Many thanks to those Members who supported this year's AGM on Tuesday 10 May 2022

ASHBOURNE BRIDGE CLUB COMMITTEE 2022 - 2023

PRESIDENT – MIRIAM MOYLES

VICE PRESIDENT – NIAMH MCGOWAN

SECRETARY / EX-OFFICIO – LIZ MCKEOWN

TREASURER – AINE CONNOLLY

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

JOE BOURKE, BREDA DENNEHY, MAUREEN COGGINS. SUSAN CARNEY and SADIE DOYLE

Ashbourne Bridge Club Yr End 2021-2022 2 link

2022 Secretary's Report link

Our Treasurer, Aine Connolly, presented the accounts for 2020/2021, which were approved by the Committee.  If you would like a copy of the accounts, please email: ashbournebridgeclub@gmail.com.

As the formal Bridge Season started on the 1^st September 2021, Membership Fees are now required.

The Ashbourne Bridge Club Committee has decided that the total membership fee for 2021-2022 will be reduced to €20 for this season. This fee includes a €10 affiliation fee due to the CBAI and a €1 affiliation fee due to the North Eastern Region. The CBAI €10 affiliation fee was only available to members who paid before 30th Nov, otherwise a charge of €12.50 per member is required.

You can pay the €22.50 directly into the club’s Bank Account in Ashbourne by electronic transfer (NB you must put your name as a reference), and use the following details:

IBAN: IE83 AIBK 9323 9600 4051 89

BIC CODE: AIBKIE2D

Or, you can pay the €22.50 to the Club Treasurer on any club night.

You will be required to show your Covid 19 certificate or proof of recovery from Covid 19 (within the last 6 months) on your first night attending the club for live Bridge.

Many thanks

The Committee

The CBAI have established an Online Ethics Committee whose members will review any material submitted in support of complaints of Cheating.

Please remind your members – again – that cheating will be dealt with severely if proven.

Hi All,

Our Newsletter for 2021 was posted to the website last night - - https://online.pubhtml5.com/oabw/lstr/#p=1.

In this year's edition you'll find:

• An address from CBAI President Pat O'Mahony
• Farewell remarks from our retiring CEO Paul Porteous
• A brief tribute to Paul by CBAI President Emeritus Joe Moran
• A summary of member feedback on online bridge, plus notes by our international Tournament Director Fearghal O'Boyle on adapting the laws of bridge for the online world
• Details of bridge classes planned for 2021/22, almost all still online for the moment
• Regional reports from the regions who felt they had anything to say
• A report on Junior bridge
• And last but not least ... a quiz for members with a chance to win a weekend away in the recently refurbished Dromhall Hotel in Killarney

Thanks and best wishes,

Dermot

Secretary's Report 2019-2020, 2020-2021

It’s hard to believe our last AGM was held on the 7th May 2019.  In one sense it seems our lives have stood still for the last 14 months but yet we have come a long way and learned so much. Who would have thought a year ago that playing on-line bridge in a virtual club would be so easy!! 

 But lets not forget all that has happened in Ashbourne Bridge Club since our last AGM:  

August 2019 the club participated  in a Bridge Promotion Campaign over two weekends. This exercise resulted in a big increase in the numbers of people taking bridge lessons in September 2019.  

 October 2019 the club signed an agreement with Ratoath Bridge Club to share the electronic scoring devices. The move to electronic scoring has  improved the accuracy of recording game results, done away with the Traveller sheets and has enabled the results to be made available on the night.  

 December 2019 the club organised a TD’s refresher course which was well attended. 

 40th Anniversary

On the 11th February 2020 we celebrated the club's 40th Anniversary with a Gala Dinner. The evening began with a champagne reception followed by a wonderful evening with fine food great  music and dancing.   The venue was decorated with curtains of lights and candelabras on the tables! During the evening photographs of former and current members were shown scrolling on a projector screen.

A wonderful evening was had by all. Memories of the evening was captured  on camera and the photo's are available for all to view on our website.

Major Competition Winners for 2019/20 were: 

Bobbett Cup: Eileen Gray & Kay Brady 

President’s Prize: Pat Moyles 

Player of the Year: Adam Murphy 

Novice of the Year: Dan O’Sullivan 

Club Membership 2019/20: 79 members 

 March 2020

In March 2020 a year like no other begun, a Worldwide Pandemic is declared and our lives changed completely. But the Bridge club survives!

 Virtual Bridge: 

The club is very grateful to Pat Moyles who set up an on-line virtual club for Ashbourne in August 2020. He has kept the online game running and has provided continuous support to members.  Also a big thank you to Barry Leahy for running the game for a number of months. 

Club Membership 2020/21 is 76.   (Ashbourne members 50, Virtual club members 26) 

Sadly we lost four of dear bridge friends over the past two years: Louis Murray, Maura Ryan, Mary Corcoran and Betty O'Connell Jones. May they rest in peace.

Summer Bridge Virtual 

It is intended that the on-line game will continue throughout  the summer.   

Income: 

Members will be glad to know that the club receives a portion of the payment paid by them every time they play in the Ashbourne Virtual game on the BBO platform.  The income is paid to the CBAI and forwarded to the club’s bank account. 

Meath Co Co Grant 

The club was delighted to receive a grant of €450 from Meath Co Co Council towards the club’s 40th Anniversary celebrations. 

The club also received confirmation that a grant of €152 will be provided to assist with the purchase of a new laptop for the club this year.   

Return to face to face Bridge.

The date for a return to face to face bridge is still unclear. The main concern is of course the health and safety of members. The Committee will follow Government regulations and take advice from the CBAI on this matter. It is likely that any decisions on opening up again will not be made until late summer when the vaccine has been rolled out and the level of Covid 19 cases  is under control.

Members will be advised of the situation through the club's website.

The Committee 

Because of the Covid 19 pandemic it was not possible to hold a club AGM and elect people to the Committee. Thankfully all those who were elected in 2019 agreed to stay on a second year. Bridge business continued to be dealt with via e-mail and when permitted, in person.

Some of the current Committee members, have served for a long number of years and don't intend to remain on the Committee.

We are now calling for members to join the committee, do your bit and share the responsibility of running our club.

If you are interested helping out, please contact the incoming President,  Liz Mc Keown at 086 -8251659

Miriam Moyles

Club Secretary.  

Dear All,

We are pleased to present the CBAI Annual Newsletter for 2020. In keeping with the theme of the year, it is in digital rather than physical format, but we hope that you will enjoy it none the less for that; indeed it may be that this format, being more climate-friendly, is in fact the appropriate one nowadays. If you have thoughts on this, please let us know.

In the Newsletter you will find:

·         Messages from the (continuing) CBAI President, Neil Burke, and Chief Executive, Paul Porteous;

·         News of this year’s President’s Award Winner – Denise Conlon from Athlone – and a super photo on the front cover

·         Reports from our thirteen regions, and from Joint Honorary Secretary Martin Brady on behalf of the IBU, on their bridge activities during the truncated 2019/20 season;

·         News of an exciting new online bridge academy, Grand Master Bridge, being planned by Rory Egan and Thomas MacCormac, with a special introductory offer for CBAI members;

·         Reminders of excellent bridge primers by CBAI-accredited teachers Maire O’Keeffe (“Bridge Made Simple”) and Michael O’Loughlin (“Basic Card Play”), both available from our  shop at the very reasonable price of €10;

·         A list of bridge classes (all online) being held in the current term;

·         Details of hotel and bed & breakfast breaks being offered;

·         A review of the junior bridge scene, including an interview with Under-26 international Michael Donnelly;

·         A commentary from national Tournament Director Fearghal O’Boyle on the online laws of bridge, in which he makes a number of recommendations and seeks feedback; given that online is where it’s at for most of us for the moment, we need to be able to adapt laws designed for in-person bridge to suit the online variant of the game. In this respect, we would draw your attention to the CBAI Code of Conduct, which applies equally to the online game as it does to in-person bridge; there have been a number of cheating allegations in other jurisdictions since competitive bridge went online – our hope is that we will not have any within the CBAI’s games;

·         Details of two recent works by CBAI members – a cookbook and culinary reminiscences by Maura Foley of Kenmare, and an album of easy listening music by Jennifer Cullen of Dublin South;

·         An offer of special bridge-themed facemasks from former CBAI-staffer Fionuala Gill in aid of charity – just the job for a (hopefully imminent) return to in-person bridge;

·         And last but not least, dates for your virtual bridge diary, with a number of CBAI competitions and congresses planned for BBO in the coming months.

·          Our thanks to all who contributed to the newsletter, and of course to our advertisers. We would encourage you to make every effort to support them in these challenging times.

We hope that the newsletter will have something for everyone, and that members will enjoy it. As mentioned above, the format is a bit different this year.

We would welcome your feedback on any aspect of it, and on suggestions that you’d like to see included in future publications from us.

 Links in red above will bring you to the Newsletter & the Code of Conduct.

 Enjoy – and stay well!

Although returning to the bridge table is still a while away,
we take comfort in knowing that the CBAI are at all times

working to ensure that clubs can return safely

2020/2021 membership fee and CBAI affiliation fees.

The CBAI have instructed that all clubs must pay €10 affiliation fee per member, to be paid by 30th Nov., otherwise a charge of €12.50 per member will be imposed. You cannot play in a virtual club on Bridge Base Online unless this CBAI fee is paid.

Ashbourne Committee has decided that the normal club membership fee will not apply for the 2020/2021 season. The club will cover the €1 fee payable to the North Eastern Region for each club member that affiliates.The CBAI affiliation fee must be paid by all players wishing to play in Ashbourne's virtual games.

You can pay the €10 directly into the club’s Bank Account in Ashbourne by electronic transfer (NB you must put your name as a reference), and use the following details:

IBAN: IE83 AIBK 9323 9600 4051 89

BIC CODE: AIBKIE2D

You must also send an email to the club email address ashbournebridgeclubmeath@gmail.com informing the club that you have made the electronic transfer.

The 30th Oct. is our cut-off date for paying this affiliation fee.

You will no longer be able to play in the virtual club competitions if the fee is not paid by this date. Please note, the club is open to NEW players, who, if they pay the €10 affiliation fee to the club, can play in the weekly virtual competition. However they do not become full members of the club.

We ask everyone to understand that these are very unusual times and your committee may need to introduce further changes over time.

Stay safe.

The Committee

To be able to play, you must complete these four steps,
1. Create a BBO account, see this document  - ABC - How to create a BBO Account.doc
2. Buy BBO dollars, it will cost 3 dollars to play, after some initial free trial games. See this document - ABC - How to buy BBO dollars.doc
3. Send your name, contact number and BBO username to the club secretary (Miriam on 086 1018937).
4. Register to play, on the night of the game, see this document - ABC - How to register for a game.doc

You should familiarise yourself with the BBO features, perhaps play some bridge solitaire games or ask your partner to join a casual table with you.
Youtube contains many videos on using/playing on BBO. e.g. See this, Introduction to BBO Bridge, for full instructions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MldFbBdea90
Any problems, please contact the club secretary, Miriam Moyles 086 1018937 or at email AshbourneBridgeClubMeath@gmail.com who will arrange assistance.

ASHBOURNE BRIDGE CLUB COMMITTEE 2023 - 2024

PRESIDENT – ELIZABETH KANE

VICE PRESIDENT –

SECRETARY / EX-OFFICIO – MIRIAM MOYLES

TREASURER – AINE CONNOLLY

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

JOE BOURKE, BREDA DENNEHY, MAUREEN COGGINS, SUSAN CARNEY and BRENDA O’KEEFFE

Miriam, Breda and Ian at the very successful Bridge Promotion Day in SuperValu Ashbourne on Saturday.

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered to (wo)man-the-stand.

Outgoing President Liz presents a contribution to Jackie in the GAA on behalf of Ashbourne Bridge Club.

Our Club is very grateful to the Ashbourne/Donnaghmore GAA for their support over the years.

The club would like to extend its deepest sympathies to the family of Gerry who has sadly and suddenly passed away.

A long time Member of both the Club and the Committee.

A great friend to our Club, Gerry will be missed very much. RIP

Hello Members,

The Committee held a meeting on Tuesday 25 August 2020 where it was agreed that, in light of both the Covid 19 pandemic situation and the fact that normal Committee elections cannot take place this year, the Committee would remain in place until May 2021. All Committee members volunteered their time for another year. Thank you all. This roll-over was endorsed by the club Members as there were no objections.

The Committee would like to invite any Members who wish to join the Committee to contact Miriam, the Club Secretary.

Thank you

Stay safe

The Committee
 

CONGRATULATIONS TO PAT AND JUNE ON WINNING!!

Congratulations to Mary for a special hat prize!

The National Bridge "Week" from 16th to 25th August 2019 was well supported by both Ratoath & Ashbourne Bridge Club Members.  Many many thanks to those of you who volunteered to take a slot (or two or three) on the rota. These efforts to promote the beautiful game will be felt in both Clubs in the coming years.  Thank you also on behalf of the CBAI and the Regional Committee.

BRIDGE PROMOTION - ASHBOURNE AND RATOATH

If you are interested in learning the beautiful game of Bridge or in joining a local club (having previous knowledge of the game), please contact us and we will give you the information you need.

For more information you can contact the Club secretary for each Club - Ashbourne 086 1018937 and Ratoath 087 2261393.

Additional information from the Regional Committee on 01 8492280, 046 9028391 or 01 8251335. North East Region

The CBAI 01 4929666 during office hours.

"Bridge is such a sensational game that I wouldn't mind being in jail if I had three cellmates who were decent players and who were willing to keep the game going 24 hours a day." - Warren Buffett

"Many games provide fun, but Bridge grips you. It exercises your mind. Your mind can rust you know, but Bridge prevents the rust from forming." - Omar Sharif

"Bridge is the most entertaining and intelligent card game the wit of man has so far devised." - W. Somerset Maugham

Congratulations to Denis and Barbara on winning
best Christmas Jumper this year!!

 Briefing for all clubs on CBAI Rules and Regulations- Updates that take effect from 1st September 2018. This information covers the way we use Alerts and Announcements.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new EU regulation which came into effect on 25 May 2018. GDPR updates existing data protection laws and places greater accountability and transparency obligations on organisations when using a Member’s personal information. It gives the individual greater control over their personal information.

The Ashbourne Bridge Club Privacy Policy is available at the following link and a link to the ABC Membership form.

LINK: ABC Privacy Policy Sept 2018

LINK: ABC Membership Form

This new Membership Form will give both the C.B.A.I. and Ashbourne Bridge Club permission to use your data (i.e. the personal details you put into the form) to contact you should the need arise and to manage your Master Points and grades. Without the completion of this form, Membership cannot be recognised.

For further information, please contact the Club Secretary.

Many thanks once again to everyone who contributed to and helped out on the night! The Committee were delighted to be able to raise almost €1,000 for our three chosen charities.

Margaret presented cheques to Barbara for Meals on Wheels, Deirdre for the Cancer Society and Maura for Alzheimers Meath Branch.

Thanks to the GAA for sharing the cost of the refreshments and a special thanks to all Members who are involved in Charity fundraisers in our Community.

Louise presented the two cheques for both Meals on Wheels (Barbara) and St Francis Hospice (Deirdre) on Tuesday.

Many thanks once again to everyone who made the night such a great success!!!!

 Novices do not play North/South in their first year in the Club.

It has been agreed that Novices have enough pressure on them, playing in a Club environment and learning Bridge. Therefore, when sitting with first year Novices, the experienced Players will take the North/South position. The Club Rule, whereby cards are cut for table position, does not apply to first year Novices. The Committee would like to thank Members for their support on this rule.

Law 9 – Procedure Following an Irregularity

Dummy may now attempt to prevent an irregularity by any player, but is still unable to draw attention to an irregularity once it has occurred until play has concluded, except for correction of a mistaken explanation by Declarer. However Dummy is not allowed to enquire about a revoke by a Defender.

An early version of the game was played in England as far back as the 16th Century.

• Mrs Anthony Fly, of Little Rock, Arkansas, filed a petition for divorce, on the grounds that her husband refused to make up a four at bridge.
• However, it could be a mistake to play with your husband or wife, as shown by Myrtle Bennett. In 1929, Myrtle shot and killed her husband over his bidding and play of a hand. Mrs Bennett was later acquitted!
• The odds against four players each holding all thirteen cards in a suit are 2,235,197,406,895,366,368,301, 559,999 to one - or the same as Posh and Becks being out of the newspapers. Such a deal was first claimed in March 1892! Maybe winning the lottery isn't so difficult after all.
• Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot played Bridge. Interestingly Christie made a mistake in “Cards on the Table”, where the murder was committed during a bridge game, because she forgot to include “50 for the insult” (for making a doubled/redoubled contract) in the scores.

The role of 'Dummy'

The role of the dummy is to be "dumb" (Silent). That's why s/he is called the "dummy."

Basically, the dummy is not supposed to speak or act unless "spoken to." So dummy's powers are strictly limited, but include the following:

1. Must lay down hand after the right hand opponent leads (but not before).
2. May not further touch those cards except as directed by declarer. (Ideally, the dummy will have placed the cards in such a way that the declarer can reach them.)
3. May call attention to a declarer error in progress (leading from the wrong hand, not following suit).
4. May not initiate a conversation about anything else, including opponents' errors, but may respond to questions asked by a tournament director (TD). (Dummy may not initiate the calling of the TD.)
5. May not leave his seat or walk around the room except in extreme emergency (fire alarm, and maybe bathroom breaks).
6. May not peek at declarer's or opponents' cards (until played).