| Show CULBERTSON on CONTRACT by El Ely curson Champion poe Player and nd and Greatest Card Analyst WHEN YANK TANK AND BRITON MET Contract bridge history was written written writ ten In London a afew Jew months ago alo when the first International bridge match ever held was staged at Almack's club in London It was in a real sense a pitting of race against race Englishmen arc are so 50 far as sports are arc are concerned great individualists Each is strongly inclined in dined to go his own way heedless of the experiences experiences' of ot others but strong trong In his faith in his own prow ess Americans on the contrary loveto love loveto loveto to follow a system They have proved that it is a profit profit maker maker in business To their own satisfaction at least they have demonstrated that It adds to the pleasure of ot their recreations even or rather most emphatically intellectual in games like contract It was this clash of temperament that brought about that brid bridge e match Lieutenant Colonel Walter E. E Buller retired writing a book on bridge decried de dc cried American contract as convention convention convention conven tion ridden and asserted that England England En En- gland could easily defeat the strongest strongest strong est team America could muster I read this statement with wilh complete disagreement It brought back memories mcm mem ories of school days in Europe when my European schoolmates had spoken slightingly of ot America to them a country of splendidly organized mediocrity mc me but woefully deficient in individual individual in in- brilliancy the brillIancy the only time I ever suffered from an inferiority com com- plex I decided for once to call a showdown and in the name of American Amerl Ameri can players I challenged Colonel Buler Buller Bul Bul- ler er cr to prove his point by the pIa play of hands of duplicate contract He accepted The dates were arranged The result Is already known America America Amer Amer- ica lea won but in winning converted England En gland land to the American system of bidding bidding bid ding and learned to admire the wonderful won won- wonderful pluck and sportsmanship of the English The players were in behalf be be- b behalf half of England Lieutenant Colonel I Walter Valter E. E Buller Mrs Gordon Evers Frank Kehoe and Dr Nelson WoodHill WoodHill Wood Wood- Hill and for America T. T A. A Lightner Baron Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Mrs Culbertson and myself The hand below well illustrates the difference both in temperament and tactics American players as a result of their own methods scored on the hand each way In room 1 Mrs Culbertson was South and I was her partner playing against Colonel Buller BuIler in the West and Mrs Evers East In room 2 Mr Kehoe sat South Dr Wood Wood North Mr LIghtner West and nd Baron Von Zedtwitz East Neither side aide le South dealer deale r Hand d I 1442 4 42 tI Q 10 T TA 8 IS 1 A 8 7 3 4 A A. A is 1 w 4 J H A 8 63 3 J w V J 4 3 10 7 s 9 4 32 9 a aThe JC Y A AD y r XO K T 0 o 3 4 10 5 lS The he Room 1 South Booth ti West erd N North Mth PaM Paa P Paso PaM M 11 NT 2 P Pare PAM t a 2 NT p PAW Pare PaM POM Pas PM P a Room loom 2 S South South West North Bast Pass PaM 1 1 4 1 1 r S. S A 45 5 P r. r Pau M 3 Past Pam 4 8 1 West's I-West's West's pass is entirely too timid He holds two two half halt ne-halt honor tricks and a sound bid To pass when holding hold hold- holding holdin in ing bidding strength particularly with no score on either cither side is the counsel not of prudence but of disastrous disastrous dis timidity Iwas surprised atour at atour atour our dashing colonel 2 My 2 My bid is purely individual and does docs not lack boldness I feared East held a bi big hand as m my partner had already passed and I believed a shaded shaded shaded shad ed bid mi might ht in the circumstances be bethe bethe bethe the best defense Often attack is the best jest defense The sequel proved that it wa was 3 3 East's East's pass is is of course dictated by the fact that West had passed The prospect of ot game appeared slim sUm but the chance of defeating Norths North's bid appeared fair as the club king would seem to be a possible reentry for thelong the thelong thelon lon long spades Mrs Mrs- Culbertsons Culbertson's bid of 2 no trump bUmp did not increase my happiness My shaded opening bid and how shaded haded it it was vas seemed destined to act as a boomerang I 4 Here 4 Here the bidding Is correct West rightly bids 1 I diamond 5 East's 5 East's bid of 3 spades Is technically technically tech tech- incorrect since a forcing bid promises promise as a rule 3 honor tricks Actually a bid of four would appear safer as he holds 6 spade tricks and his partners partner's bid promises to produce four Against the best defense however how how- ever East could make only three losing losing los in ing one trick in each suit 6 East 6 East rightly decided that the hand must be played at spades At no trump only disaster would result from such a freak Played at no trump Mrs Evers opened her spade suit and I 1 held up the ace un until n the third round thus cutting of off one line of communication The heart suit was next attacked by finessing with a heart 10 and the ace fortunately found in the West hand West returned a club upon which I played the ace and to my surprise and pleasure the king dropped There was nothing left to the play and I Imade Imade Imade made ten tricks for a score of In room 2 Baron Von Zedtwitz was no no less fortunate The heart was led and taken in the dummy and the baron baron bar bar- on took his only possible chance tomake to tomake tomake make his contract by at once leading a small club When North failed to put up his nee ace the singleton ton king won and it was then a for four odd We thus scored a total of ot points including allowed for forthe forthe forthe the game same and for the honors held helda a net gain on the hand for America of points In this hand the Americans Americans Amer Amer- leans showed the spirit of ot daring initiative initiative in in- and individuality Colonel Buller proved to be convention ridden ridden rid rid- den and altogether too passive MILLION PLAYER WORLDS WORLD'S TOURNAMENT IS PLANNED A million player worlds world's championship champion championship ship contract tournament to be played at duplicate has just been announced by the National Bridge association to be played at the same hour lour and using the same cards next November in every country throughout through out the world The magnitude of ot this conception the greatest event in the history of at bridge bride staggers the ima Imag- Imag nation The plans however have been so carefully worked out that the National Rational Bridge association feels confident confident con- con that this tournament will be carried out without a hitch Sixteen hands will be prepared by Mr and Mrs EI Ely Culbertson On sealed scaled slips the contents of ot which will vill be sacredly guarded will be recorded recorded recorded re re- corded the correct bidding and the correct play At the chosen hour In every city in the world those entering enter- enter ins ing ng the contest conte t will be given the hands lands in specially designed boards These hands will m be so arranged that the he players silting sitting North and South and East and West will have equal opportunity to display their skill in bidding idding and their accuracy in play In n each place where one of these contests con con- tests is held the results actually made will be recorded and attested by y the representative of ot the National Bridge e a association in charge The local local lo lo- cal winner will be given such prize as the local committee may designate and the names of the winners together er with the record of their bidding and play will be forwarded to the National Bridge association in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York for comparison with the records of other players everywhere This tournament is unique in that while each player Is competing with the he worlds world's masters he will do so under under un un- der the most favorable possible conditions con con- He will actually be playing with the persons with whom he is accustomed accustomed ac ac- to meet daily at the bridge table Thus his play will have an opportunity to compete with par un- un awed by the reputation o of his opponent opponent nent neat and unaffected by strange sur sur- The plans provide that all authorized author author- lied bridge clubs social clubs and teachers may upon application be appointed as representatives of the National Bridge association for the purpose o of conducting these ments The size of the groups entering entering enter enter- In ing in any tournament may be as small as eight or may be as large as the capacity o of the rooms will permit per per- mit mil It is however advisable to keep them nearer the number of ol hands prepared in order to guard against delays in the play Members of organizations directed by Mr and Mrs Culbertson and their personal friends will be excluded from the competition With these exceptions It is open to bridge players every every- where The official prizes will be gold cups awarded to the winners i North and South and East and West Wesl In addition to these cups however the association Is assured of many valuable prizes which will probably include automobiles trips to and from Europe and other things of ot value which will be given civen to those making hI high h records in this world-wide world competitive com pIa play Ever Every member of ot the National Bridge association as well weIl as social country and bridge clubs together with certified teachers may conduct one of ot these tournaments Every precaution will be taken to preserve inviolate the make up o of the hands and the seals on the boards and hands will be broken at the same hour in every city in the world where part of this tournament Is being con con- ducted Even greater precaution will willi be c taken in connection with the par pari bidding and play After the tournament tournament ment has been heen completed the par bidding bidding bid bid- ding and play as determined In advance advance ad ad- vance by Mr and Mrs Culbertson will vill be cabled or to Broadcasting stations on all continents and will be broadcast to the tive nations BRIDGE IN PARIS Fabyan Mathey a New Yorker for forman man many years returned from Paris recently re reo on an Atlantic liner and brought back with him the story o of bridge as played in the French capita cap- cap ita tal ital 1 Bridge is played in Paris to be beure sure but ure but from an angle far removed from rom our own Mr Mathey said Being the author autho of ot a bridge column column col col- col in a Paris daIl dally daily journal I receive a good many letters Tn The interest Is high as well as the approval But Buthe the he vote is by no means unanimously in n my favor Indeed many letters have lave expressed complete lion ion and damnation for myself and whatever I wrote I think o of an incident incident in in- that happened not long lang ago In n one of ot m my columns I illustrated a case where two or three aces and kings had to be discarded if U the contract con con- tract was to be made I was besieged by y an avalanche of mall mail the tone of which can best be summed up by an aloof aloot and admonitory Do you sir consider the discarding o of aces good goodridge bridge ridge To those to whom I replied I explained that I considered anything any any- thing hing good bridge if it permitted a player ethically to fulfill his contract Fortunately the storm subsided and andI I was not asked to go forth upon the field of honor But I had half expected ex cx- such a challenge Of Ot the thirty-odd thirty thousand Amer leans cans living in Paris about half halt of those hose in the bridge world play contract con con- tract A miscellaneous few are still at auction and the other half halt plays pIa plafond fond Contract as we know it H Is a rarity amon among the French Perhaps not in the Champs and not inthe in inthe the hc vicinity of ot the Avenue Foch but Foch-but but they are arc American strongholds This is because of the tendency of the Europeans to be far tar less speculative specula specula- tive and far more conservative than the American When confronted with witha a combination of a n speculative element ele ele- element ment and of large figures he at It once becomes uneasy uncomfortable and he is no longer receptive to pleasure How for instance does the average aver aver- average age ase Parisian Parisian native native or no play no-play play bridge play plafond the continental variant of the game He seldom bids for game Instead he prefers to get gel et the contract at the lowest possible bid and to make his bonus In n extra tricks He becomes ill at case when the bidding goes up I know because I have tried so many times to hammer hammer ham ham- mer the point home the home the point for Instance that a game toward rubber is far more valuable than fifty or a hundred points for extra tricks and that by all aU means the game should be bid for Mais But But wh why But why why why-I I have constantly been asked Copyright 1931 Ely Culbertson QUESTIONS ANSWERED Mr Culbertson will be glad to answer answer an an- questions on bidding and play of hands sent in by readers Address him in care of ot this newspaper enclosing enclosing enclosing en en- closing a two cent two cent stamped self ad dressed envelope |
