Members

Local Bridge Stars Set to Shine on World Stage in Argentina

Catherine Mustafa Members, Tournaments and Events, What's New

Victoria, B.C. — Five talented local bridge players are set to represent Canada at the prestigious World Bridge Championships this Fall. Michael Roche, Daniel Lyder, Gordon McOrmond, Michael Hargreaves, and James McAvoy have honed their skills over years of competitive play and are excited for the opportunity to compete on the international stage.

The group secured their spot at the World Championships by winning a competition sponsored by the Canadian Bridge Federation in May 2024.

Michael Roche (Grand Life Master, Canadian Hall of Famer) and his young partner, Daniel Lyder, qualified for the Open Pairs event, while Gord McOrmond and Mike Hargreaves qualified as part of a Senior Team.

They will be accompanied by non-playing Captain, James McAvoy (Grand Life Master), who will be sharing his extensive experience representing Canada at 6 World Championships. He will set lineups and coach the team in strategies for specific opponents.

 

Left to Right: Daniel Lyder, Michael Roche, James McAvoy, Mike Hargreaves, Gord McOrmond at Victoria Bridge Centre.
*Photograph Confetti Cards by Phil McOrmond

“We feel fabulous about qualifying, having been underdogs in winning the Canadian trials” says Daniel Lyder about his first World Championships. “I was extra happy for our team, because relative to other competitors, we had significantly less experience.” adds his expert partner, Michael Roche.

Each member brings unique strengths to the table but one thing they all have in common is the ability to perform well under pressure, keep their emotions in check, be flexible and stay positive. “Have fun and play well, is my mantra” says Michael Roche.

The World Bridge Championships, held every two years, gather the best players from 116 countries around the globe, making it a highly competitive event. This year’s championship will take place in Argentina, providing not just a chance to compete but also to experience a rich culture.

The World Bridge Federation, which hosts the World Bridge Championships, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Duplicate Bridge is a Sport!

 

The team has been preparing intensely, refining their custom systems, practicing their bidding and playing for several hours every week. They hope to, not only perform well, but also foster connections with players from different countries.

Left to Right: Michael Roche, Gord McOrmond, Daniel Lyder, Mike Hargreaves at Victoria Bridge Centre.
Photograph by Phil McOrmond

As they prepare for their journey, the group emphasizes the camaraderie and friendships built through bridge. “The mental challenges of bridge are a big attraction for me” shared Mike Hargreaves, “but probably the most important would be the social aspect. I have played bridge in 8 different countries and been greeted with open arms even where little English is spoken.”

For those unfamiliar with duplicate bridge, it’s a card game that combines elements of strategy, psychology, and teamwork. Unlike rubber (kitchen) bridge, luck plays a minimal role in duplicate bridge, as all pairs play the same hands. This format ensures that success is determined by skill rather than the luck of the deal.

Mike Hargreaves further explains: “It also offers near infinite variability. For example, in chess, every game starts with exactly the same board layout but in bridge there are hundreds of billions of combinations. One literally never plays the same hand twice.” Because of this “No matter what your level of experience, you can play a hand against the best players and have a chance to beat them”, Michael Roche explains. There is always an exciting new challenge ahead that keeps players coming back for more.

Daniel Lyder adds: “Bridge is basically the only game left where the best humans can beat the best computers. The contextual understandings in partnerships allows them to communicate with their cards at a level unmatched by computers. Bridge is the total package in terms of strategy and teamwork. Bridge is also unique in that it’s a game of fierce ethics. Under the rules of the game, you must alert your opponents to every understanding that you and your partner possess and that creates levels of sportsmanship unheard of at high levels of almost any other competitive endeavour”.

The local community has rallied behind the team, organizing fundraising. “The local bridge community has been exceptionally supportive. I know the 5 of us from Victoria really appreciate the kind words and the efforts to help with the travel costs.” says Mike Hargreaves.

With their sights set on the championships, Roche, Lyder, McOrmond, Hargreaves and McAvoy are ready to take on the world, hoping to bring home not just memories but also some accolades for their community.

Follow the World Bridge Games here:

http://championships.worldbridge.org/16th-world-bridge-games-2024

Victoria (ACBL Unit 431) is a fertile training ground for high-achieving bridge players. We have more Grand Life Masters per capita (7) than any other Canadian city as well as a thriving bridge community with games at 2 clubs and online that cater to all levels of experience.

Entry level competitive bridge offerings include Mentor and Duplicate Light (play and learn) games that make growing one’s skills a fun experience with opportunities to ease upwards when ready. In addition, ACBL Unit 431 can help find a partner, if needed.

If you would like a new challenge and a taste of duplicate bridge, see our local ACBL Unit 431 website for more information: https://bridgevictoria.ca/

Specific Victoria Bridge Centre information can be found here: http://www.victoriabridgecentre.ca/

By Catherine Mustafa (250.744.7780, cmustafa@shaw.ca
On behalf of ACBL Unit 431
Victoria, B.C. Canada
September 2024

*The image of the group, Confetti Cards, captures the essence of duplicate bridge — a game steeped in strategy and skill, yet brimming with unexpected twists and shared experiences. However, the cards fall, every hand played, whether triumphant or troublesome, is part of a larger narrative woven through countless tournaments and social gatherings. Yet, those fleeting moments of flying cards remind everyone that behind the competitive edge lies a community united by their love for bridge, its complexities, and the occasional serendipity that comes with it. In the end, it’s not just about winning or losing but about the connections formed and the joy of playing together.

Whither the Canadian Bridge Federation? — a message from Michael Roche

Michael ROCHE Members, What's New

The history of organized bridge in Canada is linked inextricably with the evolution of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL).

Eastern-Central and Western Canada followed different paths. The former was always aligned with the ACBL, even before that organization became predominant in North America. Western Canada, on the other hand, was originally a part of the Pacific Bridge League which amalgamated with the ACBL in 1956.

At the 1965 Nationals (now called North American Bridge Championships) in Chicago, a group of Canadian organizers and enthusiasts, led by Eric Murray, made the historic decision to create the CBF. This would be a voluntary association of Canadian ACBL units where each member unit would decide the level of its financial contribution. Besides Murray, the Chicago group included: Henry Smilie (Vancouver); Doug Cannell (Winnipeg); Chuck Jane (Woodstock); Bill Robinson (Toronto); Al Lando (Toronto); Doug Drew (Toronto); Aaron Goodman (Montreal); and Don Dobson (Halifax). Together, these individuals represented more than 80% of Canadian ACBL members.

Special shout-out to Doug Drew (now of Victoria) who plays frequently at the Monterey Bridge Club. Many people probably aren’t aware that Doug was formerly President of the CBF, President of the ACBL, and is a member of the Canadian Bridge Federation’s Hall of Fame.

The founders presented a plan for the formation and structure of the CBF, to be approved by unit officials. The latter would provide further direction on policies governing selection of our international teams through national trials, and funding of selected players. The CBF has grown and changed since those early years. The CBF now represents all Canadian players, not just champions vying for international competition, and offers programs that have broader appeal such as flighted national championships, rookie-master games, and a magazine tailored to a wider readership. Furthermore, in 1990 the CBF became a membership organization in addition to being a federation of Canadian ACBL units.

The current Canadian membership in the ACBL is roughly 16,000. But the sad fact is that only 4,000 of those players support the CBF. Current membership dues are $25 annually.

The CBF currently wears many hats, but their initial specific goal was to oversee International representation for the Canadian Bridge teams. This they have done since 1967.

Funding

Every country in the World charges modest mandatory annual membership dues and funds their International teams through those dues. Except for Canada and the USA…..

The ACBL requires bridge players to join their organization, but their goal is to run local tournaments and record master-points. There is no proviso for supporting their International teams.

In fact a few years ago the ACBL created the USBF which is now charged with that task. There was no thought of the implications to other ACBL-member countries – Canada Mexico and Bermuda. The USBF is fortunate. They have several well-heeled sponsors who provided the necessary seed money to start their organization and continue their selection process.

Canada and its International Fund is in dire straits. The inability to attract corporate sponsorship or healthy donations imperils Canada’s future on the international scene.

Due to declining membership and also Covid, the CBF monetary reserves are at an all-time low.

I strongly urge each and every Canadian member of the ACBL to become a member of the CBF to help ensure that our game thrives at the International level.

Thank you,

Michael Roche

Photos from a national competition

JP Weber Members, Tournaments and Events, What's New

Over 20 Victoria players attended the Summer NABC in Toronto, held from July 17 to 28.

Here are pictures we received.

Jill Plasteras and Madeleine Tremblay teamed up with Floridians Richard Aufmann and Patrick Thompson to win the Silver Medal (in Olympic terms) in the 0-2500 Mini-Spingold. In actual bridge terms, they won 31.5 Gold MPs for finishing second.

 

Ernie Tradewell, Deb Hargreaves, Barb Stewart, Anne-Marie Crabbe, Chris Penner, Debbie Wastle, Gina Curran, Shelley Burnham and David Reid were some of the Island players.

 

Jon, Caroline and Shelley share a moment.
Debbie, Gina, David and Jon are all looking happy.

List of Unit Life Masters Updated

JP Weber Members, What's New

Our list shows in what year Victoria players (319 of them) became Life Masters. It covers the period between 1962 and 2023 and is updated yearly. You’ll find the full list under Members.

Quick trivia question: When did our current Unit president become a Life Master? Hint: it’s been a while.

You can also look at Masterpoint Milestones (also under Members) to see who’s moved up the Masterpoint ranks, from Junior Master to Grand Life Master. Updated every month!

 

 

Highlights from the AGM

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

Unit 431 held its Annual General Meeting on February 16th 2024, via Zoom.

Two new board members were elected by acclamation for 2-year terms:

  • Jill Stainforth as Membership Coordinator. Jill had been serving as interim for the past few months.
  • Susan Jobbins as Inventory Coordinator.

The president welcomed both to the board. He also thanked outgoing Inventory Coordinator Madeleine Tremblay for her service.

The list of board members, including  photos (for most of them), can be found on the Unit’s website, bridgevictoria.ca, under Governance.

Highlights

  • We held 1 regular Sectional Tournament and 2 limited (0-299) sectionals. We will be using both Monterey and Mary Winspear for tournaments this year. Monterey is preferred due to the cost so we will continue to try to locate both seasonal sectionals at that location.
  • The Seasonal Gathering (formerly Christmas Party) was one of our largest celebrations in many years with 28 tables. Prior to the bridge game, attendees enjoyed a hilariously commented fashion show which saw golfers, boulevardiers and geocachers among others strutting the runway.  A good time was had by all participants.
  • The unit posted a net profit of about $3000 for 2023, an improvement over the previous year.
  • The unit received a $4500 grant from ACBL to help develop bridge in Victoria, to be applied to Duplicate Light.
  • We are now using pre-duplicated boards for all sectional games including team games. Pre-duplicated boards are now available for all sectional team games on the island. It was made more convenient to provide these boards by having all unit boards barcoded for the duplicating machine.
  • We remember all those bridge friends we lost during the past year: Alan Filmer, Nancy Allan, Mary Szarka, Emma Abrams, Sue Foley, Nigel Williamson, and Michael Scott-Kerr. Obituaries can be found on our In Memoriam page (under Members).
  • The results of the 2023 Unit races (Mini McKenney and Ace of Clubs) for all masterpoint categories can be found under Members on our website. Click here for direct access.

Attendance

An announcement was sent on January 21st via ACBL’s email service (Pianola) to all 406 members with valid emails . 73% (297) opened the email and presumably read it. A reminder, which included the link for the Zoom meeting was sent to the same group on February 13th. 266 people opened the email.

Only ten people actually showed up for the AGM. We reached quorum (20), after phoning around for volunteers.

It’s disappointing that less than 4% of Unit members feel sufficiently motivated to attend the AGM. Perhaps the they are put off by the format (Zoom) which is unfamiliar to many. The board will be trying to bring back an in-person AGM next year. As with previous live AGMs it will include a bridge game, as well as free pizza.

Member directory updated!

JP Weber Members, What's New

We have updated our online member directory. In addition to 400 Unit 431 members, the directory contains another 160 Victoria area duplicate bridge players who have asked to be included.

Each player entry includes their name, phone number, email address and BBO handle when available.

The directory is available to registered users who can gain access after going to the website, bridgevictoria.ca and then logging in. If you need instructions on the login procedure, click here.

If you’re not yet registered and wish to do so, click on this link.

Grand Life Master Day at Monterey

JP Weber Members, What's New

The day that Sandra Fraser attained the rank of Grand Life Master (GLM) there were 3 other GLMs playing at the Monterey Bridge Club in Victoria, BC to help her celebrate.   All are Canadian Champions!

From Left: Duncan Smith, Jim McAvoy, Doug Fraser, Sandra Fraser at the post-game pub review

Sandra Fraser:

  • Won a North American Bridge Championship title and is a 5 time 2nd place winner
  • Won the 2019 Canadian Mixed Team Championship (CMTC) along with husband Doug Fraser, Jim & Constance McAvoy, and Rhonda Foster & Gerry McCully, all from Victoria, BC
  • Represented Canada with the above team at the World Mixed Team Championships in China, September 2019

Victoria’s bridge scene is vibrant.  The two local bridge clubs running ACBL games are popular.  The Monterey Bridge Club, under the direction of Nicole Dupuis, is flourishing post-pandemic with between 16 – 23 tables twice a week.

Greater Victoria has a population of 400,000 and now boasts 7 Grand Life Masters!

These include Doug Fraser, Rhonda Foster, Gerry McCully, Duncan H. Smith, Michael J. Roche, James McAvoy (Aug 2022), and Sandra Fraser (Feb 2023).

Congratulations, Sandra and Jim, Victoria’s newest Grand Life Masters!

By Catherine Mustafa
Originally published in the ACBL Bulletin, May 2023
Reproduced here by permission of the author

Nice job if you can get it: Cruise ship bridge director

JP Weber Members, What's New

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a bridge director on a cruise ship?

Jon  and Caroline Preston have been doing it for several years. Jon recently published an article in the American Bridge Teachers’ Association magazine which is reproduced below for your reading pleasure. Note that this is a scan from the paper copy of the magazine. If you prefer downloading a possibly more legible text-only version, click here.

ABTA article

Note: to zoom or change pages, mouse over the document and follow instructions at bottom of page.

 

Don’t forget our face-to-face bridge survey!

JP Weber Members, Unit Board, What's New

We sent out an email to all Unit members on Saturday morning, asking you to take a whole minute (and maybe two, if you’re adding comments) of your time to help us understand why people were’t coming back to the bridge table. Then maybe we could try to do something about it.

So far (Sunday 9 pm), we’ve received only 21 responses from our 456 paid-up Unit 431 ACBL members.

Pretty paltry, right? Surely we can do better!

So, if you care about the future of duplicate bridge in Victoria, please click here and take the one-minute painless survey.

No personal information is collected in the survey and we’re not trying to sell you anything. You have nothing to lose and you’ll feel good about doing your part to maintain duplicate bridge in our area.

If you have any qualms or misgivings, feel free to reach out to our president, Maureen Trappe by emailing her at president@bridgevictoria.ca.

Thanks!

The Unit 431 Board.

How to find other Victoria players now that clubs are open

JP Weber Contact, Members, What's New

All three ACBL-affiliated local clubs have reinstated face-to-face bridge! You can find their schedules here.

You may be looking for a partner to play with. One easy way is to use our online directory, accessible to all registered Victoria players, whether they’re ACBL members or not. In April 2021, I sent all players their personal username and password to allow access. You can also use your email if you have forgotten your username.

First, go to our website, bridgevictoria.ca. Once you’re there, you can reach the directory by clicking on the “Log in” item in the top menu. As soon as you’re logged in, you will be taken to the directory.

If you have forgotten your password, no worries, you can request a new one at this point.

Note that the directory is searchable. Just type a few letters of the person’s first or last name in the directory search box to narrow down your search. It’s a lot easier than scrolling down.

Before you leave, here are a couple of tips you might find useful:

1) Getting the latest news automatically

The website consists of pages and posts. Pages contain relatively permanent information, such as the list of board members, games on BBO, Masterpoint Milestones, etc. They are updated regularly, but unless you go onto them, you won’t know.

This is where posts come in. Posts are short announcements, found under “What’s New”. They will inform you of new developments such as new events or updates to pages. If you don’t want to miss any, you can choose to receive them by email by clicking on the Subscribe button, at the bottom of each page. Currently, over 300 Victoria players are subscribed to this service.

Posts have a publication date, author and other info in the header, as in this example:

Notice the publication date (March 16, 2022), the post author and categories. If you’re logged in, you can add a comment, by clicking on the speech bubble ( ) which currently shows two comments for this post.

2) Finding anything on the website

There is a Search box on every page. Just type in a relevant word or short phrase. For example, “Christmas” to look at pictures of past Christmas parties.

3) Your questions and comments

If you have any questions or comments for the board, or need any help using the website, just click on a “Contact Us” button, found on every page. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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. 

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.

 

 

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.

ACBL Unit 431, Victoria