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
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
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.
Breaking news!!!!!!!!!!
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
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:
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 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)
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)
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