Author: JP Weber

Victoria team strikes gold in Leavenworth

JP Weber Members, Tournament Results, What's New

Leavenworth, Wa successfully reinvented itself as a Bavarian town in the 1960’s after logging petered out and the railroad moved out of town. It was never known as a mining town, yet there’s gold to be found in them thar hills and our four plucky miners struck the mother lode!

Congratulations to Gail Richardson, Danielle Goulet, Jill Plasteras and Madeleine Tremblay for their win in the Edelweiss Knockout which gave them 14.58 gold points. Coupled with another 6.08 in the Alpenhorn KO, and sundry points from other events they collected well over 20 points, all gold. Well done, ladies!

Eddie Crews of Sidney was another successful prospector, garnering 9.86 gold in Gold Rush events. 

Victoria Spring Sectional Cancelled

JP Weber Tournaments and Events, What's New

Due primarily to the Omicron situation and with no face-to-face Bridge happening in our Unit at this time, the Unit Board has regretfully decided to cancel the Spring Sectional which was to be held March 18-20, 2022.

However, the Board will explore the possibility of rescheduling an event for the late Spring or early Summer should the COVID situation have improved sufficiently by then.

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What makes a good bridge partner?

JP Weber What's New

Ask different people and you’ll get different responses, although some common themes are apparent.

Some answers might be found in Bridge Confidential, a musical under development. It is an inspirational and engaging story about partnership, community and overcoming personal obstacles. This show exposes the world of bridge and highlights players’ life journeys as they prepare for THE TOURNAMENT. If you enjoy musicals, check out this excerpt.

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ACBL announces new convention card

JP Weber Governance, What's New

We’ve been using the same convention card for years, now. In the meantime bridge has evolved with new conventions being introduced, among other changes in bidding practices. ACBL is launching a new, more relevant convention card in mid-2022. However you can take a look at it right now.

You’ll find it, as well as many other items of interest, in the Fall 2021 National Directors Report, just received from Region 13* Director, Tim White.

* If you weren’t aware already, ACBL is rationalizing its governance structure and the board of directors will include 13 regional directors, replacing the 25 district directors, with the process completed by 2024.  Region 13 comprises Districts 18 and 19. Tim was formerly our District Director. You’ll find more information on the subject by going to ACBL.org. You can also check the December issue of the Bridge Bulletin (page 18).

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It’s Your Call Victoria has come to an end

JP Weber It's Your Call, What's New

IYC Victoria has been running for over 5 years. In recent months, participation has declined significantly, so after polling Victoria players as to their interest in continuing the game and receiving no responses, I felt it was time to pull the plug.

Congratulations to Duncan Smith for winning the December round with 460 points out of 500. He receives a free game valid for face-to-face play at any Victoria club.

Find the complete list of participants and scores under IYC Monthly Results in the It’s Your Call section at the top of the page. For quicker access, follow this link. 

The race for top annual player was won by Sheldon Spier, with Shelley Burnham and Don Copeland coming in second and third respectively. To see the top ten players, go to the Leaderboard.

For past results and statistics, hover your mouse over It’s Your Call (at top of page) to see a pull-down menu of choices.

Reminder — commenting on this or other posts:

If you feel moved to express yourself, please click on the Comments bubble near the top of the page. 

The backwash squeeze & other improbable feats

JP Weber What's New

I don’t usually do book reviews on Unit 431’s website, and this isn’t really one.

However I had fun reading The backwash squeeze & other improbable feats, written by Edward McPherson back in 2007, so thought I’d share it with other Victoria players. Subtitled A Newcomer’s Journey into the World of Bridge, it’s an account of the author’s journey from total newbie to his participation in a NABC. Along the way he delivers some interesting anecdotes about several bridge greats including Omar Sharif, Bob Hamman and Zia Mahmood.

You can find it at GVPL as soon as I return my copy (they only have the one). 

Oh, and about that title backwash squeeze. Well, most of you probably do it in your sleep, but if not, here’s the explanation from the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge:

“a unique type of trump squeeze in which both menaces are in the same hand and the player sitting behind the hand with the menaces holds both guards plus a losing trump, and is caught in the ‘backwash’ of a squeeze by means of a ruff taken in the hand holding the menaces.”

So next time you’re at a table, look for an opportunity to try it out.

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Looking for a few good men!

JP Weber Governance, Members, Unit Board, What's New

I hope that got your attention. You will recognize it of course as the Marine’s recruiting slogan which they have been using since 1789, but clearly outdated in these more enlightened times.

Unit 431 is actually looking for a few good volunteers, regardless of gender, to fill vacant board positions for 2022. The election will be held at the Annual General Meeting at the end of February. In the meantime, however, our Nominating Committee would like to hear from people interested in giving back a little to the Victoria bridge community.

Becoming a Board member will provide you with an opportunity to bring creative ideas and suggestions forward to improve bridge in our community.  The board meets approximately 8 times a year. We will be happy to describe open board positions and explain how you could help the Unit fulfill its role. If it’s not your cup of tea, no worries, we won’t badger you. But we would appreciate the opportunity to talk to you.

All you have to do is to click here. One of the Nominating Committee members* will give you a call back at a time of your choosing.

If you want to see what kind of work is involved, please take a look at our newly updated Board Job Descriptions. You can also consult recent Board Minutes or talk to current Board members.

 

  • Nominating committee members: Holly Boudreau, Maureen Trappe, JP Weber

 

Face-to-face bridge is back in Victoria!

JP Weber Members, What's New

Two Victoria clubs have now reopened for your live playing enjoyment. Since it’s been a while that we haven’t played together, you might want to review our bridge etiquette tips in the sidebar on the right.

All paid-up members should have received an email from Unit 431 detailing on how both clubs are currently operating, including COVID protocols. The information is reproduced below.

From Roy (Island Bridge Club):

Hello bridge community,

It’s been a tough slog for the world these last two years but I’d like to share a little ray of light from my corner of the world.  After much discussion, Broadview United Church has allowed me to continue renting, but at their Arbutus Site on 2625 Arbutus Rd., just a few minutes away from the old St. Aidan’s site.  The location is a spacious gym that does have a kitchen so when Health Guidelines allow, coffee and cookies will be back.  As of now, I’ll be working hard to keep things safe for the players with masks required the whole session, an initial check for double vaccination, and lots of cleaning before and after each session.

For now, the online games will remain unchanged until people are comfortable transitioning to face to face play.  I was open in a limited capacity on October 25 and from now on will run games on Monday, Thursday, and Friday at 12:30 pm ending by around 4 pm.  For the week of November 8, customer loyalty cards will be on the house as I know many cards won’t have survived the pandemic and card fees will be $10 a person.  For those point hunters, this next week is an Upgraded Club Championship which means extra black points at no extra cost.

There is no need to pre-register as I will have a list of names from the ACBL gamefile for contact tracing purposes so the game will be pure drop-in though you can reserve a N/S if you like by calling or emailing me.  I’m excited to be working again and can’t wait for the day when I can see you in person, enjoying the game we all have such a passion for.

Roy and Justine Stefaniec, Owners, Island Bridge Club

From Nicole (Monterey Bridge Club):

The Face to face games at Monterey are Tuesday and Saturday 12:15PM.  Please arrive 15 minutes before the game. In the first week of November, there were 7 tables on Tuesday and 6 on Saturday.

We will be alternating between the 2 sets of bidding boxes, 2 boxes of pencils and the many sets of boards to prevent the chance of the spread of the virus.

If you need a partner, please let me know or go to “Find a Partner” on Monterey’s website.  Be careful when you require a partner for Saturday.  There are 2 games, the Face to Face and the BBO games.  You can also sign up for a partner on this page.

Show your proof of double vaccination at the Front Desk.

I would appreciate if you let me know you are coming, who is your partner and if you require a north/south.  You can also just show up!

If you live close by and you are available to fill in at the last minute, please email me.  I need a list of “spares”.

We will need to adhere to COVID guidelines and the following precautions are in place:

–  Players need to show the Monterey Rec Centre Front Desk proof of being double vaccinated.
–  Masks are to be worn at all times in the building
–  E/W players will carry their sanitized bidding boxes with them to the next table
–  There will be hand sanitizers at each table
–  Fern Cafe is open so there will be a break before 2PM therefore we will play 26 boards
–  Players and a partner may pre-register with me, benicha@gmail.com but you don’t have to.

Virtual games on BBO will continue to run under the Monterey Club on Thursdays and Saturday at 12:15PM.

Should you have any information you wish to share with Victoria’s bridge community, please click on the “Contact Us” button, found on all pages of the website.

 

 

Tie for first place in the October It’s Your Call, Victoria!

JP Weber It's Your Call, What's New

Congratulations to Shelley Burnham and Jonathan Gage who tied for first place in the October round with an impressive 490 points out of 500. They both receive a free game at VICTORIA CLUBS on BBO.

Only 23 people submitted results this month, marking a new low in participation. The game has now been running for 61 months, so perhaps participant fatigue has set in. Suggestions as to the relevance of continued operation will be welcome.

Find the complete list of participants and scores under IYC Monthly Results in the It’s Your Call section at the top of the page. For quicker access, follow this link. You can also see comments from participants and even add your own!

And to see who’s ahead in the hotly contested race for top annual player, check out the Leaderboard.

To play in the November 2021 quiz, either click here, or hover your mouse over It’s Your Call (at top of page) to see a pull-down menu of choices.

Reminder — commenting on this or other posts:

If you feel moved to express yourself, please click on the Comments bubble near the top of the page. This is what it looks like:

The great bridge boycott

JP Weber Tournaments and Events, What's New

Here’s another very interesting article  (I thought so, anyway) about goings-on in the bridge community, this time from the New Yorker magazine.

I haven’t received much feedback regarding the previous one (“Bridge down under”) but if you feel moved to express yourself, just click on  the Comments bubble near the top of the page. This is what it looks like:

As you can see, it currently shows 0 comments. Why not try adding one!

Note: Since posting this item,  I have received several comments which you can read by clicking on the Comments speech bubble. And you can even respond to them!

A familiar face wins the September It’s Your Call, Victoria!

JP Weber It's Your Call, What's New

 

Congratulations to Shelley Burnham who wins It’s Your Call for a second consecutive month! Shelley receives a free game at VICTORIA CLUBS on BBO. 

Find the complete list of participants and scores under IYC Monthly Results in the It’s Your Call section at the top of the page. For quicker access, follow this link. You can also see comments from participants and even add your own!

And to see who’s ahead in the hotly contested race for top annual player, check out the Leaderboard.

To play in the October 2021 quiz, either click here, or hover your mouse over It’s Your Call (at top of page) to see a pull-down menu of choices.

We have winners for our Unit Directory quiz!

JP Weber Members, What's New

As mentioned in a previous post, our Unit member directory is now exclusively online, and with over 700 entries, it’s a great resource to help you communicate with other local players. The directory includes BBO handles, when available.

Our short quiz ran for the last two weeks and was designed to help members familiarize themselves with the directory.

Participation in the quiz was decidedly modest, with only 13 Victoria players submitting entries. The participants mostly did very well with 6 of them obtaining perfect scores. Each receives a free play, valid on BBO.  The winners are (in alphabetical order):

  • William Birney
  • Shelley Burnham
  • Ron Grove
  • Bob MacDonald
  • Esther Wiebe
  • Margot Young

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to all who participated.

As a reminder, the directory is private and accessible only by registered Victoria players, all of whom received a personal username and password in April. You can also use your email instead of your username when logging in. If you have forgotten your password (no worries, it happens!), simply request a new one from the login screen. And if you need help, just click on the “Contact Us” button on the right side of every page on the website.

Fall Sectional cancelled!

JP Weber Tournaments and Events, What's New

The Unit 431 Board has regretfully decided to cancel this year’s Fall Sectional due to the worsening Covid situation.

The cancelled tournament was originally scheduled for October 16-17 at Mary Winspear in Sidney.

Also note that the resumption of face-to-face bridge at Monterey Bridge Club, initially planned for September 11, has been postponed until November 2.

It is likely that other tournaments will be postponed or cancelled. Check the website regularly for updates.

ACBL Unit 431, Victoria