FIDDLEHEAD BRIDGE STUDIO

SCHEDULE OF GAMES

Updated on May 6, 2023

For Wednesday evening's games, players must pre-register on line. There must be a minimum of 6 pairs (12 people, 3 full tables)

Monday afternoon 1:00 Open Pairs on site

Tuesday morning   9:30 Open Pairs on site

Tuesday evening   6:30 Rubber Bridge, open pairs

Wednesday evening 6:30 Open Pairs on site, pre-register

Thursday afternoon 1:00 Open Pairs on site

Friday morning 9:30  NEW 299er (fewer than 300 ACBL masterpoints)

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting  of the Fiddlehead Bridge Studio Inc. will be held on Thursday April 25, 2024 at 103-800 Saint Mary's Street, Fredericton NB commencing at 11:00 am.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sharon Nussey
President

The CAN-AT is now just a wonderful memory!  WHAT A TREMENDOUS TOURNAMENT!!!!   The compliments were endless.  Words cannot express how thankful the Board and George’s Committee are for the unbelievable support you all gave to this effort. You were everywhere we asked.  As members of Fiddlehead Bridge Studio we have to agree that we picked the best chairperson to chair this tournament.  George Mitchell put his heart and soul into this effort and it paid off in spades(no pun intended).  His committee should take the bows as well.

THANK-YOU!!!!

Sharon Nussey
President

Middle of April, the days are getting warmer, most of our snowbirds are back, table numbers are up at the club.  Life is good. A few reminders for you as well as some news which I will keep short.


  1.  STAC Week April 22-28th  Games will be Monday afternoon, Wednesday night, Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.  5 full tables are needed to be eligible for overall silver points.  If you intend to play on Wednesday evening please register.
  2.  AGM Thursday April 25th beginning at 11:00 AM. Please arrive a few minutes early so that we can get started sharp at 11.  Debra Reid our Nominating Chair has filled the slate of positions open for election to the Board of Directors. Offering for Member at Large is Peter Feero, Secretary is Marg. Routledge and for Treasurer Brian Hannon.  Nominations can still be accepted from the floor when each position is called.  Thanks for all the hard work Debra in securing these members to stand for the Board.   The Board has amended 2 By-Laws which need to be ratified at a membership meeting. These amendments are posted on the Bulletin Board at the club.  One is limiting the number o f years a member can be a director on the Board and the other is adding the member at large as a signing officer. An agenda has also been placed on the Bulletin Board. Other agenda items will be accepted from the floor.
  3.  The Curries and Pat Murray are retiring from purchasing the goodies for our club games, which means we need new people to volunteer for these jobs.  It  is an item on the agenda so please give some thought to volunteering.  Many thanks to Florence, Paul and Pat for doing this job over the last several years.
  4.  PLEASE WASH YOUR CUPS - DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN THE SINK FOR OTHERS TO WASH
  5.  Swiss Team Event at Codiac Club Saturday May 4th beginning at 10:00 AM - this event will give 50% red points and 50% black points.   The Codiac  Club could use our support, please think about putting together a team and heading to Moncton on May 5th. Information is posted on the bulletin board. Bring a lunch and $50.00 per team.  Our Flash Mobs will start up again in May - watch the bulletin board for sign-up sheets.

That's it for now.

Sharon Nussey
President

BBO Account setup
https://www.bridgebase.com/v3/

BBO Account Setup

BB$ buying
https://www.bridgebase.com/purchase/pay.php

BB$ Buying
 

Welcome to summer!  First of all I want to confirm that there will be a game Monday afternoon July 1st, so wear your red and white; still lots of time after the game to take in the Canada Day celebrations and the fireworks at 10:30 on the green.  This is also CANAT week in Halifax.  A number of our members will be playing and we wish them the best of luck.  You can follow their progress on ACBL Live, just key in a name in the search field.  Speaking of CANAT George Mitchell has agreed to chair the organizing committee for the 2025 CANAt back in Fredericton June 24th-29th.  Barbara Seagram has once again agreed to put on a workshop the day before the competition starts and if it was anything like last year it will be standing room only.  George has placed a volunteer sheet on the bulletin board at the club.  I know it is hard to know what you will be doing next June, but if you think you can help out sign your name.  If you are not at the club very often you can send him an email at georgemitchell@rogers.com.

Thanks to those of you who attended out AGM on April 25th.  For those of you who could not make it the President's Report and the 2023 Financial Statements are on the website in the "Members Only section. Welcome to our new board members - Marg Routledge as Secretary, Brian Hannon as Treasurer and Peter Feero as Member at Large. If you have any items you would like discussed at a board meeting please let one of them know as well as Peter or me.

The social event of the year is about to take place at West Hills Golf Course on Sunday July 7th.  Kathy Greenbank and Annie Higgins had the brilliant idea to organize a Fiddlehead Scramble Golf Tournament as we have so many members who play golf.  There is a sign up sheet at the club if you want to join the fun - whether you play golf or not all are welcome. Again if you are not at the club much and want to partake please contact Kathy at tkgreenbank@gmail.com. I hear there are prizes and a 19th hole party afterward. Thanks to Kathy and Annie for spearheading this event.

As I am sure most of you have noticed our much improved Library thanks to Sharon Cupples.  Sharon wants to let members know that if you want advice on what book might be best for you, she is always available to answer questions.  When returning books can you please deposit them in the box beside to bookcase so that Sharon can return them to the self in the appropriate location.

We have changed the process for ordering Name Tags, Payment is to be made when you order instead of when you receive it. If you have placed your name on the order sheet but have not paid for it yet please send an e-transfer to fiddlehead142@gmail.com,  putting name tag in the message box, or give your money to the game director when you come to play.  I will be placing an order shortly.

While we all very much appreciate the delicious treats members bring to the games, some of them are hard to eat and can be messy leading to sticky cards (which the dealing machine does not like)  and sticky table cloths.  The Board would like to restrict the treats to cookies, baked goods no icing and those that do not require plates and forks to eat.  Thanks very much for your cooperation.

NAOP Qualifying games on Monday July 8th and Wednesday evening July 10th. Red points up for grabs and a chance to move on to the district playoffs where gold points are available.

And last the Board wants to remind everyone that we have game directors for a reason. They are they to be called to the table for any reason anyone at the table sees the need.  It doesn't always have to be a bidding or playing question, it could be disturbance around or near your table that is detracting you.  Please let the directors solve the problems.

See you at the bridge table or on the golf course!

Sharon Nussey
President

Happy February everyone.  First month of 2024 in the rear view mirror.  Before we look ahead to what is happening at Fiddlehead Bridge Studio let's take a moment to look back to 2023 and congratulate our members who won the Unit 230 ACBL Races and we had a few of them! For a full list of their categories have a look on the website in the lower left hand corner or if you are at the club on the Bulletin Board: Debra Reid, Peter Coates, George Colter, Garnet Demerchant, Helen Chenier and Sabina Keenan, George and Cathy Thompson, Bob Melles.  WELL DONE FIDDLEHEADERS!!

Now back to 2024.  Our first StaC will be held February 12-18 with games on Monday afternoon, Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon.  We were originally going to hold this in March but February promises to be a much bigger event with many more silver points available if you do well compared to the other players outside the club. Remember at least 3 tables must compete to be eligible for the larger award so be sure to come out on Wednesday evening.  Thanks to Evelyn's pre-dealers for dealing these games.

The Board is already planning for the AGM to be held on Thursday April 25th. Debra Reid has agreed to be the Nominating Committee Chair. We encourage any member who is interested in any position to contact Debra. She will be sending a note in the next couple of weeks to the membership detailing the nominating process and how to get involved. Please give consideration for letting your name stand for any Board position.

There is still time to renew your 2024 membership if you have not done so already.  E-transfers can be sent to Fiddlehead142@gmail.com:Fiddlehead142@gmail.com>.  There is no longer a need for a security question.  To the virtual players who play under the Fiddlehead banner we hope that you will keep your membership current. So if you have not renewed yet, please do.  Kudos to Lorna Johnson and her mentoring as well as Eileen Tranquilla and her lessons - together they have encouraged 23 new people to take out a membership in our club.

If you have been to the club lately you will have seen a new bookcase with books appearing and disappearing.  Sharon Cupples has graciously agreed to become our new Librarian. She has been busy culling some of the very old books we have and stocking the shelves with books she has donated and the Board has purchased.  If you have any bridge books you no longer want that are current we would love to add them to our shelves.  Sharon will be doing an inventory so if you have borrowed any books please return them so she can catalogue them.

Two other members who have stepped up recently to take on volunteer roles are Drew Steeves and Chris Mabey.  Drew will be our new Facebook administrator.  Andrew Perry is taking a well deserved rest from this role.  Many thanks to Andrew for being key to our Facebook start up and being the administrator for the last 2 years. Chris is a new member who has been keen to get involved. He is a pre-dealer with Evelyn's group and has agreed to apprentice under Bob Fisher to learn the website.

One role where new volunteers are critically needed is being a director- No cost to you - books are provided and the club pays for the exam (open book).  Please speak to one of our present directors for more information if you have any interest at all.  We know everyone wants to play, but we need directors to run these games.  The more we have the less you have to do.  Winter is a  particularly difficult time, so if you don't travel to warmer climates - WE NEED YOU!

More Lessons on the way with Eileen - in March she will start a series on Defense, $90.00 for members and $120.00 for non- members.  More details once dates are confirmed.  Spread the word to any of your bridge friends who might benefit from Eileen's knowledge.

Mentoring is still going strong on Wednesday mornings, always good information shared and don't forget the 299er game on Friday morning.

And last but certainly not least St. Patrick's Day is coming and we need a volunteer to chair the luncheon committee. Please speak to one of the board members if you are interested.

See you at the Bridge table

Sharon Nussey
President

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING 

 

On Thursday October 5th at noon, there will be a Special Meeting to vote on the motion to relocate the Fiddlehead Bridge Studio to Suite 104. Please make every effort to attend. 

 

Sharon Nussey

President

Fiddlehead Bridge Studio 

If you are a visitor please email our partnership chair

If you are a member looking for a full time partner, please post this on our bulletin board

If you are looking for a temporary partner please follow the instructions below;

After you have completed your password re-set via your email, you can now request a partner:

1. Go to Fiddlehead Bridge Studio site (via Google or however you have the site saved)

2. Type in your email address and password. 

3. Select the "membership" tab from the menu on the left side. This will take you to the request partner page.

4. Check your email box and check the date  (scroll down or use your down arrow after clicking on the page, to see your dates) for which you request a partner THEN HIT "CONFIRM". 

5. This will automatically place your name etc as requesting a partner, on the "request a partner" page.

6. If someone contacts you to play, go back into the membership page and de-select your request by un-checking the box and then click "CONFIRM".

7. Before you request a partner, go to the membership page and see if someone is already looking for a partner for that day

FIDDLEHEAD IS ON THE MOVE! At the Special Meeting held October 5th those in attendance voted unanimously in favour of relocating the club to Suite 104, the recently vacated space across the back hall. There were also 7 positive proxy votes. Peter Coates the Board Vice President is chairing a Moving Committee whose role it will be to make recommendations to the Board on how the new space should be configured along with any construction suggestions. The members of this committee are Lorna Johnson, Melanie Wood, Sharon Cupples, Drew Steeves and Mike Whelton.  Thanks to these  members and we look forward to your suggestions. Construction is expected to happen in late October early November, with no potential move-in date yet.

On Saturday October 14th Fiddlehead Bridge Studio had a booth at the Healthy Living Expo held at Leo Hayes High School.  From all reports it was a huge success with many people stopping to inquire about bridge and to pick up a promotional brochure.  Thanks to Suzanne L and Mike Whelton for setting up and to Marc Griffiths, George Mitchell, Ruth Hawkes and George Jeffery for staffing the booth and doing such a great job of telling our story.  We had one gentleman from Saturday sit in on our Flash Mob on Sunday.

On Friday October 13th  about 20 of us headed to Florenceville for a delicious buffet lunch and an afternoon of bridge at On the Boardwalk.  Thanks to Clare McCain and Ginny Macdonald for looking after all the arrangements. Pat Murray and George Jeffery came home with a bottle of wine.

October 18th is a Pot-luck Luncheon at the club to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Mentoring Program. All members are welcome to attend, a sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board.  The lunch will begin at 12:30.  Make a morning of it and attend the Mentoring class as well which starts at 9:30

More celebrations to come at the end of the month on October 26th beginning at 11:30 with our annual Ed Griffin Memorial Luncheon and game.  Sarah Grey is chairing the organizing committee who have the traditional Chili, salads and rolls on the menu.  This game will also be an Upgraded Club Championship so more points awarded.

Don't forget our 299er game which happens every Friday at 9:30.  Most of these games until the end of the year will be Upgraded Club Championships so a great chance to collect those Masterpoints.

Our membership at Fiddlehead remains very strong with nearly 180- however we sure would like to see more of you out to the games.  Our table numbers have been down over the last few months- we hope that through the fall many of you will return to F2F bridge.  For those of you interested in Masterpoints almost all the games until the end of the year will award additional points.

See you at the Bridge Table

Sharon Nussey
President

Updates on ACBL’s Alert Procedures

Announcement changes:

Jump-Shifts:

     DO NOT ALERT:

• Any NATURAL jump shifts (especially in an uncontested auction) whether they are strong, weak or intermediate.
• Direct cuebid or jump for a Michaels bid is NOT alerted.  If the direct cuebid shows anything other than Michaels or Unusual 2NT they MUST be alerted.

     DO ALERT

• Jump in other minor for inverted minors (limit raise), or jump in other major for a limit raise, fit-showing jumps, and Bergen raises.

Support Doubles and Redoubles are NO LONGER Alertable

            ***NOTE Experienced players using Support Doubles should still explain to a newish player that the double is NOT penalty and shows 3-card support for partner’s major.  Many new players do not know what a ‘Support double’ is and may get confused.

2♣ Opening Bids - If partnership agreement is that a 2♣ opening bid may be based on one long suit or just 9+ tricks it MUST be alerted.  No alert required for normal 22+ points (or hands with more winners than losers).

And now the detailed version

The ACBL Board of Directors unanimously approved a comprehensive update to the ACBL Alert Procedure at their November meeting, the first major overhaul in 20 years. The new procedures go into effect Jan. 1, 2021. The full document is available here.

Bridge has never been a game of secret agreements. Your opponents are entitled to know just as much about what your bids mean as you do. Alerts have always been about making that process easier. Whether or not a call requires an Alert, you have an obligation to explain all of your partnership understandings related to that call upon the request of an opponent.

Pre-Alerts

The first changes are at the beginning of the round. As before, you must pre-Alert the opponents if you play canape methods or different systems depending on seat or vulnerability (but not just because you play different ranges for opening 1NT). Additionally you now are required to pre-Alert if you play a system that includes at least one one-level opening bid that is not natural or that is forcing. This can be as simple as saying, “We play a strong club” or “We play 1♣ could be short.” You are no longer required to pre-Alert if you lead low from small doubletons. However, if you play this, it must be included in your answer when a declarer asks about your leads and carding.

Alert changes

The new Alert procedure starts from the principle that natural calls are not Alerted, and that artificial calls are Alerted. It then gives the deviations from that principle, spelling out the natural calls that must be Alerted (for example, a response to a one-level opening bid that is not forcing), and the artificial calls that do not require Alerts (for example, Stayman). The most common calls that have had their Alertability changed are as follows:

·        In an uncontested auction, no natural jumpshift (whether weak, intermediate or strong) requires an Alert.

·        A direct cuebid that is not Michaels (showing both majors over a minor, or a major and an unspecified minor over a major) requires an Alert.

·        Support doubles and redoubles no longer require an Alert.

·        An opening 2♣ bid that does not meet the definition of Very Strong requires an Alert. (This tends to apply to partnerships who agree to open 2♣ on hands with good playing strength, but many fewer high cards than normal. See the Convention Chart for the exact definition to see if it applies to you.)

Announcement changes

There were also a few changes to Announcements, with the biggest change for transfers. Instead of saying the word “transfer,” the Announcement is now the name of the suit being transferred to. For example, in the auction 1NT–2♥, where partner’s 2♥ showed spades, instead of Announcing “transfer,” you will now Announce “spades.”

This Announcement is used in any situation where your partner is showing length in a specific other suit, as well as for doubles or redoubles that show the next suit up. For example, if you play that 2♠ shows clubs in the auction 1NT–2♠, then you would announce “clubs.” However, if you play that 2♠ shows either minor in the auction 1NT–2♠, then you must say “Alert,” even if the 1NT opener is expected to always bid clubs.

An example of the rule for doubles is if you play that after a 1♣ opening is overcalled with 1♦, that a double shows hearts (and says nothing about spades as a traditional negative double would), then you would announce “hearts” when your partner doubled. Traditional negative doubles are never Alerted or Announced.

Instead of saying “could be short” for a non-forcing minor-suit opening that might contain fewer than three cards, you must say the minimum number of cards in the suit, as in “Could be one.”

If you have the agreement to routinely bypass a four-card spade suit to bid a forcing or semi-forcing 1NT over 1♥, then you add “could have four spades” to the “forcing” or “semiforcing” Announcement. This is most likely applicable to pairs playing Flannery.

Delayed Alerts

The rules for delayed Alerts have slightly changed, with the main difference being that at the end of the auction, the declaring side should explain any delayed Alerts and point out any control bids that were made during the auction without a requirement for the defense to ask about them. By having the declaring side explain these calls without prompting, there should be fewer cases of the person not on lead asking about calls before they should.

Learning curve

In any time of change, there will be people who make honest mistakes trying to apply the new rules, and there are no automatic penalties for making a mistake. As with the old rules, be guided by the principle that the goal of the Alert procedure is to let the opponents know what you play.

On the home page:

Go to "calendar" and it will show you who needs a partner for the entire month, or at least for all of the scheduled games within the month, once the game director schedule is updated.

Insufficient Bid!

If you make an Insufficient bid, do not rush to change it. You have options and you also have restrictions. Call the Director and have him/her outline your options. The opponents do not have the option to tell you what to do.

Director Please!

Many players are hesitant to call the Director because they feel they are "ratting out" their opposition. The role of the Director is to ensure equity in the game. Please remember everyone in the room is, actually, playing everyone else in the room, so the Director has to ensure that there is no unfair advantage on any given hand that might benefit or penalize the other players in the room. Therefore, call the Director when there is any irregularity. BTW, the correct way to summon the Director is to put your hand in the air and say " director please".

Claims and Concessions:

If, as declarer, you can see that you will definitely win all the remaining tricks, or a definite number of the remaining tricks, please claim, but in doing so remember that you must make a statement as to how you will play the rest of the hand, and this must include a reference to how you will handle any trumps still held by the defenders (otherwise they can argue that you had forgotten they were still out). Equally, as defender, if it’s totally obvious that your side will win (or lose) the last, say, two or three tricks, please make a claim (or concession). Remember a claim is not a simple show of your hand and stating that you have the remainder of the tricks!

Be Aware

We all occasionally encounter situations where we are not sure what partner’s bidding means. There exists an added responsibility if that uncertainty arises from a convention you and your partner have agreed to play. In these situations, you should tell your opponents all you know. Sometimes, the director will even ask you or your partner to step away from the table so that the opponents can talk openly with the remaining player. The actively ethical player does everything possible in these situations to bring his opponents back to even terms to remove any possible disadvantage accruing to them from his side’s failure to have a complete conventional understanding.   

Ghost Busters.

If you notice any irregularity in your score the Director is the person to call. From the Director you will receive instructions on how the game score will be corrected, if that need be.

There will always be occasions when you have a particularly difficult hand, or something goes wrong and you have to call the director and end up finishing boards late.  However, consistent slow play to the extent of repeatedly holding up the next table or the pair following is not fair on them, and can result in the spoiling of their game.  They are usually rushed to make up the time you lost.

To help speed things up:

1.  Arrive in good time to allow the director sufficient time to set up the game.

2.  If you are on lead, please make your lead before writing the contract down on your card; if dummy, put down your hand before writing down the contract.

3.  Keep discussions of the hand just played until after all the boards are played at your table, and then only if there is sufficient time.

4.  Try to keep to a reasonable speed for your bidding and play.  You are allowed 15 minutes for two board rounds and 20 minutes for three board rounds.

5.  If you finish a round late, please make every effort to catch up during the next one; as Audrey Grant says, if you can't play well, at least play fast!

When you registered as a member of our club and provided us with your email, it was with the implied agreement that you would accept occasional email from our club keeping you up-to-date of club news and notices from someone responding to your partner request and forgotten password reset.

If you no longer wish to receive email from our club please use the UNSUBSCRIBE option on the email you have received. Do not use the JUNK option.

If people use the JUNK option, your email provider may block all email coming from BridgeWebs for all members of all clubs that use that email provider.

If you can't find any email from us, please check your junk mail folder. If email from our club is in your junk mail folder please add members@bridgewebsemail.com to your contacts list. If this doesn't allow future email from our club to appear in your inbox, please contact us.

Thank You