We wish all our members a very happy Christmas

To facilitate the safe return to playing bridge in our centre the TCCBC have arranged to enhance the air filtration system. This has now been done.

Knocklyon Bridge club would like to thank the TCCBC Trustees and management committee for supporting the Clubs return to live bridge.

The Committee has decided, in view of the escalating number of Covid cases in the community to postpone a return to live bridge for the time being.  We also want to have a pre-booking/payments system in place before a resumption of live bridge.

If you haven't already done so, please make sure that you return a copy of your covid certificate, mobile number and CBAI number to covidknocklyon@gmail.com, or if you have contracted covid, proof that you are now fully recovered.  Only members who have made the necessary returns will be allowed to play in the Centre when bridge is resumed.  Meanwhile we will continue to offer a full range of online games to suit all grades of players.

We have now progressed to playing 5 competitions a night.  Please note that each competition begins at a different time on a staggered basis.  Please note the time that your competition starts at and ensure that you are logged into BBO and ready to start at that time.  The Open competition begins at 7.20 and the other competitions begin at 5 minute staggered intervals thereafter, with the Beginners having an 7.40 start.  If you're not online at the start time you will be blocked from the competition.

Also, remember that in order to play in the competitions you must have registered your name with us.  You are welcome to invite guests to play, but remember that you must also have registered their names with us, otherwise thay cannot play.  To register names please email the details, i.e. name, username, mobile, CBAI No and email address to knocklyonbridgeonline@gmail.com before 5pm on a Monday to enable that person to play on that Monday night.

CBAI have informed us that due to the closure of the Bridge Centre and the loss of bridge due to Covid19 that Masterpoints will continue during the summer period.  We will be noting and adding your Masterpoints for online competitions to your totals and they will be added on by our Masterpoints Sec.  The points accrued in online games will be converted to the system that we use and will be reflected in your scores at the end of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd9KLhFWlGU

If you wish to place youir bidding system into chat on BBO, Please wait until the new cards have been dealt before you put up your bidding system; otherwise your text will not be seen by your opponents.

Many members are using a tablet for online bridge.  Tablets are set by factory default to go into sleep mode after 2 minutes in order to preserve battery life.  If you don't change that setting you are in constant danger of your tablet "going to sleep" and logging you out of BBO.  To prevent that happening, go into settings and access Display and Brightness.  From the menu in the right hand pane (iPad) click on Auto-Lock and change the setting from 2 minutes to 15.  A similar command will be available on an Android tablet.  Again change the Auto-Lock time to 15 minutes or more.  This will prevent your tablet from going into sleep mode because you haven't been active on it for a few minutes and thus you won't be constantly getting logged out of BBO.

Here is the CBAI Annual Newsletter for 2020. In keeping with the theme of the year, it is in digital rather than physical format.  To access the newsletter or the Code of Conduct simply click on the text in red and the link will take you to the article.

We would draw your attention to the CBAI Code of Conduct, which applies equally to the online game as it does

      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, a member of Knocklyon Bridge Club;

Our Charity Night on December 16th raised €2,212 for the President's charity, Sophia Housing.  This was a great fundraiser and we thank most sincerely our members for their great generosity and also we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the members who donated prizes for the raffle.  Thank you to one and all.  Pictured is John McEvoy from Sophia receiving the cheque from President Matt Reville

We are trialling a Joker System for the summer months.  If you know that your partner will not be available for play on a particular Monday evening and you would like to play, please volunteer to act as Joker and  put your name, section and mobile number in the Joker Book, which will be left at the top of the room.  Members who wish to play and who don't have a partner for a particular evening are invited to let Committee know by submitting an email note to the website.  Please click on the link Membership.  Fill in your name and in the message area indicate that you need a partner and a date.  You will receive an acknowledgement by return.  This action needs to be taken in good time for us to act, i.e. not a half hour before play!  If it is possible to match you up with a Joker you will be notified by email or mobile.  This system will only work with the full co-operation of members, in entering their names to volunteer as Joker and in using the email system to contact the website.

Members, who offer their services and play as Joker, will have a "free" game that evening, i.e. they will not be charged table money.  If the system works during the summer months we shall continue it into the new year commencing in September.

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  Donnelly Cup Presentation
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  OBoyle Cup Presentation
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  Stephenson Cup Presentation

The First major competition of the year took place over two weeks in October.  Every grade in the club took part.  Prizes were awarded in every category.  I wish to particularly commend our Beginners who participated in large numbers in the O'Boyle Cup.  They acquitted themselves very well.  Already we can discern the emergence of a few future Master players in that group.  Congratulations to all the winners and our thanks too to Brian Lalor and Bernard Higgins, our Tournament Directors.

Winners

Stephenson Cup 2019: Ailbhe Mealy & Ann O'Connell

Donnelly Cup 2019:  Rosaleen Carvill & Nuala Nally

O'Boyle Cup:  Deirdre Murray & Joe O'Rourke

Knocklyon Bridge Club was founded in 1977.  In 2000 we moved into the newly purpose-built TCCBC.  Many of our founding members still play in our Club.

We run 3 major competitions throughout the year.  These are 2-week events and restricted to paid up members of Knocklyon Bridge Club.

Knocklyon Bridge Club is affiliated to the CBAI