TRUMPS PLUS 9 2 8 4 4 1 4 4 7 O D E R N December 2010 VOLUME 3 Issue 4 CRESCENT Published Quarterly SWANBOURNE MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL Inside: your Christmas break reading: Melbourne Cup Photos Christmas Congress Report Articles from Peter Smith, Richard Fox, Jon Free, Maura Rhodes, Clive Hunt, Ron Klinger... Editorial This edition of Trumps Plus marks the completion of a very successful year for the West Australian Bridge Club. It has Editor: also been a very successful year for John Rigg Trumps Plus and I would like to thank our team of Val Krantz, Lynne Errington, Helen Seward and Sheenagh Young, and Assistant EditorS: all our many contributors, for their great Val Krantz efforts in 2010. Amongst the many excellent articles in this edition we have another from our Helen Seward popular club professional, Peter Smith. Editing and photographs Peter writes about ―Calling the Director to the Table‖. This is an important issue. Members, particularly new or Computer Layout inexperienced members can be uneasy Lynne Errington about calling the Director and can be deterred from doing so by experienced opponents at the table. It is important to Printing recognize that everybody makes a and Records procedural error from time to time and that it is not a criticism of opponents to the Committee members and other Club call the Director. It is simply correct members who produce them is huge. I procedure. believe it is essential that conveners for The laws of Bridge state that players these events should be encouraged and should call the Director if they believe an expected to hire outside people to help infraction has taken place. It is against with important functions such as catering the laws for players to make a ruling at and cleaning. This may lead to the table or to waive a possible increased costs but the increased rectification. numbers increase revenue which should I would now like to turn to another matter cover these costs. I think it is important that I believe is very important. In the that such functions are revenue-neutral, past two months the Club has hosted one which means no function or event is of its largest ever Melbourne Cup subsidized by the club, or by the efforts Luncheons and a very successful of the few who produce them. Christmas Congress, and this week it will Finally, on behalf of the editorial team I host its largest ever Christmas Party. The would like to wish all members a happy number of participants at events and Christmas and a glorious new year, with functions such as these has risen markedly as the Club‘s membership has many more great games of bridge to risen to around 1000, and the workload of come. 2 President’s Report In my annual report I reviewed the results, and details, are reported in full objectives of the Management in Trumps Plus. Committee and acknowledged the During the year, the Management individuals and committees responsible Committee appointed a panel of four for the all activities of the club. Club Recorders, to hear and deal with Our principal objective at WABC is to complaints relating to behaviour and foster the game of bridge . decorum. The procedural requirements To achieve this in 2010 we have for invoking this process are described provided a full calendar of events which in detail on the club notice board. included a visit from International Our second objective is to provide and professionals, and the use of our maintain suitable premises for club premises for three BAWA/ABF weekend activities. congresses. We held our regular and Our spacious and comfortable very popular daily sessions, annual surroundings are a source of great championship events, the Novice pleasure to us all. We continue to Congress, two weekend club improve different aspects of the club congresses, five sets of Grand National rooms, and in 2010 have added two Restricted Pairs and entered teams in more library cupboards, to house our three categories of the ―Teams of 4‖ developing collection of books and interclub competition. journals. Awnings have been installed This year an important goal was to on the east side of the courtyard and encourage and increase involvement of have reduced glare in the social area members in interclub competitions and and provided extra shade. teams events. We fielded one open A third objective is to provide amenities team, two intermediate teams, and two for the benefit and entertainment of our restricted teams in the interclub ―Teams members. of 4‖. This involved approximately sixty Our bar is well stocked and proves five different players during the course of popular for those who wish to socialize the year, offering an opportunity to and discuss play following daily compete against and meet players from sessions. Cheese and biscuits are other local clubs. In August we held the provided on Saturday afternoon to club inaugural ―Masters in teams of 3‖ encourage players to stay on after Congress, which proved very popular bridge. The club recently purchased a and will become an annual event, giving barbecue. We have held a sausage less experienced members a chance to sizzle Saturday night in November, with gain confidence with team play. encouraging feedback from those who All our Club competitions and event attended and a fish and chips evening 3 on another occasion. Both initiatives were popular enough for us to plan to repeat TIM SERES: these in 2011. Australia’s Master of It takes a variety of talents and a lot of Deception time working together to deliver these services. I feel your committee, with help from our volunteers, have excelled in Michael Courtney includes this Seres achieving our club‘s objectives during hand in a chapter called ‗The 2010. accumulation of advantages‘. This, he Since my report at the AGM we have held explains, means to retain advantages by our Melbourne Cup Luncheon for 110 withholding top cards early and allowing punters, successfully convened by Gwen the enemy to readily convert theirs. Your Wiles and assisted by her team. remaining top cards have grown in value Kitty George convened the Christmas though your judgement must be Congress, her second Congress in 2010, excellent. If you hold on too long they aided by members of the Management risk losing value. Committee and volunteers. I was away, Seres shows how it‘s done in this hand but received glowing reports of the where declarer and partner have a resplendent Friday afternoon tea, the combined count of 20 HCP and 16 Saturday Buffet Campagnard and the losers: the contract is cold. Sausage Sizzle on Sunday evening. Try your hand at making 4S on the 7D We now look forward to the Annual lead. NORTH Christmas Party and Prize Giving. At present we are catering for over 170 ♠S J97 K83 registered members and planning is well ♦A9 in hand with promise of delicious ♣J7532 Christmas fare. Finally, I would like to congratulate all SOUTH special event champions and to ♠ AK10532 encourage WABC members to participate 965 in these occasions next year. Our ♦ 4 ♣A64 Handbook 2011, is due for release and contains a very full calendar of events, to Bidding: facilitate planning your bridge well in West North East South Pass 1♦ 2♠ advance. 3♦ 4♠ All pass Contract 4♠ Lead 7♦ At the wheel in the ambitious contract of four spades, Seres never gave the defenders a second chance after the normal diamond lead! How do you play to make without defensive error? 4 NEW LIFE MEMBERS SUSAN CLEMENTS AND TOBY MANFORD ―Outstanding, remarkable and Apart from representing WA in many impressive‖ are some of the accolades State teams, Toby and Susan also used by Club President, Alison Rigg travelled to Miami, Florida in 1986 when when proposing Susan Clements and they were ratified to play at the World Toby Manford as Life Members of Bridge Championships. Here they met WABC. and observed some of the World‘s top Generous and gracious are two more players , such as Zia Mahood, Omar descriptions that equally apply to these Sharif, Bobbie Hamman and Mike two ladies who have given so much of Lawrence. They were particularly their time and energy to impressed with the the club . etiquette displayed by Susan and Toby, these players and they friends since school are equally impressed by days at St Hilda‘s have the fact they are still top played bridge together players 25 years later! for over 35 years, Toby Interestingly, this was the encouraged and taught first time Susan and Toby by her mother, Dorothy had come across bidding Krantz and Susan boxes - back in 1986! learning from Ushi At home both Susan and Hewston, an Toby have made international player considerable originally from contributions to the Switzerland. development of WABC, Together they evolved into a formidable both serving on Management and partnership that they attribute to a Tournament Committees and now on the ―simple playing system that is not fancy Club Recorder Committee. Both ladies but rather steady and consistent‖. They capably served as Presidents of the club, believe their partnership has survived so Susan Clements in 1986-8 and Toby long because they always put their Manford in 1997-8 .They were both also friendship and enjoyment above all else. Vice Presidents of BAWA. They are also Toby and Susan both cited the first time renowned for helping in numerous they represented WA in a State Team practical ways whenever an event or in Sydney in 1982, as the most function requires extra effort. memorable and exciting time in their Above all else both members stressed bridge life together.