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Message from our Club President

Congress! A whole week of nothing but bridge with great folk from all over the country. But the NZBridge National Congress isn't just for the top players, there's plenty for everyone and anyone dabbling in tournament bridge should consider heading down for some or all of Congress.

First the important details. Congress runs from November the 7th to November the 14th but you certainly don't need to play all eight days! This year will be its second year being held in Palmerston North across two venues right in the heart of the city, the Convention Centre and the Distinction Hotel.

The new venue is proving very popular with players due to its proximity to accommodation and eateries, for most people it makes it unnecessary to have a vehicle if you choose to fly down. The two venues are less than 5 minutes walk apart and there are a slew of restaurants and cafes in between. If you do choose to drive down the city council very generously provides parking permits to all players for the whole week.

As for the bridge, there are events for everybody, including Novice players! There is a Novice Pairs eventon Saturday the 14th. There are Teams, Pairs and Swiss Pairs for Junior, Intermediate, Restricted Open and Opengrades and there are a couple of events just for Senior players (turning 65 sometime this year, or older). Find the full schedule and register for events at nzbridge.co.nz under the Congress tab at the top of the page.

The main thing to remember is that you don't need to play all eight days, maybe you just want to play the teams on the first weekend or the Swiss Pairs on the Monday/Tuesday and the Congress teams on the Wednesday. Maybe you want to play the Swiss Pairs and then the Pairs at the end of the week but want the Wednesday off to explore Palmy! It's entirely up to you.

The other thing, and this applies to all tournaments, is that you can always play in a higher grade than what you are. So if you are a novice player but don't want to make the trek down to only play the Novice Pairs on the final Saturday, you can absolutely play in the Junior Pairs on the Thursday and Friday before hand.

It's a wonderful week mingling with hundreds of players from all over the country, and a few from other parts of the world, and there are plenty of opportunities for us to socialise as a club dining out or putting quiz teams together. So if you're interested, convince your partner and get your entry in!

- Mike Newton

Message from our Club Vice-President

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made a contribution to the smooth running of our club recently.Tablecloth washing, afternoon tea participation, catering & kitchen assistance, maintenance, administration, Directing, Scoring, website management, screen presentation, committee members, dealers, teaching . . . when you start listing all the activities it makes you realise what a village we are.

Everything you do is greatly appreciated.

- Karyl Anderson.

Message from out Club Captain

This month I would like to talk about tournaments as there are so many coming up.

It has been a pleasure to share lots of good news this last month. A lot of tournament success, a new Grandmaster in the club, Rebecca Osborne and a player that has already earnt enough points (some of them A points!!) to move from Junior to Intermediate Rose van der Velden.

Please keep letting me know about member’s news as I know our club members enjoy being able to congratulate others.

The last Friday of the Alan Turner Memorial Teams was a great success with many players being able to stay behind to socialise and have a drink. It is lovely to be able to talk, not only about bridge, but what is happening in our lives – family, travel, work etc. It is so nice to have the time to get to know people we may not usually get to talk to. And of course, lovely to hear the laughter (not always about the bridge mishaps!). We were spoilt with so many contributions of food, both for afternoon tea and nibbles to have with drinks. Thank you to everyone.

There have been a few etiquette reminders lately. Please do not be offended by these as they are simply to ensure the best possible experience for everyone. We all slip up at times!

Norm has been working hard on the 2027 programme. The committee has tried hard to listen to suggestions. An example of this is the trialing of a Teams event on a Tuesday next year and this will be a restricted event as per member’s request. Please continue to come to me with news and queries or to voice a concern. We have a lovely club with great members so please let’s address any needs and keep up the sharing of good things.

Good luck to those playing in upcoming tournaments.

- Shirley Bain

Message from our Club Manager

I often get asked:

          When am I in the office?
          How can I pay money to he club?
          Hopefully the information below answers these questions for you:

USUAL OFFICE HOURS:

          TUESDAY:        11am      to   1pm
          FRIDAY:            11am      to   1pm
          WEDNESDAY:   5.45pm  to   7pm
          Other times - if I am there!

HOW CAN I TOP UP MY HELLO CLUB ONLINE?  

Option 1)

Direct bank transfer into our bank account, just as you would pay any bill. Please use the internet banking details below:

          Acct no.:   03-1549-0006295-000Acct Name:   
          Tauranga Bridge Club Incorporated
          Reference:  your name and bridge number

Option 2)

Via Hello Club Using either Poli or StripePlease note:
- POLI uses your NZ bank details- bank to bank transfer and there is no charge to you
- STRIPE uses your credit card- the club does not cover the processing fee of 3-4%, you do.

To get to STRIPE or POLI...
Step 1: Log in to your Hello Club, then from your Home page select Account-> Credit Account->
Step 2: Put in the amount you wish to pay -> Next and select your option.

Option 3)

Of course, you can use EFTPOS or CASH deposits via the Office.

- David Fornusek.