| Congratulations to our 2024 Teams Winners |
2024 Open Team Winners
Bas Bolt, Gail McCombie, Pat Clark, Helen Fisher
Runners up
Lewis Seychell, Colin Manley, John Bentley, Whalley Robin
2024 Norma Gowing Handicap Winners
Betty McPhail, Marita Scroope, Imogen von Muenchhausen, Ian Wright
Runners up
Miriam Dayhew, Peter Dayhew, Stephanie Litchfield, Eva Crow
♥ Presentations to follow at our Christmas lunch 6th December ♥
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| As Yuletide Approaches 😊 |
 It's not all hard work...
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| Do you have less than 100 Masterpoints? |
If you are one of over 30 of our club members yet to reach 100 masterpoints (Bronze Regional rank) you can test yourself against the rest of NSW by playing in Bridge NSW's Under 100 Masterpoints event.
This will be held in our Club rooms on Wednesday 27 November with a 1:00 pm start time. Table fee is the usual $7.00
This event will be graded for 10, 25, 50 and 100 masterpoints.
Prizes on offer here include cash, certificates, and subscriptions to the online Novice Edition of the Australian Bridge magazine.
Please put your name and that of your partner, on the whiteboard at the Club. If more convenient, or you need a partner, click anywhere here to let us know.
There's no pressure and we hope that you will find this event interesting, educational and don't forget, FUN!.
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| Vale Stuart Edwards 4th November 2024 |
♠
It with sadness that we record the passing of Stuart Edwards, ABF No. 1094335 and club member since January 2018
Messages of condolence may be left with the notice of service (click here).
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| Back to Cooma Congress |
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For all those who missed the return of the Monaro Bridge Club congress at Cooma, you missed a great event held in the Cooma Car Club premises.
Nothing escaped the attention of the organisers in setting up this event, from the environment to catering - let alone the bridge smoothly directed by Sebastian Yuen.
Bas, Rob, Miriam, Peter, Imogen, Ian, Jen, Greg, Steph, Vicki, Heather and Dianne may not have shared the limelight this time, but we enjoyed this return event which refreshed the Bridge Federation of ACT (BFACT) which includes the regional clubs of Cooma and Cootamundra.
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| 2024 Australia-Wide Pairs |
The afternoon session on Wednesday 30 October will be the annual Australia-Wide Restricted Pairs event.
This will be just like Nationwide Pairs, insofar as the results will be integrated with other results from around Australia.
While this will look just like Nationwide Pairs on the day (in other words, just like a normal session!) there are some significant differences in this event:
- It is run by the publishers of Australian Bridge Magazine.
- It is expected that there will be 2,000 players at restricted levels.
- There will be real prizes, for both players with less than 300 master-points and less than 100 master-points.
- Players will get:
- a souvenir booklet of the hands with valuable bidding advice and items of interest from the play, and
- a personalised second booklet available online after the event with recommended results analysis.
- "exclusive" discounts on some popular products from the bookstore.
For more information, aust-wide restricted pairs.pdf.
Like Nationwide Pairs, this will be a Green Point event for our club results, and Red Points will be awarded for the national event.
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The afternoon session on Wednesday 30 October will be the annual Australia-Wide Restricted Pairs event. ..........
..... see more |
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Well done Colin and Lewis
Placing 49th out of 452 pairs
in the NSW State Wide Pairs Championship August 2024
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| Grand National Open Teams Regional |
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Congratulations to Bas, Colin, Gary and Lewis for their 5-0-0 win in Phase 1 of this year’s Gand National Open Teams (GNOT) Regional qualification.
Our team will play in the Phase 2 64-team knockout on RealBridge over three days September 20th to 22nd. That’s 3 days of 4x12-board rounds.
Phase 3 (the finals) will be face-to-face for 12 teams in a complicated format held in Sydney November 23rd and 24th.
Best wishes and good luck in Phase 2, Team
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| Checkback & 2-way Checkback |
Thank you, Bas for your thoughts and suggestions on the use of Checkback 2C and 2-way checkback.
Click see more to see Bas's notes, then see less to close up again.
2-way Checkback by responder
2C = weak OR invite, 2D = game force
1m - 1M - 1NT - ? Or any 3 one level partnership bids
2C = forces opener to bid 2D, can be used by
responder if they are weak and have D support or weak and
4M + longer D. OR to show an invitational hand. ex:
1C - 1H -1NT - 2C! -
2D! - Pass = 4c H, 5+ D & 6-9p, don't like NT.
1D - 1M - 1NT - 2C! -
2D! - 2M = 5+M, 10-11p, invitational, unbalanced.
Opener can PASS, or bid game in NT or Major if max
- 2NT = (10)-11p, balanced invite.
NB. The balanced invite using 2C! - 2D! - 2NT gives us room to use 2NT over 1NT directly as a force to 3C if you are weak with long Cs and a 4c M:
1m - 1M - 1NT - 2NT!
3C! - pass = 6-9p with long Cs and a 4c M.
1m - 1M - 1NT - 2D! = GF check back.
Opener now shows features up-the-line.
NB. 2D check-back also follows when opener opens and repeats Clubs.
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Thank you, Bas for your thoughts and suggestions on the use of Checkback 2C and 2-way checkback.
Click see more to see Bas's notes, then see less to close up again. ..........
..... see more |
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| Farewell Helen |
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Farewell Helen Wallbrink. 20 years with us and now time to move on to a new life in Canberra. Thank you for your time here with us, Helen, and our best wishes for this coming stage of your journey.
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| From the Wells City Bridge Club, Somerset, England |
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2023 Wells Bridge Club pairs winners Ann and partner.
Nice surprise to return home to Ann. Congratulations!
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| 2024 John Arkinstall State Teams Update |
The State Country Teams Championship (2024 John Arkinstall State Teams) is part of the NSW State Teams calendar.
10 teams will qualify to play in this championship Finals on the RealBridge platform on 29 November - 1 December 2024.
Our team for this event will be:
Heather and Sarina
John and Whalley
Bas Bolt
Click anywhere here to see which NSW clubs our team will compete against. Use your browser back-arrow to return to this Home page.
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The State Country Teams Championship (2024 John Arkinstall State Teams) is part of the NSW State Teams calendar.
10 teams will qualify to play in this championship Finals on the RealBridge platform on 29 November - 1 December 2024.
Our team for this event will be:
Heather and Sarina
John and Whalley
Bas Bolt
Click anywhere here to see which NSW clubs our team will compete against. ..........
..... see more |
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| 🥶 Winter Session Start Times 🥶 |
Just a reminder to mark up our diary: during the months of June, July and August we’ll be starting bridge sessions on Monday, Friday and Saturday at 12.30 p.m.
The Thursday 12.30 p.m. session is unaffected.
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| Congress Detailed Results |
The top level Congress results are shown on the right of this page in two sessions for each event, but for technical reasons full details may not be available here.
For detailed results down to hand level for each event, click here to go to Bridge Australia,
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| 21st Annual Congress 13-14th April 2024 |
A big thank you to all who made our 21st a success!
Lewis Seychell, Congress Convenor for the last 11 years
Sebatian Yuen for shepherding us through these two days
Our Committee for their hard work
Merimbula RSL for providing the premises and catering
And certainly all 48 pairs and 24 teams who filled our available space.
And our apologies to those who missed out - we will find larger premises next year to accommodate our renewed post-Covid interest.
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| Gary’s Lessons are Back |
Starting Wednesday 13th March, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Beginners and Intermediates welcome.
Gary will begin with a 15 minute lesson, then follow through with hands dealt to reflect the topic of that lesson.
Depending on numbers, two sections may play to suit experience level.
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| Our Gold Prospectors |
Well done at the Gold Coast Congress
Rob & Bas 13.88 Gold Points
Jen Woodhouse and Greg Brackenreg 7.74 Gold Points
Dianne Hinde and Heather York 3.71 Gold Points
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| 2024 Sapphire Coast Bridge Club CONGRESS |
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Welcome to our 2024 Sapphire Coast Bridge Club Congress
13th and 14th April
To be held at the Merimbula RSL.
Click anywhere here to view the flier for full information.
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
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| Passing the baton |
 President of Our Club from 2013 to 2023 (yes, 11 years at the helm!) Lewis Seychell has relinquished his post as Club President and handed over to Dianne Hinde.
A vote of thanks to Lewis, for his continued enthusiasm and time presenting many facets of the Sapphire Bridge Club. Lewis will continue as Tournament Director as we work our way through the 2024 calendar, and provide that essential teaching to bring new members into the club.
Dianne is welcomed in as our President, bringing many years of popular experience and sense of community.
We also welcome our continuing and new committee members, who serve our Club so selflessly.
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| Vale Gwen, Vale David |
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Farewell Gwen Williams and David Fell
We salute you, Friday 2nd February,
sharing a drink and memories.
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| 🥳 Happy New Year 🥳 |
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Good luck and enjoy your bridge in 2024 😊
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