has represented England many times.

Amongst the men, there are also two that stand out. Freddie North can look back on a long and successful career as a professional bridge player who represented England on many occasions and wrote many books which players have found useful in developing particular parts of their game. Freddie was President of the SCCBA for many years and also Argus Bridge Correspondent for a long time. However, even Freddie has a little way to go to challenge the longevity of Alan Jeffery. Now a centenarian, Alan has represented Sussex (in partnership with Jack Alberquerque) and he has his name as winner on most of WBC’s competitions and more widely in Sussex. In 2005, at the age of 91, he won the Sussex Seniors event for the second year running, a truly remarkable achievement, and testament to the benefits of keeping your brain active in later years. To those of us that aspire to success in WBC, the fact that Freddie and Alan continued to play (and win) together in the Chairman’s Cup well into the noughties was a monthly source of irritation! Dick Wheeler

Recent Promotions - Congratulations to: -

JUNE JULY Nigel Roussel 2 Star Master Stephen Kay District Master Linda Smith 1 Star Master Marie Harper. District Master Howard da Vall Advanced Master Pamela Duffield Master Chris Wright District Master JudyAnn Cheevers Club Master Brenda Hills. Local Master John Jefferies Local Master

Sunday Bridge

Bridge on Sunday afternoon will recommence on 25th October at 1.45 PM for a 2.00 PM start. (NB the clocks change on this date!) Table money £1.50 Guests £2.50. A hosting system will be in operation and you can ask John, Nigel, Eileen, Linda, Colin or I to be your partner. Volunteers are required to provide cakes and sausage rolls. Please contact Jerry Attwood to volunteer your baking skills. I look forward to seeing you on 25th October. Jerry (Tel: 07528 686384)

Obituary - Jill Glynn Jill died on 21st July, after a long illness. She is survived by husband Pat and son Stephen and daughter Jackie and grandchildren, Sam and Adam. Jill's funeral and celebration of her life was held on 10th August at the Kingswood Chapel at Worthing Crematorium. The Minister was Nigel Utting. It was a very moving Service, attended by a large number of family, friends and people from Jill's various walks of life. The content was of Jill's choice, conveyed personally to Nigel directly before her death. Worthing Bridge Club collected an amount of £200, which was sent to St. Barnabas in Jill's memory. This amount did not include donations that a number of WBC members donated independently. Jill is very much missed by many at WBC where she played regularly for many years. In recent years she had also generously encouraged and supported less experienced players, sharing her great passion for the game of Bridge and especially her love of the No Trump contract. Sue Pettit.

An interesting hand?

This month’s hand is taken from an Eve Harrison Salver event in 2008. As West and with your side vulnerable you hold:

S Q97

H Q10743

D Q5

C AQ7

North opens 1Spade as dealer and after two passes you compete with 2H. North passes and, somewhat surprisingly, your partner raises straight to 4H, which is passed out. North leads Club 3 and the following dummy goes down:

S A54

H A865

D A76

C J85

Your partner is short of intermediates and it is difficult to see immediately where your ten tricks will come from. You run the club lead round to your queen and decide to play North for Heart King and, with the possibility of pinning a singleton jack in the south hand, you lead HQ. North covers with HK and you win with HA, South following low. In the hope that South has one of the minor suit kings, you next lead towards Diamond Q but this loses to DK in the North hand and he exits with a trump to south’s Jack. South now switches back to a club and your second minor suit finesse also loses to the King with North. You now have 3 losers and your only hope is that Spade K is with South. However, as North has only shown 9hcp thus far, the chances of him not having SK seem remote. Your fears are realised and you are down. The score sheet shows a couple of Wests have made the contract. Were you just unlucky to be faced with accurate defence or might you have done better?

Perhaps the key to the hand lies in the fact that North has opened the bidding as dealer. This suggests that he will have at least 12 of the missing 15 hcp and is quite likely to have all four kings. In the circumstances, declarer’s plan should be to try to force North to lead away from those kings at every opportunity to generate the extra tricks needed for his contract. The full hand is shown below. North

S KJ863

H K9

D KJ8

C K43

West East

S Q97 S A54

H Q10743 H A865

D Q5 D A76

C AQ7 C J85

South

S 102

H J2

D 109432

C 10962

Having won the opening lead in hand with CQ and played the first round of hearts as before, a second round of hearts should be played to establish whether there are one or two heart losers. This loses to South’s Jack and, fortunately, they split 2-2. South now returns a club and you rise with CA and exit with a third round. North now has to lead away from either Spade KJ or Diamond KJ and whichever he chooses gives you a ninth trick. In addition, having won with either Spade Q or Diamond Q, you can play ace and another in that suit to throw North back into the unenviable position. This time he must either lead away from his remaining king or continue with a fourth round of spades, giving you a ruff and discard. Either way that gives you your 10th trick and the game! But hold on a minute, are you saying to yourself that the defence might still have prevailed if South had switched to S10 when in with HJ rather than the somewhat uninspiring return of the opening club lead? Certainly that makes life a little more difficult for declarer, but having played SQ, what if he ducks North’s SK? North must then lead away from either the minor suit KJs or SJ8. Either way, declarer can engineer the 9th and 10th tricks by successive throw-ins. Dick Wheeler - August 2015

Newsletter  -  APRIL 2015

Forthcoming Events

Please note that members must not park in the spaces reserved for Director and Host.  Exception is of course made for Alan Jeffery.

From Your Committee

The following is an update following from recent committee meetings.  Some of this information is available in the minutes on the committee notice board.

Club Spring Festival (ex Club Weekend)

Could holders of the trophies from last year`s Club Week-end please return them to a committee member no later than the first week in May.

The entry forms are now on the Notice Board in the hall.  Please support these events. 

It is important that we know the numbers entering to allow the directors to set up a suitable movement for a one winner event.  Please arrive by 7.15pm to allow a prompt start.

The events are tailored for all levels of experience so no excuse for not entering at least one of them.  The events are:-

Refurbishment

The car parking issue is nearing a conclusion.  Members will be informed of the new arrangements once they are completed.

A cost has been agreed, so work is going to take place to improve the upstairs lighting which will involve replacing all the current single strip lights with double strip lights with two additional central lights.  A date for this work will be agreed once the materials have been received by the electrician. 

The cost of two new hand driers has been agreed and will be installed when received.  These are more efficient models than the existing two.

A sensor is also being installed to activate the extractor fan in the kitchen to prevent steam build up and hopefully prevent mould growing on the ceiling.

Hills Trophy

A deposit has been paid securing the Angmering Community Centre for this year’s event on Sunday 15th November

Mentoring

This continues on the third Thursday in the month until further notice starting at 14.00.

League Teams

Congratulations to Laurence Chiswell and his team, Caroline Kemp, Penny Mitchell, Pauline Allison, and Marie Willey for winning the WBC Winter League.  Roy Skelton`s team were second.

Congratulations to Fran Thornton, Richard Burnett, Laurence Chiswell and Tilly Hennings for promotion within  the Sussex League from Division 3 to Division 2.

Thanks to Valerie Benson, Mike Percik, Barbara & Ian Gordon, Mike Rounds, Sue Dyball, John Hardy and Jerry Attwood who represented the club in the County teams of eight at Eastbourne on Sunday March 29th.  They finished 8th out of the eleven teams taking part.

Bank Holiday Mondays

Please note that on Bank Holiday Mondays there will be no afternoon session but an evening session will be held.

Details regarding Christmas will be advertised at the time.

Directors ` Corner

There is a common misconception that on the opening lead the only person who has a right to a question is your partner, where in fact the opening lead "any questions" relates to 'the table'.   Dummy does not have any rights in this respect, so by deduction, the other person who can respond/reply to "any questions" is declarer.  Law 41 B.  "Before the opening lead is faced, the leader's partner and the presumed declarer (but not the presumed dummy) each may require a review of the auction, or request explanation of an opponent's call."

. A History of WBC – Part 1 – Origins and Development  -  contributed by Dick Wheeler

The building which houses WBC today was originally built as a chapel in 1884. Subsequently, it was used as a school room and the earliest record we have of a bridge club on the site is 1928. Our 95 year old member Margery Biddle, who still regularly brings home some difficult contracts, remembers being brought then by her mother to watch bridge being played. The Club was then owned by a Miss Heads.

In the 1930s the club was sold to Tommy Ricardo, a Welsh International, and his wife Evelyn. Evelyn played at the Club until beyond her 100th Birthday. The nature of bridge in Worthing in the 1930s is best illustrated by a newspaper advertisement which we have dated August 1939 which offered a week’s bridge with full board for 3 guineas. The house which shares the car park with us was part of the Club. Players would stay in the house, play afternoon bridge and then go back for cocktails and dinner before the evening session of bridge; a very civilised lifestyle indeed! Little did those that took advantage of the advertisement know that a month later a war was to start and interrupt their pleasure for six years.

In the 1960’s, the club was sold to Derrick Boreham and his wife and, some ten years later, in the mid 70s, the membership raised the capital necessary to buy the club. The money required was raised by loans from the members (in units of twenty pounds). The loans were repaid from Club revenue over a period of years subsequently by drawing lots for units to be settled until all had been paid back. From the early days as a members club and for many following years, the first committee of Jean Baker, Lesley Barnacle and Harold Birch took the club from strength to strength.

I am grateful to Margaret Birch and Roy Skelton for the painstaking research reflected above. Part 2 of this history will appear in the next Newsletter,  and cover some of the more illustrious players who have graced our tables over the years.

An interesting hand?

One suggestion recently made is that we might republish the series of interesting hands from past club sessions which appeared in the newsletter around nine years ago, particularly given the influx of relatively inexperienced players over recent years. This might involve an opening lead, a declarer play or a defensive issue. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dick Wheeler on dick.wheeler@btinternet.com . We start with an opening lead problem.

As East you hold:

                             S A1075

                             H A5

                             D J2

                             C A10532

In a pairs competition you are vulnerable against not vulnerable. You open 1C and hear your left hand opponent overcall with 1S. Your partner passes and North jumps (non-forcing) to 3D which is passed out. Before looking at the full hand below, what would you choose to lead?

There are cases to be made for leading any of the three aces. The HA looks the more aggressive, playing partner for HK and hoping for a ruff. Leading either black ace could make life too easy for declarer. If you were desperate for a top you might even under-lead the SA hoping to find KJ10 in dummy and Q in partner’s hand. After much deliberation, and taking into account that it was a pairs event in which aggressive leads often concede more than they gain, East decided on a passive trump lead. As you can see from the full hand below, on this occasion aggression would have paid off. Of course West could have helped by using a negative double over 1S to show a heart suit and that would have made the choice of HA much easier. West would have encouraged on receipt of the HA lead and three more rounds would have given East a ruff with DJ and the opportunity to cash a black ace for one down.

                                                North

                                                S

                                                H J862

                                                D AKQ10654

                                                C J9

West                                                                                        East

S J862                                                                                              S A1075

H KQ73                                                                                             H A5

D 73                                                                                         D J2

C 764                                                                                       C A10532

                                                South

                                                S KQ943

                                                H 1094

                                                D 98

                                                C KQ8

Which lead did you find? And, if your defence followed the line above, would you have attempted to cash the right ace? Cashing the SA, of course, gives declarer the opportunity to ruff in hand, draw trumps ending in dummy with A and 9, and cash SKQ for two club discards, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat! The judgement between SA and CA is a very fine one. The only thing one can say is that East can see 9 spades (in his hand and dummy’s) and only 8 clubs making it very slightly more likely that if N has a void it will be in spades rather than clubs.

This hand was taken from the Basil Marks Cup round played on 24 April 2006 and study of the travelling score-sheet (PBM - pre BridgeMates) showed that seven Norths played in a diamond contract but only one failed to make at least nine tricks. Did that EW pair find the best lead? We will never know because the lead column on the score-sheet wasn’t completed! The best NS score came from 2S by EW down two. I wonder what bidding sequence led to that unfortunate contract – perhaps East decided on a 1NT opening bid despite the 5422 shape and, after Stayman, the bidding stopped at 2S. Perhaps North at that table was an ultra conservative! When dummy went down at trick 1, East must have thought he had done well but he was soon to be sadly disappointed.

Promotions  2015

JANUARY

Neil Christian                           County Master

Christine Swann                        District Master

Gillian Mayhew                           Master

FEBRUARY

Ken Shillam                                10* Regional Master

Jeremy Attwood                        Master

Alex Crawford                           Master

MARCH

John Hardy                               Master

David Underhill                          District Master

Alison Purvis                              Area Master

Angela Neale                              Local Master

 Sue Pettit    suejophil@yahoo.co.uk

Newsletter  - FEBRUARY 2015

Forthcoming Events

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PRESIDENT ALAN JEFFERY ON REACHING HIS CENTURY

Please note that members must not park in the spaces reserved for Director and Host.  Exception is of course made for Alan.

From Your Committee

DON’T FORGET THE CLUB AGM SATURDAY MARCH 7^TH AT 10.00

Committee for 2015/16

Forms are available for those interested in joining the committee it is always useful to have new participants with new thoughts and ideas.  Otherwise contact Fran Thornton.

We require someone to stand as secretary as Fran is standing down this year.

Club Spring Festival (ex Club Weekend)

This is the first reminder to members about our Spring Festival.  Following the work of the sub-committee and with feedback from members I hope everyone will give it their support.

The events will be advertised around the club and on the web site with notices for entries going up on the notice board at the end of March.  There are events tailored for all levels of experience so no excuse for not entering at least one of them.  The events are:-

Refurbishment

The car parking issue is still progressing slowly as we have a new contact at the agents and she is trying to arrange a meeting with the Property Manager and Freeholder.  Nigel Roussel is working with the agents to get this agreement in writing and signed by both parties.

The cushions refurbishment is now well over halfway to completion.

Further work is going to take place to improve the upstairs lighting which will probably involve replacing all the current single strip lights with double strip lights.  An estimate of cost is being obtained.

Work will be required on the kitchen ceiling due to mould appearing.

We are also looking into replacing the hand driers with more efficient models

Apart from the items mentioned above all planned major capital expenditure has been completed.

David Pavey Trophy for Pairs under 10,000 master points

Congratulations to the three WBC pairs that qualified for the final held at WBC on Sunday February 1^st.  Fourteen pairs qualified from around the county and WBC pairs finished as follows:-

5^th Lynda & Colin Smith

8^th Jeremy Attwood & John Hardy

9= Sandy Reimoser & Sue Simpson

Teams for Less Experienced Players

Please note above at the Spring Festival we have introduced the opportunity for Less Experienced teams to take part alongside the main competition providing sufficient entries are forth coming.

The match that was scheduled for 8 February has been postponed, a new date to be arranged.

Mentoring

This continues on the third Thursday in the month until further notice starting at 14.00.

First year Students

Colin Smith has started teaching first year students and this is going well, if anyone knows of anyone wanting to learn the game please get in contact with Colin.

Information for Members

Eileen is looking for more members to act as host on Monday and Wednesday evenings, please contact her if you can help out as currently a very few people are keeping it going.

John Hardy is asking for further help with dealing the cards can anyone interested please contact him.

Explanation of Stratification

When the movement for a session is set up the director has the opportunity to stratify the pairs taking part according to their EBU ranking.  At the moment we only do this on a Thursday evening to enable players of a similar ranking to compete against each other for master points within the overall competition.

The club has set our levels at less than 5,000 between 5,000 and 10,000 and over 10,000.  When the results are printed out you will see that pairs have been designated grades

C, B and A respectively.

The grade given to a pair will always reflect that of the higher ranked player.  For example for a pair to be graded C then both players must have less than 5,000 master points and a pair with a player over 10,000 master points will always be graded A whatever the ranking of the other player.

Simultaneous Pairs Prize Money

The EBU have realised that potential support for simultaneous pairs has dropped over the years and certainly the interest at Worthing has diminished.  The committee therefore wanted to make sure members were aware of the new prize structure that has been introduced. It is as follows:-

The winners of each heat held at their club are entered into a draw with the pair drawn out first winning £1,000. There is then a further prize of £500 for the pair drawn second and £200 for third. Then there are 15 prizes of £100 for runners up.
There is also a club prize of £1,000, second £500, third £200 and again 15 prizes of £100 for the runners up.
Last year a pair from Horsham won the £1,000 and West Sussex £1,000 for the club draw.
The next simultaneous pairs we have entered is the stratified pairs which is played between the 9th and 12th March when the entry fee is reduced to £2.10 per person (plus table money).
Why not take part - the hands are not " rigged" but dealt as we do at Worthing and sent for preparing by someone at the club beforehand, usually Jack which prevents him from playing.

Winter League Teams

This has been nearly completed for this winter and the winners will be announced in the next Newsletter.

Recycling

We are trying to reduce landfill by recycling plastic, paper, cardboard and glass from the kitchen and bar.   If you can help by taking it home with you for disposal, please do so.

Used Postage Stamps

Grateful thanks to members from RNIB for all your magnificent efforts here – every single stamp is of value to them.  Please keep them coming.

“Dummy`s Rights and Limitations”

The qualified rights of dummy are that he/she can ask Declarer (NOT defender) when they have failed to follow suit to a trick whether they have a card of that suit. 

He/she may try to prevent any irregularity by declarer e.g. playing from wrong hand.

Dummy must NOT call attention to an irregularity during play

Dummy must NOT participate in the play nor may he/she communicate anything about the play to declarer.

Dummy must NOT play or touch anything from the table until instructed by declarer.

Please be very careful how you handle your bidding boxes.  Do NOT touch your bidding box until you are very sure about what you are going to call.  This can be construed as passing information and could result in penalties.  This is a basic rule but too many are playing with the bidding box showing intention to bid, then passing or vice versa

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Promotions  2014/15

SEPTEMBER

Penny Mitchell                           District Master

Yvonne Bradbury- White           Area Master

Sue Pettit                                 Area Master

Marie Harper                           Area Master

Marie Willey                                       Club Master

NOVEMBER

Eileen Perrigo                           *Master

Alexa Baxter                             *Master

Caroline Kemp                           District Master

Hilde Collins                              Area Master

Neil Christian                           Area Master

Wendy Muncey                          Area Master

Keith Guiver                                       Local Master

Derek Kearney                          Local Master

DECEMBER

Sue Dyball                                6* Regional Master

Neil Christian                           District Master

Norma Lax                                Local Master

JANUARY

Neil Christian                           County Master

Christine Swann                        District Master

 Sue Pettit    suejophil@yahoo.co.uk

Newsletter  -  September 2014

Forthcoming Events

8 Oct 2014            British Autumn Pairs                          WBC

16 Oct 2014          Mentoring                                          WBC

6 Nov. 2014           ProAm                                                WBC

16 Nov 2014          Hills Trophy                                       Angmering

21 Nov 2014          Mentoring                                          WBC

19 Dec 2014          Christmas Party                                 WBC

From Your Committee

The following is an update after our recent committee meeting.  Some of this information is available in the draft minutes on the committee notice board.

Club Weekend

The sub-committee met very promptly and produced a series of recommendations for the club weekend next year.  The full details of this report are on the notice board.

Some of the main points were:

• Improved advertising

• Rename it “Spring Festival”

• Explanation to newer members what the “Spring Festival” (Club Weekend) is for

• Spread the events over a week May 17^th to May 22^nd 2015

• Working group to start organising the event just after Christmas

   

  The committee would be pleased to hear what members think of these proposals.  Comments can be made in writing or directly to a committee member.

   

  Our thanks go to Dick Wheeler who organised the meetings and wrote up the proposals and the following members who took part;

  Alexa Baxter, Tilly Hennings, Caroline Kemp, Penny Mitchell, Eileen Perrigo, Gill Skelton, Avril Strong and members who submitted comments and suggestions.

   

  Refurbishment

  The car parking issue is progressing slowly but we have agreed in principle with the letting agents a revised parking arrangement.  Nigel  Roussel is working with the agents to get this agreement in writing and signed by both parties.

   

  Can we take this further opportunity to remind members to try to fill the wall places first and if subsequently trapped in by other vehicles have patience until they are able to leave.

   

  When the new arrangements are agreed, signed off and completed, it will be essential that we DO NOT park outside our designated area.

   

  The cushions continue to be refurbished on a monthly basis.

   

  A new light will be fitted in the Gents toilet along with a new doorbell in November when we next have our fire alarms tested and the electrical appliances PAT tested.  We are also looking to improve the lighting in the upstairs room by renewing some of the strip lights.

   

  Teams for Less Experienced Players

  A further team competition against Bognor was held earlier in the month, and was won by Worthing.   There are plans for another match in the near future, please see noticeboard for details.

  Arun BC is also interested in a similar match and Chris Reimoser and Eileen Perrigo are looking into whether this is feasible. 

   

  Hills Trophy for Teams

  A reminder to members that the next Worthing BC event is the Hills Trophy for teams being held again at Angmering Community Centre on Sunday 16^th November.  Entry forms will be in the county diary and posted on the club noticeboard with full details over the coming weeks.  We hope we can get a good turnout from Worthing BC for what is an enjoyable event with tea and dinner provided within the price.

  IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE HAVE AT LEAST THE INTENTION TO ENTER A TEAM BY OCTOBER 16^th WHEN THE BALANCE FOR THE COMMUNITY CENTRE IS DUE.

  Please let Fran know as soon as possible so we don`t have to cancel the event. 

   

  First Year Students

  Colin Smith has begun his classes this month.  We are also hoping to coordinate with the County to try and encourage younger members into learning and playing Bridge.  A meeting concerning this is being arranged.

   

  Information for Members

  One request that came out of the Club Weekend feedback was that newer members did not either know about it or if they did what was its purpose.  This will be addressed in due course.  Another request was for clarification about Stratification and the National Grading System (NGS) run by the EBU.  The NGS applies to all EBU members who take part in P2P and one`s particular grading can be seen when logging into your personal account on the EBU website.

   

  How this works is explained in simple terms in the most recent issue of the EBU magazine.  Details on Stratification will be explained when information about the Club Weekend is issued.

   

  If any member when playing feels the bidding cards are unsuitable for any reason replacements are available on the shelf in the hallway below the main noticeboard.  

   

  Eileen is seeking more members to act as host on Monday and Wednesday evenings, please contact her if you can help out, as currently a very few people are keeping it going. 

   

  Winter League Teams

  We have six teams entered for the winter league. 

   

   

Duplicate Scoring – an explanation from Ernie

How do the Bridgemates work out the points awarded to each pair?  I have taken a couple of score cards from recent sessions to explain the scoring method.

The basic points award is 2pts for every pair that your score beats and 1pt for scores that equal other pairs.

So in the example above taking the best scores regarding the N/S side is +200 (pair 9 N/S) which beats the other eight N/S pairs so 2 x 8 = 16.

The next best on the N/S side is +100 by pair 6 N/S, which beats the other seven N/S scores so 2 x 7 = 14.

The next best score is -150 by pair 11, which is better than the other six pairs so their points are 2 x 6 = 12.

The next best is -600 by N/S pair 8, which is better than the other five pairs so their points are 2 x 5 = 10.

Next we have three equal scores of -630 which is better than two other pairs which gives points 2 x 2 = 4 but each of those three pairs are equal to two others so that is 1 x 2 = 2 giving a total of 6.

Next we have N/S pair 5 with -660 which is only better than one other pair so their points are 2 x 1 = 2.

Lastly N/S pair 6 had the highest minus score so they score 0.

You will notice that the total across each pair is 16. 

Scoring from an E/W perspective gives you the same result e.g. E/W pair 11 had the highest score of +690 thus beating all the other 8 E/W pairs so 2 x 8 = 16.  On so on down the sheet.

When you add the numbers in each column + and – then they should equal/cancel each other to zero as a way of ensuring there is no error, in this example +72 and -72.

A director working a result manually would still use this same method except he would have to record each individual pair’s scores and then total them.  Fortunately the Bridgemates do all this automatically.

I will leave you to work through the second example. 

I can work through this with anyone if they are interested.      

Thanks

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the card dealers who have endured some trying times with the dealing machine this year.  Hopefully it will work more reliably for the remainder of this year now it has been serviced.

Nigel Utting/Francis Francis              Colin & Lynda Smith

John Hardy/Rosemary Tuddenham       Tilly Hennings

Jack (Simultaneous Pairs)

Francis Francis has also kept the website up to date and sorted the new ladder scoring after a difficult start to the year.

“Calling the Director”

A member submitted the following incident at the Club

“South has made an insufficient bid” pointed out East.  “You are not allowed to point that out” retorted North, and continued “only the left-hand opponent can do that”.  “Are you sure?” asked East.  “Yes” said North – “I was told that by a senior member of the club “.  “Well”, said East, “let`s consult the Director, and he can look at the official ruling”.  After carefully consulting the rulebook the Director returned to the table to inform us that “ANYONE can point out the insufficient bid but it is up to the left hand opponent to decide upon what action, if any, to take”. 

The moral of the story is beware of false table rulings and don`t be afraid to consult the Director.  Any event that occurs at the Bridge table that may contravene the rules, then the Director should be called to adjudicate, and his/her decision should be final.

Finally

A quote from an American handbook issued prior to their arrival in Europe during the Second World War and could be applied at the bridge table:

The parting shot of the handbook stated" "It is always impolite to criticize your hosts.  It is militarily stupid to criticize your allies"".

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Promotions  2014

JUNE

Helga Clawson                  Premier Tournament Master

Roger Bill                        2 Star Master

Jane Tourell                    2 Star Master

Denise Ireland                1 Star Master

Sandy Reimoser               County Master

Christine Brown              District Master

Peter Mayhew                 District Master

Joy Soar                         Club Master

Elaine Chandler                Club Master

John Gough                     Club Master

Wendy Carpenter            Local Master

Maureen Holmes              Local Master

JULY

Jasmine Whiteway          Life Master

Nelly Wheelwright          4 Star Master

Duncan MacFarlane          Area Master                            

 Sue Pettit    suejophil@yahoo.co.uk

Newsletter  -  June 2014

Forthcoming Events

3^rd July 2014         Pro Am                                               WBC

28 July 2014         British Summer Pairs                          WBC

4 September         ProAm                                                WBC

5 Sept 2014          Sussex Invitation Pairs                       WBC

8 Sept 2014          EBU Autumn Pairs                               WBC

18 Sept 2014         Mentoring                                          WBC

8 Oct 2014            British Autumn Pairs                          WBC

16 Oct 2014          Mentoring                                          WBC

6 Nov. 2014           ProAm                                                WBC

16 Nov 2014          Hills Trophy                                       Angmering

21 Nov 2014          Mentoring                                          WBC

19 Dec 2014          Christmas Party                                 WBC

It is with sadness that we report the death of Alf Constable on 15^th June,   The funeral will be Friday 27^th June at 12.45 p.m. at Worthing Crematorium.  The Funeral Directors are Dillistone.

From Your Committee

Draft minutes of the last meeting are available on the Club noticeboard.   The following is an update following our recent committee meeting.  Some of the information is available in the draft minutes. 

Prepaid Vouchers 

There seems to be some misunderstanding about the use of play vouchers.  Please note that the current, pale green, play vouchers can still be bought and used.  Only the old, pale blue, vouchers which were sold in books of 11 for the price of 10 will not be accepted after the end of 2014.

Club Weekend 

The committee would still like to hear more feedback from members regarding the club weekend and what we do in the future.  Thanks to all those who have spent the time in replying so far.  These ideas are going to be looked at by a small sub-committee who will try and come up with a solution that is best for the future.  Please appreciate that whatever is decided may not suit everyone.

Refurbishment

The kitchen flooring has been completed and by the time you read this the upstairs playing area will have been redecorated.  This now completes all the major capital projects identified as needing to be done, two and a half years ago, to bring the building both inside and out up to an acceptable standard.

From a financial perspective this has been achieved by roughly keeping our capital reserve much the same and maintaining a surplus in the current account.  In addition we have not used very much of the Margaret North legacy which we still have at our disposal.  Savings we have made over the same period of time, with regard to our expenses, has helped us achieve this objective.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank members for their patience as we have gone about making these changes for the better.

The car parking issue still rolls on but this was never expected to be completed in a short period of time.  We would like to take this opportunity to remind members to try and fill the wall spaces first and if subsequently trapped in by other vehicles then please to have patience until they finish and are able to leave.

Card Dealing Machine

This has recently been serviced and the good news is that it should last a bit longer before we seriously need to consider replacing it.  The money put aside for its possible replacement will be returned to the capital investment. 

No Fear Teams Event between Worthing and Bognor

Less experienced members from Worthing and Bognor have had two team matches during the first half of this year.  It was thoroughly enjoyed by all who participated.

The first match was hosted by Worthing where both clubs brought along 3 teams.  The second match was hosted by Bognor where each club managed to produce four teams.

Thanks must go to Roland Heathfield for agreeing to bring along teams from Bognor, and promote these team events with less experienced players who without this would not probably gain the experience of this type of Bridge.  Worthing was successful on both occasions but one must bear in mind that the Worthing players have had far more experience at Club level.  The emphasis in on the participation and gaining experience.  The following Worthing players participated and Eileen would like to thank them for making it a successful venture:-  Yvonne Bradbury White, Wendy Carpenter, Sandy Reimoser, Sue Simpson, Caroline Kemp, Penny Mitchell, Carol Pembrey, Christine Brown, Katherine Holbrook, Marie Willey, JudyAnn Cheevers, Sue Napper, Maureen Holmes, Marion Emery, Pat Farrell, Brenda Wilcox, Sandie Edmonson and Sue Pettit.  Our next match is scheduled for sometime in September and will be hosted by Worthing.

Thank you to Eileen for organising this, and if anyone else is interested in participating please let Eileen know.

County Success

Well done to Avril Strong and Lizzy Hornsey winning the Basic Bridge competition in Eastbourne on Sunday 1^st June, and Janet Cretchley and Eileen Perrigo who won the Stratified B flight.

Hills Trophy for Teams

A reminder to members that the Hills Trophy for teams is being held again at Angmering Community Centre on Sunday 16^th November.  Entry forms will be in the county diary and posted on the club noticeboard with full details over the coming weeks.  We hope there will be a good turnout from Worthing Bridge Club for what is an enjoyable event with a tea and dinner provided within the price.

ProAm

This continues as advertised and those taking part have requested that we go back to drawing partners at random.  The committee decided that was the best way so this will happen at the next pro-am in July.

Mentoring

The one held in June will be the last before a break for the summer, so July and August are cancelled, will resume on September 18^th.

Sticky Bidding Cards

If you find a set are sticky especially the pass cards then replacements are available on the shelf under the hallway noticeboards.  This can be done by anyone at any time discarding the unacceptable ones.

First Year Students

To encourage people to play Bridge we are hoping to start classes in September for those wanting to learn Bridge for the first time.   Posters/flyers are going to be produced to advertise this.  If members know of anyone wanting to start Bridge then please take a flyer which will have all the details on it, to pass onto friends and family.  These will either be available before you read this or shortly afterwards.  This initiative is to try and maintain or increase the members of the club for the future.

At the same time we are going to advertise for those who already play Bridge to come and try playing at Worthing.  If we get new members please try and make them welcome so that they come again.

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Promotions May 2014

County Master                                        Brenda Wilcox

District Master                                      Carol Pembrey

Club Master                                            Neil Christian

                                                               Valerie Conway

                                                               Bill Isham

 Sue Pettit    suejophil@yahoo.co.uk

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