A new Bridge Buzz is now available for download!

JP Weber Bridge Buzz, What's New

Our Communications Coordinator, Madeleine Tremblay, has put pen to paper (literally – she writes with a fountain pen) and produced a stunning new edition of the Bridge Buzz, which as you all know is our Unit’s newsletter.

You may remember the olden days when copies of the BB were available at clubs. Given the current situation, that’s no longer possible so you will need to download it from our website. Just head to the Bridge Buzz page to do so. It’s where you’d expect to find it, under Members. However, for your convenience, here’s a direct link to the Bridge Buzz page.

Enjoy! And Madeleine will surely appreciate your feedback, which you can send her at communications@bridgevictoria.ca

Claim early, claim often!

JP Weber BBO, What's New

A couple of weeks ago, I posted some etiquette suggestions specifically for online playing. Several of them addressed slow play, aka the bane of BBO. (see for example the October 2020 editorial in ACBL’s Bridge Bulletin). Scroll down the right sidebar to read them.

Left unmentioned was a very important aspect of online play: claiming in a timely fashion,  as soon as the conclusion of the deal is obvious. This is not only courteous for your opponents and partner, it shows you actually know what you’re doing. Opps can also concede under the same circumstances but they often cannot be sure that their partner does not hold a winning card, so it’s usually up to declarer to make the call.

The title of this post is actually taken from an article by District 18’s Advocate in which he argues the case convincingly.

Here are a couple of his tips for online players:

  • Playing online, saving time is very important, so always claim or concede as early as possible. Your cyber opponents and your partner expect you to click the “Claim” button as soon as you know the likely result, even in cases where there may be a chance for an overtrick.
  • If you’re playing against beginners or known skeptics, it may save time to actually play out a few extra tricks before you make your “obvious” claim. Choose a point where the end position will be clear and simple and, best, all the trumps have been drawn.
  • Don’t insult your opponents’ intelligence by running an Idiot Squeeze, where you have an obvious-to-everyone loser, but you play out all 13 tricks in the hope that the defenders will make a bonehead discard or, even less sportsmanlike, that one will revoke. Accept that they aren’t going to pitch their ace and just concede the trick. You may need the time for a tougher problem on the next board.
  • Never play out all the tricks when you know you have the rest. This is actually a violation of bridge proprieties. According to Law 74, a player should refrain from “prolonging play unnecessarily (as in playing on although he knows that all the tricks are surely his) for the purpose of disconcerting an opponent”.

 

 

It’s Your Call April Results

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

Forty players submitted results for April. Congratulations to Michael Cockerell who won with a near-perfect 490 out of a possible 500. He 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 May 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.

Charity game a great success!

Communications Members, Tournaments and Events, What's New

We were all saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Matthew (Mutt) Kaiser, Debbie Wastle’s son, on Monday March 29th. The pandemic deprived us of many of our traditional markers of milestones and we have all experienced some degree of isolation. So when Roy Stefaniec proposed a memorial game in Mutt’s honour, it gave us a way to show love and convey support to a valued member of our community and a good friend.

An impressive forty pairs signed up on BBO friday evening, April 9th, divided into two sections of ten virtual tables. Kinga and Burt Voorhees were the overall winners with a remarkable score of 68.08%.  Only four pairs found the slam in NT at board 18, a grand way to close this friendly competition…unless, like me, you found yourself helplessly defending against it.

Together, we raised US $400 (CA $500 equivalent) for the Calgary Food Bank, the charity chosen by Debbie and her family.  The Calgary Food Bank serves families, individuals and organizations since 1982. In its last fiscal year, it  distributed close to 100,000 food hampers. Like most food banks, it relies solely on the support of the community. A very worthy cause indeed.

Special thanks to Roy and Island Bridge Club for providing us with an opportunity to be together in this difficult time.

Charity game this Friday

Communications What's New

Deb Wastle’s son Matthew (Mutt) passed away suddenly on Monday morning, March 29 in Calgary. An online charity game, hosted by Island Bridge Club is being held on Friday at 7 pm in his memory.

To participate, log onto BBO and go to Virtual Clubs. Select ACBL North America, then Victoria Clubs. Proceeds will go to the Calgary Food Bank. You will have the opportunity to make an additional donation. 

Online bridge etiquette

JP Weber BBO, What's New

Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed some changes in our sidebar bridge etiquette column.

The suggestions are now more relevant to online playing.

As Paul Linxwiler aptly noted in his November 2020 Bridge Bulletin editorial, slow play online is the most common topic of complaint from Bridge Bulletin readers.  Accordingly, several bullet points address aspects of this topic.

Enjoy and keep on playing online… in tempo!

And if you have any word of wisdom you’d like us to add to our etiquette column, please send it via the Contact Us button.

 

 

 

 

A successful CNIB fundraiser

JP Weber Tournaments and Events, What's New

Thank you all Victoria bridge players who participated in CNIB’s fundraising bridge game, Bridging Barriers Charity Game, a couple of weeks ago. You really made a difference as you can see from the following numbers.

There were 150 participants between the online auction and bridge game. Of these, 55 played in the bridge game.

The total number of players who were based on Vancouver Island was 36, with 20 from Victoria specifically.

Overall, the event raised $10,790.00. For more information on CNIB’s program, follow this link.

Well done, everyone!

New masterpoint ranks for February

JP Weber Members, What's New

At the start of each month, we receive from ACBL the list of new masterpoint rank holders for the previous month. 

You can find all of the February 2021 honourees on our Masterpoint Milestones page, located under “Members” in the top menu of Unit 431’s website, bridgevictoria.ca.

And if you have any question or comment, just click on the “Contact Us” button in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

It’s Your Call February Results

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

Thirty-six  players submitted results for February. Congratulations to Sheldon Spier who won with 390 points out of a possible 500. He 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 check comments from participants and even add your own!

To check out the March 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.

Hollywood Magic casts its spell on Victoria players

JP Weber What's New

Congratulations to the follow Unit 431 players whose names are in lights on the ACBL website for placing in the Hollywood Magic Regional Tournament Overalls, held February 18 to 21, on BBO.

  • Terry Foster played with Jeffrey Stead from West Virginia, placing 1st in C and 2nd in B in the Back Lot Mid-Flight Pairs, for 18.17 gold masterpoints.
  • Catherine Mustafa and Jim Greening placed 2nd overall in the Golden Age Gold Rush Pairs, for 12.95 gold masterpoints.
  • Farhad Rohani placed in the Prop Manager Side-Game Series Overalls, winning 8.27 gold/red masterpoints, and placed in the Stunt Doubles Side Game Series for another 3.03 gold/red.
  • In the Golden Lights Gold Rush Pairs, Gina Curran and Janice Closson won 1.53 gold. Mark Raymond and Madeleine Tremblay got 1.81 red.
  • In the Golden Age Gold Rush Pairs, Gina Curran and Jill Plasteras won 1.59 gold.
  • Deborah Stewart and Jo Albinati placed in the Chocolate Raisin 499ers, winning 3.66 red masterpoints.
  • Anne-Marie Miller and Scott Miller placed in the Chocolate Raisin 499ers Pairs, winning .92 red masterpoints.
  • Gillian Mouat and Nigel Williamson placed in the Chocolate Raisin 499ers Pairs, for .58 red masterpoints.
  • Christie Ulmer and Gail Maier placed in the Popcorn 99ers Paris, winning .92 red points.

Let us know of any other notable results we might have missed at this tournament or in other games!

Updated Milestones

JP Weber What's New

We update our website regularly to reflect changes in the local bridge scene.

For example, at the beginning of each month, we publish new Masterpoint Milestones, celebrating Victoria players who have reached new Masterpoint ranks.

Our bidding quiz, It’s Your Call, Victoria is updated monthly. The current quiz runs until February 20. Click here to play!

Sadly, we also need to occasionally update our In Memoriam page. Three Victoria players passed away recently. You can access obituaries here.

And if you have any news you would like to share with the local bridge community, please feel free to send us your item, via the “Contact Us” button found at the upper right corner of the page.

 

 

CNIB Bridging Barriers Charity Bridge Game

JP Weber What's New

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind is putting on a fundraising bridge game, Bridging Barriers Charity Game. Here’s a chance to contribute to a worthy cause while enjoying your favourite game.

Game information

The Grand Prize!
  1. Where: on BBO
  2. When:  Sunday, March 7, 2021 from 10:00AM -12:30PM (PST)
  3. Format: 18 boards, stratified A/B/C (point ranges to be announced).
  4. ACBL Club Championship rating points (2X the normal club black points).
  5. The game will be run through Island Bridge Club, with Roy Stefaniec directing.
  6. Prizes will be awarded to top E/W – N/S scores for all three strats.
  7. Grand Prize – a 38” strand of pearls donated by Stones Jewellry, valued at $1195.
  8. The winner will be announced on game day, Sunday, March 7 at 9:55 am.

The cost is $50, eligible for an income tax receipt for the whole amount.
(Please disregard previous information stating receipt was for $35.)

Specific instructions:

  1. Choose your partner (you must have a partner to play with, but register individually, to receive your tax receipt)
  2. Have your BBO username (handle) ready before you pre-register (required field).
  3. Pre-register through this link: https://www.classy.org/event/cnib-bridging-barriers/e317773
  4. Game day: log onto BBO between 9:00-9:30 am on Sunday, March 7.
  5. Select Challenge then All Tournaments. Type CNIB into the SEARCH field in the top right-hand corner.
  6. Click on CNIB and you will be placed at a table, one partner invites the other and you are ready to play!
  7. Draw for the Grand Prize takes place at 9:55 am, just before the game starts. Only players are eligible to win.
  8. If you have trouble logging on at game day, contact Roy Stefaniec at 250 812-1615.

Upcoming Unit 431 AGM

JP Weber What's New

The Unit 431 Board of Directors will hold the annual AGM on Sunday, February 28, 2021, at 3pm, by Zoom. This allows time for the Sunday mentor game to complete, and for players to log on to the AGM.

Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent to all members several days in advance of the AGM, along with an agenda and an information package, so members can review reports from the Board and the slate of candidates for election to Board vacancies. Nominations will close at the AGM.

A quorum of 20 members is needed to conduct business such as the election of Board members and approval of the financial report. We hope you can attend. We plan to keep the meeting to approximately 30 minutes.

Thank you,

ACBL Unit 431 Board of Directors

Don Copeland wins IYC – again!

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

We had a great turnout for our first quiz of the year with 49  players submitting results for January. Congratulations to Don Copeland who won a second consecutive month with 470 points out of a possible 500.  He receives a free game at VICTORIA CLUBS on BBO.

Will anyone challenge our “Ken Jennings” in 2021?

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 check comments from participants and even add your own!

To check out the February 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.

It’s Your Call Victoria – Winners for 2020

JP Weber What's New

As 2020 fades away, it’s time for a year-end report. Our quiz has been now running for four complete years. Although the format remains the same, we’ve significantly improved the interface this year, for a friendlier user experience. We have also added a new scoring system to determine who’s doing well during the year, even if they don’t win outright in any particular month. This is shown in the leaderboard, which includes the top 10 players and is updated monthly. For 2020, after a heated battle for first place, John Miller has come out on top.  Click here to see the final results.

And let’s not forget the results for December:

Thirty-nine players submitted results for December. Congratulations to Don Copeland who won with 460 points out of a possible 500. He receives a free game at VICTORIA CLUBS on BBO.

Of note, Don Copeland and John Miller are the only two players to have won IYC 5 times. Who knows what might happen in 2021?

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 check comments from participants and even add your own!

To check out the January 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.

ACBL Unit 431, Victoria