Hopefully, Graham will be encouraging these three lovely young ladies to take up bridge

Graham Fraser ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am 75 years old, I was a bricklayer to trade and have built my own house from scratch twice. Besides Bridge, my other hobbies include fishing, golf and gardening.

What made you take up bridge and why?

I learned to play Bridge to partner my Father in Law as he lost two regular partners in quick succession not long after losing his wife and became a bit of a recluse.

How often do you play?

I play three times a week, Spoon’s Monday morning, Cupar Angus on a Monday night and at Blairgowrie Golf Club on Wednesday night. I am also currently teaching a group of beginners in the local village hall on a Tuesday afternoon and desperately trying to convince them to come to Spoon’s on a Monday morning even if it's only to watch.

What’s your proudest bridge achievement? 

Making a 6 Clubs re-doubled contract.

What’s your favourite convention? 

Not sure I have a favourite convention as I think there are so many that you can become bogged down trying to remember them all. But I do like the disruptive pre-emptive bids.

What advice would you give to a person just starting to play bridge? Or to a player trying to improve? 

Play as much as you can, keep it simple.

What are your personal goals?

Stop making so many mistakes when I am playing Bridge!

From Miriam's archive!

Carol at Spoons - and she looks like she might have a good hand!

Carol Bisset ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I worked all my life in this area as a Speech and Language Therapist which I loved but now that I am retired, I totally agree with people who say “ How did I have time to work?”

What made you take up bridge and why? 

I took up bridge when I was in secondary school doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award when you had to take up new hobbies. The first one was Scottish Country dancing which linked nicely with the Highland dancing I had done since age 5 but also found out about bridge classes which were being offered locally which linked with my love of all card games up to then with my family.

Anyone one who knows me realises how much of my life is spent involved with Scottish Country Dancing and bridge now!!

How often do you play?

I like to play on a Monday morning in Spoons and of course our Isla Club and the Saturday Ladies . I also play in the Perth Bridge League most Wednesdays over the winter. I am very keen to keep the Saturday Ladies club going as that is where I started playing in a club situation and without it I don’t know if I would have become so involved in local bridge clubs.

What’s your favourite convention? 

My favourite convention is the losing trick count which you and your partner have to use reliably and it is accurate  most of the time

What advice would you give to a person just starting to play bridge? Or to a player trying to improve? 

My advice is to go to classes and play with others as much as you can but don’t jump too quickly into very competitive situations as I know this can put people off. Basically stick at it as it is the best card game in the world and you meet a lot of lovely people which is just as important as winning!

What are your personal goals? Do any of them involve bridge? 

My goal is just to continue to enjoy my bridge and hopefully have my partner as a friend for many years to come.

It was an honour and surprise to win the Bob Ross Trophy in December especially as he was such a special person and it was the first time it was presented.

With Mary Little and the Bob Ross Trophy

Carol with her regular partner Liz Stark at the Isla Brdige Club

Derek, deep in thought at Spoons - and yes, he did use all those Spades and make the contract!

Derek French ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Derek French is one of the original founding members of Spoons. He attends regularly, is always on the look out for Traffic Wardens and both his generosity in helping other players and his sense of humour are greatly enjoyed by all. 

Derek just about agreed to be interviewed for Show Your Hand... (!)

Tell us a bit about yourself! 

I’m English, living in Scotland

What made you take up bridge and why? 

I took up bridge at University because people played it… and you didn’t lose money like you did with poker!

How often do you play?

Three times a week – or more

What’s your proudest bridge achievement? 

Still going at 83!

What’s your favourite convention? 

Benji. I like the variations possible with strong hands

What advice would you give to a person just starting to play bridge? Or to a player trying to improve? 

Play a lot. Keep going. Enjoy it. Don’t give up.

And go to classes

What are your personal goals? Do any of them involve bridge? 

I’m 83, just keep going. If you haven’t made your ambition at this age, then you’re not going to!

Derek is never far from the podium. Here he is at Birnam taking the top prize with Hazel Grant

Looking very serious playing bridge at 'Spoons 

Jill Hobhouse ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m Jill and I live on a farm at the bottom of Glenisla. I like telling people that I play bridge in the pub on Monday mornings!

What made you take up bridge and why? 

I played a little as a child with my parents and sister but it was only relatively recently that I had some lessons and began playing a bit more. My granny was a keen player, I’d love to be able to talk to her about it now.
 

How often do you play?

I play when I can on Monday mornings and also on Saturday afternoons with the Blairgowrie Ladies Bridge Club. I play online with friends and I’ve just discovered BBO’s free Solitaire Weekly Tournament so enjoy doing that when I’m on the computer.

What’s your proudest bridge achievement? 

The first Dunkeld Café Bridge day; being part of the team of helpers and seeing what fun it could be when over 100 players get together and the play all goes smoothly (!) – Oh and my partner and I won sacks of potatoes for being the closest to 50%, a proud moment indeed.

What’s your favourite convention? 

I like a Weak Jump Overcall, partly because I like saying those three words together!

What advice would you give to a person just starting to play bridge? Or to a player trying to improve? 

Keep playing. You need to play a lot of bridge to improve but be kind to yourself when you make the inevitable mistakes.

What are your personal goals? Do any of them involve bridge? 

I would definitely like to be a better bridge player

Miriam Drysdale ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Tell us a bit about yourself

I live in Plockton but I reside in Blairgowrie.

What made you take up bridge and why?

I'm really a chess player. Played a bit of bridge at school, 55 years ago, to keep a boyfriend happy! 

Some casual social fun holiday games with family over the years but I only started playing duplicate 9 years ago.

How often do you play?

Twice a week.I like normal, face to face bridge. Online is definitely not the same game.

Online bridge is not bridge

What's your proudest bridge achievement?

Having started playing at Wetherspoons (post 2020 lockdowns) with 3 others every Monday morning, the group has grown to over 50 adherents. It's NOT a club. It's NOT a teaching place. It fulfills a need for an old-fashioned style of social, competitive bridge playing, while utilising the cheapest and most modern scoring technology, BriAn

The format has stayed the same since 2021. Random partners.

All comers get to play. Free

What's your favourite convention?

There are a few bidding conventions I like. For example, Bergen raises.

Non promissory Stayman. Inverted minors. Lebensohl.

But signalling is so important. I love playing with someone who pays attention to signals. Defence takes 75% of your playing time. SO important to stay focused. Play as a team in defence.

I like reverse attitude signals, normal count and Italian discards. It's exciting when signalling comes together and as the defenders, you are both on the ball, crushing the opps!

I feel like high-fiving when that's happened! It's unusual.

What advice would you give to a person just starting to play bridge? Or to a player trying to improve?

To begin with.... play, play, play. Actually, ALWAYS play, play, play.

Play with lots of different people. As many different partners as possible. Set up games in your kitchen. Provide wine and nibbles.

Ask three old guys to meet you in Wetherspoons for an hour's play! Buy them a beer.

Don't be embarrassed that you are just starting.

There is a lot to be learnt from the cunning old codgers. Enjoy the intergenerational aspect of bridge; get your 10 year old grandkids playing too.

Play with friends after dinner.

Wherever you go, find a bridge club and meet the locals. I've played in Geneva, Dubai, London, Costa Brava as well as Dundee!

Enjoy playing.
Get used to losing graciously and never ever think you are better than your partner.

Use all means available to improve, read books, watch videos, practise and learn techniques online.

Using robots to practice online is grand  but playing face to face is the real mindsport.

Get out the front door and play!

Bridge is like any sport. It's like tennis or golf. You have to start by hitting the ball. Even though most of the time it goes into the net or the rough.

What are your personal goals? Do any of them involve bridge?

I'd like to see free open Monday 12 board morning bridge sessions at all British Wetherspoons pubs.

I'd like to represent Scotland when bridge becomes an Olympic sport.

There are chess Olympics; I was 18 when I played at that level.

In my 80's I'd like to play top level ladies' bridge. Only 10 years to get there.......

Miriam with her bridge partner David McLeod winning in Birnam

Mary Little is one of the original four who started playing bridge every Monday morning in Blairgowrie Wetherspoons!

Bob Ross, Derek French, Mary and Miriam were that crazy first table …..
Mary has been a great supporter as the gang has grown to over 50 players.
She organised and ran the charity aspects of the 2023 Spoons events, making over £2,000 for Alzheimer Scotland. Hence the teeshirt in the picture!
 

When invited to show Her hand, she said “ ‘Show your Hand’ is good for people who are happy to talk about themselves. That’s not me.” But she has shared a bit with us….

Mary only took up bridge playing very recently, in her 60’s, to learn something new in retirement. She went to beginners lessons at Dundee Bridge Club in 2019. Having had a successful challenging busy career in district nursing, she wanted to keep her mind active and possibly help to avoid diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

She’s a member of DBC, plays there at least once a week and through the classes, now has a gang of bridge mates who meet to play every Saturday at Dundee Contemporary Arts. Mixing coffee, culture and mindsport suits Mary, who’s always smiling and enjoys the social aspects of bridge sessions. She joins in the Saturday afternoons Ladies club at the Red House Hotel occasionally. 
She says “I still have lots to learn and I've yet to find my proudest Bridge moment. My current ambition is to use the  Ghestem CRO convention confidently!”
To anyone just starting out, her suggestion is, try to play with players who are much better than you.  It’s the best way to improve, she says.
 

Her advice for us all is to enjoy the challenges playing bridge gives you and preserve your health! 

“ I do hope 'spoons keeps thriving.”
 

Thank you, Mary. Keep enjoying your bridge! 

 

Bob Ross. You are a very experienced player and a pleasure to play with! 
Tell us a bit about yourself, please! 

I’m 84 years old and I was in the RAF for 22 years

What made you take up bridge and why?

I played whist with my parents and sisters from about 12 years old. Bridge was a natural progression in my 30’s. I played a lot with colleagues in the RAF.

How often do you play?

Before lockdowns, I used to go out at least 3 times a week to play. Mainly to Dundee Bridge Club. 
But in recent years I’ve been playing a lot more on BBO. 
I really enjoy the Monday mornings at Wetherspoons in Blairgowrie and the full days of bridge at BirnamArts. I play in some Scottish congresses and go to the CaféBridge days.
What’s your proudest bridge achievement?

Making new friends

What’s your favourite convention?

CRO Ghestem

(Ghestem is a conventional overcall structure, using 2NT, 3♣, and the (non-jump) cuebid over an opposing opening at the one level to denote two-suited hands in two of the remaining three suits.

This convention was devised by the French bridge and checkers player Pierre Ghestem.

When playing Ghestem, after an opposing one-level opening, the three overcalls mentioned denote the three possible two-suited hands in the suits excluding the opened suit:

2NT : shows the two lowest-ranking unbid suits

3♣ : shows the two highest-ranking unbid suits

Cuebid : shows the top- and bottom-ranking unbid suits)

What advice would you give to a person just starting to play bridge? Or to a player trying to improve?

Stick at it , it’s the Queen of all card games

What are your personal goals? Do any of them involve bridge?

No goals , happy where I am, enjoying myself. 

Shuna Colville and Bob won the Plockton CaféBridge 2024. Seen here with the Martin Cup.

Sadly Bob died 9th May 2024. We all miss him at Spoons.