NEWSLETTER AUSTRALIAN BRIDGE FEDERATION INC. Editor: Brad Coles ([email protected]) No. 203 June 2020 Approved for Print Post S65001/00163 ABN 70 053 651 666 The ABF has partnered with BBO to enable clubs to play online while earning masterpoints and revenue during the COVID-19 shutdown. Read the full story on page 4. Australian Bridge Federation Inc. ABN 70 053 651 666 PO Box 397, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Unit 4/51 Tennant Street, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Phone: (02) 6239 2265 Fax: (02) 6239 1816 in game voice chat Email: [email protected] JUNE 2020 ISSUE ABF Marketing Report: Peter Cox 4 Meet The Management Committee 6 President’s Report: Allison Stralow 7 The new Australian ABF Education: Joan Butts 8 Silicon vs Carbon: Manny Rayner 10 made & owned online Online bridge sessions 12 Front cover image: see pages 4 and 12 Youth Bridge News: Leigh & Bianca Gold 14 for details of online bridge games run platform for real bridge by clubs around Australia. Workshops With Will: William Jenner-O’Shea 15 Main photographer: Anne Russell. A Game At The Club: Barbara Travis 16 players, playing at DEADLINE FOR Bridge Into The 21st Century: Paul Lavings 18 real bridge clubs How Would You Play? Barbara Travis 13, 19 AUGUST EDITION Bridge Vid: Peter Hollands 20 Keeping Cool: Dennis Zines 22 ADVERTISING: 15 JULY Improve Your Defence: Ron Klinger 2, 23 ARTICLES: 12 JULY ABF Committee of Honour 23 DISCLAIMER: It is ABF policy Letters To The Editor 24 not to accept advertising from Behind The Matchpoints: Brad Coles 25 persons or organisations believed ✓ to be unreliable or financially Voice chat with players during the game Mixed Teams Playoff: Julian Foster 26 irresponsible. We are not respon- sible for the performance of ✓ Earn Masterpoints Poetry Corner: Jane Davies 28 advertisers, the delivery or quality of the merchandise or services, Advertising enquiries: [email protected] or the legality of any particular ✓ Support your local club program. The ABF reserves the Distribution or admin enquiries: [email protected] right, at its sole discretion, to Letters to the Editor and feedback: [email protected] refuse any advertisement. ✓ Settings designed for Australian preferences Butler ] J987 S/Nil [ 3 IMPROVE } 107543 Begin your Real Deal { AQJ YOUR ] Q3 Bridge experience now [ AKQ86 N W E DEFENCE } K9 S on the website { 7543 with WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH 1] 1 Ron Klinger 2[ 4] all pass 1. Five-card majors. www.realdealbridge.com Solution on page 23 You lead the [A: three - seven - nine. Your agreements are to play low-encouraging on partner’s lead. How do you continue? email: [email protected] Page: 2 Australian Bridge Federation Inc. Newsletter: June 2020 ABF club games on BBO Update Important steps in growing The number of clubs participating has grown to over 40 in your club’s online players only a few weeks with another 40 submitting an Expression Of We are all very conscious that the average bridge player is MARKETING Interest. The numbers playing are increasing with already more over 70 and that some may be hesitant to play online because than 500 tables a week. of the technological challenge, the financial costs with fixed We also have a number of exciting new announcements: income in retirement and concern for the security of online REPORT payments. 1. Matthew McManus and Peter Busch have produced a with Peter Cox process for converting BBO results into a format suitable for Here are Five Major Steps to allay these concerns and grow scoring with Compscore2 as already used in many clubs. your club: 2. In the process BBO usernames are changed into real names. 1. Communicate regularly with your members to encourage Online Bridge has been a saviour for thousands of bridge play- The games currently cost $3 a session, or even less with a bulk them to continue to enjoy bridge and their friendships – so ers in Australia whilst the clubs are closed by the coronavirus. discount, for 24 boards and the opportunity to win ABF mas- 3. You can then upload the results to your club’s website as email and call your members regularly to maintain social con- There are a number of ways Australian bridge players have terpoints. Games are scheduled from about 10.00am to late at you would for a real life session. If your club uses Pianola, it will tact and involvement in bridge. continued to play bridge. night, every day. also generate the necessary files. Full details are available at 2. Older people have discovered how to use the internet to BRIDGE BASE ONLINE, the international giant of online Sign up to play in ABF www.altosoft.com.au/faqs.asp follow their children and grandchildren all over the world on bridge offers several different ways of playing. club games online with BBO Facebook, Instagram and other social media. Using online ser- vices to play bridge is just as easy for all ages and once they 1. ABF Club Games If you want to register for ABF BBO games, please sign up at 4. Matt is also working on masterpointing online sessions. These will be sent to the ABF Masterpoint Centre at the end try it they will greatly enjoy it. Support Your local club by playing with your friends on BBO. of each month. Clubs will be invoiced for masterpoints each www.abfevents.com.au/forms/signup 3. Zoom, the video conferencing app, has gone from 10 quarter, just as they normally would. There is nothing else the • Australia’s two leading International Directors, Matthew Mc- million participants to over 300 million in a few months and club needs to do. Manus and Laurie Kelso, have organised with BBO for clubs to If you are already registered and receive SMS notifications at Skype (Microsoft) and Google have boomed during the corona run ABF Virtual Club games. tournaments, the Marketing Bulletins or the ABF Newsletter 5. The first major ABF tournament will be a national one. Lau- virus. Not only corporations but families are using video con- but need to add your BBO username to play in ABF club • These are just like your normal club Pairs games, the online rie will be running it on Sunday May 31 at 2.30 AEST. Anyone ferencing to see each other online and share religious occa- games online then contact the [email protected] or technology is very simple to use and can be restricted to club wanting to play must have registered their BBO username on sions, birthdays, weddings and even funerals. It is the perfect myself at [email protected] and we will update it for you. members and friends. the ABF Mailing List by 6.00 pm Saturday May 30. medium for you to teach your players how to play on BBO and to play with their friends in club or private games. • The games cost A$3-$5 to enter, a share of the table money How to sign up to Bridge Base Online 6. Clubs are now able to run Red Masterpoint sessions using returns to the club and the top half of each field wins ABF MP. • Before you play in an ABF club game online, you must first their club’s annual B4c allocation. The usual rules will apply; 4. Clubs need to reduce the fear of paying by credit card or be registered with BBO and have a BBO username. it is only for club members and regular players at their club. PayPal, particularly overseas, by emphasising that one only • Over 30 clubs from Tasmania to Townsville and from the East David Anderson is going to do the masterpointing and handle needs to make small payments that are secured by the credit Coast to Mandurah in Perth are already running games with • BBO started 30 years ago in the USA and commenced online the interactions with the State Masterpoint Secretaries and the card companies and banks. Consider your club offering to buy over 500 tables a week. games in 2000 so it is well proven and a simple process to sign ABF Masterpoint Centre. bridge tokens in bulk from BBO and provide them to their up and place BB$ in your BBO account. players in local payment. Increasingly the largest clubs are now • Get your club to apply to host ABF Club Games online games 7. Howell movements are now available for ABF club accounts. or join up with other clubs in your region to enjoy a good, fun • You can deposit a minimum of $10 and pay with a credit taking credit card payments for vouchers for games rather game with many people you know. card (you do not have to permanently leave your credit card 8. It is important to provide promptly your club’s bank details than handling cash. because the first payments from BBO have commenced with details) or use PayPal. However, we suggest not using your 5. One of the difficulties in bridge is finding suitable partners. • Over 2,000 players have now joined up to be able to play in clubs getting back 65% of fees paid by players at least until iPad or mobile account with Apple because they charge a Why not set up a WhatsApp group for your club members so ABF Club Games. the start of September. higher fee. they can chat with their friends, discuss bridge and find part- 2. Competition • The entry fee for 16-20 boards is usually about BB$2 (or 9. The ABF has decided to not take out any expenses and will ners to play with.