BFACT    Bridge Federation ACT Inc.
 

Welcome

Alfred Sheinwold once said in relation to bridge “Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make them all yourself.”

How apt is this advice to the tricky, voluntary activity of being a bridge administrator? - In my experience, a lot.

I suspect only a small number of the 700+ players who pay an annual capitation fee to BFACT will know what BFACT does, why it does it, and the volunteers who sit on its Council. This is hardly surprising because what we do generally does not impact much on the bridge player who just wants to play a couple games of club duplicate each week.  So the launch of this website hopefully will fill an information gap and kindle further interest in what BFACT does.

BFACT has three main roles. First, it is responsible for running a number of competitions to select players to represent the ACT at the national level principally in the Australian National Championships (ANC). Every eight years or so, we have to actually run an ANC here in Canberra. We probably spend a large proportion of Council meeting time discussing aspects of this function. Second, BFACT has a broad mandate to promote the playing of duplicate bridge in clubs in the region (this includes director training, interclub competitions, youth bridge and start-up assistance for new clubs). Third, we represent the interests of ACT bridge players on the national body, the Australian Bridge Federation (ABF). Most ACT bridge players intuitively would say we don’t do enough to promote bridge (and may well be right) and the same bridge players probably wouldn’t trade a winning finesse for knowing what we do at ABF meetings.

Coming back to the Sheinwold quote, the merry band of volunteer bridge administrators on the BFACT Council neither undergo specific training to do what they do, nor are they the subject of envy by a large corps of would-be bridge administrators-in-waiting.  Most come to the issues armed with old-fashioned common sense which they try to exercise in the best way they know. Unlike the life expectancy of bridge players which has gone up significantly in recent decades, the lifespan of a volunteer bridge administrator has contracted sharply as life in the 21st century becomes more and more litigious and less forgiving of human error.

If this website increases the level of forgiving of bridge administrators by just one percent it would have achieved something momentous!

I would like to single out the efforts of Rebecca Plush, Valmai Mitchell and her daughter Avril Barrett in turning the idea of a website into a reality.

Roy Nixon
President

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BFACT

Inter-Club Restricted and
Seniors’ Teams Invitation

Saturdays 19 April, 14 June, 23 August

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Upcoming BFACT Events

Inter-Club Restricted and Seniors’ Teams (Venues:TBA) RESULTS
Saturdays 19 April, 14 June, 30 August

State Open Teams

Qualifying: Tuesdays 19, 26 August, 2,9 , 16 September
Final: Tuesdays 23, 30 September, 7 October

GNOT Restricted Teams Regional Final

Sunday 19 September

see Calendar for full year

 

Last Updated : August 23, 2008

Email Addresses
         Committee
 

Vice President - Rebecca Plush

Treasurer - Andrew Struik

Secretary - Susan Scerri

Tournament Secretary - Peter Kahler

Youth Co-ordinator - Griff Ware

Supplemental Councilors:
Val Mitchell
Griff Ware

Capital BC Representative
- Ian Dalziell

Canberra BC Representative
- Earl Dudley

Cootamundra BC Representative
- Michael Rabey

Monaro BC Representative
- Andrew Struik

South Canberra BC Representative
- Bruce Crossman

WEBMASTER

Key Responsibilites

BFACT represents the bridge community of the ACT and its affiliated regional clubs in Cooma and Cootamundra. It is responsible for:

  • Representing ACT interests within the Australian Bridge Federation

  • Organising ACT State championships 
  • Selecting ACT representatives to the annual Australian National Championships
  • Promoting the playing of bridge in the region

 

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A little humour

The Elvis Presley coup? It's when your left-hand opponent leads from his A-Q around to your K-x: the King is no longer dead!

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I once bid a Lightner double
and my partner went into a huddle.
      He found the wrong lead
      so the slam did succeed
and a bottom I got for my trouble

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Bridge players on the Titanic
when the iceberg hit, wouldn't panic.
      “ Of course we'll go down”
       said South, with a frown.
“ Every king is offside – it's satanic”

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Important Rules

Rule of Eleven — the inevitable trick total whenever you bid a slam.

Eight Ever, Nine Never — the status quo whenever you raise 2NT to 3NT.

Second Hand Low — the easiest way to lose your aces on defense.

Leading Through Strength — a sure-fire way to make your queens disappear.

 

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