Show Effects of Luck Upon Bridge Hands Shown I Chance Plays Only Small Smal Part in Final Outcome Ely Contends Editors Editor's note Dote This Is the he third I of or a series serin of or articles by Ely Elf Cul- Cul bort on reviewing the results of his bridge e match with Sidney S. S Lens Laos By EL ELY Y CULBERTSON Who Has Ifs Dramatized Bridge for lor I Millions I. I Copyright 1932 NEW YORK Jan 15 It 15 It is frequent at the bridge table for the unsuccessful ful player to soften the blow to his inferiority complex and possibly alsoto also alsoto I to his pocketbook by the remark You had all the luck That might be true over an evenings evening's session or even for a week but blind chance Isso is isso isso so impartial that when she is given an art opportunity she distributes her favors with remarkable exactness It has been pointed out that in my rubber ISO contract match with Sidney Sidney Sid Sid- ney S. S Lenz to test the approach forcing forc fore ing and official systems of f contract bidding the cards held were almost exactly even My partners and I held one and one half honor tricks more than did Mr Lenz and his partners They held twenty six more aces than we while w we had thirty four more kings than fell ell to their lot Our margin marin mar mar- gin in of or victory was points I had expected to win this match by points and at Rt least one hall of the amount that I fell tell short of ot that figure was due to the fact that our opponents used approach bids rather than no trump bids in reaching their final thus disclosing to each other the distribution as well as the high cards contained in their hands and assuring that the final contract would be ba based ed on scientifically drawn inferences rather than blind guesses nesses CHANCE HANCE IS IMPARTIAL Before this match began many of or ormy my friends told me that it was idiotic to o leave such important issues to the luck uck of ot the cards The They pointed out outto outto outto to me the fact tact that no one can protect himself against a run of ot and near I knew this but I also knew that blind chance is impartial I felt and the facts have demonstrated that I was right that in n rubbers nearly hands chance would shower her favors alike on those who believed in the approach forcing system of ot bidding and those who followed the banner of the he official system I am glad that chance vindicated my faith in her S As applied d h however r. r t the e indi id ual UBI nand nana lUcK am dieS play an important factor Take this hand from the one onehundred onehundred onehundred hundred and twenty-sixth twenty rubber in which chance smiled on Mr Lenz so broadly that even he admitted while the scorekeepers were jotting down the record of five lve diamonds doubled Its a lucky hand The hand North Mr Lenz Spades Lenz-Spades Spades 10 5 2 hearts 10 6 2 diamonds A Q 8 7 6 clubs 5 S 4 4 West Mr Culbertson Culbertson Spades K Q J 9 7 3 hearts J 8 85 5 diamonds K J clubs J 7 East Mrs Culbertson Culbertson Spades Spades A 8 6 4 hearts K 4 diamonds 5 3 clubs K Q 10 1062 6 2 South Commander Liggett Spades none hearts A Q 9 7 3 diamonds diamonds dia dia- monds 10 1094 9 4 A 9 3 3 The bidding West pass north pass cast east 1 club south 1 heart west 1 spade north 2 diamonds cast 2 spades south 4 diamonds dia din monds west 4 spades north pass cast pass south 5 diamonds west double north pass east pass south pass DIG BIG DIFFERENCE Suppose blind chance had dealt t to tomy tomy my partner the king jack and trey o ot of diamonds and had given me Instead of the diamonds I held the king of ol hearts the small cards in irs place o or of them hem being bein immaterial Then in in- stead tead of ot scoring the game and rubber Mr Lenz would have been penalized I 1000 points Contrariwise take this hand from the he one hundred and thirteenth rubber rub rub- ber which is is I think the hardest breaking hand of the entire match The hand and bidding was was' North Mr Lenz Lenz Spades Spades 10 8 5 4 hearts 9 5 3 diamonds 7 6 5 2 clubs 9 98 8 West Mr Culbertson Culbertson Spades Spades K hearts A Q J 10 7 diamonds A Q J 10 0 clubs 10 6 3 East Mrs Culbertson Culbertson Spades Spades A Q J 6 3 hearts K 8 6 6 4 2 diamonds diamond none clubs K J 7 South Commander Liggett ett- ett Spades 9 7 2 hearts none diamonds K 9 8 84 4 3 clubs A Q 5 54 4 2 South pass west 1 heart north pass east cast 2 spades south pass west 3 1 hearts north pass cast 5 hearts south pass west 6 hearts north pass east pass south pass MAKES RIGHT LEAD Obviously all that I needed to tomake tomake tomake make my ray contract of six hearts was either the favorable location of ot the theace theace theace ace or queen of clubs or the opening of ot some other suit than clubs However However However How How- ever at the moment this hand was dealt fate was not turning a smiling face Mace in my direction and so Mr Lenz departing from the precepts of whist days elected to make a typical Culbertson Culbertson Cul Cul- bertson benson lead the nine of clubs I Commander Liggett won the first trick rick with ith the queen laid down the theace thel I ace and returned the third round of I his suit permitting Mr Lenz to trump I and thus cash three tricks before I even obtained the lead I Had a card of any other suit been ed led led instead of or making ten tricks I could not have made less than twelve and might possibly have made thir- thir teen een The factor of ot luck in life is Inca Inca- The factor of ot luck on any individual hand may be great indeed In life there is no assurance that luck will ever distribute its favors evenly but in dealing with cards and in all other matters of blind chance the inexorable laws work to their table end |