#17 / 20th December 2010

This is my final blog for the year and...

I want to take this opportunity of wishing all our bridge-playing community and families

Compliments of the Season

And a Happy, Healthy and bridge-filled New Year.


For a bit of news: The closing date for the trials entries has come and gone and we have 3 teams for the Open and 10 pairs for the Womens’ event that have put their caps in the ring.
The trials will be held at the Links from Wednesday morning the 26th January till Sunday the 31st. All participants will be notified by the 7th January 2011.


I wish to pass on the message received from our President of the World Bridge Federation:

‘Approaching the end of the year it is my pleasure both as President of the World Bridge Federation and also personally to send you my best greetings for the forthcoming New Year.

It is an honour for me to take the chair as WBF President and I want once again to thank my colleagues of the Executive Council who have accorded me this privilege.

It is not an easy task for me as the new WBF President to take this chair after the “Giants” who preceded me, to carry forward the vital work that they have done. I had the opportunity to work with them and to learn so much by them. I hope to be able to be equal to this task.

Looking to the future, it seems essential to focus on the different problems which in general influence bridge activity and these we must analyze in detail in order to have the most realistic possible vision.

Above all we can not avoid considering the major economic crisis, the instability and insecurity which troubles the world and the changes that are affecting our society and lifestyles, directly influencing and interfering with our organization and the whole bridge playing world. Not to speak of the explosion in technology. Life style changes are in front of our eyes and we can touch them daily with our own hands.

How can we cope with this? Only by constantly offering our members a better quality of goods and services and overall being strongly convinced of the formative, educational and social values of the product that we are elected to develop … sport in general and bridge in particular. We can do so only if we are all convinced that the development of bridge is not merely an ‘instrument’ to satisfy our goals or our egoism, but it is an aim, an objective which can and must be reached, thanks to our certainty of the importance of its added value for a better quality of life.

When the motto ‘Bridge for Peace’ was forged it was done not simply to label us,
allowing a charming influence on mass imagination and bringing some increase in numbers and income. On the contrary it was created to demonstrate the inner values of our discipline.

We are living in a difficult period, but we have to go on working with passion, dedication and enthusiasm and being optimistic towards the future, towards our aims.

I will be proud, as will my colleagues on the Executive Council, to put all my efforts into developing and consolidating the image and organization of our marvelous discipline everywhere in the world. I will be proud to publicize how important bridge can be for the education of the youth, for the enjoyment of the elderly, for the integration of the disabled, for the avoidance of discrimination.

I am confident to have your support and your help and I want to thank all of you, being sure that all together we will be able to achieve our goals.

I wish you again a very Happy and Prosperous 2011, and hope that you and your family will have a peaceful and enjoyable year.

Ad majora.

(signed)

Gianarrigo Rona
President, World Bridge Federation
December 2010 '

#16 - 1st December

I am so excited! I was looking in the Bridge Forum site and was blown away by what I saw.

Sid has done an amazing job of planning and creating this website and handling all the queries, sending them on to the panel and collating the answers and posting them. It is just fabulous.

As for the depth of information that has been received by Bernard and Tim, it is truly unbelievable. Thank you all for this wonderful effort.

I sincerely hope that all the bridge players make use of the expertise that is being offered. I must stress that we are not looking for expert questions, but we want this to be an interactive site that can offer solutions to all and sundry. We can all learn from the answers.

My day improved when I phoned Hotel Numbi to book my accommodation for next years’ congress and was told that nearly the whole hotel had already been booked! There are 4 rooms left in the main hotel but, there still are a lot of the garden suites available. The hotel’s details are on the web, and remember that you only have to pay your deposit in March next year, so I suggest that you book early to avoid disappointment.

The Interprovincial will take place there from the Thursday the 12th, May 2011.


That’s all for now,

Helen

#15 - 15 November

We have just spent a wonderful weekend in Cape Town playing in the interclub.

26 teams took part in this event of which 12 were from Cape Town itself.

The results will be published on the web, but I am pleased to announce that Gauteng did us proud. The winners were the team from JBC, second the Hillbrow team, third was Alliance from Cape Town and fourth was the Waft team from Johannesburg.

The actual tournament ran very, very smoothly thanks to Hilary Nick who took over all the duties associated with running a tournament. Both Tim Cope and Alan Simmonds assisted with the tournament directing as Jan Van Dyjken was unable to t.d. the whole time due to family commitments. My heartfelt thanks to all of them.

The weather was very mild and as a result the venue, being the Italian Club in Milnerton , was very pleasant except for the lighting which wasn’t really adequate for night bridge. The staff were superb and nothing was too much trouble for them.

Next year the interclub will be held in Knysna, date and venue to be advised.

The AGM was well supported by the players and all the provinces will receive copies of the meeting to be available to all the players. One of the issues that was raised was the awarding of Provincial Colours which was unanimously received by all will be awarded from 2011. There are however, issues that have to be resolved and Peter Terblanche, who was the driving force, will serve on a committee to do just that.


I am also thrilled to announce the advent of our bridge forum which will be available on our website. Tim Cope, Bernard Donde, Neville Eber and Craig Gower who have offered to serve on a panel , which I foresee will play an important part in assisting players of all levels.

Of course the panel will change as we have many players that are willing to give of their time but we felt that four was the maximum that could serve on the panel at one time.

It will work as follows: if any player has a problem hand that they have encountered, they can send it to webmaster [at] sabf.co.za and Sid Ismail (who was the originator of the idea) will send it on to the whole panel and their responses will be returned to the applicant. Please note, that this will not be a forum to mediate on any argument between a pair, nor, to discuss any TD ruling that you may not like and we will be very vigilant in making sure this does not happen. So guys and girls this is a great opportunity to pick the brains of our exclusive group. This feature is one more way we are trying to give back to our players.


I can forward my President's Report if you wish to peruse what has and will occur in the near future.



The team that represented us at the Commonwealth Games has returned and I am including a letter received from Desiree Pieters:

On behalf of the 6 of us that went to India, I want to thank you and SABF for giving us the opportunity to go . The bridge was really phenomenal and it was a great experience to be able to play against some of the world’s best. Nelonia and myself thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The whole event was extremely well organized and our trip to the Taj Mahal was a high light, although it took us 12 hours in the bus there and back! We were also treated to various dinners with entertainment and lunch was offered every day. Coffee, tea and bottled water also available all through the day.

We met Peter Gill from Oz and Paul Hackett from England and they both send their regards to our bridge players that they have met already. Nel and myself did a little tour after the bridge through parts of Rajasthan. India is a debatable country; you either like it or you don’t, me falling into the latter category, Nel into the first. But we still had a good time and the temples and palaces of the older times are stunning and well worth seeing. Lots of marble and inlaid semi precious stones.

Thanks all for now, bridge is calling,

Helen

Blog 14 - 29 October 2010

Well, I have been back from Philadelphia for the past week but only now do I have the energy to write all about the trip.

Philadelphia is such a fascinating city with wonderful history and great art and in fact, they have between 2,500 and 3,000 murals on buildings all over downtown Philly. There are statues on all street corners and although I don’t believe that Philly would be on your list of cities to visit, once you are there, it’s well worth it.

A very popular venue for all of us, was the Reading Market, which is an enormous market with lots of stalls right next to our hotel, we all had breakfast there before bridge commenced at 10.30.

The actual convention centre defies description in terms of its size. It used to be the old Philadelphia railway station and goes on for miles, you certainly could get lost in it. We took a trip in the open air bus to orientate ourselves on our free day and the guide on board was so fascinating that Ann and I took a further 3 trips which lasts at least 2 hours each , as each guide had a different perspective and we were enthralled with it all.

Back to the bridge, disappointingly, there were only 2 South African teams and 2 teams that were a combination of USA and South Africa that entered, but we were very proud that Tim and Glen finished 16th overall in the pairs event. There were 141 Open teams and 35 Women’s teams, equally the woman’s pairs was a very small event indeed, which makes you wonder what is happen to ‘women only’ bridge, it seems to be dying out throughout the world. There is a Womens’ Committee that is committed to reaching out to all women and trying to keep this aspect of bridge alive.

I attended the WBF Annual General Meeting and it was great meeting with so many different people all with the same problems and joys of trying to steer bridge in the right direction. The new president is Gianarrigo Rona who has taken over from Jose Damiani, who was in the driving seat for 16 years. We wish him every success.

Personally, I must say that I was really aware of the male dominance of the game. The WBF, for the first time in its history, have allowed 2 women on the executive committee, and they seemed inordinately proud to have made this allowance.

We in South African, cannot imagine, the magnitude of organising and running such a tournament. There were 4,000 players and everything ran like clockwork. I hate to think of the expense of putting on such a show, it must cost millions and millions of dollars and millions and millions of manhours.


Back to home, in just over 2 weeks time we will be holding our interclub event in Milnerton, at the present time we have 26 teams but you still have time to enter your team as entries close on Friday the 29th.


As most of you know, Pat Truter has not been well and we wish her a full recovery and although it may take quite a long time, we are sure we will once again see her at the bridge table and organizing events in Cape Town. To Andre, we acknowledge that his priority is Pat and we wish him success in looking after his wife and once she is well again, we look forward to him back in the thick of things.

Ann Sturrock has now taken over the job of masterpoints and I thank her for stepping so promptly, averting a national crisis. She has advised all clubs of the new address to which you send your tournament results and as a reminder it is: sabf.masterpoints@gmail.com.


Our team in Delhi finished 12 out of 24 in the round robin and spent today visiting the Taj Mahal. Tomorrow the semi finals begin which can be viewed on BBO.


Look forward to seeing you all in Cape Town for the Interclub.


Happy Diwali


Helen

Blog 13 - 15th September

Hi all,


One of the duties of the SABF is to decide on the annual venue for our national congress. In order to reach as wide an audience as possible, we try to hold it by rotating between the various provinces in consultation with the unions concerned.

As this is S.A’s premier bridge event we attempt to attract the best and the widest audience possible by staging the tournament at a location that not only fulfills the bridge requirements but also allows for players to mix and socialize between and after sessions .

We believe it is important to re-establish the tradition that was created all those years ago when this event was regularly held in Swaziland, Lesotho and Drakensberg to name a few. It is a tradition that has sadly slipped away over time and that is the reason that we have chosen to hold next year’s Annual National Congress at the Hotel Numbi in Hazyview.


Some the attractions of this venue are:

1. Congress 2011 will take place at the Hotel Numbi & Garden Suites in Hazyview from Saturday 14th May to Saturday 21st May 2011;
2. Two hotels in Hazyview will host Congress 2011 – Hotel Numbi & Garden Suites as well as the Hippo Hollow 3km from the Numbi. The rates are R495.00 per person sharing per night, inclusive of dinner, bed & breakfast or R645.00 per person per night in single accommodation inclusive of dinner, bed and breakfast. R200.00 per camping site per night –max 4 persons;
3. General information:
   • A cocktail function with complimentary drinks and finger supper will be held at The Numbi on Friday 13th May at 20h00.
   • A prize giving dinner dance will be held at The Numbi on Saturday 21st May.
   • A cost of R150.00 will be charged for the prize-giving dinner for players not staying at The Numbi or Hippo Hollow Hotel.
   • During the tournament: theme dinners will be served in a marquee at The Numbi for residents of The Numbi and Hippo Hollow Hotel; piano background music, traditional dancers and choir music will be provided on certain evenings.
   • Dinner for players not staying at Numbi or Hippo Hollow Hotel will be charged at R120.00 per person.
   • A shuttle will be available for residents of Hippo Hollow hotel which is approx 3km from The Numbi.
   • Depending on demand, a bus will be available to transport players from the Links to Hazyview. The bus will leave on Friday 13th May at 10h00 and return to the Links on Sunday morning the 22nd May
   • The cost of the bus (return journey) is R380.00 per person if we have 55 passengers. GBU will arrange lifts from the airport to the Links Bridge Club.
   • Game drives into Kruger Park can be booked directly with the Numbi Hotel.
   • Flights are available on SA Airlink from Cape Town and Durban and Jhb to Nelspruit or check closer to the time what is on offer from either Airlink or British Airways.
   • There will be a minibus shuttle available at approx 13h00 from Nelspruit to The Numbi on a Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact Bushveld Link (Johan & Kinnie) on 083 284-5382.
   • There is a lot to see and do in this beautiful part of our country. Contact Jan van Dijken at vdijken [at] worldonline.co.za who will put a tour package together for you.
   

Let me know if you need more information.

Helen

Blog 12 - 27th August

Hi All

The bridge world has certainly been very quiet and as a result you haven’t heard much from me.
But the very good news is that we can be very proud of our international players, namely: Craig Gower, Alon Apteker playing with Tim Cope and Glen Holman in the Springold teams tournament held in New Orleans last month. They made the last 16 teams losing to the eventual winners and were truly playing the ‘Who’s Who’ in the bridge world.
Craig and Alon then played with an American pair in the Swiss Teams and came second to the team who will be representing the U.S.A in next year’s Bermuda Bowl. Furthermore, in the Life Masters Pairs they finished 14th out of 350 pairs.
This is a fantastic effort and well done to you all!!!!!!!!!
As a matter of interest, this American event had 10,559 tables in play during the 10 days;
1,000 tables in play on any given day, which equates to 4,000 players per day. It really puts into perspective how well our players did against such competition.

In October, we will be sending our team to the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Dehli: They are Ashok Samjee, and Krishna Malani; Larry Chemaly and Joe Israeli-Zindel; Desire Pieters and Nelonia Vorster. We wish them every success and we will be watching them closely on BBO.

Also in October, the World Pairs is to be held in Philadelphia and if there are any pairs or teams that wish to enter they can contact me for details and for confirmation of eligibility as required by the WBF.

In November we are holding the Interclub at the Italian Club in Milnerton, Cape Town which starts on the 11th November till 14th. The entry form is up on the web and we look forward to lots of entries to make it a bumper tournament in the Western Cape. It is always a lot of bridge for the four days which makes the travel to C.T. well worthwhile.

Over the past few months and certainly this month and next there are many provincial tournaments taking place. As a result at least two tournaments have had to cancel due to lack of entries. I believe that we should try and space them a little more evenly and I urge all the unions to let us have their dates of the 2011 proposed tournaments within the next month so that we can advise all clubs before the events are finalized to avoid an overlap.


To all our Jewish members: a Very Happy New Year and well over the Fast.


And to our Muslim members: Hope all is well with the Ramadaan fast and we wish you all Eid Mubarrak!


Have a good bridge week.

Regards

Helen

Blog 11 - 15th July

Hi all,

Now that the soccer month is over , it is time to get back to basics again (what a pity).


After congress in May I asked for feedback so that we could make positive changes to our format and venue, et al.

The one complaint that we had was obviously the venue, but more than that, it was felt by many that we never ever got to mix with all the players, people played their game and rushed off in search of refreshments or meals.

Having taken cognizance of this, we believe that we have solved the problem with the able assistance of the Gauteng Bridge Union, who researched all venues available and are thrilled to announce that....


Congress will take place from Saturday the 14th May 2011 until Saturday 21st May 2011. The venue will be the Numbi Gate Hotel situated in Hazyview, not 10 Km from the Kruger National Park gate.


The hotel has 60 rooms and a further 40 rooms at the Hippo Valley hotel a km away and a shuttle will be available. We have been offered an incredible deal of R495 inc vat for….wait for it… Dinner, bed and breakfast per person sharing.

There is a cosy pub, where we hope our esteemed players will offer chats about the days’ hands in the evenings and that generally we will be able to meet and mix with all the players from all over S.A. in a fabulous atmosphere. There are also restaurants in the vicinity and our host Willem Fick will be offering theme evening dinners. We will end the nationals with a party on the Saturday night.

Furthermore, there will be busses leaving from The Links on the Friday and if necessary again before the pairs begin. There will be a nominal fee.

There are also many B & B’s in the area and timeshare resorts are very near this venue. To access more information about the hotel the website address is www.hotelnumbi.co.za


Warm regards
Helen

Blog 10 - 4th June 2010

Breaking news!!!!!!!!!!

The 2011 Zonals will be held in Tunisia during the 2nd half of June at the Royal Hotel which once hosted the Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup.

The host country for the Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup has been moved to Holland. Dates still to be advised.

We will be holding the Open and Women’s trials on the 27th – 30th January 2011. The Seniors trials will take place thereafter on the 10th – 13th February 2011.

Spent an incredible weekend in East London where they held a very successful pairs and teams event under the auspices of Barbara Brown and Peter Connell. There were players from all over the Eastern Cape and what a pleasure to play in such a well organized and pleasant tournament. Needless to say the committee and ladies of E.L. certainly fed us with great enthusiasm as did we players indulge with equal fervour.

I have been asked many questions regarding our A.G.M. and therefore I am attaching the minutes together with my report for those who are interested.

Hope you all enjoy the WorldWide Simultaneous Pairs Contest which take place this weekend and look forward to seeing our names in lights world-wide.

Wishing you good bridge

Helen

Blog 9 - 18th May 2010

Well, Congress has come and gone and after the dust has settled, I am pleased to report that criticisms were few and far between, and in fact only related to the air-conditioning and the venue, which the general consensus was, that it was well past it’s sell-by-date.

We played a lot of bridge and there were 3 session held at night. In order to accommodate as many pairs and teams as we did in the future, we would perhaps have to consider starting the event a day earlier, that is Thursday and finish on the following Friday. Unfortunately, due to the expense of a venue over a weekend we would be forced to use only one weekend, preventing us playing from Friday to the following Saturday. I would love feedback on this matter.

Heidi and her committee ran the events with military precision and we always started on time and stuck to our programme without any hitches.
Having Dr Magdy as our Chief T.D certainly contributed to a very calm and efficient congress.
Sid took wonderful photos that are on the SABF website and I thank him for the timeous results that were available for all to see.

The one disappointment for me was the very poor attendance at the A.G.M., where I must say all the decisions are made and ratified and after the event everybody has something to say. Obviously all are very happy with the way things are run! But on a more serious note, we need to think about when we should actually hold an A.G.M. as bridge players certainly don’t have the time or inclination to attend a meeting when all they are thinking about is the previous sessions' play and results.

It was decided that membership fees would be increased from R60 per annum to R100 per annum which is still under R10 per month! Obviously clubs should take into account players that are unable to meet this extra expense and should probably try to subsidise the shortfall.

A very successful T.D. course was run in Johannesburg after congess by Dr Magdy and we had members from all over the country taking advantage of this event. We would hope to continue with it perhaps next year so that our T.D.’s could get accreditation as there was not enough time this weekend.

A reminder that the World-Wide Simultaneous Pairs Contest takes place during the first week-end in June and hope that you have all entered this red point event.

Wishing you all great bridge,

Helen

Blog 8 - 3rd May 2010

Well Congress is almost upon us and we have had an incredible entry of 54 teams and 148 pairs!


Just a few pointers:

• Due to a race meeting on Friday 7th May, parking will only be available in the centre of the racecourse, the entrance is via The Royal Durban Golf Course. Thereafter there will be no problem and the entrance to use is Gate 8 from Avondale Road.
• Greyville will provide meals between sessions, lunch and dinner, but you will have to book your meal on lists that will be provided to avoid unnecessary catering.
• Remember the seminar on laws and conventions to be held on the Monday night by Dr Mesdary at Greyville.
• The interprovincial and the head-to-head teams final will be shown on BBO and there will be vugraph facilities at the venue.
  
  

See you there!
Helen

Blog 7 - 29 April 2010

Trials for OPEN, WOMEN and SENIORS

The rules have been formulated.

:)

Blog 6 - 2010

Life has been pretty hectic with the countdown to Congress.

We have 52 teams and 140 pairs and we are pretty chuffed with the entry.

We will be playing the inter-provincial on BBO and hope to have it screened on the premises for kitbitzers to watch live. We will be doing the same for the teams final which will take place on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

The undermentioned programme of events has gone to the printers so hopefully we will have no changes and here it is:

Interprovincial Teams
Wed 5th 1st session 14.30 2nd session 20.00
Thurs 6th 3rd session 10.00 4th session 15.00
Fri 7th 5th session 09.00

National Teams Qual's
Fri 07 May 14:30 Qual Ssn 1
Fri 07 May 19:45 Qual Ssn 2
Sat 08 May 10:00 Qual Ssn 3
Sat 08 May 15:00 Qual Ssn 4

National Teams Finals
Sun 09 May 10:00 Final Ssn 1
Sun 09 May 15:00 Final Ssn 2
Sun 09 May 20:00 Final Ssn 3
Mon 10 May 10:00 Final Ssn 4
Mon 10 May 15:00 Final Ssn 5

Teams final
Mon 10 May 20:00 Head to Head

SEMINAR Mon 10 May 20:00 Dr Mesdary

Teams final
Tues 11 May 10:00 Head to Head

National Pairs Qual's
Tues 11 May 15:00 Qual Ssn 1
Wed 12 May 10:00 Qual Ssn 2
Wed 12 May 15:15 Qual Ssn 3

National Pairs Finals
Thurs 13 May 09:30 Final Ssn 1
Thurs 13 May 14:30 Final Ssn 2
Thurs 13 May 19:15 Final Ssn 3
Fri 14 May 09:00 Final Ssn 4

Hope this helps you with your arrangements during congress

Look forward to seeing you there

Regards
Helen

(posted 21st April)

Blog 5 - 2010

Greetings Everyone,



I am now back from our holiday, refreshed and ready to face all that the SABF has to offer.



Firstly and most importantly, I want to wish both Peter and Glenda Jackson every success in their new venture in Mexico.

What you both contributed to bridge in South Africa cannot be measured and we can only thank you for your dedication and expertise and willingness to always be of assistance whenever possible.

It is with regret that we have to say goodbye, our bridge community will be the poorer with you leaving, but please come back and visit, there will always be a place for you here.

Congress is now looming on the horizon and unfortunately until we have all the entries in, we are unable to give you exact times for the events. Please let us have your entries as soon as possible even if you wish to pay on the 16th April.



We hope to be running the Tournament Director's course in Johannesburg at The Links on Saturday the 15th May ( day after congress ends). We will have a morning session from 09h00 till 12h30 and on the Sunday the 16th from 09h00 till approx 16h00. We will endeavour to accommodate out-of-town participants in our homes to avoid unnecessary expense and there will not be a charge for the actual course. We urgently need to have your commitment if you will be attending so that sufficient course material can be prepared. (We are just waiting for final confirmation from Dr Mesdary)



A reminder that the Inter-Provincials will start on the Wednesday afternoon proceeding Congress and we will be needing those entries from the provinces as soon as possible so that we can advise times of sessions.



I want to take this opportunity to wish a Chag Sameach as well as a very Happy Easter to all our players.



Helen

2010 - Blog 4

I am on my way to Port Elizabeth to play in the SAWBA Congress but wanted to share the news that Dr Magdy Mesdary the Chief Tournament Director for Africa will definitely be joining us at Congress. Besides directing he will run a seminar on the Monday night for all interested parties who wish to know a little more about the laws and convention control that pertains to us in South Africa. So make sure that you can be there.

Furthermore, he will be running a T.D. course in Johannesburg on the Saturday and Sunday following congress before he returns home. He will also advise us on the accreditation of our T.D.’s. So anyone wishing to do this course must please let me know ASAP so that we can make arrangements to accommodate any players from out of town to avoid any unnecessary expense.


I will be away until the 22nd March and will only be able to keep you in the loop with any further announcements when I get back.


The dates for Congress are on the web, but please note that there is a travel indaba in Durban the same week, so book your accommodation as soon as possible.
We will start the teams on Friday the 7th at 14.00 and the pairs will start on Tuesday the 11th at 14.00. We can only publish the times of play once we have all the entries as everything is depends on the numbers of pairs and teams that enter.


Warm wishes

Helen

2010 - Blog 3

I have had many queries regarding the times for Congress this year.

• We are having a ‘congress’ meeting on the 14th Feb and I will be able to give you more details thereafter, although everything depends on how many teams and pairs actually enter.
  
• The entry form will be on the web soon after the 14th.
  What is certainly disconcerting is that accommodation is at a premium in Durban due to the fact that there is a ‘travel indaba’ the same week, so I strongly urge you to do your bookings early.
  
• I estimate that the teams will start at 14h00 on the 7th and the pairs are planned to begin on Tuesday the 11th at 14h00 and finish at 12h00 midday on the 14th followed by a prize-giving lunch.
  
• But the very, very good news is that The Chief Tournament Director of Africa, Dr Magdy Mesdary will be our chief T.D. for congress. I am trying to arrange a T.D. course or seminar whilst he is here. For me to do this, I urgently need to know who would be interested in such a course so that we can plan his itinerary and whether to hold it in Durban or Johannesburg depending on the number of serious participants that would like to direct in the future. We have a serious lack of T.D.’s in this country and this is a wonderful opportunity for all.

A very big ‘thank you’ to Tim Cope for running a bridge clinic in East London over the last weekend in January. Barbara Brown has written to me lauding Tim and stating what a successful weekend it was and that there were 68 members attending including 5 from Port Alfred. Her most telling statement was that it made the players of the area ‘feel not so isolated’.



Wishing you all a very good week and I will keep you posted.

Helen

2010 - Blog 2

There has been much discussion regarding opening 1nt with a singleton and players are getting very agitated, as all clubs seem to have a different take on the subject.

I felt we needed greater clarification and wrote to our Chief Tournament Director of Africa Dr Magdy Mesdary and I am printing his reply verbatim:

If 1NT is opened occasionally with a singleton, then it is not a convention, as
long as partner is not aware of.
Ref. Law 40C - C1: A player may deviate from his side's announced understanding always provided that his partner has no more reason to be aware of the deviation than have the opponents. REPEATED DEVIATIONS LEAD TO IMPLICIT UNDERSTANDINGS, WHICH THEN FORM PART OF THE PARTNERSHIP'S METHODS AND MUST BE DISCLOSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REGULATIONS GOVERNING DISCLOSURE OF SYSTEM. C2: Other than the above no player has any obligation to disclose to opponents that he has deviated from his announced methods".

So if it is a convention and partner is aware of and they have means to discover it , then it is a convention and has to be disclosed to the opponents; you may also disallow such convention if you decide to. However, if it is made occasionally without prior agreement then it can fire both ways, however, repeated deviation lead to implicit understandings which then form part of their methods.

I believe this certainly clarifies the use of 1nt with a singleton and as it is acceptable all over the world, I wish to confirm that we will continue to open such hands accordingly, without prejudice. However, I must reiterate that if it is used as part of your system it must be disclosed on your convention card and alerted at the table.

Commonwealth Games
We will not longer be holding trials for the commonwealth Games as we have had a pair withdraw. Therefore the team that will represent South Africa is:

Larry Chemaly and Joe Israeli-Zindel
Krishna Malani and Ashok Samjee
Desiree Pieters and Nelonia Vorster


We wish them a great tournament and a safe journey to and from New Delhi,

Best wishes

Helen

2010 - Blog 1

Greeting everyone,

Due to no phone lines and no ADSL, I have been unable to communicate, but all is well now and hopefully we are into an exciting year beginning with our BBO InterClub Teams tournament for which I must thank Carol Grunder for her amazing ability to get this off the ground and her unbelievable patience and commitment to this project.

For all the clubs over the country, to be able to play bridge with each other regularly, is I’m sure, the start of many great things. This is a report that I received from Carol today:

BBO Interclub teams got off to a great start on Thursday 21st January. Thirteen teams from around the country and one team from Kenya are taking part in this round robin event which will run until the end of April. The team captains have put in a lot of effort in finding players, setting up matches and entering results. Kibitzers are welcome so come and support your club on Thursdays at 19:30. At one stage on Thursday evening there were 96 South African players online. The match results are available on the Google Website To download Bridge Base Online (free), click on http://www.bridgebase.com’

Another very exciting development is that Tim Cope has offered his services to give seminars to clubs around the country that do not have access to bridge and bridge players other than their own small community.

He will be visiting East London on the weekend of the 30th January and I cannot thank him enough for understanding our needs across the country of bringing bridge to all the smaller communities and ensuring that they are all part of the broad family of the SABF.

The trials for the Commonwealth games will take place on the 6th and 7th February
We will be sending a team of 3 pairs to New Delhi. Our entry is very small, in fact we only have 4 pairs that have entered and I wish them all well and I must say I regret that we can’t send two teams of 2 pairs so that all could go!

Congress will take place in Durban at the Greyville Racecourse from the 7th till the 14th May, 2010. We will begin the event with teams and then the pairs. The Interprovincial will preceed this event beginning on the Wednesday, 5th May.

We will advise the actual times as soon as the programme has been finalized.

Interclub dates have been changed to 11th till 14th November due to a clash with the festival of Divali, and is to be held at the Italian club in Milnerton Cape Town.

Wishing you all a wonderful year of bridge.

Helen

Posted 25 January 2010