Welcome to our March newsletter! Here's what's inside:

· February Highlights & Duplicate Winners
· Annual General Meeting (AGM) Recap
· March Schedule
· Upcoming Social & Special Activities
· Training Scheduled
· Tables Played
· Did You Know?

February Highlights

It was an active and enjoyable month at the Cayman Islands Bridge Club. The club hosted 17 sessions throughout February, including:

· 8 Beginner / Advanced Beginner sessions
· 8 Regular Duplicate sessions
· 1 Special Bridge Tournament

The Special Bridge Tournament was held at the club on Wednesday, February 18th and was very well attended with 8 full tables participating.

The morning session ran from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, playing 28 boards (14 rounds with 2 boards per round).

Players then enjoyed a cold catered buffet lunch from 12:30 – 1:30 PM, followed by an afternoon session from 1:30 – 3:30 PM, where 16 boards were played.

At the end of the day, prizes were awarded and raffle prizes were drawn. Using a pro-rata calculation combining the morning and afternoon results, the overall winners were:

1st – Alex Wood & Liam Walsh
2nd – Andy Schatz & Jennifer Woodford
3rd – Malcolm Todd & Cliff Shaw
4th – Renee Edwards & Ernest Jehangir

After the tournament, we asked participants for feedback and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Many members suggested that this event should become an annual tournament, and that Ash Wednesday is a good date because it allows both daytime and evening players to participate together.

Several players also noted that attendance could grow even further in future years through word of mouth, particularly if the event is placed on the calendar earlier so members can plan to be on island.

A special thank you to Alison Bennie, Shevaun Davies, and Liam Walsh for planning and coordinating the event, and thank you to everyone who participated.

 

Duplicate Winners

Monday Sessions

Monday beginner and advanced beginner games from 2–4 PM continue to be a popular option for newer players and players looking to gain additional practice outside the regular duplicate sessions.

If you’ve learned to play some bridge and would like to take the next step in your bridge journey, please consider joining us. These sessions offer a supportive and welcoming environment to learn and practice.

Thursday Sessions

Thursday evening sessions from 6:30–8:30 PM are hosted by Helen Haines hosting each week.

These sessions provide a great opportunity for beginner and advanced beginner players to practice bridge in a friendly environment. If you’ve recently learned the basics and want to continue improving your game, this is an excellent session to attend.

Tuesday Sessions

• Feb 3: N/S 1st – Ernest Jehangir & Renee Edwards | 2nd – Steve Pettitt & June Williams | E/W 1^st – Leslie & Paul Patterson | 2^nd – Alison Bennie & Stella Wong
• Feb 10: 1st  - Alex Wood and Liam Walsh  | 2nd – Leslie & Paul Patterson  | 3rd – Cliff Shaw & Malcolm Todd  | 4^th – Andy Schatz & Paul Canham
• Feb 17:  1^st - Alex Wood and Liam Walsh  | 2nd – Malcolm Todd & Jennifer Woodford  | 3rd – Renee Edwards & Ernest Jehangir 
• Feb 24:   1^st – Renee Edwards & Ernest Jehangir  | 2^nd – Leslie & Paul Patterson | 3^rd – Malcolm Todd & Jennifer Woodford | 4^th – Alex Wood & Liam Walsh

Friday Sessions

• Feb 6: N/S  1st – Jennifer Woodford & Sidney Coleman | 2^nd (Tie) – Mary Boxall & Madge Ashenheim, Bug Cruickshank & Irene Camillo |  E/W 1^st – Helen & Derek Haines |  2^nd – Paul Canham & Elaine Brown | 3^rd – Andrew Jones & Tessa Johnson
• Feb 13:  N/S  1st – Bug Cruickshank & Irene Camillo | 2^nd  – Leslie & Paul Patterson | 3^rd – Andy Schatz & Shevaun Davies |  E/W 1^st – Liz Watkins & Anne Stein |  2^nd – June Williams & Berna Cummins | 3^rd – Alison Bennie & Joanne Akdeniz
• Feb 20:  N/S  1st – Bug Cruickshank & Irene Camillo | 2^nd  – Alex & Jill Wood |  3^rd – Andy Schatz & Cliff Shaw |  E/W 1^st – Rosaleen & Noel Fortune (Visitors) |  2^nd (tie) – June Williams & Berna Cummins, Gordon Bennie & Sinan Akdeniz  
• Feb 27:  N/S  1st – Jennifer Woodford & Sidney Coleman  | 2^nd  – Andy Schatz & Renee Edwards  |  3^rd– Alex & Jill Wood |  E/W 1^st – Alison Bennie & Joanne Akdeniz  |  2^nd – Noel & Rosaleen Fortune (Visitors) | 3^rd – June Williams & Berna Cummins   

Congratulations to all our winners!

Annual General Meeting Recap

At the Annual General Meeting, Chairman Claude Yonnet highlighted several achievements from the past year and shared plans for the year ahead.

Highlights from the Past Year

• The club welcomed 75 paid members and recorded over 600 tables played during the year.
• The Audrey Grant training program (Books 1, 2, and 3) continued to be a great success, with approximately 50 people learning to play bridge.
• Members enjoyed several well-attended social events, including BRINGO, Wine and Cheese, Christmas Bridge Evening with Mulled Wine and the Christmas Lunch at Grand Old House, thanks to the efforts of the Social Committee.
• A particularly successful Ash Wednesday Tournament, organized by the Social Committee and directed by Liam Walsh, was held February 18th. Due to its popularity, it will now become an annual event.
• Monday practice sessions have become a regular and valued part of the weekly bridge schedule.
• To ensure smooth game operations, the club purchased a second dealing machine and laptop, providing additional reliability for our sessions.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Claude also outlined several initiatives planned for the coming year:

• The Audrey Grant lesson program will continue to help introduce new players to the game.
• The club still hopes to construct a second bathroom at the premises, although this will need to be funded by the club as the landlord will not cover the cost.
• The club will continue its efforts to maintain and improve standards of play.
• A new system of prepaid punch cards will soon be introduced, allowing players to purchase ten games in advance for easier payment of table fees. A separate communication will be sent to all members with more details. 

2026 Committee

All eight members of the current committee offered themselves for re-election and were unanimously re-elected. The committee for 2026 will be:

• Renee Edwards
• Angela Garfinkel
• Helen Haines
• Cliff Shaw
• Alex Wood
• Jenifer Woodford
• Claude Yonnet
• Trish Yonnet

We thank the committee members for their continued dedication and service to the club.

March Schedule

Weekly sessions:

• Monday: 2:00–4:00 PM – Beginner and Advanced Beginner Duplicate
• Tuesday: 6:15 PM – Duplicate
• Thursday: 6:30–8:30 PM – Beginner and Advanced Beginner Duplicate
• Friday: 9:15 AM – Duplicate

As usual, please sign up for all sessions on RSVP Bridge.

If you have difficulty signing up or need help with your username or password, please email caymanbridgeclub@gmail.com.

Upcoming Social and Special Activities at the Club

We currently do not have any social events scheduled at the club.

If you have ideas for a social event or would like to volunteer to help plan or host an activity, please send an email to CaymanBridgeClub@gmail.com or speak with Angela Garfinkel.

Training Scheduled

We’re offering Beginner Bridge Lessons using Audrey Grant’s acclaimed books. Please share with friends and family!

Book 1 

• Sat, March 21 | Sun, March 22

• Sat, March 28 | Sun, March 29
• Time: 9:30–11:30 AM
• Cost: $200 (includes the book) 

 Book 2 

• Sat, March 21 | Sun, March 22

• Sat, March 28 | Sun, March 29
• Time: 2:00–4:00 PM
• Cost: $120 (includes the book) 

 Please email caymanbridgeclub@gmail.com to sign up for either class.

2026 Tables Played

A total of 70.25 tables were played in February 2026.  This is up from 65.25 tables played in February 2025 (same month, one year ago). 

For the year to date, our tables played is down 10%. 

Please continue to sign up to play as often as you can.  Our club appreciates each one of you and your presence at the table is missed when you don’t play! 

	2025	2026	Increase or Decrease vs Same Month Previous Year	Year to Date
January	79.5	59.75	-25%	-25%
February	65.25	70.25	+8%	-10%
Total Year to Date	144.75	130		-10%

Did You Know?

🃏 Bridge Tip #1: Count Your Losers

When you are declarer in a suit contract, try counting your losers before playing to trick one.

Look at each suit and ask: How many tricks will the opponents win if everything goes normally?

For example:

· 1 loser in spades
· 2 losers in hearts
· 1 loser in diamonds
· 0 losers in clubs

That’s four losers. Your goal is to eliminate or dispose of at least one loser — perhaps by ruffing, taking a finesse, or discarding on a long suit.

📌 Planning the hand before playing helps avoid careless mistakes.

🃏 Bridge Tip #2: Second Hand Low

When defending, remember the classic guideline:

Second hand low.

If your partner leads a suit and you are the second player to the trick, you will usually play your lowest card rather than trying to win the trick.

Declarer still has to play after you, and your partner may already have strength in the suit. By playing low, you keep your higher cards to capture tricks later.

📌 Following this simple rule will improve your defense most of the time.

🃏 Bridge Tip #3: When in Doubt, Draw Trumps

Many contracts fail because declarer delays drawing trumps too long.

Ask yourself:

Have I drawn the opponents’ trumps yet?

If not, defenders may be able to ruff your winners.

Drawing trumps early often protects your high cards and gives you better control of the hand.

📌 A helpful rule for newer players: Draw trumps first, then develop your side suits.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm.

We look forward to seeing you at

Welcome to our March newsletter! Here's what's inside:

· February Highlights & Duplicate Winners
· Annual General Meeting (AGM) Recap
· March Schedule
· Upcoming Social & Special Activities
· Training ..........

The Cayman Islands Bridge Club is offering beginner lessons at the club the last two weekends of March.

Audrey Grant Book 1

• Sat, March 21 | Sun, March 22
• Sat, March 28 | Sun, March 29
• Time: 9:30–11:30 AM
• Cost: $200 (includes the book)

The course will focus on the basic concepts of the game and ensure that you have a solid foundation in the game of Bridge.  The four lessons which will take you from sorting your hand through all the basics of bidding and play.  Sufficient elements of play and defense are introduced which will allow you to start playing Bridge right away.  After completing the Beginner's course, the club offers supervised play sessions to help you build your confidence.

Your instructor will be Claude Yonnet.  Claude uses the curriculum from the 'Audrey Grant Bridge Basics 1 - An Introduction'.  This is a perfect introduction to Bridge, providing all the basics and the essential information about the fundamental mechanics of the game. It is intended for people who have never encountered the game of Bridge and for those who need a refresher in the basics of playing Bridge!

We are also offering Book 2 lessons on the same dates, but in the afternoon.  If you've previously taken the Book 1 lessons, then consider taking Book 2!

Audrey Grant Book 2

• Sat, March 21 | Sun, March 22
• Sat, March 28 | Sun, March 29
• Time: 2:00–4:00 PM
• Cost: $120 (includes the book)

The lessons will be held at the Bridge Club:

222 Cannon Place

294 North Sound Road, Unit #222

(upstairs on the left, serviced by elevators)

Please email caymanbridgeclub@gmail.com to sign up for either class or to enquire further.

The Cayman Islands Bridge Club is offering beginner lessons at the club the last two weekends of March.

Audrey Grant Book 1

• Sat, March 21 | Sun, March 22
• Sat, March 28 | Sun, March 29
• Time: 9:30– ..........