As of December 6 2024

The Holiday Season is well underway and with the snow yesterday perhaps we will have a white Christmas after a number of green ones over the last several years.  December is a busy month at Fiddlehead Bridge Studio and this message will tell you all you need to know to take part in all that is planned.


  1.  Christmas Party:  Maureen Murphy has reconstituted her team from last year with a couple of new recruits. Thanks to her team the Studio has that festive look.  December 12th is the party date starting at 11:30. Savory and Sweet finger foods will be served.  Sign up sheets are on the bulletin board if you haven't indicated what you will bring.  The sheets will be there until after the Tuesday game. If you are not a the club before then and will be bringing something, just respond to the email with your donation and I will forward to Maureen.  This year the Charity chosen by the committee is 12 Neighbours.  A basket will be on the Directors desk for donations.  If you would like a tax receipt be sure to include your name and address if giving cash or with this information on your cheque.  Initially the committee had suggested we change up the game a bit by choosing partners rather that playing with your own partner if you wanted.  Maureen and her team sensed there were reservations about this idea and not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable or worse not come to the party, they have decided not to "scramble" the pairings. Maybe another year.  The Board and Maureen's team hope everyone will join us on the 12th even if you don't intend to play in the afternoon.  Come meet your fellow members, have some good food and raise a glass to celebrate the season.
  2.  New Year's Eve Social: Keeping with the holiday theme, the Board approached Drew Steeves who runs the Social game on Tuesday evening to see if his group would be interested in Fiddlehead members joining them for a New Year's Eve event.  Looking for something to do New Year's Eve that doesn't include buying an expensive ticket, dressing up and dancing - come over to the club at 6:30, bring your wives, husbands, partners to enjoy an evening of relaxed bridge, other card/board games all for the regular fee of $5.00. You'll be home well in time for the fireworks. Food will be provided but we ask you to bring your own libations.  Please sign up so Drew has an idea of how much food to buy.  If you aren't at the club you can respond to this email with your intentions and I will add your name to the list.   This will be a great opportunity to meet the social players who have been wonderful supporters of our club.
  3.  Stardust Week: December 16-22nd  all games will award 25% gold points.
  4.  Website: Over the last several months the Board has been working with Chris Mabey to give the website a facelift and we are ready to launch the new version.  December 28 and 29 Chris will be converting the new version and the website will not be available, but come Monday morning (December 30th) you will be able to see the new and improved site. We are anxious to hear what you think.  There is a "contact us" page where you can send us your comments.
  5.  Facebook:  As you may have noticed posting to Facebook has resumed.  Thanks to the generous donation of Andrew Perry we are employing the individual who does all of Andrew's social media and I am pleased to report that over the last 3 months the traffic has exponentially increased. If you haven't been on Facebook for a while, come back, post, like and share to spread the word about Fiddlehead.
  6.  Lessons and Mentoring: Beginning January 11th from 9-11 Sharon Cupples will be giving "Defense in the 21st Century "  This is an 8 week course, $90.00 for Fiddlehead members and $110.00 for non-members.  If you are interested please register with Sharon directly at sharoncupples@gmail.com:sharoncupples@gmail.com>. She needs 8 participants in order to proceed with the course.  If any of you have this Defense book and are willing to lend your copy for this course Sharon would like to hear from you.  Wednesday mentoring continues to draw great crowds and a second session is well underway - Mentoring Plus on Saturday from 12:30-3:30 . Both of these programs are $6.00. If you are looking to improve your game, practice a bit, learn from our top players this is the place for you! Lorna and her team would love to see you.
  7.  Hospice: In case you have not heard - the generosity of members at the Ed Griffin Memorial Luncheon and Game was incredible - a donation of $4,000.00 was made to Hospice in Ed's name. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and our Manager Carol Airst we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and may 2025 bring you joy, good health, and warm friendships.

Sharon Nussey
President

Welcome to the Fiddlehead Bridge Studio, 800 St Marys Street, Fredericton, the friendly place in Fredericton for everything bridge from casual to fully competitive. We have our own facility with lots of free parking, offering 6 games a week for all levels as well as lessons and mentoring by certified instructors.

Social Bridge, Mentoring and our Friday morning game do not require partners. Partners are needed for our Duplicate Open Pairs games; if you need one, we will make every effort to find you one. Once a month usually on Sundays we have a team game where the director makes up the teams so that everyone has a chance to win.

And if bridge wasn’t enough, we have coffee and tea (bottomless cup) and treats at every game all for $.50. Social events are held throughout the year.

Please come join us whether you are a newbie to the game, been away for a while and want to get back into the game, just moved here and want to continue playing bridge as well as meet new people – everyone is welcome!  Looking for more information? Please contact me; I’d love to hear from you. Bridge is fun stimulating and social – come check us out!

Sharon Nussey
President (sbnussey@outlook.com)

♠ ♥ Play Of The Hand ♦ ♣ 

Click here to see our poster

Please join us for our latest class, "Play of the Hand," the second book in Audrey Grant's Bridge series. This course focuses on critical techniques like finessing, promoting winners, and trumping losers, helping you develop a solid game strategy.

Whether you’re new to Bridge or looking to refine your skills, our expert instructor, Eileen Tranquilla, will ensure a supportive and engaging learning experience.
 

Class Details:

• Start Date: Beginning Saturday, November 2, 2024

• Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

• Number of Classes: 8

• Cost:

  • $90 for Fiddlehead Bridge Studio Members

  • $110 for Non-Members

  • $15 per Individual Class

Why Join?

• Foundational Learning: This course will deepen your understanding of key strategies for playing hands, building on your existing knowledge.

• Ideal for All Levels: Beginners and returning players alike will find valuable insights.

• Convenient Schedule: Enjoy weekend morning classes designed to fit into your busy life.

Secure your spot today and prepare to excel at your next Bridge game!

For more information and to register, contact Eileen.

 ♠ ♥ Mentoring Plus Program ♦ ♣ 

Click here to see our poster

Join us for our new Mentoring Plus program, a fun and educational weekly event designed to enhance your bridge skills! The program kicks off with a 30-minute chalk talk on various bridge topics, encouraging player participation in an open forum setting.

Following the discussion, we’ll dive into a non-sanctioned game focused on learning to be competitive. Each player will receive a token to redeem for a question to the teacher during the game—use it wisely!

After each hand, you'll have the opportunity to review the contracts and outcomes of other pairs with the help of Travelers. The back of each Traveler will feature a suggested auction and result, curated by our expert teachers.

Class Details:

• Start Date: Beginning Saturday, September 14, 2024

• Time: 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

• Cost: $6

• Instructors: 

  • Lorna Johnson: bridgeplayer64@gmail.com | Cell: 506-470-7732

  • Evelyn Richards: Evelyn.Richards@gmail.com

• Location: 800 St Mary's Unit 3, St Fredericton NB  E3G 8S8

We encourage you to bring a partner, but a standby player will be available if needed.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to sharpen your bridge skills in a supportive and engaging environment. See you at the table! ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 

Monday – Open Pairs 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Partner required)

Tuesday – Open Pairs 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Partner required)

Tuesday – Social Bridge 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM (No Partner required|) For more info contact Drew Steeves steevesdd@gmail.com

Wednesday – Open Pairs 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM (Partner required)

Thursday – Open Pairs 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Partner required)

Friday – 299er Open Pairs 9:30 AM -12:30 AM  No partner required; players with fewer than 300 ACBL masterpoints or Non-ACBL members)

Bridge Mentoring Wednesday 9:30, for more information contact Lorna Johnson bridgeplayer64@gmail.com

Beginning Bridge Saturday 9:00-11:00, for more information contact Eileen Tranquilla ebtranquilla@bellaliant.net

FBS Board of Directors 2024

President: Sharon Nussey

Vice President: Peter Coates

Treasurer: Brian Hannon

Secretary: Marg Routledge

Member at Large: Peter Feero

Several people have commented that it's hard to find the "find a partner" feature on our web site. Here is a way that works.

Sign in to the Fiddlehead web site.

Click on "Members Only" on the right near the top

A new page pops up with a tab near the top left labelled "Find a partner".

Scroll down in the lower section to find the date(s) you are interested in.

Check the "PR" Box for the dates you wish to play and check other boxes above with your contact information.

Finally, remember to click the "Confirm" button at the top to update your wishes.

The tab "Bookings" gives a list of all players registered at the moment for each date. At the top left is a note to use Calendar to make a booking. There are actually two Calendar tabs "Calendar" and "Calendar Month".

You must now use "Calendar Month" to make a booking.

1. Use the left and right arrows at the top of the monthly calendar to get to the month you want

2. Mouse over the date you are interested in and a box saying "Booking Required" will pop up for games not already played

3. Click on the little calendar in the box and a listing of those registered will appear along with a space for your Fiddlehead sign in credentials

4. Fill in your credentials and click "check" at the bottom of the box.

5. Your name will appear and space to add your partner's name and an option to choose a preferred direction 

6. Click on the appropriate tab at the bottom to add or remove a booking, to remember your login or to cancel if nothing needs changing

7. We have removed the wait -listing option. Please keep checking to see if you can register within the max of 22 pairs.