The BMB video, on Hand Evaluation,  that was originally scheduled for this coming Saturday (15 Nov)  will now be run on Saturday 29 November.

It will start at 10.00 and run for about two hours. Free to all members.

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Congratulations to Anne O’Reilly & Sheila Rafter who won the DNR Maureen Meade Pairs competition, which was held on Saturday. They are pictured here with Patricia Quigley, DNR President and Joan Meade.

Well done also to Catherine Smyth and Margaret Cure who finished 2nd and Catherine Deegan and Nora Weafer who were placed 4th.  

A special mention also to Martin Smyth and Luke MacKeogh, who joined the club recently. Martin and Luke were placed 4th in the their first DNR Novice competition. Well done to them and to all the Novices that took part.

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Noreen Carey

I first met Noreen away back in the 70s. We were playing bridge or should I say trying to play bridge, in the North County Bridge Club.  Like the other clubs in Malahide at that time we were rather homeless. Then Willie Kehoe floated the notion 'lets build our own clubhouse'. Noreen and many more of us supported the idea enthusiastically and the rest is history.  

She was a good Bridge player and while she brought such fun to the table with her great sense of humour she never gave a trick away. 

Of the many tributes paid to Noreen at the time of her passing,  this one describes her well, 'generous,  warm, intelligent, sharp as a tack, the very best storyteller, super cook and all round excellent human'.

May She Rest in Peace. 

Doris Mooney.

Board 17 on Monday morning, the 27th of October, is a hand I am kicking myself over. Nevertheless, it reinforces a point I know and should have employed just before I started to play, namely THINK.

Sitting North with 11 points, 5 spades and non vul I decided I had 1 chance to bid, so I opened 1 NT in the hopes of pre-empting the opps. (I can’t open 1 spade, as I have no rebid….playing 4 card majors, 1 s, 2s, would be ok)

Maureen sitting East, with a lovely shapely hand and 12 points, correctly bids 2 hearts (multi Landy, showing 5 of the major and an unspecified minor)

My partner Helena, sitting South now has a dilemma; she knows we have some game, but what is it? She has some options here, as a bid at the 3 level in our system is now a game force. (We can use Lebensohl if we just want to compete) However, she decided with the Jack of hearts in her hand which is a half stop, to bid 3NT.

At this point Maureen’s partner Patricia, with only 3 points is silenced, so here I am in 3NT.

When Helena’s hand went down on the table, I must confess I felt some indignation…..imagine putting me into 3 NT with 3 hearts to the Jack! She doesn’t even know I have the Ace! etc etc. Then I thought well I have to take some of the blame bidding 1 NT with 11 points. It’s really my own fault. Sure enough I went down 2 giving the girls a top. Sad, but even sadder when I looked at the sheet and discovered, there were 10 tricks available to me. How?

Well instead of occupying my mind with pointless self pity at the start, I should have planned. Maureen led a low heart and Patricia went up with the Queen. I held up and held up again when Patricia returned a heart to Maureen’s King and then Maureen played another heart taking my Ace and Helena’s Jack at the same time. What I should have done of course, was to take Patricia’s Queen with the Ace, recognizing that Maureen would hardly have bid hearts without at least 1 honour in her hand. Therefore Helena’s Jack is now a stopper in the heart suit.

If I take my heart Ace at trick 1, I now play on the spades till the Ace is played. Maureen can play her king of hearts if she likes but now my Jack is good. So I get 2 hearts, 4 spades and 3 diamonds, maybe 4 diamonds or a club, for 9 or 10 tricks. I’m a dope!

Incidentally holding up the Ace often IS the correct play as you are hoping to cut communication between the opposition hands, but in this instance it was incorrect. The trick is to identify the different situations.

Most pairs played this contract in 2 spades by South. (South opens 1 NT and North transfers them to spades.) I can’t understand how they finish there though. If my partner opens 1NT, I will transfer and then invite by bidding 2 NT. Helena will bid 3NT with 14 points but only 2 spades. So we will end up in the same place anyway.

Mary Deane

Our Congress is on in the Grand Hotel from Friday February 27th to Sunday March 1st.

There are events for all categories and we would like to see as many Malahide members as possible supporting this.

♠ ♥  Save those dates to ensure you're available to Play ♦ ♣ 

Following the AGM on 22nd May and subsequent Council meeting the following are the council members for 2025/6.

President - Anthony McMackin,

Bar Manager - Patricia Brennan.

Social Secretary - Mary Culligan.

Secretary - Catherine Deegan.

Treasurer - Niall Duffy.

Facilities Officer - Kathy Murphy.

Technology Officer - Eilish Timoney.

Tournaments Officer - Nora Weafer.

The following is one of the items on the Smart Card Information Tab.

How do I check my balance.

If you make any purchase at the bar using your Smart Card you will get a receipt with your balance on it.

You can also go to the Bar with your Smart Card and ask the Bar Person for the balance or for a list of recent transactions. 

You can also get it online through the Smart Club Cloud App (which you can download to your phone) - Click on Smart Card - then on the page which appears click on the three rectangles on the top right of the screen.  These will then allow you to view your Transaction History.

You can logon to SmartClubCloud | Login Page - Go to the Top Up Icon - Scroll down through that and you will see a Transaction History Tab. Fill in the details and this will show your transaction History.

To login online your username will be in the form firstname.surname.number - e.g. joe.soap.567 and you should have set up your own password.