This is the ARCHIVE website for Mountnessing Bridge Club
2006 - 2015
For current news, results, etc please visit
http://www.bridgewebs.com/mountnessingbc/

Search This Site

NEWS AND GOSSIP: July to September 2007

To return to the 'News Index' close this window

PSYCHE

A psyche was recorded at the club on September 20th 2007 - see the club's Pysche Book for details (user name and password required). A psyche is a legitimate part of the game of Bridge, PROVIDING:

• It is not 'fielded' by the partner of the player making the psyche - e.g., partner makes allowance for the lack of values and deliberately 'underbids' his / her hand
• It is not a frequent occurrence.  If it does occur frequently then it becomes a 'partnership understanding' and it is unfair.

EBU PROPOSED CHANGES - IT COULD AFFECT THE CHARGES YOU PAY FOR (ANY) CLUB BRIDGE!

Most visitors to this web site will be aware of the changes being proposed by the EBU to the way that Bridge is financed in England - if not, please see the full document on the EBU website. NOTE THAT THESE CHANGES POTENTIALLY AFFECT EVERYONE WHO PLAYS CLUB BRIDGE IN ENGLAND - whether or not they are currently members of the EBU . A final decision on the scheme will not be made until February 2008, so there will be further opportunities for you to make your views known if you have not already done so.

TROPHY PRESENTATION

Members will recall that at the beginning of August, the club's Summer Trophy was won very convincingly by Frank Morrison & Alan Green - with a score of 71.65%! The trophy was presented at club night on August 23rd. To view the full results click here.

TEAMS OF FOUR BRIDGE AT MOUNTNESSING

Members will recall that they were asked views about the occasional running of teams of four format at Mountnessing. There was limited interest in the idea so it has been dropped for the time being.

SIMULTANEOUS PAIRS EVENTS

It is clear that some club members love Simultaneous Pairs events, others hate them. These events take quite a bit of organising, especially getting two sets of 32 boards pre-dealt. As a compromise, there will henceforth be four Simultaneous Pairs events at the club each year, though, unfortunately, rather like the proverbial London buses, they come in bunches, with two close together in the Spring and two in the Autumn. Three of these events will be 'Green-Pointed'. The main focus of the fourth event is the charity element. For more details of the two remaining events in 2007, please see the full Programme of Events.

EBU 'ANNOUNCEMENTS' AND 'ALERTS'

Players will have grown used to the idea of 'alerting' partner's conventional bids, but with effect from 1st August 2006 the EBU has introduced a new scheme whereby the rules about 'alerting' have changed, and some bids need to be 'announced' instead. Mountnessing Bridge Club has adopted the new scheme.

A useful summary of the new rules has been downloaded from the EBU Website, but the main points are:

• If your partner opens 1NT you must 'announce' the High Card Point range
• If your partner opens a natural two of a suit you must 'announce' the strength - such as 'weak', or 'strong and forcing' or 'strong and non-forcing'. If the two of a suit opening is not natural (e.g., strong 2♣, Multi, Lucas, etc.) it must be 'alerted' rather than announced
• If your partner responds 2♣ to your 1NT opening and it is Stayman (whether promissory or not) 'announce' it as Stayman, but alert it if it is anything else. The 2♦ response to Stayman is no longer 'alertable'
• If your partner responds in diamonds or hearts to your 1NT opening and this is a transfer bid, 'announce' hearts or spades as appropriate, but if the bid could, or does, have an alternative meaning, then alert it.
• Doubles of 1NT bids - including 1NT responses and rebids - are assumed to be for penalties and should be alerted otherwise. E.g., if in the sequence 1♥ no 1NT x the double is intended as a take-out of 1♥ then it is alertable.
• Doubles of suit bids up to 3♠ are assumed to be for take-out, and must be alerted if otherwise. E.g., in 1NT 2♦ (natural) x - if the double is not for take-out it is alertable.
• Bids above 3NT are no longer alertable EXCEPT artificial opening bids at the 4-level or higher

Some specific comments as to when doubles should be alerted can be viewed here.

SAD FAREWELLS

In recent weeks the club has said sad good-byes to two of its long-standing members, who have moved from Essex to the South West.

Tessa Beer left the club in July 2007, and her bright, friendly and cheery demeanour will be sadly missed by all here at Mountnessing. Tessa has been a very successful player at the club - see the club honours page. Club members wish Tessa every happiness in her new home.

In August 2007, it was with sadness that the club bade farewell to long-time member and regular player Val Clifford. Unfortunately, Val was unable to attend what would have been her last night at the club.  She had sent a very nice e-mail in which she said "I would be grateful if you would pass on my best wishes to everyone at the club. I just hope I will be able to find another club that will generate the sort of friends that I have at Mountnessing, the pleasant people to play against and the very special people that I have grown close to. I will miss them all very much. I wish you all the best in the future and again am sorry that I will not be able to say goodbye in person". Club members collectively wished Val every happiness in her new home.

To return to the 'News Index' close this window