BRIDGE ON THE WEB AND FEELING SAFE IN THE TRNC

BRIDGE ON THE WEB AND FEELING SAFE IN THE TRNC

There has been a great deal of bridge activity in the last few months, writes Colin Pearson. At the beginning of February, we launched our new website https://www.bridgewebs.com/islands/, which is hosted by Bridge Webs. Not only does it provide details on all our activities but it allows us to analyse the results from our 3 competitions a week in much more detail.

This is a boon not just for the experienced players who may thrive on this sort of detail but especially for those players who are trying to improve their play. Talking of which February also saw the launch of our Beginners’ training classes run by Susan Cahit on Tuesdays at the Grease Monkey in Çatalköy starting at 13:00. We currently have 5 brave souls attending most weeks. On Wednesday, Tony Armstrong reconvened the Chicago sessions, which are currently attracting 2 tables. Added to this Dick Sandeman kindly donated a HandyDup electronic card dealer which allows the Monday group to play pre dealt hands.

Last December, we sadly said goodbye to one of our Norwegian players, Anders Nydahl. He fought a brave battle against cancer and, up to the last three months, was a regular player on our Bridge Base Online (BBO) Tournaments. Our condolences go out to his family. He will be much missed.

On May 15^th, we are due to run our 3^rd Swiss Teams Tournament at our usual venue, the Korineum Golf and Beach Resort, starting at 14:00.

Our profile is on Sue Starling, who coincidently has been captain of the Team that has won the first two Swiss Teams Tournaments.

Sue Starling winning the 2023 Swiss Teams

Sue was first invited to come to the TRNC in 2002 by Pat Morris, who lived with her husband in Belapais. Sue had previously worked with her in administration in Carreras Rothmans Laboratory and was invited again in 2003. She was given the chance to stay on permanently, and this led to her eventually buying her current house in 2004 in the Turkish part of the harbour in Girne. She was very much a swallow until 2008, when she decided to base herself permanently in the TRNC. What most attracted her about the TRNC at that time was that as a single woman, she felt quite safe in the country.

She was divorced 23 years ago but describes herself as someone who is quite happy being on their own but happy to socialise when the circumstances present themselves. Up until a few years ago, her main companion was her Chihuahua called Lennon, who sadly died in 2020. Sue has a son who works as a Consultant Paediatrician Cardiologist specialising in Electro Physiology at Great Ormond Street, London. Her other son, Joseph, is an English teacher living in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

An avide bridge player

Sue first took up bridge following a conversation with her massage therapist in Snape, Suffolk, around 2004 – she was put her in touch with a bridge teacher who, with a small group, played a simplified form of Acol bridge. Once she arrived in the TRNC, she was encouraged to join the Sele and Polar Chicago bridge tournaments. What Sue found especially welcoming was the extensive social network that existed amongst the bridge players. Players who are no longer with us, such as Maaika, Michael Raine, and more recently Anders, all made a big effort to involve her and improve her bridge playing, for which she remains especially grateful. Sue participates in the social bridge groups that exist in Girne, often led by Piers Oakley, and has been one of our regulars at the Korineum Monday Bridge Club (KMBC). So far, she has resisted the delights and temptations of playing online!