The 2020 TBA Novice Pairs Championship was played at the TBA clubrooms on Sunday 15 November 2020. Eleven pairs competed in two sessions. The event was for players with fewer than 25 masterpoints, with a Rookie catgory for those with fewer than 10 masterpoints.
It was great to see some of our newest members and players taking the step of playing in their first event (and in some cases their first non-supervised play). Congratulations on a significant milestone in your bridge careers.
Judy and Roger Hooley are the 2020 Champions. Members may know Judy and Roger from their occassional visits to the TBA over the last year or so. They are now locals and TBA members.
Helen Thomas and Ian Bailey came second. Lynn Barlow and Paul Fredheim came third overall, and also top of the "Rookie" category.
Full results are here.
Thanks to Sue Falkingham for organising and directing the event. Apparently Sue also set a new benchmark in directing by providing table service for drinks in the last round!
The TBA Committee met at the TBA on Tuesday November 10th from 3.30pm.
PARTICIPATING : : J Rhodes (Chair), L Cooke, M Gibbs, M Sherlock, S Edler, E Gee, K Marsden, I Bailey, G Poulton, P Timmins, S Falkingham, J Grosvenor and C Carolan
The following matters were discussed :
The TBA Committee is continuing to pursue government assistance with the building of a “social space” for members. Last month we submitted a grant application to the Tasmanian Dept of Health, and we are liaising with Federal government representatives as well.
Due to a relaxation in COVID-19 restrictions and consequent increase in the number of tables we can have operating at the TBA, from December 1st the Booking System will no longer be required for ordinary TBA sessions. However, it will still be required for special events such as the Xmas party.
Also, from December 1st, the Blue Section will be re-established on Monday nights. Monday night players will be surveyed with regard to the prospect of an earlier commencement time for the Monday night session.
David Robinson is continuing to conduct a series of lessons for improvers with remaining sessions on Wednesday afternoons of Nov 18th, 25th and Dec 2nd from 2.00pm. The theme is “How to take that extra Trick!” and focuses on all the different ways of taking an extra trick from ruffing losers in Dummy through to avoidance plays and squeezes. Cost is $5 which David kindly donates to the TBA.
After discussions with representatives of the Northern Clubs at Ross on October 30th, the TBA has decided to conduct a weekly on-line session on Wednesday nights (via BBO) commencing at 7.15pm. This will be known as the Tasmania wide pairs, and will attract red master points. A four week trial period will commence on November 18th, so members are encouraged to participate either with their regular partners, or with a partner from another club.
In the event that the ANC is conducted in Orange in 2021, the TBA has established a one off process for the selection of Tasmanian teams for 2021 due to the cancellation of many of the usual qualifying events. Simon Edler will establish and chair a selection panel for 2021 according to guidelines endorsed at the Ross meeting and ratified by the TBA. These guidelines will be published on the TBA noticeboard and on the TBA website (here) for the information of members
Concern has been expressed to the Committee about rudeness at the table by some players. All players must remember that courteous behaviour toward one another is a mandated requirement in bridge, and is just as important as following suit, or making a lawful bid.
Law 74 of the Laws of Bridge states :
Directors have been asked to remind players of their obligations in this regard during “Nice” November.
For example, the only artificial bid that does not have to be alerted is 2C in response to a 1NT opening in an uncontested auction (it is self alerting). All other artificial bids including the 2D response to Stayman must be alerted and explained on request. The reason for this is that there are several versions of the Stayman convention, and the 2D response may have different meanings depending on which version is being played.
If any player feels that an uncourteous attitude is being displayed, the Director should be called to the table.
The TBA regards the right of players to enjoy their session of bridge as very important, and players engaging in rude behaviour may be required to show cause as to why they should not be suspended from the club.
Social bridge has successfully commenced and will continue to be held on the second Sunday of the month at 1.15pm. Sue Falkingham will be directing and players are encouraged to bring a plate of food to share. Members are able to bring a visitor to participate, but all visitors must sign the COVID-19 Safety Plan undertaking, and comply with COVID-19 Safety Plan requirements. Normal table money is payable.
Many members have requested that when weather is suitable, the windows be opened. This is a surprisingly contentious issue and the committee devoted considerable time to addressing it.
The Public Health guidelines clearly state that in order to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19, that natural ventilation be increased whenever possible.
Other members have expressed concern that the TBA A/C system will be adversely impacted by windows being opened, and that Director’s will forget to close the windows before lowering the shutters, consequently damaging the shutters.
It was observed that the door has been frequently open whilst the A/C system has been operating with no adverse effects having been noted to date.
The Committee, being mindful of the prevailing health concerns, resolved that windows should be open when weather permits, and provided that the A/C is either off, or in Fan only mode. This will be subject to advice from an A/C engineer, that this will not be damaging to the A/C system.
A procedure will be developed for Directors, whereby they place the shutter remote control in a designated box after opening the shutters, so that they are reminded to close the windows before lowering the shutters.
The TBA will evaluate the effect of opening the windows over Summer in April 2021 with a view to establishing a longer term policy.
As usual, the TBA will be supporting Colony 47, a charity supporting the homeless in Hobart at Christmas time. Members are asked to bring appropriate gifts and place them under our tree which will be going up at the end of the month.
Unlike in previous years, members are asked to bring their gifts unwrapped so they can be sanitised (!) and then wrapped by Colony 47.
As a consequence of Colony 47 doing all the wrapping, they will be collecting gifts on Wednesday December 16th. Accordingly, we will be putting our Christmas Tree up early this year.
Gifts which have been requested by Colony 47 are for ADULT Males and Females, TEENS – male and female and 9-12 year old boys and girls as well as Non Perishable FOOD or Hamper items. They especially like practical gifts such as socks, undies, toiletries etc.
The TBA Xmas party will be held at the TBA from 12.00 on Saturday 19th December. As usual, Members are asked to bring a plate of food to share. We will await guidance from the Public health hot line as to whether or not, buffet restrictions will still be in place and if will be required to pre-plate the lunches. Bridge will be fee, and champers on offer.
Edward Gee has brought 4 different types of chairs to the TBA for members to evaluate. If you are a member with special needs when it comes to seating, please take your opportunity to try them out and let us know your preference.
Our thoughts are with all of our members who have health concerns at present. We hope you get well soon and look forward to seeing you back at the TBA.
The TBA will be conducting classes for school kids of upper primary and secondary school age on Wednesdays from 4.00pm – 6.00pm from March 3rd next year. If you know of any one who might be interest in participating, let them know via the attached poster.
At the Ross meeting, Launceston Bridge Club reported that they had conducted an event for Senior’s week. It was in the form of an “Open Day” when members played their bridge in the normal way whilst being observed from the sidelines. After a while, some of the observers were invited to play “under instruction” from the experienced players.
Morning tea was provided by members to make the experience more pleasurable for the observers. Launceston reported that some of these observers have subsequently expressed an interest in taking up. Bridge and enrolling in Beginner’s Classes.
The TBA resolved that we should do something for the October 2021 COTA Seniors Week. If there is a volunteer who is prepared to take this on as a project with the support of the TBA, please let myself or Lynne Cook know. It is usually scheduled for October, but pre publicity is well in advance of this so we will also need to be ready with our events/ideas well in advance of this.
Julie Rhodes
President, TBA
Congratulations to the TBA members who achieved rank promotions at the end of September and October 2020. A full list of promotions for the year is available here.
| ♠ Barbara Holland - Silver Life |
| ♥ Gulum Kocak-Sunamak - **National |
| ♣ David Marshall - National |
| ♦ Betty Pilgrim - *State |
| ♠ Shirley Graver - State |
| ♥ Keith Graver - State |
| ♣ Katherine Marsden - State |
| ♦ Alan Greenlees - Regional |
| ♠ Frances Millar - Regional |
| ♥ Ruth Nogajski - Regional |
| ♣ Henry Nogajski - Regional |
| ♦ Ann Gee - Regional |
| ♠ Trish Reid - **Local |
| ♥ Maureen Richardson - **Local |
| ♣ Robin Barnes - *Local |
| ♦ Bron Peatling - *Local |
| ♠ Doug Bridge - Club |
| ♥ Yolande Boost - Graduate |
| ♣ Jerry Pearson - Graduate |
| ♦ Ian Ritchie - Graduate |
The last three months have been huge for new members. The TBA Committee has approved membership applications for the following people. Please make them feel very welcome as you see them around the club.
| Lee Astheimer | Anne Fitzgerald | Mary McArthur |
| Dmitry Beygul | Tony Freeman | Anne McEntee |
| Michael Blake | Louise Gilfedder | Kate Newton |
| Hsiang-Ju Boddy | Therese Gilfedder | Suzanne Purdon |
| Anne Boman | Rob Hecker | Jeremy Reid |
| Deb Bower | Judith Hooley | Amy Richardson |
| Lisa Brodribb | Roger Hooley | Chaya Rivers |
| Nola Calvert | Tim Johns | Maria Rolls |
| Rex Calvert | Cate Johnston | Rick Rolls |
| Carmel Campbell | Tim Johnstone | Imogen Siberry |
| Catherine Catt | Shirley Kerin | Ross Stephens |
| Rod Chandler | Sophie Kim | Brendon Wakely |
| Max Corney | Tracy Long | Billie Watson |
| Georgie Cottier | Mary Maher | Ian Wells |
| Sue Cottier | Penny Maskell | Randolph Wierenga |
| Fran Donaldson | Christine Maynard | Anna Wylie |
| Lisa Farmer |
The ABF Masterpoint Centre website provides a range of club, state and national reports updated each month. These include promotions, McCutcheons, most improved players, and top 50 Masterpoint earners.
The TBA Annual General Meeting on 5 September 2020 approved some minor changes to the TBA Constitution. An updated version of the Constitution is available here. The paragraphs impacted by these changes are listed on the last page of the document.
The north-west coast has become a hotbed of Youth Bridge in Tasmania. Students at schools in Burnie, Devonport and Ulverstone have been involved in various bridge programs. The TBA is also working on an after school program for southern schools in 2021. For more details see Cedric Parker's Tasmanian Youth Bridge Update. Cedric has been an active advocate for Youth Bridge in Tasmania.
During the COVID-19 shutdown the TBA established an online forum to help members remain connected. This need has clearly decreased and the forum has seen no activity for the last two months. We are therefore going to shutdown the forum. The forum is accessible here until 8 December 2020.
It may be the race that stops the nation, but Melbourne Cup doesn't stop the bridge at the TBA. On Tuesday November 3rd the TBA held our annual Melbourne Cup red masterpoint event. In addition to the bridge there was a bring-a-plate lunch, plenty of sweeps and fashion prizes.
Full results are here.
Thanks to Chris Carolan for directing, thanks to all members who contributed to lunch, and thanks to Julie and the committee for organising the day.
The TBA recently farewelled Grand Masters Jane and Robert Tyson who are moving interstate. Jane and Robert have been long-term stalwarts of the TBA and Tasmanian bridge more generally. We wish them all the best for the future.
Starting on Wednesday 18 November there will be a four week trial of a weekly Statewide Online Pairs competition. These sessions will start at 7:15pm each Wednesday. Red masterpoints will be awarded. The sessions will continue after the trial period if supported with sufficient numbers.
Instructions on how to register for TBA BBO sessions are here.
The two current weekly TBA BBO sessions will be discontinued. The final Monday evening session will be on 2 November and the final Thursday morning session will be on 5 November.
It is a great pleasure to announce the next set of David Robinson's ever popular lessons, starting Wednesday October 28th. David will be holding five lessons covering twelve topics to improve your declarer play and make those all important extra tricks. The topics are:
The lessons will be held at the TBA club rooms at 2pm on Wednesdays - October 28th, November 4th, 18th and 25th, and December 2nd. The cost is $5 per person per lesson.
The 2020 Tasmanian Swiss Pairs was held at the Tamar Bridge Club on the weekend of 24-25 October. 18 pairs played, with players from around the state. Seven matches of 14 boards were played.
Congratulations to winners. Sandra and Andrew Richman came first. Judy Mann and Kristine Thompson came second. Martin George and Frank Milford came third. Full results can be found here.
Thanks to the Tamar Bridge Club for hosting the event. Thanks to Simon Edler for being the convener and director. Thanks also to Jane Edler for her assistance across the weekend.
The TBA ran two separate GNOT Qualifier rounds over three weeks of Monday Night and Friday Morning sessions.
Congratulations to all the participants and especially to the top placed pairs in each:
Teams will be arranged from all the pairs who played to represent the TBA in the GNOT Southern Final on September 20.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Did you miss our recent trip to Wonderland? Well it’s been voted the best yet! We just might have another next year.
You won’t win red master points (whatever they are) but you get to play competitive bridge and maybe get your names on a trophy. We can guarantee you some amazing costumes, a fair chance to win a prize and lots of laughs along the way.
Here’s a taster to encourage you to come along …
Sixteen teams jumped into motor cars or scurried down rabbit holes to emerge in South Arm sporting mad hats of every description. Decked in pink or hidden under mushrooms or flouncing about as queens and knaves it was hard to think of these characters as serious bridge players.
Flamingos perched on one leg bravely teetering and flapping. Their efforts won them the Best Dressed Team Prize. A couple of knaves brought their tarts along. A team of somewhat dysfunctional Disorderlies gyrated and quivered their way to a meltdown and the coveted Strutters Prize. The Lynch Mob dangled their hangman’s nooses menacingly and the Best Dressed Dormouse was undoubtedly … um … a dormouse.
And then there was lunch -- BBQ and salad followed by tiramisu, meringues and fruit all consumed in the sunshine and in excellent company.
The bridge was seriously contested with winners and losers emerging from beneath piles of scoresheets. Bobbie (obviously the only player concentrating at the time) won our first ever Beer Card. The Four Aces took out the prestigious Tortoise Trophy.
The Dodos (Lene, Merryl, Graham and Catharine) scored the SAAB Trophy. They were closely followed by The Knaves and their Tarts (Dave, Anj, Judi and Geoff).
Thank you everyone who participated in so many different ways.
We are able to donate $255 to Youth Bridge.
And our long suffering Director …. We couldn’t do this without you Dallas. Thank you!
And the last word goes to the White Rabbit. Don’t be late next year.
The SAAB Team
It was a big weekend of bridge in the north of the state with the Devonport Bridge Club's February Swiss Pairs on Saturday 8 February and the Tamar Bridge Club Congress on Sunday 9 February. Both events were well attended, including a sizeable contingent of players from southern clubs. Both were 6 x 9 board IMP scored Swiss Pairs events.
Devonport had 29 pairs playing. First place went to John Bailey and Josef Kuriacose, second to Brian O'Rourke and Mike Longmire, and third to Haj Skilton and Roger Watts. Full results are on the Devonport Bridge Club website. If anybody has photos of the Devonport event to contribute, please email them to the TBA.
Tamar had 34 pairs playing. In the open category first place went to Andrew and Sandra Richman, second to Vicky Cowan and Catherine Elliott, and third to Jane Routley and Judy Mann. In the restricted category first place went to Sue Martin and Sue Falkingham (fifth overall) and second to Phillipa Pitt and Ros Pyrke (sixth overall). Full results are on the Tamar Bridge Club website.
Thank you to both clubs for organising and hosting these events, and in particular for making their southern visitors feel so welcome. Thank you also to Peter and Simon for directing.
The Vera Houdek Pairs for 2020 was played on Sunday 2 February at the TBA club rooms. This is a matchpoint Swiss Pairs event played over 6 x 9 board matches. 28 pairs played - 14 open pairs, 7 restricted pairs (under 300 masterpoints) and 7 novice pairs (under 100 masterpoints).
The overall winners (and top placed restricted pair!) were Annie Bartlett and Julie Rhodes. Second overall were Robert and Jane Tyson. Third overall were Susanne and David Sarten. The top placed novice pair were Mardi and John Grosvenor. Full results are here.
A big thank you to Sue Falkingham for organising and directing the event, and for keeping her cool when the technology gremlins struck. Thanks also to Chris Carolan for his telephone support in gremlin eradication. Thanks to all players who brought food for morning and afternoon tea.
Venue Hire
The TBA premises are available* for hire by community groups for suitable activities by arrangement with the TBA Committee.
Please complete a booking request form (available here) and email it to the TBA at tba@tasbridge.com.au.
* Venue hire is not currently available due to the COVID-19 situation.
The Role of the TBA
The TBA is is the largest bridge club in the state with about 400 members and is the administrative body for the game of bridge in Tasmania. The TBA is responsible for running national and state events including the Australian Swiss Pairs championships and the Roger Penny Senior Swiss Pairs competition. These are conducted annually with the venue alternating between Hobart and Launceston. The TBA also administers the Masterpoints system for the ABF and endeavours to promote the growth and teaching of bridge throughout Tasmania via its affiliated clubs. The TBA's purpose-designed Centre at 5 Marine Esplanade, New Town Bay serves as both our local Clubrooms and the headquarters for bridge in the state.
| North-West | North | South |
|---|---|---|
| Burnie Bridge Club | Launceston Bridge Club | Hobart City Bridge Club |
| Devonport Bridge Club | Tamar Bridge Club | Eastern Shore Bridge Club |
| Kingborough Bridge Club |
Contact us:
Phone: 0400 492 327
Email: tba@tasbridge.com.au
Post: PO Box 171, North Hobart 7002
Bank Account Details for direct debit: BSB: 067-102 A/C #: 2801 2004 A/C Name: Tasmanian Bridge Association
ABN: 66 028 130 967
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Tasmanian Bridge Association Bridge Club 2020
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Novice Pairs 2020