Newsletter 30 July 2026

 
 
In our newsletter this week...
 
 
President's Message
Graded Teams Saturday
Cardplay Wednesdays!

New Players

Online Lessons

Bridge Champions

Youth News

Upcoming Events
Name Badge Order

Classifieds Corner
Lighter Moments
 
 
 
President's Message
 

World Youth Transnational Championships

We extend our best wishes to our Youth members competing at the 9th World Youth Transnational Championships in Hefei, China, from 3-8 August.  Alexis Wilsmore and Jess He will represent Australia in the Under 26 Women's Team, while Dev & Diya Shah and Jade Wilkinson will compete in the Under 21 Team.  

Representing your country on the world stage is a tremendous achievement, and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and wish them every success as they take on this exciting challenge.  We also thank the many members who supported our young players through the fundraising Scongress and other generous contributions.  

Play with confidence, enjoy the experience and make memories that will last a lifetime.  Safe travels and good luck from all of us!

Website Update

We are pleased to advise that the Club website is now back online and operating from its normal address https://canberrabridgeclub.com.au/.  

On behalf of the Committee, I would like to sincerely thank Sebastian Yuen for the considerable time and effort he devoted to restoring the website following the recent outage.  We are extremely grateful for his long-standing contribution to the Club and for his dedication in getting the website back up and running.

Thanks also to all members for your patience and understanding while the issue was being resolved.

A Reminder About Personal Safety

A recent incident has highlighted the importance of remaining aware of your surroundings when arriving at or leaving the Club, particularly during evening sessions.  Where possible, members are encouraged to walk to their cars together and to let a Director know if they have any concerns.

To further support member safety, Directors have been asked to lock the front door once all players have arrived and the session is underway.  If you arrive after play has commenced, please ring the doorbell and the Director will let you in.

Thank you for helping us maintain the friendly, safe and welcoming environment that we all value at the Club.

- Mary
 
 
 
Graded Teams Saturday is happening on 22nd August!
 
On Saturday the 22nd August 2026, the Canberra Bridge Club will be running its first all day, teams red-point event of the year. 
This will be a graded teams, so please enter in teams of 4 or 6.
The field will also be graded – likely into A, B and C grades with a possible additional category for current supervised players, subject to numbers. The exact subdivisions will be decided closer to the time, based on entries.
•    Director: Steve Geddes
•    Cost: Youth $12 / Members $24 / Concession $20 / $30 Non Members - You will be charged on the day of the event, it is free to register now 
•    Start Time : 9:45am with an hour lunch break
•    Finish Time: 5:00pm
•    Where: CBC BT Room
 
Click here to Register 
 
 
NB.  Please note that when making your entry, myABF will not let you save unless 4 or more people have been registered.  If you are still in the process of recruiting just select "TBA" for the other 2 or 3 people when registering. The office has a list of half teams looking for partners so email the office if your require assistance.

 
 
 
Cardplay Wednesdays! - next one on 5th August
 
The 2nd session of Cardplay Wednesday workshop is happening on the 5th August.
 
You can come with a regular partner or on your own – players will be accommodated as necessary.
 
•    What Time?     5-00 pm Until 6-30 pm (hopefully accessible to both daytime players and workers).
 
•    How Much Does it Cost?     $15 per session (charged through MyABF or paid by cash on the day).
 
•    Who is it For?     It is aimed at players who have recently transitioned from Supervised Play to B-Grade as well as B-Grade players who may find that they have a clear understanding of system but have received less assistance in how to actually play the cards. In terms of difficulty is it intended to be slightly easier than the workshops William Jenner-O’Shea runs from time to time at the club.
 
•    What is the Format?     There will be a brief (ten minute) introduction to a topic of cardplay followed by six to eight hands where the bidding will be provided and participants will be able to put the lesson to work at the table. There will also be handouts with a half-page discussion on every hand explaining the relevant tricks, tips and principles.
 
•    Who is giving the lectures?     Initially, Steve Geddes will be providing the lectures for the first few months, although it is likely that down the track other teachers from the Club will run different sessions.
 
Any questions? Please ask either Elizabeth in the office or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 
 
 
New Players  

Canberra Bridge Club welcomes the following new and returning players:

•   David Hughes
 
 
 
 

 Online Lessons 
 
The next online lesson with Will Jenner-O'Shea  is on Thursday 6th August at 9:30am.

This lesson is on "Support Doubles".

• Click here to Register 

Bridge Champions Built by Paul Dalley

Bridge Champions is run by Paul Dalley, an accomplished bridge player with dozens of national championships in Australia and New Zealand. Paul has represented Australia on the national team multiple times in recent years.

2026 — 1st place: ANC Open Butler Pairs (Australian National Championships) LAST MONTH 2026 — Qualified for the Australian team.

2026 — 1st place: National Open Teams (Canberra)

2026 — 1st place: South West Pacific Teams (Canberra)

According to Paul, good bridge is made up of simple ideas that are easy to learn and his website is just that: clear, practical lessons, no nonsense.

Click on the link below to checkout the site. For the Canberra Bridge Club, Paul is offering 1 month free as a trial (cancel anytime). This offer is available during the month of August when you enter promo code CBC on checkout.

• BridgeChampions.com

My goal is to make a real difference to my players' bridge. That's why I'm focusing more and more on quick, engaging content — mostly video — for people who don't have hours to study.

My latest addition to the site is Reels which are 30 - 90 second videos that are designed to have a real impact.

FROM A RECENT REEL — “DOUBLE OR BID”

I'm trying to unlock the secrets of winning bridge. Most people get this hand wrong. Doubles are regularly misused by my opponents, I see them get bad score after bad score. This is an example from recent play. My opponent doubled but the correct bid is actually 3♥ as shown.

Youth News

YOUTH EVENTS

Summary (see below for more details)

August 3 - 8: World Youth Transnational Bridge Championships

August 7: Youthish Night

August 21: RealBridge Youthish Night - https://myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/4544

August 29 - 30: Cootamundra Congress

September 18: Youthish Night

September 25: RealBridge Youthish Night - https://myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/4614

September 27 - October 1: Youth Triathlon

Saturday November 7: Trivia Fundraiser

World Youth Transnationals
The Australian teams are in Hefei for the World Youth Transnationals, which begin on August 3.

ACT has 5 representatives: Jess He - Alexis Wilsmore (U26 Women's), Dev Shah - Diya Shah (U21) and Jade Wilkinson (U21)
The Championships website is here
https://championships.worldbridge.org/2026-hefei
If you would like to send a message of support please use the link
https://form.jotform.com/262053004421844

NEW! SAVE THE DATE 

CBC Trivia Fundraiser

Saturday November 7, 2pm - 5pm

The questions are not bridge related so gather friends and family, bring your thinking caps, and get ready for an entertaining afternoon of questions, prizes, and great company.

RealBridge Youthish Nights

Club session bridge is matchpoint scoring which is a different beast to teams scoring.

Learn about the differences and get a board by board breakdown from Will after the match.

It's a great way to level up your skills.

ONLINE and FREE.

Next sessions are Friday August 21 and September 25.

Youth and youth adjacent members can enter. If you bring a Youth player to Youthish Night you can join!

Youthish Night is on Friday, August 7

Entry is FREE and includes a Pizza dinner

All experience levels are welcome, no partner required.  Come at any time.  

• Session 1: 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

• Dinner: 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM

• Session 2: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

The following Youthish Night is on Friday September 18*.

(*there was an error in the September date when it was shared previously) 

Youth Triathlon - 27th Sept to 1st Oct (Sunday - Thursday)

3 days of Competition 

2 days of Training

1 Winner Crowned

Sunday 27 Sept Development 

Monday 28 Sept Pairs Competition: 2 sessions

Tuesday 29 Sept Teams Competition: 2 sessions

Wed 30 Sept Individual Competition: 1 session + development + sightseeing

Thursday 1 Oct Development 

An overall winner of all 3 events combined will be crowned 

🥇 2026 Youth Triathlon Champion 🥇 and receive the Bobby Richman Shield

CBC Youth Coordinator Suz Wilkinson This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

A strong Youth Bridge program can only occur with dedicated people supporting our events, often quietly behind the scenes. This week’s Youth Shoutout goes to Daniel Geromboux, who directs the RealBridge Youthish Nights. 

Upcoming Events
 
The next Tuesday night competition is the Margaret Bourke Pairs.
This event will run on Tuesday at 7pm from 11th August to 18th August.
•    Register here

Australia Wide Open Pairs

The Australia-Wide Open Pairs has a rich history that goes back more than 
40 years, bringing together thousands of players from all around the country.
Each player will receive a souvenir booklet on the day, describing our 
recommendations for how the bidding and play should have gone. After the 
results are in, there will also be a second personalised booklet available on our 
web page, looking at every board to see how your bidding and play compares 
against our recommended results.

• Wednesday evening 26 August - Walk in Event
• Cost: $15

Name Badge Order
 
We are now taking orders for the next batch of magnetic name badges through the link below. Each name badge costs $20 and will most likely be ordered at the end of August.

•    Click here to order a name badge

Classifieds Corner

Wanted

Dog sitter 19 Dec - 26 December.  

You live at our house and mind our lovely old kelpie, Molly.  A daily walk would keep her happy and watering my pot plants would keep me happy.

It’s only a short walk from the Bridge Club.

Please give me a ring if you’re interested - 0437 604 156

- Belinda Moss

Lighter Moments
 
•    Wanted 

Financially independent, intelligent and fun loving individual seeking a like minded partner for life’s next chapter. You need to draw trumps, lead towards honours and never pass cue bids. 

If this resonates, please reply with a recent systems card and a bit about yourself.

In addition to the conditions listed above, ads seeking relationships including bridge partnerships will not be published.

Have a great week everyone.
Elizabeth