These are the six main changes, effective from 1 August 2017, that Peninsula club players should know about:
- Claiming - If a player claims he or she needs to face his or her cards at the same time as providing any information about an intended line of play. If doubt is expressed about the claim, and only if all four players agree, the hand can now be played on, otherwise the director needs to be called.
- Comparable calls – In some situations a player who makes an insufficient bid or a call out of turn may be able to make a comparable bid (that is one that contains all the information of the withdrawn call) and thus avoid restrictions that might otherwise apply to his or her partner’s bids or leads.
There are lots of good news stories in the Peninsula Bridge Club just waiting to be written up for our website and monthly newsletter.
If you have a reasonable turn of phrase, can take a photo, use email and remember your school English grammar and spelling classes - and would like to join the Communications team - then please let me know at
In July two novices earned masterpoint certificates demonstrating their continued learning and success. Amanda Trent, pictured playing in the relaxed red row received her 5MP certificate, while Barbara Ellis received her very first certificate for reaching 2MP.
Both Amanda and Barbara regularly attend the monthly improver lessons designed to help them continue their learning at Peninsula. These lessons take place in a supervised session time slot and are advertised on the website and thus also in the newsletter. They are open to all developers who are interested in improving their game. There are also sessions that have novice sections such as on Wednesday afternoon.
The July 2017 ABF Newsletter contains a wealth of information and articles for the interested and competitive bridge player. My personal favourites were:
- Declarer play problems on page 20 - I managed one out of three...
- Counting challenge on page 27 - I did a little better here
- The Smile Sweetly After Disaster convention on page 29 - very useful for my partners...
And Cath Whiddon noticed some local news in the Newsletter - in the results of the Victor Muntz Restricted Swiss Pairs in Melbourne in June was "3rd Kelly Barber - David Owen (Peninsula/Waverley)". Congratulations Kelly!
The first session of the 2017 The Lawrence competition on Tuesday 27 June saw Clare Filmer-Ramsay and Cassandra Mitchell triumph and take home the first cash prize.
The Lawrence is a new competition being run on the fourth Tuesday night of each month until November (with the exception of August). It commemorates the significant contributions Verl and John Lawrence have made to the club, and was announced earlier this year when Verl announced her retirement as Chief Director.
It was also good to see some additional non-local players playing last night.
Peninsula attended the North Shore Bridge Club's Two Men and a Truck Restricted and Novice Congress on the weekend of 24-25 June in force. And returned in triumph with:
- Sarah Young and Len Evershed (seeded 20th) winning the Swiss Pairs Restricted Category,
- Hans van Weeren, Peter Clarke, Heidi Colenbrander and Ray Hurst winning the Swiss Teams Restricted Category, and
- Christine Egan, Di Agostino, Sue Evershed and John Simmonds as runners-up in the Swiss Teams Novice Category.
On 1 August, revisions to the Laws of Duplicate Bridge will take effect in Australia - and at the Peninsula Bridge Club.
Watch this space, in the next edition, for a summary of how these changes will affect you, the players.
Currently your directors are receiving training and guidance in these revisions to ensure a smooth transition.
Come and play in the inaugural session of The Lawrence this Tuesday 27 June.
The Lawrence was created earlier this year when Verl Lawrence retired as Chief Director to celebrate the huge contribution of Verl and John Lawrence have made to the club. It will be played on five nights, the fourth Tuesday of each month until November (excluding August).
A key feature, hoping to attract competitive players, is a cash prize to the winning pair of each session. Verl has indicated she will be trying to win the first prize - come and enjoy the night.
