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El mejor club de bridge del mundo

Real Casino de Tenerife

 

STOP PRESS

See update of SWEDISH SUPERBOY article to find out which famous bridge player might be visiting the Club in 2024

The article is on Conquering a Bridge World page in the site menu above

Latest News from FRANCE

La VIE est BELLE

Date: 23/9/23

Venue: Ste Esteve, South West France

Event: Tournoi du Roussillon

71 Tables - 284 players

Latest News from FRANCE
Club Stéphanois

A few days after the tournament ended, I visited the local club's premises where I was able to personally thank them for their organisation. I was told that, for the 2024 edition of the Tournoi de Roussillon end September, the number of tables will be limited to 80 = 320 players. You therefore need to book your place well in advance if you want to join the party. 

What a great day that was!

Club Stéphanois

Félicitations à Régine, Jean Marc, Patrick et Michel du Club Stéphanois pour avoir organisé un si bel événement.

Une chance pour moi de retrouver mes amis français de l'époque où j'enseignais le bridge dans les écoles françaises. 15 ans après le début de ce projet, il existe un nombre incroyable de 560 clubs de bridge enregistrés dans les écoles en France.

Le superbe dîner dansant m'a donné l'occasion de discuter avec Luc, le directeur du tournoi,  comment atteindre en Espagne le succès que nous avons tous deux connu : Luc était entraineur de l'équipe française des moins de 13 ans en même temps que moi. j'étais le coach de l'équipe thaïlandaise des moins de 13 ans!

 

Winning Chang Rai under 16 team
Winning Chang Rai under 16 team

At the end of the Thai National under 16 championships, the winners invited some of my (slightly shorter) youngsters competing in the same event to join them for the photo call.

Chang Rai was where the 12 cave boys and their teacher were dramatically rescued in 2018. Some of those boys trapped underground for a week in a flooded cave were bridge players!   

WE are the CHAMPIONS
WE are the CHAMPIONS

Felicitaciones a Sofía y Carmen.

Las Campeonas en Icod el Alto

Pictured with Manuel who everyone agrees is....

The best President in the world

Christmas lunch 2022 at Barcelo Occidental in Fuengirola
Christmas lunch 2022 at Barcelo Occidental in Fuengirola
ALL PART of the SERVICE

We are not just a social club here at ACES. We can also...

-Find good, reasonably priced accommodation

-Arrange pick-ups from the airport

-Help solve your mobility problems

-Advise what to do – and not do – on the island

-Offer recommendations re places of interest

-Give guidance on Brexit related problems

That`s what friends are for

SKI & BRIDGE April 2024
SKI & BRIDGE April 2024

A five night bridge break starting 10 April staying at the Mirasol Hotel in Sierra Nevada

Non skiers can enjoy the walks in the warm Spring sunshine. 

Ski and lift passes FREE for over 70´s

Beautiful views above Granada
Beautiful views above Granada

.

Ethics Committee
Misbehave at your peril

ETHICS COMMITTEES - the cure for indiscipline

 

When I turned up for the start of the Director`s course at Juan les Pins, the Instructor told us all

"Becoming a director is a very good way to lose bridge friends*

My diploma arrived at a critical time for French bridge. During a period when indiscipline had become rife.  When lifetime bans were having to be dished out by Federation HQ. Partly because the problem had not been nipped in the bud at an early stage locally.

One of the most common unacceptable occurrences was for players to argue with their partner and for one - or even both - to walk out. Normally the President would deal with the matter. But when it is the President of the Club himself who is guilty of the offence, the remedies for the Tournament Director are limited. A `no-win` situation if you want to keep your friends.

My Instructor was right

 

Although I was not the acting Director at the time, I recall the time when a President walked out of à regular tournament at a well known club for a second time. When he later refused a rather meek request from the committee to resign, the ingenious solution they came up with was for the whole committee to resign instead. So that the President had nothing to preside over. Bizarre but true.

 

Fortunately something was then done. The FFB  (2nd largest federation after the USA) decided to encourage Ethics Committees that were totally independent of the club committee. No members of the General committee could stand for the Ethics Committees. And these Ethics committees could ask Federation HQ for guidelines over what warnings or punishment should be given. In the particular case of someone walking out of a tournament, a 3 month ban was the minimum penalty for a 1st offence. 

 

Bravo to the French for this initiative which was very soon made compulsory for all affiliated clubs. Knowing that anyone could complain to an independent committee certainly stopped serial offenders intimidating, belittling or insulting other members. The fact that the guilty ones were friends of the President could no longer be used by the offenders to escape punishment. In other words, unsavoury incidents can no longer be swept under the carpet.

 

To be fair to the club Presidents, let me say that most do a fantastic job. They not only work tirelessly in the interests of their club members, but they are sometimes the victim of unacceptable behaviour themselves. On that point, I will give an example of the sort of problem I and my fellow Ethics committee members had to deal with in France. To show how the Ethics Committee functions to protect and help ALL members. To show also why it is essential that they are independent of the main committee. And to illustrate the committee`s powers - and why all clubs should affiliate to their national bridge federation in order to exercise those powers:

The German President (and Director) of my Riviera club was racially abused when called to deal with a dispute at a table. The abuser refused pressure from all quarters to apologise and bring speedy closure to the affair. It ultimately became a federal case after our President rightly put in a written complaint addressed to the chairman of the Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee convened and, because it was one of the first cases in France brought before such committees, we followed advice sought from regional and Headquarters staff at the French Federation. The advice we were given was that the lady should reasonably be banned from the club for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of twelve. We were also told that the matter could be referred by us (Ethics Committee) to FFB HQ in Paris for them to deal with. And that we should do this anyway in the event that we felt the lady should be excluded from the three other local clubs of which she was also a member. In the end, we excluded her for the minimum period and took no further action. On account of her age.

For the record, she was 84 at the time. I happen to know because I had partnered her on her birthday prior to this incident. We had a pleasant game, but she obviously ignored my advice to keep her tongue under control! 

This innovation will be adopted by the ACES Academy. 

ETHICS committees act as a deterrent to bad behaviour.

Their existence helps to quickly calm troubled waters -

Which in turn makes the Director`s thankless task almost bearable!

Trevor 29/1/19