Welcome once again to all our new beginners and everyone at Easts Bridge Club.
The club is experiencing a nice period of growth; we currently have 230 financial members and 21 in the beginner’s lessons. I put the growth down to everyone being happy and respectful to each other. Arguing is no longer tolerated and being replaced with happy faces and laughter. We are approaching 20 tables most days, a great success to the hard work of my fellow committee members. Due to our increased numbers, Easts are considering our proposal to remove the partition and give us the whole of the Bondi Room, not only will it give us more space it should also allow them to properly balance the Air Conditioning and avoid those cold days.

Remember, if you have a problem issue or a friendly recommendation, please put your written idea in our suggestion box. All ideas will be tabled and dealt with at our committee meetings.

IMPORTANT NOTICE- Next Wed 18th March, Bridge has been cancelled by Easts

The current committee is:
Terry Simmons - President
Theo Mangos - Vice President
Terry Maunsell - Treasurer
Piroozi Desai - Secretary
Committee Members
Elaine Hann
Sonia Onshow
Max Chiert

NOTE : Date Change - Mixed Pairs Qualifying Monday 16th, 23rd, 30th of March.

Can I please ask everyone to show respect to my fellow committee members who are doing a fantastic job in supporting my many (sometimes crazy) ideas. All ideas are democratically voted on by the committee. I strongly ask all members including our directors, NOT to hassle or bombard me and the committee with complaints or issues in the half hour prior to the game starting.
I stress again simply put it in the SUGGESTION BOX.

Our new Name Tags have arrived; please make sure you place it on the board at the completion of the session. We are currently looking at a better method of storing and displaying the Name Tags, in a box where you can flip through the names alphabetically.
We have new personal score sheets, on which you can write down the auction. I find this most helpful for those that want to improve their bidding, so you can go home and analyse what you did right or wrong. Please note we also still have the original score sheets for those who prefer the simple format. The directors simply ask that the score sheets are folded in half during play so opponents can’t see previous board results. These sheets will only be allowed to be used by members who can keep up with the time clock.

An initiative I am proposing to the committee at next week's meeting is the
SPIRIT OF THE CLUB AWARD to be presented to :-
Player of the week
Player of the month
Player of the year
These awards are not for the best player, but for the person that best represents the Easts Bridge Club, our ideal member is, one who shows kindness, compassion, is non argumentative, respectful, and happy to help.

I asked our Chief Director Nick Hughes to explain the ratings system, which is used to award game vouchers. These vouchers are for the best performing pairs on the day, NOT for the partnership that wins on the day. Here is Nick's explanation, along with some other points the Committee will be considering for approval.
“The ratings system keeps track of a player’s performance over time. Your rating is our expectation of your percentage score in a field of average strength. The printed results list the field strength of the pairs sitting each way. For instance,
Say you are rated 60, your partner for the day is rated 50.
The East West field strength is the average of all the ratings of the pairs sitting East-West. If it's 50, we expect you two to score (60+50)/2, so 55%.
If you score 57%, both your ratings will go up. You will both get a “Plus”. If you score 53%, your ratings will go down. Session prizes go to the best rated pairs. Sometimes they will be the session winners, sometimes not.
You need to play 13 times in a 6 month period to have a firm rating.
However, for the month competitions, we take each pair's best three percentage scores.

Due to our increasing numbers, we are working with the directors who are considering the following: -
to establish an A and B section on MONDAYS only, where players will play against players of a similar standard, boosting their chances of success and a fairer competitive environment. In Section A, the players would have a more challenging game, which we believe they would prefer.
To spread the sit-out evenly, we will be asking a pair at East-West if there is an EVEN number of tables, North-South if there is an ODD number. However, for some movements that restriction is impractical, so up to the Director.
Last Tuesday 3rd March Theo and I represented Easts Bridge at the Easts Group Sports Council meeting, where we presented our financial and Club reports. The Easts Director was extremely happy with the direction of our club. All sports clubs were represented.

The club I found of most interest to our fellow members was the Photography club. They meet once a month and have special upcoming presentations, on –
• How to use your phone for better photos
• Pet Photography
• Photography and AI

The Committee is still working on the Mentoring program, hopefully we can get this up and running as soon as possible.
The Easts Bridge Club Calendar is displayed daily on our pin board so please read so you are aware of key dates, including RED point days, competitions, parties, AGM etc

INTERESTING BRIDGE FACTS
Did you know
• Studies suggest playing Bridge may help maintain cognitive health
and delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.
• A pack of 52 cards can produce 635 Billion different bridge hands.
• Bridge is officially recognised as a mind sport by the International Olympic Committee.
• There are estimated to be 60+million bridge players worldwide.
• Bill Gates and Warren Buffett love playing bridge.

Terry Simmons
President

I welcome all our new beginners and everyone to Easts Bridge Club. Our mission is to make this club Sydney’s friendliest place to come and play bridge with friends, laughter and of course a little competition amongst mates.
We are waiting on approval from Easts Management, to introduce FREE Social bridge every Friday from 2-4pm, (Hopefully commencing Friday 6th of March in the Bondi room. If Bondi room is booked we can move to Arties Bar or the Olive and Oak). This will be a casual friendly atmosphere where all are welcome. There will be no scoring just playing for fun. Grab a friend or a mentor and come along.
Some people are asking when our next party will be. We shall be arranging several functions but the one to watch out for and the committee is working very hard behind the scenes shall be our Christmas in July function, to be held just after the school holiday period, and it will be HUGE. Something not seen at this club in a long time, with entertainment, raffles, auctions, free giveaways and a sit down fully catered dinner.
The committee has chosen to invest in the development of a new website and internet security for our club and create a new website home page that is informative and easy for all to navigate, with features including but not limited to :-
• About our club
• Results
• Masterpoint points look up
• Photo gallery
• Calendar of events
• Newsletters
• Links to ABF, BridgeNSW
• Links to our Facebook page, and WhatsApp
Congratulations to Trevor Stafford and Sue Casrels, who bid and made their first grand slam on Tuesday 3rd of February. Well done. If you know anyone who bids and achieves a grand slam please let us know, so they can be proudly recognised. (Especially on a Tuesday)

Most of you would have seen our new banner. It certainly helped to promote our beginners’ classes and the club in general. If anyone has any good suggestions for where we could display it for future advertising, please come see me. I thank everyone who spread the word for the Beginners classes. We have around 22 new beginners attending Nick's classes on Tuesdays.

The committee decided to give everyone a free game voucher for their birthday. Anyone who has had a birthday between the date of our last AGM and today will receive a voucher in the next few days. All new birthday vouchers must be used within one month of the birthday and are not transferable.

I have created a new Facebook page “Easts Bridge Club”. I ask all our members to join the page and share amongst their network and friends. This was a great tool used for advertising our beginners’ classes.

The Committee is working on the development of a Code of Conduct. As mentioned in every major speech and every Newsletter, Easts Bridge is going to be known as the friendly club. Please treat all members with respect. Welcome all new players and have a great time. We are playing bridge for fun.

Next on my agenda, the Committee is going to be looking at an Inhouse Saturday event 11 - 4pm, with a lunch break, to be held around October. Members only, with a range of prizes, based on masterpoints. After lunch, draw partners from a hat! Let me know your thoughts ideas and if you would be interested
The committee is currently looking at purchasing a dozen shawls for those days the AirCon is off balance and too cold.

On Tuesday March 10th, Easts will be hosting a complimentary short half hour talk for any of our members interested in home care support. This will be held prior to bridge in the adjoining room from 12-12.30 and includes light snacks by the club's caterers.

The new library is progressing nicely, we have received some great books and I thank those that have contributed to date. So anyone that has a bridge book or notes they are willing to donate please see Max or Sonia.

The Ruy Story
Ruy was born in Lisbon, Portugal on the 3rd June 1924. When he was three, the family moved to Macau, where he stayed until he finished high school. By then WWII had started and he began compulsory military service.
After high school, Ruy started playing bridge, which became a lifelong passion. There was no University in Macau so Ruy applied to attend Uni in Portugal. However, Ruy ended up in Hong Kong instead and worked in the import export business while studying to be an Accountant.
In 1950 when the Korean war started, Ruy migrated with his mother and sister to join his cousin in Australia. After a few different jobs here he gained experience in the punch card system. He joined Qantas and two years later when Qantas computerised their records, Ruy was sent to New York to attend the IBM institute of Technology course. Soon after he was sent to London to BOAC to appraise their cargo system and programmes for possible purchase. After a few years with Qantas as a computer programmer for personnel and payroll records, Ruy was promoted to senior staff.
Bridge has always been a constant with Ruy’s life. Even in Australia, when on call at work before the mobile phone era, his evening bridge games were only interrupted when his beeper signalled him to call work. He and a friend started the bridge club at Maroubra Seals. Recently at the Sydney bridge club he met some old friends from the days at the Seals.
In 1986 two years after retiring from Qantas, Ruy kept a promise he made long before, to go back to live with his wife in her native Portugal. It was hard for him to leave his mother and relatives behind, although he did visit several times, before his mother sadly died in 1997.
Ruy played lots of bridge in Portugal, where he and a friend ran weekly bridge tournaments at several clubs including the famous Estoril Tennis Club.
When he arrived back in Portugal, Ruy had decided to forget about computers and just enjoy playing Club bridge. However, when his wife died in 2016 he decided to buy a computer and started playing bridge online. His niece and her husband invited him to come back to Sydney to live for them. Luckily Ruy arrived back in Sydney just before Covid hit and online bridge stood him in good stead during the covid lockdowns. He still plays in online tournaments almost every morning with some of his friends back in Portugal.
Talking specifically about the role of bridge in his life, he says it's been good for him because it keeps his mind going. He says he’s active all the time, especially in his head.100%.
"If I wasn’t playing bridge, I wouldn’t be reading much. My eyes aren’t so good now, so I’d be sitting down watching TV and falling asleep like a lot of old people. However, bridge keeps me up and active." He is still competitive and winning tournaments. He enjoys playing at his home club Easts and has made many friends.
Ruy is an inspiration for those seeking to stay mentally active and a shining example of the old saying “You can’t keep a good man down”.
Ruy turns 102 this year, and tells everyone his secret to a long life is “Everything in moderation”.

Ruy you are an inspiration to me and all your friends here at Easts Bridge Club
January winners from best 3 scores

Monday
Leigh Foran & Theo Mangos 62.63%

Tuesday
Thomas Karsai & Piroozi Desai 69.83%

Wednesday
Kamala Valliappan & Hillary Spilkin 60.80%

Player of the Month
Pat Walker 59% (average of best six scores)

Most Improved Rating
Viola Mechsler +3.01%

Terry Simmons
President

Newsletter
28th December 2025

This has been a very challenging month and start to my role as President of the Club. I never shy away from a challenge, and many hours have been involved in planning the efficient running of the committee and the Club. If I have missed something, please accept my apologies and send me a little reminder, and hopefully it can be attended to or resolved.
The tragic events of Sunday the 14th of December claimed the life of one of our bridge family, Marika Pogany, who tragically lost her life at Bondi Beach. It was only a few weeks earlier that Marika and a dozen of us put on fancy outfits and our special hats for a Melbourne Cup Day at our new sister club, Wollstonecraft. I shall be creating a new award / trophy at the end of the year in honour of Marika, so her name and legacy lives on in the Bridge world.
The CEO of the Easts Group Mr Joe Kelly and the General Manager Brett Crastin were present on Monday the 15th and stood by my side while we had prayers and a minute’s silence. I thank Joe and Brett for their support and thank them for providing an open bar after our bridge session.
New beginner’s lessons are organised for Tuesday, February 10th from 1-3pm,for a 6 week period, being $80 or $60 for Seniors. I would like to see every member make the effort to ask or invite at least one friend or family member to attend the classes. Every member that recommends someone who completes the course shall receive a free game.
General Housekeeping
At the conclusion of every session, I’d like to ask ALL MEMBERS to assist in cleaning up, so if you had a coffee, hot chocolate, or water, please put your empty cup and rubbish in the bin (and also please assist in packing up on Wednesday the stools and tablecloths). Many hands make light work. (I note that at Randwick/Maroubra Bridge Club, everyone helps and so should all of you, do the same).
We have recently set up 2 separate WhatsApp Groups: -
Matchmaking App – I’d like to see all members use the matchmaking app for finding partners. The old system shall only be available for those that don’t have computers. The committee strongly believes you either join the WhatsApp group to find a partner, or you find your own partner.
The Social App – this will be used for all messages, notifications and parties. The committee believes that everyone should be on the App, if you choose not to, you may miss out on some important information.
We shall be purchasing new noticeboards so please keep an eye out for important information if you choose not to be on the Apps.
If you wish to be added to the Apps please let me or Trevor know.
Trevor and I met with Easts Operations Manager and some of the items discussed are as follows: -
• The Men’s and Ladies toilets shall be cleaned more regularly, so if you notice any problems with cleanliness, soap, paper towels, loose seats, etc, please see Trevor or Sonia.
• We are negotiating with Easts for bridge on Thursdays, Friday, and also night sessions so watch this space.
• Anyone interested in hot food after bridge can go down the escalators near Bondi room and purchase food from the gaming bar.
• No outside food purchased from another venue is permitted to be brought into or eaten in the Club. Homemade sandwiches are the only exception. We have been told by the club to enforce this, so please respect their wishes.
The suggestion box is being closely monitored by the committee and already some of the suggestions have been attended to (Thanks Elizabeth for your suggestions).
Mentoring:
The Committee is currently working on developing a Mentoring Program for the Tuesday supervised players.
Behaviour & Discipline
As noted in my previous newsletter, we want to establish a friendly and happy environment. If you have a disagreement, dispute, query, question or noise complaint, you must calmly place your hand up and call the director, the director’s decision is final and no arguing with the director.
Please note, any disturbances shall be recorded, and the clubs discipline policy shall be enforced.
Table Money
The Committee has decided to keep the table money at $10/ session.
From 1st January 2026 visitors shall be required to pay $15/ session.
New Trophies & Shields
I wish to thank Max Kromp and Lis Moller who have both graciously donated money for new trophies. If anyone else would like to contribute to this and have possible naming rights, please come see me. What a great way to give back to a club we all love.
I’d like to congratulate our director Nick and our former President Ted who both celebrated birthdays recently.
Every newsletter I’ll try to highlight and tell someone’s Bridge Story.
This month it’s our youngest and new committee member, Sonia.
Sonia and her 2 little Elves did an amazing job in organising all the Christmas presents and decorations. On behalf of the committee, I thank you for a job well done.
Here is her letter, she wrote which she wanted to read out at the AGM.
“Why do I want to be part of the committee?
The answer is closely related to why I play bridge in the first place. I play bridge in memory of my dad, sadly he passed away in an accident 5 years ago at the young age of 63. That was probably the hardest thing that life has thrown at me so far. Dad loved playing bridge, I remember him going out to play when I was a little girl. “What a boring looking game “I thought to myself back then. Last year in March, i saw an ad for Nicks beginners’ lessons, I somehow felt compelled to join.
It has been almost 2 years now, and how my life has changed. Being part of the Easts bridge club has brought me so much in terms of happiness, laughter, friendships and to mention the recurring sore belly from the stress of the game. Most of all, playing bridge helps me feel closer to Dad. I Love the game, I love the community and I would love for others to feel welcome like I did when I joined, and to experience this wonderful game.
I believe the new committee will do a fantastic job next year and bring about new ideas. I would like to encourage weekend games, evening games, maybe even in house friendly competitions. I would also love to see younger players join our community as our more experienced players will be able to share their wealth of knowledge and experience.
I would feel most privileged to be able to contribute my share so that the Easts bridge club will continue to thrive”.
I would like to wish everybody a safe and happy New Year
Best Regards
Terry Simmons
President -Easts Bridge Club

Welcome to our new year, there shall be many changes in 2026.
I look forward to working with our new committee, and I’ll be putting forward lots of new ideas. I also thank Ted and all the members of the outgoing committee for the work they put in over the past year, and for making the transition an easy one.
My mission as your new President is to make everybody leave with a smile, if not, I want to know why. Remember we play bridge socially to have fun, we don’t play for the crown jewels and certainly NOT for a $1 million dollar prize money, however we will be playing for some new prizes, giveaways and more trophies and categories in the year ahead.
Something I shall be enforcing, will be respect for the directors, if anyone has a dispute or a query, simply and quietly place your hand up and call the director. Then one of our friendly directors will resolve the dispute and you move on, NO arguing, their ruling is final. If you disagree, simply keep quiet, don’t make a scene, and ask after the session for the director to fully explain their ruling and if still not happy, you can apply for an appeal to the committee.
If you have a birthday coming up, we’re doing something different this year. Those that are noughty or naughty ( 50,60,70,80,90,100) and older a small celebration shall be planned for you.
Those that are not noughty, and celebrating a general birthday, will receive a special gift of some sort. Anyone who has already celebrated a birthday since our AGM date will also be recognised.
If anyone has any recommendations, grievances, disputes or a friendly recommendation please place your thoughts in the suggestion box. All suggestions will be tabled by our secretary and presented to our meetings for discussion and consideration. If it’s not anonymous we shall give you a formal reply as to the committee’s recommendation.
I am looking into the feasibility of a whole new user-friendly website along with a new logo, which shall be standardised over all Policy manuals, constitution, stationary, merchandise and emails.
This festive season we shall be celebrating Christmas in the true Australian way, with lots of Christmas decorations and festivities. Fun surprises are currently being planned for our bridge days, leading up to Christmas (Monday 22nd ,Tuesday 23rd , and Wednesday 24th ) by our already active, energetic, and new committee members Elaine, Max and Sonia.
If you know of anyone who is suffering due to ill health, sadness or any reason whatsoever, please privately contact either Trevor or myself and we’ll ensure our bridge community comes together to help those that need us the most.
I asked Trevor to say a few words and introduce himself for those that don’t know his background:
I nominated for the position knowing that I would be assisting Terry with his vast experience as he so eloquently explained at the recent AGM. We have already developed a strong working relationship.
I am sure my past experiences as a board director and committee chair and my current experience sitting on two committees of New South Wales largest affordable housing provider as well as my working life in Retail Development and management will be of value to our committee and club.
I look forward to 2026 and all the new Ideas that Terry and I have discussed for our clubs future.
I take this opportunity to thank Ted Popper for everything he has done for our club and wish him all the best for whatever he has planned.
I wish all members a happy and healthy Christmas and new year.
Trevor Stafford

I wish everybody in advance a very Merry Christmas and may Santa bring everyone lots of happiness for your year ahead.
Terry Simmons – President

I wish everybody in advance a very Merry Christmas and may Santa bring everyone lots of happiness for your year ahead.
Terry Simmons – President

Hello Fellow Slam Lovers!
Only a month or so into spring and it already feels like summer! Happy New Year to our Jewish members. October sees our State Open Pairs qualifying sessions and next month our AGM including election of our 2026 committee. Our three weekly sessions’ table numbers are strong. If you haven’t been for a while, please come and encourage your friends too.
What’s Coming up
Wed 8, 15, 22 Oct – State Open Pairs qualifier sessions (best 2 scores)
Fri 31 Oct - Membership renewal fees due
Tue 4 Nov – Melbourne Cup – No Bridge session at Easts
Wed 12 Nov - Weekly Intermediate Mini Lessons with Nick start at 10.30am
Wed 26 Nov – AGM at 4.00 pm and Big End of Year Party after.
State Open Pairs
The qualifier sessions are being played on three Wednesdays, 8, 15 and 22 October.
We will take the best two scores to decide the winners.
The top two pairs will win free entry to represent our club at the State Final at Sydney Bridge Centre, Goulburn Street on the weekend of 1 and 2 November.
Come and play even if you are not a regular Wednesday player.
Intermediate Mini Lessons
Our chief director and popular Bridge teacher, Nick Hughes will start an ongoing weekly series of intermediate mini lessons on Wednesday 12 November, 10.30 am – 11.30 am. $10 per player. The focus will be on card play. Some theory on screen, then four play hands with printed notes. You can have lunch after and then play in the Wednesday afternoon game at 1pm for half- price - $5. No need to book. Members and visitors, all welcome!
Membership Renewal Fees
Our membership renewal fees fall due at the end of this month. Despite increases in
affiliation fees and expenses, we are pleased to keep our 2026 membership fees at $60.
Likewise, our table money will remain at a very low $10 for members. Our fully-catered free parties (5 this year, plus pizza parties) at $40 cost per head each, mean that you have more than covered your annual membership fee by attending 2 parties! Renewal forms completed with your details last year will be emailed to all members shortly. We encourage members to pay their membership fee by internet banking to avoid unnecessary administration. Our bank account details with instructions for payment will be on the form. Of course, you must be a financial member to attend and vote at the AGM and the party after.
Melbourne Cup
There will be no bridge at Easts on Tuesday 4 November. Instead, you might want to travel to Wollstonecraft Bridge Club for their catered Cup event. Bridge starts at 10.30 am with sweeps, TV, hat parade! $50 includes lunch. Phone 9436 2191 to book.
Annual General Meeting
Our AGM will be held on Wednesday 26 November at 4.00 pm after our regular session. We encourage all financial members to attend, including Monday afternoon and night players and Tuesday players. Formal notice, agenda, last year’s AGM minutes and nomination forms for election to the committee will be sent to members shortly. Members from beginners to long-term players are encouraged to consider nominating for election to the committee. If you need any further encouragement to attend, we will have our huge End of Year Party begin immediately after the AGM, with special culinary delights, drinks and a great atmosphere! A change to previous practice is that members can now bring a guest to our parties by pre-payment of $40 (catering cost per head including drink). RSVP is compulsory.
Beginner’s Course Graduation Pizza Party
We had a Pizza Party in the Bistro on 23 September to celebrate the graduation of our latest beginner’s class. We welcome our last class of 2025 as fully-fledged members and look forward to welcoming them to our regular Tuesday supervised sessions and all club functions.
Name Badges
We have re-introduced attractive new magnetic name badges for all members who have played in the last 4 months. Thanks go to Committee member Terry Simmons who designed and organised the badges. The badges are not to be taken home but left on the whiteboard at the front after each session (to avoid loss or being left at home). Badges should be placed in first-name alpha order, A-K on one side and L-Z on the other (for Monday and Wednesday sessions). Please let the director know if you need a badge or if you lose the magnet or badge.
September Winners (free games)
Congratulations to the monthly winners below. Special congratulations to our Tuesday mother and son winning partnership!
Monday - Jeff Zhang & Hao Tang - 66.8 %
Tuesday - Ann Bernfield & Harry Bernfield - 65.47 %
Wednesday - Brian Bedkober & Theo Mangos - 65.1 %
Player of the Month (from top 6 scores with 2+ partners)
Theo Mangos - 65 %
Most Improved rating - Toni Paramore +1.24.
Using our Website
Here is a link to our web page https://www.easts.bridge-club.org/ If you just want to go straight to results, here’s that link:
https://www.easts.bridge-club.org/bridge/au2065/all-results-index
On the Results webpage, you can replay any of the hands for each session and you are guided how to play and make the optimum contract, card by card: You can go into each hand to see which contracts were makeable, see the results for other tables and even replay a hand, with guidance on making the optimum contract. Just click on the Replay and Analyze link at the bottom of the details for the particular board.
Courtesy and Kindness in our great 25+ Year Club
We are a friendly, welcoming community club which has been thriving for over 25 years, now with about 200 members. Your committee of volunteers works very hard behind the scenes to make our club welcoming and enjoyable, also with a competitive Bridge experience. We have excellent table numbers with an average of at least 50 players each session, which shows that people enjoy playing at our club. We also have many visitors play with us, many of whom have become members. Please continue to be courteous and kind to your fellow members and visitors to continue our club’s long and proud tradition. Most importantly, please remember: we are all here to enjoy ourselves, playing the greatest game there is, with people we like! How lucky are we?
Suggestion Box
The Suggestion Box is available at all our sessions. Please let us have your suggestions, all of which we consider. Enjoy the spring weather and I look forward to another great month of competitive Bridge at Easts and to see you (enjoying yourself) at the Bridge table!
Warm regards
Ted Popper
President

September News
Hello Fellow Spring Lovers!
Welcome to spring, past the soaking, cold winter with warming weather heading to summer.
I’m happy to be back from my holiday in Europe and thank our wonderful committee and directors for keeping the club’s wheels turning so efficiently during my absence. Special thanks to Terry Maunsell who organises and runs our many great parties, while also being our very successful club treasurer and Theo Mangos as our tireless matchmaker. Also thanks to Nick Hughes for being bulletin editor in my absence.
By all accounts, the Christmas in July party was much enjoyed by all. I am sorry I missed it! We are planning a similar format for our final party for 2025 immediately after the AGM.

What’s Coming up
Tue 23 Sep – Beginner’s Course Graduation Pizza Party (All members welcome)
Wed 26 Nov – AGM and Big End of Year Party after.

Name Badges
Committee member Terry Simmons has organised new name badges for all members, which will be available soon. Stay tuned.

Some Exciting News!
Intermediate Lessons
At our recent committee meeting, it was decided to introduce weekly intermediate lessons by our chief director and popular Bridge teacher, Nick Hughes. The 1-hour lesson will be on Wednesdays at 11 am covering bidding or card play and then playing 4 boards to practise and reinforce the lesson. The cost will be $10 and those who stay to play in our regular Wednesday 1 pm duplicate session will pay only $5 table money for the session (half price). Those coming for the lesson then playing at 1 pm can have lunch in between.
The intermediate lessons will begin in November.
Bridge Rules and Protocols from our Chief Director, Nick Hughes
Some Dos and Don’ts

Don’t start a new board after the 3 minute warning on the clock.
The director will award No Score ( = the average of your scores on the other boards)
Don’t start the card play after the final bell (“No dummy, No play”)
(If dummy isn’t on the table, the director will award an adjusted score on completion of the auction.)
Don’t touch another player’s cards!

Don’t turn your card to a “quitted trick” face up.
(However, if you are yet to turn your card face down, you can require all the other
players to turn their cards to that trick face up.)
If the cards to the last trick are all face down, you can’t peek at your card.
At the end of play, leave your cards as they are until all four players agree to the
number of tricks won.

When you call the director, raise your hand to help the director find your table.

Compulsory Bidding Protocols
When your partner opens 1NT, state the high card points range (typically 15-17)
When your partner opens 1C, say “2+” or “3+” according to your agreed methods.

Leave the bids on the table until the opening lead is played.

For the person entering scores on the Bridgemate
Enter the contract and lead as soon as you can. Don’t wait till play is over.
However, if you are the opening leader, make your lead before using the Bridgemate (or writing on your personal scoresheet)
Likewise if you are dummy, spread your hand when the lead is made, before using the Bridgemate.

When the hand is over, pass the unit to East to press [Accept]. East should check that the details are correct.

Courtesy and Kindness in our great 25+ year Club
We are a friendly, welcoming community club which has been thriving for over 25 years, now with about 200 members. Your committee of volunteers works very hard behind the scenes to make our club welcoming and enjoyable, also with a competitive Bridge experience.
We have excellent table numbers with an average of at least 50 players each session, which shows that people enjoy playing at our club. We also have many visitors play with us, many of whom have become members.
Please continue to be courteous and kind to your fellow members and visitors to continue our club’s long and proud tradition.
Most importantly, please remember: we are all here to enjoy ourselves, playing the greatest game there is, with people we like! How lucky are we?

August Winners (free games)
Congratulations to the monthly winners below. Due to a technical issue, we do not have ratings improvements for August.
Monday
Dianne Mullin & Kitty Gottlieb - 60.7 %
Tuesday
Pat Mithieux & Gaby Paroz - 64.8 %
Wednesday
Jeff Zhang & Hao Tang - 65.4 %.
Player of the Month (from top 6 scores with 2+ partners)
Theo Mangos - 64 %.

Using our Website
Here is a link to our web page https://www.easts.bridge-club.org/
If you just want to go straight to results, here’s that link:
https://www.easts.bridge-club.org/bridge/au2065/all-results-index

On the Results webpage, you can replay any of the hands for each session and you are guided how to play and make the optimum contract, card by card:
You can go into each hand to see which contracts were makeable, see the results for other tables and even replay a hand, with guidance on making the optimum contract. Just click on the Replay and Analyze link at the bottom of the details for the particular board.

Suggestion Box
The Suggestion Box is available at all our sessions. Please let us have your suggestions, all of which we consider.

Enjoy the spring weather and I look forward to another cracker month of bridge at Easts and to see you (enjoying yourself) at the bridge table!
Warm regards

Ted Popper
President

August Beginner classes
The next set of beginner classes start Tuesday 19 August at 1pm. 6 weeks for $60.
It’s our last series of the year so please tell your friends and relatives!

GNOT
On Wednesday in June we ran a Gold Point event to decide our team for the Sydney final of the Grand National Open Teams.
Winners were
Theo Mangos – Subhash Gupta, Chris Hamam – Lalita Gupta
(Subhash is not a member but we specify 3 of the 4 need to be Easts members)

Percentages on Bridgemates
The bridgemates only show current percentage scores for NS & EW, so ignore them in the early rounds.
The 50% you see in Round 1 is obviously meaningless. In fact your scores on each of those boards can conceivably end up as 100% or 0%.
In Round 2, your score will likely read 100% or 0%. (If it’s 50%, that means you exactly duplicated the score of the other pair, who played that board in round 1). As those boards are played at other tables, you 100% or 0% will move a bit closer to average.
It’s only towards the end of the session that the percentage you see will reflect your likely final score on the board.
In the last round, if you see 56%, that is the exact final percentage you will receive on that board.

From the suggestion box
The Committee is considering these suggestions:
a. A 6 week improvers’ course. (Possible on Wednesday mornings)
b. Sections A & B so beginners are not intimidated
c. Display results on screen at end of session not during play as it's too distracting.
d. Request for full results to be reinstated

Name Tags!
These are in train. Expect them in the next month or two.

June winners (free games)
Monday
Beverley Griffiths & Eva Copeland 60.37 %

Tuesday
Jeff Zhang & Hao Tang 66.93 %

Wednesday
Kamala Valliappan & Hiliary Spilkin 65.43 %

Player of the Month (from top 6 scores with 2+ partners)
Theo MANGOS 65%

Most Improved Rating
Heather Cameron + 0.67

Hello Fellow Egg Lovers!
Welcome to April with Jewish Passover and Easter celebrations together with
commemorating Anzac Day. Greetings to all those celebrating the festivals and the
holidays.
* Our regular Bridge sessions will continue as usual during the holiday period.

Welcome to our Beginner’s Class Graduates!
We celebrated the graduation of our latest beginner’s class. I had the pleasure to meet them
at our Pizza Party last month. A lovely (large) group of keen players whom we welcome
warmly to our club.

State Mixed Pairs Final
The top three pairs in the Monday qualifying rounds held last month are heading to the State
final next month, representing and sponsored by our club.
We congratulate Kerry Hill & Roman Naiman, Margit Short & Lester Tsang and Agi Herman
& Allen Rosenberg. We wish them all the very best in the Final!

Upcoming Events – Put these dates in your diary!
Our Club Championship (with Red Points) will be played on Wednesdays 7, 14 & 21 May,
with a fully-catered Party to celebrate after play on 21 May at 4pm. If you have not got a
regular partner, why not find one, either on our WhatsApp Matchmaking Group or through
our talented Matchmaker, Theo.
Also, if you don’t normally play on Wednesdays, why not think about playing in the Club
Championship and all members are most welcome at the Party, regardless of whether you
are a Wednesday player (subject to RSVP in time).
Australia Wide Novice Pairs will be played on Tuesday 27 May at 12.45pm. All players
with under 100 masterpoints are eligible to play. More details in next month’s Bulletin.

March Winners
Congratulations to the monthly winners below!

Player of the Month (average of best 5 scores)
1 Pat WALKER 63%
2 Roman NAIMAN 63%
3 Allen ROSENBERG 62%

Monday Mixed Pairs (best 2 of 3)
1 Kerry Hill & Roman Naiman 68.0%
2 Margit Short & Lester Tsang 62.3%
3 Agi Herman & Allen Rosenberg 62.1%
(These three pairs to represent Easts at the State final in May)

Tuesday
1 David & Riva Taitz 65.2%

Wednesday
1 Agi Stanley & Paul Larby 60.87%

Most improved Rating
1 Trevor Stafford +2.06
2 Tamara Pollak +1.38
3 Terry Simmons +1.35

Bridgemate Result Display
In February, we introduced a couple of changes on a trial basis to make play and movement
between rounds quicker. Players quickly adjusted to the new procedure for the bidding
boxes to remain on the starting table for the whole session.

Over the last two months we gathered player feedback regarding the change to Bridgemates
showing only the percentages for each side, rather than the results of other players. This
culminated in an anonymous survey sent to all players during February and March.
The result after considering all feedback including the survey, was that there was no majority
in favour of changing back to showing full results.
Taking into account your feedback, the Committee has decided that the Bridgemate result
display will not change. Please see below, for helpful information regarding results detail on
our Results web page.

Using our Website
Here is a link to our web page:
https://www.easts.bridge-club.org/
If you just want to go straight to results, here’s that link:
https://www.easts.bridge-club.org/bridge/au2065/all-results-index

** AN INTERESTING TIP **
On the Results webpage, you can replay any of the hands for each session and you
are guided how to play and make the optimum contract, card by card:
You can go into each hand to see which contracts were makeable, see the results for other
tables and even replay a hand, with guidance on making the optimum contract. Just click on
the Replay and Analyze link at the bottom of the details for the particular board.

FROM THE CHIEF DIRECTOR, NICK HUGHES
DO YOU KNOW THESE OFFICIAL BRIDGE RULES?

Keep the bidding cards (bids) out until the first card is led
As was the case with written bids, the bids should remain on the table so all players,
including the one leading, can see the bidding until the first card is led when they should
be put back in the respective bidding boxes.

Parties coming up in March

Our fully catered Autumn Fest party will take place after bridge on Monday 17 March at 4pm. All members are very welcome, you don’t have to be a Monday player. Why not try our Monday session (at 1pm) if you don’t normally play then? You must RSVP as we need to order catering and drinks. We will be passing around the RSVP/Drinks list at our sessions next week. If you won’t be playing, please reply to this email with your choice of drink (soft drink, beer, white or red wine).
Please only RSVP if you are sure, you are coming as we need to confirm our numbers attending by the end of the week before. Catering costs us $35 per head.
Our Beginner’s Course is currently running with many eager learners! To celebrate their final lesson and graduation, we will have a Pizza Party after bridge on Tuesday 25 March at 3.45pm. As for all our parties, all members are welcome! The same applies as above for RSVP.

State Mixed Pairs Qualifying Rounds
These will take place on 3 consecutive Mondays 10, 17 and 24 March.
If you would like to find a partner, you can use our WhatsApp Matchmaking group or contact our very talented Matchmaker, Theo Mangos (Text 0411 337 539).

Some Changes to Play from February
Last month we introduced a couple of changes to make play and movement between rounds quicker. Players have quickly adjusted to procedure for the bidding boxes remaining on the starting table for the whole session.
We are gathering player feedback regarding the change to Bridgemates showing only the
percentages for each side rather than the results of other players.
Please let committee members know what you think of the change to Bridgemates.
These changes have resulted in faster play and movement.
Our committee will decide shortly whether this change will continue, taking your
feedback into account.

February Winners
Congratulations to the monthly winners below.

Player of the Month (average of best 5 scores)
1st Brian BEDKOBER 65%
2nd Pat WALKER 60%
3rd Denise GASSENHEIMER 59%

Monday
1st Pat Walker - Wally Malaczynski 58.37 %
Tuesday
1st Michael Saul - Geoff Eggleton 61.57 %
Wednesday
1st Brian Bedkober - Theo Mangos 65.57 %

Most improved Rating
1st Michael Saul +1.73
2nd Denise Gassenheimer +1.54
3rd Terry Simmons +1.21

Top 10
1 Theo Mangos 68.01%
2 Leigh Foran 63.13%
3 Brian Bedkober 63.00%
4 Allen Rosenberg 62.30%
5 Eddie Mullin 61.87%
6 Matthew Lynch 61.77%
7 Agnes Stanley 61.13%
8 Pat Walker 60.60%
9 Paul Larby 60.53%
10 Lester Tsang 60.52%