The EBUTA newsletter

August 2015

 December1 2015

Contents

December 2015

Page Editorial 3 Welcome to Sue Maxwell 4 An Apology 4 A Great Deal with VuBridge 5 Are you Covered 7 Communications 8 Education Sim Pairs 2016 10 A Quiz 11 Of Etiquette and Ethics 12 Convention - Contention 15 Teacher Get-Togthers 17 Sur le Pont 18 What Went Wrong...? Avignon Edition 21 Project Updates 22 Friend or Foe 24 Pianola 26 Staying in Touch 27

2 Editorial

What does it mean to be an EBUTA Member?

As readers of the Accolade would be aware, EBUTA membership can be held at associated, full and professional levels. Anyone can join EBUTA upon simple payment of their annual subscription but only Full and Professional members are entitled to describe themselves as “Qualified Bridge Teachers”. There are currently over 700 EBUTA members – split very roughly between the three categories in the ratio 10:7:2. Membership is growing steadily and we are processing more applications for Full and Pro membership than ever before.

“So what’s not to like”, as my children say to me?

Behind this encouraging performance, there are two fundamental concerns:

First, our “rate of churn”. Although we are creating over 100 new members of EBUTA each year through our Club Teacher Training courses - all delegates on these courses are automatically enrolled into EBUTA for one year – and we get other joiners throughout the year, our annual growth in membership is only about 30 members per year. That means that we are losing – or failing to hold - almost 100 members every year. Relative to our total membership, this percentage is very high, even if one allows for a natural rate of attrition. Why is this?

Second, there are several very good bridge teachers who prefer to offer their services “outside the EBUTA tent”. A superficial reading of this might ascribe this situation as being due to a “misunderstanding” of the relationship between EBUTA and Bridge for All. One reason may be that some may have thought that to be an EBUTA member, one has to use Bridge of All methods – but this is not the case: something which we have perhaps not been as good at publicising as we might have been. [Another category of bridge teacher is the dedicated group of people who provide bridge teaching in schools]

AEBUTA has been a remarkable success in its thirty years of existence, but the question must be asked: is our “offer” truly relevant to our members in the current bridge teaching environment. What would make it more so? Should we be advertising more strongly to consumers so that they understand the value of choosing an EBUTA qualified teacher? Should we be offering continuous professional development opportunities? Are our testing methods for Full and Pro membership rigorous enough, or too rigorous? Are the other services we offer (including this magazine) of real value to our members? Indeed, do our members really understand the full range of services we do offer – and, if so, are these priced correctly?

We know that the secret to having a growing community of bridge players is to have a strong (and growing) community of bridge teachers. Write to us to share your ideas – some of you have already done so, but we need much more – to paraphrase Jerry Maguire “We are out here for you, help us... help you. Help us, help you”

Simon Barb

3 Welcome to Sue Maxwell

As you may be aware, Simon Barb has finished working as EBED Manager - though he has kindly edited this issue of Accolade. Jon Taylor has also stepped down from his role as EBUTA Manager, though will be continuing to work in a part-time voluntary capacity with the organisation.

EBED thanks them both for their contribution, and for the work they have done to develop EBUTA.

Permanent appointments will be made in the New Year, but until that time Sue Maxwell will be working as interim EBED Manager, thus ensuring continuity of service to EBUTA members.

Sue worked for the EBU for seven years around the turn of the millennium, and was one of the architects of Bridge for All. Since leaving the EBU she has worked as a full time bridge teacher both on cruises, and on dry land, and established Aylesbury Vale Bridge Club, where many of her pupils have made the transition from ‘pupil to player’. When not at the EBU offices in Aylesbury, Sue is trying to complete the purchase of a house in Shrewsbury.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Sue with any queries - [email protected].

An Apology

We have been delighted at the number of you who have applied for Full and Professional status within EBUTA over the past year. Attaining these marks of recognition really set you apart from the crowd and are a key reassurance for your students (and yourself, perhaps) that your teaching methods are of the highest quality. The process of becoming qualified is not arduous but there are a number of important steps which need to be completed correctly so that we can ensure that standards are maintained.

Additionally, qualified members are entitled to certain privileges as explained on our webpages: www.ebedcio.org.uk/ebuta

The downside of this rush of requests for qualification is that we have not been able to process all applications as fast we would have liked and, of course, we are unable to compromise the standards or requirements. We apologise to those of you who have been waiting for some time and wish to reassure you that we continue to work hard to clear the (small) backlog. Please bear with us…..

And for those who are wavering about applying for these qualifcations –wouldn’t this be a worthwhile challenge to set yourself for 2016? Full information is available through the webpages or send an e-mail indicating your interest to [email protected] and we’ll send you a pack.

4 A Great Deal with VuBridge

As you will have read in our recent e-mail, we are delighted to have concluded an agreement with VuBridge which offers a very significant enhancement of our support for EBUTA teachers.

Research of our members needs has repeatedly shown that one of the most important benefits of EBUTA membership are our Handbanks, accessible through the EBUTA Teachers Zone. These handbanks developed by Andrew Kambites cover the syllabus for a typical two to three year beginners’ course and are grouped into 50 sets (each of 16 deals): 32 sets cover bidding topics and the balance are centred on play. The popularity of this service is confirmed by the number of downloads which continue to be made from the site (and the correspondence which we receive).

Through our new association with VuBridge, we are now able to provide our members with a major extension of this service which, we believe, has the potential to provide a significant enhancement of the learning experience which you can offer your students.

The elements of our agreement with VuBridge cover:

 Significantly discounted membership of VuBridge for your students.  FREE membership of VuBridge for EBUTA Teachers  Enhanced features of VuBridge, allowing teachers to build VuBridge deals into your teaching program

1. Discounted Membership of VuBridge for students It is a truism that the way to proficiency in bridge (as with many other pursuits) is practice, practice, practice. It is for this very reason that supervised play sessions are one of the keys to students gaining confidence and thereby progressing on their route towards becoming duplicate bridge players. Such sessions are also very popular, although they can be very challenging for the teacher in terms of preparation and providing the supervision.

VuBridge offers an excellent solution to this challenge and thereby a valuable resource for us all.

The easy to use interface, recently further improved, and excellent lessons (which are structured in the same sequence as a beginners’ course) provide students with a superb opportunity to work (and play) through the themes which they have covered in class. Presented in a fun but challenging blend of deals and quizzes, we believe that use of VuBridge will enhance both the enjoyment and progress of all students.

5 Students can give VuBridge a free trial run by visiting http://vubridge.com/Minibridge.aspx

Our special subscription offer for students is at www.vubridge.com/ebu

Do encourage your students to give VuBridge a look– we think they’ll soon be hooked!

2. FREE membership of VuBridge for EBUTA Teachers Of such high quality is the material covered in the VuBridge syllabus, we believe that many teachers will want to build VuBridge deals into their lesson plans. Accompanying this strategic alliance between EBUTA and VuBridge, we are therefore providing teachers with free membership to V-Blue (VuBridge for students) so that you can see for yourself just how easy to use the system really is before recommending it to your students.

 Registering yourself for free use could not be easier: simply log into the EBUTA Teachers Zone (via the link on your EBU Members page) and select the link Sign Up for V-Blue in the right hand margin

[By the way, you’ll see that we have moved around the material which we have in the Teachers Zone and added yet more material – do please have a good look around the Zone and let us know what you think of the new layout. Everything is still there and we hope you’ll find it easier than ever to access the information which you need - Ed.]

3. Enhanced features for teachers To help you provide the very best service to your students, we are very grateful to VuBridge for working with us to develop a range of tools which will allow you to work your lessons seamlessly in harmony with the VuBridge program of lessons.

6  To access the tools simply click on V-Blue Downloads in the right hand margin of the Teachers Zone. There you will find:

 Details of the VuBridge curriculum, available in a downloadable simple to follow chart cross- referencing the V-Blue issue (week) number with the bidding and play topic covered as well as the VuBridge series number. In line with common sense, the topics get progressively more advanced as the weeks progress.

 All the hands for each Year of teaching are available as zipped single files in pbn format from this same page, allowing you to produce the deals yourself with the use of a dealing machine. A further link explains the simple steps for how this should be done – click FAQ on how to use V-Blue in the right hand margin

 Hand commentaries for the deals can be found under the topics on the webpage seen by users as they work through the deals. If you look at the screenshot reproduced on the following page, you will see the download link for the series commentary at the base of the list of deals. You will also see the series number (which is referred to in the cross-reference table described above). These commentaries are in pdf format, so they can be provided to your class by printing out or distributing as an email attachment.

As noted above, we are confident that this collaboration with VuBridge provides a major opportunity for the teaching of ACOL bidding and solid card play technique. We very much hope that all EBUTA teachers will support this initiative and encourage their students to consider subscribing for VuBridge.

Are you Covered?

Many EBUTA members teach bridge in their homes – providing a low cost and welcoming environment for their students – but what would happen if a student tripped down the stairs for example, or leaned on table and it collapsed, or any of those other unlikely but distinctly possible nightmare scenarios which could give rise to a civil liability claim? Your Household Insurance may well cover you in social situations, but do they cover you when acting in a professional capacity?

It’s precisely to cover this situation that EBUTA has arranged a third-party liability insurance, specifically for EBUTA members. Our policy, arranged through the EBU’s insurance brokers, runs from August 1st each year and provides just the peace of mind and reassurance you need at a very modest premium.

For those who haven’t already taken advantage of this, we are now offering cover under this year’s policy (until the next renewal date) for just £20. All it takes is a simple phone call to Lisa Miller on 01296 317217, equipped with credit card and we’ll do the rest!

Full policy details are available upon request.

7 Communications

kəmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)nz A means of communicating, especially: a. A system, such as mail, telephone, or television, for sending and receiving messages. b. A network of routes for sending messages and transporting troops and supplies. In standard semaphore the Beatles were actually asking for ‘NUJV’, so communication is part of their game they needed to improve. I think we would all agree that communications are an absolutely vital element for successful bridge – but would we agree on what is meant by communications?

Communication (note the singular use of the word) at the bridge table is represented by the bidding and play agreements which are employed within a partnership. Other forms of communication are expressly forbidden under the laws (indeed we have read far too much about Law 73(B) recently).

Communications on the other hand are closer to those “troop carriers”, the sequence of plays which will allow moving between the two hands so that a card is played from a particular hand at the right moment.

The simplest communication idea is that of the finesse, whereby one needs to lead towards a king in the hope that the ace is sitting “underneath”. When first shown to beginners, the finesse appears to be a piece of magic, underhanded play or skulduggery – somehow stealing a trick to which one has no “right” – and therein lies its appeal. Double finesses, deep finesses, repeat finesses, intra-finesses, marked finesses are just some of the joys which await. Richard Pavlicek lists no fewer than 51 different types of finesse on www.rpbridge.net/9g41.htm

Mastery of the finesse in its many guises can be the springboard (and goes hand in hand) with giving an understanding on how to play suit combinations (another fundamental lesson).

Communications in defence are a rather different matter (although anti-finesse plays are an equally important element for the learner to master – Richard only lists 14 of those).

I present here a couple of instructive deals which show how declarer can disrupt the defence’s troop carriers. ♠ 5 ♥ A 5 3 ♦ K Q 9 7 ♣ J 10 9 7 2 Dealer North, E/W Vul ♠ K Q 10 8 7 6 ♠ A 9 4 3 West North East South ♥ K J 8 7 6 ♥ 10 9 4 2 pass pass 3♣ ♦ J ♦ A 10 5 2 4♣ 5♣ 5♥ pass ♣ 6 ♣ 5 pass 6♣ dbl all pass

♠ J 2 ♥ Q ♦ 8 6 4 3 ♣ A K Q 8 4 3

8 When this deal came up during the Autumn Congress at Peterborough this October, North chose to “take out insurance” by bidding 6♣ over East’s 5♥ contract. East doubled and the contract duly went two off….but would ♥5 have made? There was a fair amount of good-humoured banter across the table as we debated the hand in the break before the move was called.

With clubs evenly divided, it looks as though an initial spade lead beats the contract. Declarer can win the spade in the short trump hand and lead a heart to queen, king and ace. North, however, leads a club to his partner’s top honour and South can return a spade for his partner to ruff - one off. Very neat.

However there is an even neater play that declarer can make to counter this? Can you see it?

Win the spade in hand and at trick two play ♦A, followed by ♦10, throwing a club. North can win this, but now has no means of getting his partner on lead for the spade ruff! Of course, there being no entry to lead towards dummy’s heart tenace, declarer subsequently needs to lead the ♥K off the table – what would your beginners make of that! - to pin South’s singleton queen – this play should however be “automatic” (or at least that is the distribution declarer should play for, since is the one layout with which the contract is makeable).

The second deal gave me a sleepless night (!) as I blamed myself for “letting through” a vulnerable game in a very closely fought teams-of-four match in Cambridge playing against the young England pair of Freddie Illingworth and Michael Allishaw (pictured). ♠ A K 10 9 ♥ K Q 7 3 ♦ - ♣ Q 8 6 5 4 Dealer East, All Vul ♠ J 2 ♠ Q 6 4 West (SB) North (FI) East South (MA) ♥ 6 5 ♥ 9 8 4 2 pass pass ♦ J 9 7 5 ♦ A Q 8 6 3 pass 1♣ 1♦ 1♠ ♣ A K 10 7 3 ♣ 9 2♦ 4♦ pass 4♠ all pass ♠ 8 7 5 3 ♥ A J 10 ♦ K 10 4 2 ♣ J 2 Although starting with a high card in dummy’s first bid suit is perhaps not the most dynamic lead against a suit contract, I (West) led the ♣K to the first trick. At trick two, I switched to a low spade, but declarer won in dummy with ♠A and led a second club, which I won with the ♣A. I now continued with a second spade, but declarer was in control. Winning the spade in dummy, he left the trumps well alone and played the hand on cross-ruff lines. East eventually made his ♠Q but that was the last trick for the defence.

An initial trump lead or heart lead works no better for the defence, but see what happens if West makes the opening lead of a diamond. Declarer is at risk of losing two clubs, one diamond and a spade, so ruffs the first trick and leads a club from dummy to his knave and West’s king.

9 West persists with a diamond and declarer (not being clairvoyant) again ruffs on table. He now cashes the top two spades and four rounds of hearts, discarding his second club from hand while East follows suit throughout. A club ruff in hand (East discarding a diamond) and this is the end position (with the lead in the South hand): ♠ ♥ South exits with his losing spade to East, who now has to lead ♦ away from the ♦AQ, allowing South to make the ♦K at the end ♣ Q 8 6 for his tenth trick. The club play at trick two cut the opponents ♠ ♠ Q communications, and although he defence made a diamond ♥ ♥ trick at the he end, the final result was the same. ♦ J ♦ A Q ♣ K 10 ♣ Note how South’s sequence of plays disrupts the club ♠ 8 communication between his opponents and allows him to end ♥ in hand at the right time to execute this endplay. ♦ K 10 ♣ Whew! I didn’t let the contract through after all.

Education Sim Pairs 2016

Very soon EBED will be holding our hugely popular Annual National Simultaneous Pairs event for bridge students of all ages. Any bridge teacher can hold a heat with their group using our easy-to-follow instructions (see below).

This unique event will be run between the dates of Monday 22nd February and Friday 1st April 2016 and a heat may be at any time during this period : we very much hope that your students will be participating. A minimum of one table is all that is needed and there is no charge for entries.

The event covers both bridge and minibridge and is open to all bridge students in both year one and year two, those playing in supervised duplicates and especially to all those youngsters playing in schools.

Last year we achieved 186 pairs playing bridge and 60 playing minibridge – but we’re hoping that with your support we can make it even bigger and better this time around.

A booklet of the hands with expert commentary will be available for the students to browse through after the event.

Results are posted on the EBU website at www.ebu.co.uk/sim-pairs.

Information packs for organisers are available through Lisa Miller at [email protected].

Further details may be found at www.ebedcio.org.uk/node/72.

10 A Quiz

How would you fancy your chances of making 5♣ on the hand below after West leads the ♠K on which East contributes the ♠9?

You ruff in hand and lead a club to the ace, your left hand opponent playing the eight. You now ruff a spade back to hand, both opponents playing small cards and lead a top club – to your relief both opponents follow. You now draw the last trump (held by West) and East discards a heart.

Next you cash the ♦ Q, both opponents playing small and lead your deuce towards dummy. Do you finesse the diamond ten or play off the ace and king, hoping that the knave will drop?

North ♠ Q 10 8 4 West North East South ♥ J 10 6 1♦ 1♥ 2♣ ♦ A K 10 6 3 pass 2♦ pass 3♣ ♣ A pass 3♥ pass 5♣ All pass South ♠ - ♥ 9 8 5 3 ♦ Q 2 ♣ K Q 10 9 7 6 3

Answer

Before deciding on your play on the second round of diamonds, you might like to ask yourself some questions?

How many hearts does East hold? And how many spades?

The ♠9 was a revealing card – and when followed by a small card on the second round looks like the beginning of a hi-lo signal, showing an even number of spades (presumably four). With seven spades headed by the ace-king, West would surely have bid over 2♣.

…..and the reason why West didn’t lead a heart at trick one is because he doesn’t have any! That accounts for six of East’s cards, plus the four spades just mentioned, to add to the two clubs and a diamond which you have already seen. No room for any more diamonds!

Finesse with confidence!

11 Of Etiquette and Ethics

The teaching of bridge etiquette - by which I include all aspects of the game that are not related to bidding or play – is a tricky and emotive subject even among top players. Recent “posts” about bridge etiquette at a London bridge club on the bridgewinners.com website (an “expert” site) provoked a huge number of responses including several of great “vehemence”, to the extent that a number were taken down by the site administrators.*

The code of behaviour at the bridge table which we now call “Best Behaviour at Bridge” (or BB@B) has undoubtedly been a major step forward in making the duplicate bridge playing environment less intimidating and confrontational. Prior to these “rules”, it was often the case that more experienced (or more aggressive) players “took over” the table, leaving their less experienced opponents confused, bewildered and generally upset. For a game actively seeking to attract new players to the game, these attitudes were counter-productive and needed to be curtailed - and while infringement of the spirit of these rules does still occur, a “safer” and more sociable playing environment have been significant benefits from the BB@B approach.

It is however a fact that there remain several areas of the duplicate game where many novice players feel at a disadvantage, or at least, are not at ease. How should we address these?

The four that I have on my list are:

1. Use of stop and alert cards

The regulations regarding Stop and Alert cards are described in the EBU’s Blue Book which can be downloaded from the EBU’s website at www.ebu.co.uk/laws-and-ethics

The Blue Book is not a hard book to read and a great deal of effort has gone into making it a more accessible read than its predecessors. Students need to know what they will be expected of them and what they have a right to expect of others - and while the book, modest in length though it is, may be a step too far for beginners, all teachers of duplicate bridge should be up-to-date with the information contained in this book.

Students should, at the appropriate moment, be encouraged to read (and perhaps practice in a few simulations) the “stipulations” on use of the Bidding Box which are contained in the book. Knowledge of these “rules” is so helpful in allowing people to feel comfortable at the table.

2. The use of conventions – and questioning your opponents bids

I can do no better than to quote what Andrew Robson tells his students: “If you are playing a convention, both you and partner should know it properly. If the convention occurs, the partner of the conventional bidder should tell the opponents exactly what the bid means. The conventional bidder should never

* These posts were nothing to do with the recent cheating allegations which also provoked huge debate.

12 say anything, including “Oh, I forgot”, or “I haven’t got that”, or indeed volunteer any information at all. If partner’s explanation proves to be incorrect, then call the Tournament Director over at the end – they’re very charming, and they will try to restore equity in the nicest possible way”.

Students need to help themselves by not asking questions unnecessarily during the auction unless they have a genuine need to know (i.e. the meaning of the opponents bid will affect their bid).

Again, simulations of typical situations may be useful. The bidding starts:

Pass – Pass – 1♠ and you hold ♠AKQ10973 ♥103 ♦AK ♣Q5

You are vulnerable while the opponents are not.

You may regard the bid on your right with utmost suspicion and you may well wish to bid – BUT what you cannot do is to ask your left hand opponent “Is your partner’s bid natural?”

Learners may well panic with such a strong hand and no obvious bid and that is why I recommend that you try to prepare them via some practice.

What should students do on that kind of hand? Teachers have a number of options, but I think I would aim at first to explain to students:

a) The fact that you might hold seven or even eight cards in a suit does not automatically mean that the hand on your right does not also hold the suit, maybe even five or six of them. Faced with such a break, can your hand handle having this suit as trumps (especially if you get forced)

b) The fact that you might like a bid of 2♠ or 3♠ by your hand in this situation to be natural, does not mean that is what your partner will understand by the bid. Probably not – so don’t start down that path!

c) A double is a request for partner to bid his/her best suit – is that what you want? What will you do after partner’s bid? A 2♠ or 3♠ bid by your hand may still not be understood by partner

The real options are:

(a) The expert approach: pass and hope that the bidding doesn’t die. On the next round, bid your spades at the minimum appropriate level.

(b) The practical (matchpoint) approach: don’t be fixated by playing in spades, this hand may well play just as well in no trumps. Even though you don’t hold stoppers in the red suits, with a little help from partner, you may well be able to gather nine tricks before they make five. Bid 3NT straightaway (it would be good to cover in class that this bid does not promise a rock-crusher but a “source of tricks”)

(c) The fingers-crossed approach: bid what you would have bid anyway if the bidding had gone Pass- Pass to you third in hand : bid 4♠ straightaway.

13 Similar simulations could be put together with clubs being the long suit, since many players will open 1♣ on three card (or shorter) suits and the chances of having long clubs in the next hand is therefore that much higher.

Above all, teachers need to drill (gently) into their students: “No pointless questions, even in unfamiliar situations. Just because you can ask, doesn’t mean that you should ask”

3. Hesitations

It is almost inevitable that a new player will come across at least one unfamiliar situation at the table during a duplicate. In fact that is part of the fun of the game.

Pauses are therefore inevitable and there is always a risk of UI (unauthorised information) being communicated through a bid out of tempo. Players need to be encouraged to pause “smoothly” – not to place one’s hand hovering over the biding box – simply think and then bid. And by the way, it is nearly always a better thing to make a call rather than to pass after a hesitation. Passing after a hesitation puts unnecessary pressure on partner, which he usually can only resolve by passing himself.

Again, as Andrew says: You are allowed to pause. But you are not allowed to bid based on partner’s pause. Please never bid based on partner’s hesitation, reasoning, “Partner paused, so I thought he had something, so I felt safer to bid”. I’m afraid this reasoning is not part of bridge

4. The calling of the Tournament Director

Nothing causes more offence (and thereby more upset) that calling the Tournament Director. Why is this?

Maybe we should all practice this situation of both “summoning” the director to the table and our manners/behaviour when the director arrives. Directors have a vital role to play in terms of ensuring that the essential harmony of the session’s play is maintained. It is therefore a very good idea (in my view) if new players seek out the Tournament Director at the start of play and simply alert them to the fact that they are new to the game. New players may not want to cause a “problem” or be a “nuisance” by hunting down the director who may be struggling with movement cards, bridgemates or whatever – but this is such a good investment. A few words from the director at the start of play “We have some new players here tonight…..” will put everyone in the right mood to welcome the students appropriately to the club.

14 Convention - Contention

One of the fascinating aspects of bridge for learners and experienced players alike is the myriad conventions and special understandings which one can learn and play at the table.

I remember the sense of amazement and surge of adrenalin which surged through my body when I first learned Blackwood, and my observation of lessons and extensive reading has convinced me that this same excitement still permeates beginners’ classes today the world over.

Although things have “calmed down” in recent years in terms of fundamentally different systems, there is still a steady stream of new ideas – mainly I hasten to add from young champions – available to be picked up with alacrity by aspiring players wanting to “improve their game”. (Whether there really is a close correlation between sophisticated bidding methods and superior results would make an interesting study. One of the greatest pairs in the world Geir Helgemo and Tor Helness play a very straightforward system, and some of the great rubber bridge players like Rob Sheehan and Zia Mahmood would be serious contenders in just about any competition even if they were limited to playing just Stayman and Blackwood).

In line with the myriad options available, convention cards have become ever harder both to write out and to read. EBU regulations require that:

“Pairs are required to have two fully completed system cards. Both (sic) must contain the same information. At the beginning of each round they should exchange these with the opponents’ system cards. The TD may impose a penalty if a pair does not have two properly completed system cards.”

While this seems totally in order if one is about to embark upon a Gold Cup Match of 32 Boards against a team of Grand Masters, one might think that for a regular duplicate event, even of quite a high standard, this may be “overkill” and indeed might even be perceived as an impediment to new players adopting the game. One barely has time to say “Good afternoon” to one’s opposition before play in a typical eight boards per hour, two boards per round duplicate event – let alone examine the small print on “Reverse Romix trial bids” buried at the bottom of page 4 of their system card.

If we ask ourselves as to the purpose of the convention card, the response might be: to create a “level playing field” where there are “no surprises” through undisclosed information for which one is not prepared in the bidding or play. The card is of course not the only method for achieving this objective. Alerting one’s opponents and giving full and appropriate explanation of conventional bids is (to my mind at least) equally important.

The problem and the solution to this potential conflict is that there is no definition of what is meant by a “fully completed system card” and there is no definition or standard for giving a “full and appropriate” explanation of a conventional understanding.

If one adopts the format of the EBU’s standard 20B card, the pressure to complete the “white spaces” is likely to result in a great deal of small type which would challenge a Champoleon or Ventris’ deciphering abilities. Some clubs have however found other solutions which meet the requirements of the regulations but are far less onerous.

15 Playing Conventions and telling your opponents about them. THE ANDREW ROBSON BRIDGE CLUB 1. If you decide to play any conventional bids, 020 7471 4626 www.arobson.co.uk BOTH PARTNERS MUST KNOW WHAT THE BID MEANS. Convention Card and Scorecard & what the subsequent bidding means & how to explain the bid, and subsequent bids, fully to your NAME: PAIR opponents. PARTNER: No.

If in doubt, DO NOT make a bid that your partner will not understand All players should fill in the table below, ticking those conventions that or will not be able to explain to your opponents. you and your partner play. Please put any additional conventions and 2. The PARTNER of the conventional bidder MUST DRAW THE be prepared to explain all artificial conventional bids to your OPPONENTS’ ATTENTION to all conventional bids, denoted opponents. See the back page for some useful hints. by an asterisk on Page One, and subsequent conventional responses as soon as the bid has been made. ONLY PLAY CONVENTIONS THAT YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND DO NOT: a) tap the table Weak No Trump Landy * b) use “ALERT” in any way Strong No Trump * Jacoby 2NT * Five-card Majors * Splinters * DO EXPLAIN THE BID e.g. (Weak Twos): Strong Twos Michaels Cue Bids * “Partner has 5 to 10 points and a six-card suit”. Weak Twos * Ace-Showing Cue Bids Obviously, if you know your opponents are already familiar with a Strong Jump Overcalls Negative Doubles * particular convention (like Stayman), then merely saying ‘Stayman’ Weak Jump Overcalls * Gerber * will suffice. Stayman * Unusual No Trump * 3. You should ask your opponents about their bidding when it is Blackwood * your turn to bid or play. If they seem to be getting into a muddle, Roman Key-Card Blackwood * then it is better to ask them not to explain their bids. 4th Suit Forcing * 4. STOP! Inverted Minor Raises * There are no STOP! cards and there is no reason either to say Transfers over 1NT * “STOP!”, or to tap the table, or to draw anyone’s attention to a Transfers over 2NT * jump bid. With every bid, it is up to each player, as far as possi- Unassuming Cue Bids * The Andrew ble,Robson to be ready Bridge to bid, to bid Club in tempo, uses and to thebid the following cards they card,Trial Bidding described by the great Bobby Wolff as “the are dealt with rather than draw any inference from a hesitation best I had seenor a delayfor clarity,by their par tner.conventionBut if you have notification,your bid, bid. and* denotesfor helpful conventions information. that you must tell opponents I am aboutnot embarrassed to admit that I was so taken with their efforts, I pilfered a few convention cards and brought them back to the USA”

Playing Conventions and telling your opponents about them. THE ANDREW ROBSON BRIDGE CLUB 1. If you decide to play any conventional bids, 020 7471 4626 www.arobson.co.uk BOTH PARTNERS MUST KNOW WHAT THE BID MEANS. Convention Card and Scorecard & what the subsequent bidding means & how to explain the bid, and subsequent bids, fully to your NAME: PAIR opponents. PARTNER: No.

If in doubt, DO NOT make a bid that your partner will not understand All players should fill in the table below, ticking those conventions that or will not be able to explain to your opponents. you and your partner play. Please put any additional conventions and 2. The PARTNER of the conventional bidder MUST DRAW THE be prepared to explain all artificial conventional bids to your OPPONENTS’ ATTENTION to all conventional bids, denoted opponents. See the back page for some useful hints. by an asterisk on Page One, and subsequent conventional responses as soon as the bid has been made. ONLY PLAY CONVENTIONS THAT YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND Weak No Trump Landy * DO NOT: a) tap the table b) use “ALERT” in any way Strong No Trump * Jacoby 2NT * Five-card Majors * Splinters * DO EXPLAIN THE BID e.g. (Weak Twos): Strong Twos Michaels Cue Bids * “Partner has 5 to 10 points and a six-card suit”. Weak Twos * Ace-Showing Cue Bids Obviously, if you know your opponents are already familiar with a Strong Jump Overcalls Negative Doubles * particular convention (like Stayman), then merely saying ‘Stayman’ Weak Jump Overcalls * Gerber * will suffice. Stayman * Unusual No Trump * 3. you should ask your opponents about their bidding when it is Blackwood * your turn to bid or play. If they seem to be getting into a muddle, Roman Key-Card Blackwood * then it is better to ask them not to explain their bids. 4th Suit Forcing * 4. STOP! Inverted Minor Raises * There are no STOP! cards and there is no reason either to say Transfers over 1NT * “STOP!”, or to tap the table, or to draw anyone’s attention to a Transfers over 2NT * jump bid. With every bid, it is up to each player, as far as possi- Unassuming Cue Bids * ble, to be ready to bid, to bid in tempo, and to bid the cards they Trial Bidding are dealt with rather than draw any inference from a hesitation or a delay by their partner. But if you have your bid, bid. * denotes conventions that you must tell opponents about

I would note here that the ARBC employs treatments in relation to STOP and ALERT cards which do not conform with EBU regulations. This should not detract from objective of this article which is about making duplicate bridge accessible for learners of the game.

A slightly more complex but similarly motivated card is used by Richmond Bridge Club, one of the largest and most successful clubs in the country (and, of course, EBU affiliated) - see page 15.

Obviously this caters to a somewhat more sophisticated range of bidding systems and players, but the principles of immediate intelligibility and simple completion have been retained.

As noted elsewhere in this magazine (see page 18), the FFB card “Feuille de Previsions” has gone almost entirely down the “tick the box route”. If one is playing anything which is NOT covered by the card, one should of course bring along a pre-completed card which fulfils the same legal requirements.

The “Full and Appropriate” disclosure is a more difficult issue altogether, and requires a continuous process of education within the bridge community, above all engendering a willingness “to engage”. It is all very well announcing “May be as few as one” when one’s partner opens 1♣ - but it takes a different mindset to explain to one’s opponents before the start of play “Our 1♣ opening is made when holding a five card, or longer, club suit, or any balanced hand in the 12-14 range without five diamonds” (or whatever). I have no solution to offer to this problem – maybe readers do, or maybe you don’t think it

16 SLAM METHODS RICHMOND BRIDGE CLUB Blackwood Gerber * 0208 892 2170 Roman Key Card Grand Slam Force www.richmondbridgeclub.com DEFENCE TO 1 NO TRUMP (1NT) p=nm NAME: 2 (Landy) * Cappelletti *# PAIR 2p=n + Another * 2p=n+porN * No. 2N=m + Another (Asptro) * 2N=m+ Another (Astro) PARTNER: 2p=p+n+m * Other *# 2N=N+n+m (Ripstra) You and your partner should fill in the table below, ticking those conventions that you both play. CARDING METHODS SIGNALS & DISCARDS BASIC SYSTEM – 4th Highest High = Encourage Low = Discourage (HELD) A=Announce * Alert # Describe fully in Other Conventions High = Dislike (Reverse) 3rd or 5th Highest Short Club Opening A H/S – 2NT Low = Like (Attitude) Number 3+ / GF Raise *# Even Discard = Like Better Minor Opening Inverted Minors Raises *# High/Low – Even No. Odd = Same Colour (DODDS) 1NT/2NT balanced A Splinters * Low/High – Odd No. Italian # Stayman Over 1NT & 2NT A 4th Suit Forcing * McKenney # Other # 1suit-1/2 new suit * Transfers Over 1NT/2NT A 1/2 NT - 2/3 pCheckback # Systems On /Off after 1NT Overcall (delete as applicable) Jump Overcalls W / I / S is a problem. Whatever the case, please write to us – we’d love1NT X escapeto publish your*# ideas.(Circle method used) Two Suited Overcalls OTHER CONVENTIONS (please complete) # 5 Card Puppet Stayman * Colour Rank Odd (CRO) * As teachers, you have an important role in helping yourINT-2 studentsm Range Enquiry make *the transitionMichaels from class* to clubroom. I am sure that it is a challenge which you relish –2p but/2o general also strong one hand which * atUnusual times No Trump has you pulling * out your hair. It is however a shared objective: the clubs aroundStrong 2 natural you (or whereA Other you two teach) Suited O/calls are eagerly *# Weak Two Openings A Unassuming Cue Bid (UCB) *# awaiting a stream of learners from you. Why not talk to yourLucas club 2’s management*# Lebensohl and see whether*# some of the ideas presented here might be adapted by them Multito 2makeo Openings the playing *# Negativeexperience Doubles up toeven more enjoyable, as well as providing a logical and smooth transition2 Suited for Openings your students *# (their new members) to the wonderfulPLEASE TREAT world PARTNER of club & OPPONENTS duplicate WITH bridge? COURTESY

SLAM METHODS RICHMOND BRIDGE CLUB Blackwood Gerber 0208 892 2170 Roman Key Card Grand Slam Force www.richmondbridgeclub.com DEFENCE TO 1 NO TRUMP (1NT) p=nm NAME: 2 (Landy) * Cappelletti #* PAIR 2p=n + Another * 2p=n+porN * No. 2N=m + Another (Asptro) * 2N=m+ Another (Astro) PARTNER: 2p=p+n+m * Other #* 2N=N+n+m (Ripstra) You and your partner should fill in the table below, ticking those conventions that you both play. CARDING METHODS SIGNALS & DISCARDS BASIC SYSTEM – 4th Highest High = Encourage Low = Discourage (HELD) A=Announce * Alert # Describe fully in Other Conventions High = Dislike (Reverse) n m 3rd or 5th Highest Short Club Opening * 1 /1 – 2NT Low = Like (Attitude) G.F. Raise (Jacoby) * Even Discard = Like Better Minor Opening Inverted Minors Raises * High/Low – Even No. Odd = Same Colour (DODDS) Strong No Trump A Splinters * Low/High – Odd No. Italian # Weak No Trump A 4th Suit Forcing * McKenney # Other # Stayman A 1suit-1suit * 1NT -2p (Checkback) Transfers Over 1NT A Jump Overcalls W / I / S OTHER CONVENTIONS (please complete) # (Circle method used) Transfers Over 2NT * Two Suited Overcalls Colour Rank Odd (CRO) * 5 Card Puppet Stayman * Michaels * INT-2m Range Enquiry * Unusual No Trump * Strong Two Openings A Other two Suited O/calls # * Weak Two Openings A Unassuming Cue Bid (UCB) * Multi 2o Openings # * Lebensohl #* 2 Suited Openings # * Negative Doubles up to 2m

PLEASE TREAT PARTNER & OPPONENTS WITH COURTESY

Thanks to Richmond Bridge Club and Andrew Robson Bridge Club for allowing the reproduction of their cards Teacher Get-Togethers

EBUTA members in Kent met last month to discuss a number of different topics including: encouraging learners in to clubs; marketing your lessons; schools bridge; and the work EBED is doing.

EBED would like to help facilitate more such meetings in different counties or areas, and where possible will attend to contribute to the meeting.

If you think there would be an appetite for an event near you then contact EBED - [email protected]

17 Sur le Pont

As we know the motivations for playing bridge, and above all starting to learn bridge, are often driven, at least in part, by social considerations of one kind or another (the loss of a partner, the desire to make new friends, the need to “get out of the house” etc.)

The continued growth in bridge holidays of every kind and shape is a clear indication that many players and in particular many less strong players are looking for opportunities to learn and play the game in environments which are less “hair-shirt” and which offer rather more than a diet of cards, cards and yet more cards.

Some teachers have taken groups of students to congresses (such as the EBU Summer Congress) – usually with considerable success, although the amount of organisational work is not inconsiderable.

A further option which to my mind is both feasible and still very much underexploited is the opportunity of encouraging the playing bridge in France.

Playing bridge in France is in many people’s mind associated with being the reserve of either the very strong player or the very rich – images of Biarritz or the Cavendish in Monte Carlo spring immediately to my mind – but nothing could be further from the truth.

Bridge in France is a big. According to the European Bridge League website, there are almost three times as many members of the Federation Française de Bridge than there are of the EBU www.eurobridge.org/ member-federations.aspx - and they (unsurprisingly) have a calendar and structures very comparable to those in England.

A couple of years ago, my regular partner and I decided to explore new pastures and submit ourselves to the trial of playing outside the comfort zone of English-speaking Congresses. We were surprised by what we found.

For our first foreign outing, we selected the “Festivals du Soleil” which take place each year in four centres in Provence. The first of these Congresses is in Avignon, one of my favourite cities in France with loads to see of cultural interest, great gastronomy, fine wines and excellent access from London and other regional airports (see overleaf).

1. The Venue The bridge event at Avignon is held adjacent to the Palais des Papes in a well-lit purpose built conventions area.

The view that awaits you when you emerge for the event in the early evening alone makes the trip worthwhile - see the adjacent picture.

18 2. Organisation and Ambience The atmosphere was sociable and welcoming. There was no need to book in advance, one simply arrives at the venue and registers. Players are asked for their playing ability and placed accordingly – with the aim that sections are “balanced”, with a mixture of abilities. Relative to most English competitions, we noted a high proportion of mixed or women pairs. Generally people made a real effort to bridge the cultural and linguistic barriers – and of course we reciprocated. We did announce our system to our opponents at the beginning of each round (quatrième majeure (four card majors), sans atout faible (weak no trump) - but contrary to what we had been “warned”, there were no rolled eyes although our opponents usually took the opportunity to confirm (before the auction) their defence against this fiendish Anglo-Saxon convention.

The attendance is, of course, not guaranteed, but this year there were 100 tables for the pairs event held over the weekend. One session of bridge is played from 2:30 to about 6:30 each day.

Table money is not dissimilar to that at UK Congresses and works out at about €1 per board played.

At the end of the event on the Sunday evening, everyone assembles for “un petit cocktail” – a complimentary drinks party – where one has the chance to mingle “informally” and talk to some of your opponents about the experience.

3. Speaking French There is no doubt that one’s experience is enhanced if one can speak a little French – that said, contrary to one’s image of brusque Parisian waiters muttering at one’s attempts to pronounce the words “moelleux au chocolat”, almost all the players we met are keen to show off their knowledge of English… and actually some of them are native English speakers, having retired to France or lived there for years! English is the international language of bridge, so one is perfectly within one’s rights not to let a word of French pass one’s lips. The TD’s are multi-lingual (there are often a few Italians playing) and the whole emphasis is on minimal formality and maximum enjoyment.

Of course, it is as well to be equipped with a few bridge terms and I append a few at the end of this article.

4. Your Convention Card The FFB Convention Card (Feuille de Conventions) - shown opposite - is a relatively simple document which can be downloaded from the web. However, no one against whom we played had one of these. Instead we were provided at the venue with a simple paper scorecard with an outline convention card (Feuille de Provisions) on the outside cover – similar to those used at EBU events. The Feuille basically consists of a set of yes/no questions and takes seconds to complete – but in practice no-one looks at this anyway – and this never seems to cause a problem at the table.

19 Almost everyone in France plays SEF (système d’enseignement français) – in essence five-card majors, three weak two’s and a strong no trump. The handful of players who play anything else are careful to explain anything out of the ordinary: French courtesy and charm at its best.

5. Transport Getting to Avignon is easy and need not be expensive. Ryanair flies from Luton to Nimes, Easyjet from Gatwick to Montpellier, or, slightly further afield, Ryanair also flies from Stansted to Marseille (from where there is a good rail connection to Avignon). From Nimes and Montpellier airports, you may prefer to rent a car but one may well choose to do this anyway to explore some of the lovely towns and villages close to the Rhone. There is also the possibility of a journey via Eurostar/TGV – very handy if you are planning to bring back a few cases of wine from the Rhone. Finally, Flybe offers flights from Southampton and Birmingham to Avignon airport. There are often discounts on flights at this time of year. It is by no means unusual for the return flight to France to be cheaper than the train ticket to the UK airport.

6. Reference websites The webpages of the tournament itself may be found at www.festivalsdusoleil.com but do not hesitate to contact the organisers directly using the links provided in the case of any question. Patrick Chalard, the tournament organiser, will do everything possible to make your participation enjoyable.

Some teachers will already have seen www.clairebridge.com, a veritable compendium of bridge information of all kinds and a tremendous service to the bridge playing community. The site has a wide range of information (and links) both in English and French.

Finally I would recommend a look at http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge and www.atoutbridge.com

French Bridge Terms: List of Conventions and Explanations in French - see http://pcoutant.free.fr/bridge.htm Piques (P) = Spades Cœurs (C)= Hearts Carreaux (K) = Diamonds Trèfles (T) = Clubs Affranchi (e) = solid (suit) Forcing de Manche = Game Forcing Tendance = Canapé Couleur = Suit Surcontre = Redouble Les enchères de rencontre = fit jumps Chicane = Void Sec = singleton (adjective) Régulier = balanced Entame = lead Defausse = discard En flanc = ollowingf suit Pour les jouer = to play Palier = level Pair/impair = Even/Odd but pair-impair = 3rd & 5th! Petit appel = reverse signals Truscott – 2NT (after a double) shows a high card raise to 3

20 What Went Wrong...? Avignon Edition

This year, Avignon threw up another of those “what went wrong deals” and illustrates that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

North South Dealer S, E/W vulnerable

♠ J 9 ♠ A K Q 7 5 2 West North East South ♥ A J 3 ♥ K 5 1 ♠ ♦ 10 9 6 ♦ 5 3 pass 1NT pass 3 ♠ ♣ J 10 8 7 5 ♣ A 9 6 pass 4 ♠ all pass

South has reached the eminently reasonable contract of 4♠ and West starts with a small spade. The nine is played from dummy which holds the trick, East following suit. How should you plan the play?

The declarer at my table could see that there was a finesse position in clubs. If he could finesse twice and the clubs were 3-2 with split honours, he would make two club tricks. The spade lead seems to have given him an extra entry to dummy – so he might even make four tricks in clubs if the opponents fail to cash their two diamond tricks.

So at trick two declarer led a club from table finessing into the West hand. West won with the queen and the play continued with a diamond to East’s king and a low club returned – which declarer finessed…… …. ruffed, a diamond back to his partner’s ace and a second club ruff for two down! Ouch!

The full deal: ♠ J 9 ♥ A J 3 ♦ 10 9 6 ♣ J 10 8 7 5

♠ 10 8 3 ♠ 6 4 ♥ Q 7 6 4 2 ♥ 10 9 8 ♦ J 8 4 2 ♦ A K Q 7 ♣ Q ♣ K 4 3 2

♠ A K Q 7 5 2 ♥ K 5 ♦ 5 3 ♣ A 9 6

The idea of two club finesses sounds fine – but it doesn’t really make much sense on this deal unless the opponents are asleep. This is a fine contract with nine top winners and just making ten tricks should result in a good score. Declarer should draw trumps immediately and lead a small club from hand. In this case, West will win with the queen and declarer can still play for split club honours when he regains the lead, by crossing to dummy’s ♥A and taking a club finesse of the king through East.

I leave you to find the best line if West plays low on the first round of clubs!

21 Project Updates

As you will have read in our newsletters, English Bridge Education & Development (EBED) is continuing to make progress with a number of key projects which directly affect what we can offer our EBUTA teachers.

Accelerated Learning

We wrote to all teachers in Spring of 2015 to canvas your views and solicit tender offers for an Accelerated Teaching Programme, designed to provide a faster route to bridge learning. We are delighted to have received so many submissions from teachers – over fifty of you wrote to us, either to propose a solution or to offer your services as we progressed the development and testing of the new programme. We were delighted with this level of interest and we greatly value the observations, comments and suggestions which were put forward: both pedagogical and technological.

An Accelerated Learning Programme will, we recognise, not appeal to all students, nor indeed all teachers. It is in no way intended to replace our existing Bridge for All programme which has been used successfully by thousands of teachers and many tens of thousands of students. It is however our belief – a view clearly shared by many of you – that we need to get more students into playing duplicate bridge in clubs. To realise this aim, we need to have a differentiated offer available to those students who are keen to progress quickly and have the necessary commitment to undertake the challenging task of learning the game in an intensive programme of classes, practice and aided self-study.

We have now carefully studied the proposals which we have received and in particular taken into account existing examples of best demonstrated practice with regard to “fast tracking students” to the club duplicate game. There remain formidable challenges in putting together a workable, commercially viable scheme but we feel that we have made steps in terms of defining the project in terms of “deliverables”, processes and resources. We are now working to agree the production of the programme through an approved vendor who we believe will be able to produce a program in which we can all have confidence, and which will run effectively alongside what is already in the marketplace.

Until we have contracts in place, it is too early to be giving clear timescales for having this programme fully developed and ready for testing – but we do hope that we will be in the advanced stages of a prototype towards the latter part of 2016. Naturally we will be keeping you informed as we have news to report.

Bridge for All

Bridge for All continues to go from strength to strength with six club teacher training courses having been run in this financial year welcoming over 100 delegates including, we are delighted to report, a number from non-affiliated clubs. A huge thank you is due to the clubs, tutors and administrators who made this possible. We have an ambitious program in mind next year (starting in April) where we hope to ensure that we have an excellent geographical coverage for our methods.

22 At the same time, we recognise that Bridge for All needs to remain relevant and best in class against competitive teaching methods. It is some years since our student books (Beginning Bridge and Continuing Bridge) were last updated, and,during the intervening period we have gained further insight into best methods and practices in a bridge environment which continues to evolve. Above all, we want learning bridge to be fun and we need to provide our BfA teachers with materials which will allow them to attract and retain students. For this we need to ensure that our methods are sound and will equip students to take part in the friendly but competitive world of club duplicate bridge – above all we need them to remain motivated and to enthuse others in rising to the challenge and joining the community of players.

We are therefore embarking on a careful evaluation of our program and in particular reaffirming that it is truly “fit for purpose”, meeting the needs of both teachers and students in the world of multi-channel, multi-media alternatives. Guided by some initial discussions with our core of BfA tutors – but also looking closely at competitive methods – we are now working towards a redesigned and updated Beginning Bridge, and Continuing Bridge, to be launched in 2017.

We do not undertake this work lightly – our aim is to improve upon what we have already through incremental improvements rather than a “back to the drawing board” approach. We wish to retain as many as possible of the features which have made BfA the success that it is today – but we also want to take the steps which will ensure that it is still going strong in ten, or twenty years’ time.

While retaining the system structure, we will be making some system changes – wherever possible in line with the Accelerated Learning Program – which represent (in our view) what students need to know in order to be able to participate with confidence in the clubs where they are going to play. All changes will be carefully evaluated to ensure that they are both practical (from a teaching perspective) and necessary (from a play perspective).

We very much hope that these changes will attract more teachers to BfA methods, offering a solid, reliable and commercially credible option which genuinely meets the needs of our customers: the world of new bridge players.

EBED management and Trustees absolutely recognise that any switch-over to new methods will not be straightforward or trivial. We also recognise that some teachers may prefer to stay with the methods which have served them well for many years. We would like to reassure this important group of teachers that they will not be forgotten or ignored: the existing books and support will continue to be available following the launch of the new editions. Different approaches work well for different audiences and while our traditional method will continue to work well for many, we hope that by making this new offer, we will be spreading the Bridge for All success to an even wider audience of teachers and students.

23 Friend or Foe?

Social Media - Part I

Many of us, including the author, have difficulty in fully grasping the significance of the transition from traditional media (such as this newsletter) to the modern world of social media, where user-generated content is the rule rather than the exception.

For those making a living in the world of monthly magazines, it is all too easy to see these new media as representing a threat (in so far as change or fear of the unknown is perhaps unwelcome), but for those of us involved in the teaching of bridge, these new forms of communication represent a range of opportunities to get students involved faster in the rich and complex world of bridge.

Through participation, students can appreciate the sense of community and be motivated to increase their study efforts with a view to making a contribution to the group.

Already over 35% over those aged 65+ are social media users - and the percentage rises progressively the younger our audience. Within ten years it would be surprising if that figure did not exceed 60% among our prospective audience of bridge learners.

In order to guide students towards these sources, we need to point the way or at least to nudge them in the right direction. This article outlines some of the opportunities available. Do also look at our webpage detailing free internet resources listed at www.ebedcio.org.uk/node/37

A minor digression. Although perhaps not the model social media platform, this review would not be complete without a mention of Wikipedia. This extraordinary cornucopia of knowledge contains a huge range of bridge information of good quality and with excellent cross-referencing and linking on subjects as diverse as bridge organisations, personalities, conventions and achievements. Necessarily presented without journalistic comment, Wikipedia is nonetheless informative and entertaining - and if you feel that there is something missing (as noted by items in red font) on a subject which you know about - why not create it yourself? Being a Wikipedia contributor is easy and very personally satisfying.

24 Working with social media is all about being an active participant and having your say but, of course, many of the platforms allow for people to watch before they leap in. This is particularly the case for YouTube content.

It would be hard, if not impossible, to catalogue everything which is on YouTube relating to bridge but content broadly falls into three categories: “walkthroughs”, “let’s play” and “commentaries”.

A walkthrough is an objective analysis of a play problem or situation which will usually incorporate a technical or instructive point. “Let’s plays” concentrate on a user’s subjective experience – these are more fun because (depending on your taste) the commentator’s personality comes across. Commentaries cover anything else.

A selective summary of some of the content providers of content that I would commend are:

BridgeJordan – quiz based walkthroughs illustrating bridge technique www.youtube.com/channel/UCffPiIDsaCzJzwrdayAh4RA

Peter Hollands - Peter produces a video magazine using his software Triple Dummy (www.bridgevid.com) www.youtube.com/channel/UCOaZnFbFH1OlbhVm25z4rLQ

BBO – a wide range of videos including numerous videos “Think with Fred” and commentaries of past matches www.youtube.com/channel/UCrbQaB8a4F0nJSFdJjDCxxw

WBFOfficial – the WBF produces a range of videos mainly of the commentary type (interviews with personalities) www.youtube.com/channel/UC4tMzgak41i-JbxBmYiZSOA

Michael Clark –the EBU’s own Michael Clark has produced some informative videos about the recent bridge cheating allegations www.youtube.com/channel/UCZbq3DyXjxQt5k_f_5_3JiQ

Harold Schogger – walkthroughs, of Harold’s Hand of the Week www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiusJQZFPlQO6ox_3bDMEA

Again, it’s not difficult to produce your own video to upload to YouTube – why not have a go yourself? www.wikihow.com/Make-a-YouTube-Video

In part II of this article, we will discuss other Social Media including content aggregators, Facebook Groups, microblogging, AMA’s and Explain like I’m 5 plus much more!

25 Pianola

A new option for club and teachers’ websites

You may well have heard of Pianola; it’s a new service used by clubs both large and small – in England and abroad - to publish their website and results, manage their membership renewals and player database, send emails, offer a partner finder service, and run management reports. English Bridge Education and Development uses Pianola at the South Bucks Bridge Centre – see the website at www.southbucksbridgecentre.co.uk/

Pianola for teachers

Pianola aims to be of benefit to teachers in a number of ways:

1. As a marketing tool for their lessons. By building an email list of potential students, teachers can grow their classes by sending timely, relevant information to the right people at the right time. Pianola sends a personalised email to each recipient (not CC or BCC) and keeps the teacher/school compliant with UK anti-spam legislation, by including an unsubscribe link on every email.

2. Pianola makes it easy to build an attractive and professional looking website for classes and upload resources for students

3. Pianola offers various features to players, and many of these analysis tools are especially useful to the beginner or improver level player.

Pianola’s basic analysis features

Everyone who plays at a club that uses Pianola can access the service free of charge. When they do so, they get:

 A personalised history of their results, so they can track their ups and downs  Breakdown by partner, so they can see how they do with different people  Their average score for any time period  The average score they’ve achieved in each role of the game - declarer, defender on lead, defender not on lead, even dummy(!)  Access to a partner finder service so they can advertise when they need someone to play with. (This service also lets them privately ‘block’ any other players they don’t want to play with, to avoid any awkward conversations!)

Information on Pianola is available from www.pianola.net/features/clubs. Rates are based on monthly table count (see www.pianola.net/pricing for details) but if you only provide lessons and don’t upload results, Pianola will offer alternative pricing.

For further information, contact [email protected] or call James Ward on 0113 320 1352.

26 Staying in Touch

Here is your EBED Team … we all love to hear from you, so do please be in touch with your ideas & comments.

Contact us by phone or email, details are below:

Sue Maxwell Lisa Miller Interim Manager EBED Education/Development (BFA) Administrator 01296 317218 01296 317217 [email protected] [email protected]

When there are any new appointments to the EBED staff this will be announced in the first instance on the EBED website - www.ebedcio.org.uk.

Thanks for reading.

English Bridge Education & Development, Broadfields, Bicester Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8AZ.

December 2015 © English Bridge Education and Development. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 1153543