LYTHAM BRIDGE CLUB

LATE SPRING NEWSLETTER

Foreword by the Chairman - Jack HendersonWelcome to our April 2021 Newsletter.

In a year like no other, we have adapted to unprecedented challenges. We are grateful to our TDs who run threeon-line sessions each week. Of particular note is the recently introduced Tuesday afternoon session, designedspecifically to attract those members, who having undergone training, to obtain competitive experience bypartnership with experienced players. The club is indebted to those who provide this service.

Members can be assured that the club is frequently inspected and the premises remain in good order.

Our finances are robust, with regular income from BBO sessions and few outgoings. Currently the accounts arewith the Auditors.

The AGM, normally held in May, will be announced after the opening of the club which is subject toGovernment and EBU guidance. Your committee monitor pandemic restrictions and will act in accordance withthe law and issued guidelines.

We are encouraged to note that membership has continued to increase this year; perhaps an acknowledgementof the advantages of Lytham Bridge Club.

Thank you all for your continued support.

An Update from our President - Pauline CopeAnother three months have passed and we still can't meet round a table for Face to Face bridge.

I know that with help and encouragement quite a few members are now playing online which hopefully meanswe won't have forgotten too much. Half of the EBU is now playing online.

I understand some members have been helping with the vaccination rollout which is great. Once we've allreceived the vaccine, we shall be ready for when we are given the green light. In the meantime, enjoy the lovelySpring sunshine and stay safe.

Comments from our Chief Tournament Director - John DearingIt is to be hoped that the club will be reopening later this year and Face to Face bridge can resume. Dependingon what can be done it is possible that we will be running different sessions from the ones we ran prior tolockdown. It’s been over a year and our members might want to play bridge more frequently, especially in theafternoons. Given the success of the online sessions on BBO it is likely we will continue with at least onesession a week. Playing online in the evening may be preferable to going out, especially so in the winter.However, for these things to happen we will need the continued support of many members to enable thesessions to happen, whether that’s directing or dealing boards. It’s not too early to think about what you coulddo to help the club once the lockdown restrictions are over.

Return Match with St Albans - Steve Ellis, Trustee and Membership Secretary

The second St Albans match was played on Tuesday 16th March and was a much closer affair than the previousone. We managed to field 6 teams of 4 – this is 1 more than last time – thanks to the addition of further playersnow registered to play online. Of these we won 2 and lost 4 with the overall losing margin being the 20 we lostin the final match.

As Membership Secretary, I can tell you that since the last newsletter in January we have 11 new members witha further two applications pending Committee approval.

Anecdotes from the world of bridge - Anne Burgess

There are many stories that circulate amongst the bridge fraternity and as I cannot guarantee their veracity and Iwill not be naming names. However after a hard day's bridge when players head for the bar to chew over thehands indiscretions can occur.

My favourite could be when a certain young man after a prolonged post bridge session in the bar mistook hisroom number and ended up in the bed of a rather austere middle aged lady. Sadly she didn't make the most of it.Another player woke up to find her head covered in blood and on going to the bathroom found she had knockedthe wash basin away from the wall in her inebriated state.

Not all stories involve alcohol and a certain member of Lytham Bridge Club found a letter addressed to him onevalentine's day allegedly signed by a veritable dragon of the bridge club and professing eternal love for him. Ican still remember the look of embarrassment as he pocketed the letter and it took quite a while for him tounearth the culprit who was of course me. Another player brought her child along when her babysitter let herdown and sat her in the committee room with books and amusements. However the child found much greateramusement in swapping the keys around she found in the coat pockets in the cloakroom.

Ollie tells me of one exceptionally rude player at the Young Chelsea Bridge Club who was sent a letter ofsuspension after years of abusing opponents and partners and being given many warnings. A few days later sheappeared at the bridge club having undergone a personality transplant, the epitome of generosity and charmbuying drinks for everyone and compliments abounding. When challenged, her response was "what letter? Inever got a letter".

All this seems pretty tame compared to Myrtle Bennett who shot and killed her husband when he failed to makehis 4 spade contract back in 1929.

Finally in these days of lock down bridge there are many opportunities for cheating and players are known toload up 2 devices - one to play and one to kibitz thus seeing all 4 hands. However one player has recently beensuspended by the EBU. After creating 2 logins he partnered himself but in his confusion opened the weak 2hand with 2NT on the wrong gadget.

Ollie features In the Saturday TelegraphIn an article on Parlour Games - How bridge moved out of thevillage hall - on 20th February various bridge stars wereinterviewed, including Ollie Burgess.

Bridge might be a complex game but it is a great night out,says Ollie Burgess, 36.

As manager of the Young Chelsea Bridge Club, which has 500members with an average age of 55, Burgess describes atypical Friday night - before the pandemic - as often startingwith a glass of wine before the bridge playing begins at7.30pm, then ending up in the bar at 10.30pm and rolling onuntil 2am.

‘I love playing bridge, but I also like the bar area afterwards,it’s like an episode of Eastenders. So many have had affairs,’laughs Burgess.

He’d love to see more young professionals take up the game asa way to make friends, and have a night that doesn’t break thebank; table money, which covers the club’s costs, is only £10for the night.

He disputes the idea that there is no glamour in the game. Burgess has played since he was 11 and has travelledthe world to tournaments in the United States, China and Europe. The best players are often paid to be thepartners of wealthy sponsors who want to be part of a winning team.

At the moment he has about 20 people whom he is teaching from the beginning stage.