British ge World
Ja.nuary 1963
The Brave Old. Days, by Harry IngraJl! Never Use Blackwood, by Barbarossa Introducing George, by Kenneth Konstam Isn't It Fantastic, by Jimmy Tait Bridge Academy
PUBLISHED ON 15TH OF EACH MONTH The Clubman' s choice • • •
• • ."Linette" playing cards
These fine quality, linen grained, playing cards are the popular choice with club players. The familiar geo ~1etrical back design is available in red and blue to make playing pairs. They are packed singly in tuck cases. Retail price 3/3d. per pack.
STA:TIONERS DIVISION THOMAS DE LA RUE & CO. LTD., 92 MIDDLESEX STR ~ LT , I O NI II l N, I , I l • • • • .EVERY
SATURDAY IN • THE • • • • • . .. • • • fBail1! Qrtltgraph
3 "Not exactly sunny South, is he?'' said North
"You have to de-ice before every deal, his house is so cold," growled West, wincing. " You might as well expect a Vienna coup at every hand as exjJect warmth at his table/' said North numbly. "Well, if he doesn't want to eliminate me from his table, the sooner he puts in an automatic boiler the better," East exclaimed. " Tell him to pick a Potterton boiler. I did," declared North. ''So did 1," said West warmly.
Potterton-owning bridge players if it were paying for it. play in blissful warmth and com Other people whose tiny hands fort, and can devote all their are frozen at their bridge tables concentration to their game. should write to Miss M. M eredith, They don't have the slightest at 20-30 Buckhold Road, London qualm about running costs, either. S. W. 18, or phone her at VANdyke Because a Potterton burns fuel as 7202 for full information.
Potterton Boilers at the heart of efficient central heating-oil or gas
A MEMBER OF THE (I) DE LA RUE GROUP Thomas Potterton Limited, 20-30 Buckhold Road, London S.W.r8
''POTTERTON'' IS A REGISTERED TRADE MARK
4 ·rhe British Bridge World
SUGCESSOR TO THE CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL: MEDIUM FOR ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION NEWS
Edited by ALJ;lERT DORMER
VOLUME 14 January 1963 NUMBER 1
Editorial Board
BERNARD WESTALL (CHAIRMAN)
GEOFFREY L. BUTLER KENNETH KONSTAM
TERENCE REESE ALBERT DORMER
ADVERTISING All enquiries should be addressed to the ADVERTISING MANAGER, THOMAS DE LA RUE & Cp. LTD., 92 Middlesex Street, E.l
All other correspondence, including Subscriptions, to the Publishers: Andrews & Warburg, Ltd., 35 Dover Street, London, W.l Hyde Park 3601-2
Annual Subscription 35/-
The British Bridge World is published on the 15th of each month
Published and printed on behalf of the proprietors Thomas De-LaRue & Co. Ltd., i?Y Andrews & Warburg, Ltd., 35 Dover Street, London W.l
5 January, 1963 Contents Page Editorial 7
The Brave Old Days, by Harry Ingram 8-12
The Young Ones, by Michael Buckley 13-14
South African Tour, by Albeit Dormer 15-19
Never Use Blackwood, by Barbarossa 20.:_21
The Tollemache Cup, by Harold Franklin 22-27
Introducing George, by Kenneth Konstam 28-30
Repeat of December Problems 31
Hands of the Month, by Ronald Crown . 32-33
Percentages are Tricky Things, by I. G. Smith 34-35
Midland News, by A. Hutchinson 36-38
Isn't it Fantastic, by Jimmy Tait 39-40
January Prqblems .. 41.
London and the South, by Alan Hiron 42-45
Competition Result . 46
One Hundred Up: Answers to December Problems 47-54
Bridge Academy, conducted by G. C. H. Fox 55-60
Directory of E.B.U. Clubs 61
Diary of Events 62 6 Editorial
At the invitation of the British as I write these lines from South Bridge League three leading play Africa. This is a country where ers have formed an ad hoc organised bridge hardly existed committee to consider and advise ten years ago, an4 which now on methods of selection for the has nearli half as many registered European Championships .in duplicate players as the English Baden Baden. Their report has Bridge Union. The membership been considered by another com- of this-august body, drawing on , mittee, to which some other a population roughly twenty times leading players were specially co as great, has probably remained opted. static during the same period; Does the above paragraph strike indeed, I would not be surprised you as useless and sterile in com if it had declined. parison with the usual British Bridge World style? I certainly There is tremendous enthusiasm hope it does, but I can't improve for bridge in South Africa and on it. in places there are not . enough good teachers to cope with the IN THE DARK demand. One gathers that it is The_fact is that although these the same in the United States and moves have been exercising our in some other parts of the world. bridge politicians since last sum mer, and although there must be Yet, when one suggests to many delegates and officials who people in the E.B.U. administra know what is happening, no tion th~t we in England could do official information whatsoever better, they have an answer for has been passed to this magazine. every criticism that is made. For Perhaps I am wrong, but it example, it is obvious that the seems to me that the rank and present derisory membership fee file of British duplicate players -5/- to 7/6 per year-is not are entitled to know something worth the trouble of collection, of the plans for .Britain's repre let alone sufficient to pay for sentation at the annual festival proper administration and pro of European bridge. motion. But the administrators HERE'S HOW think there is an advantage in Maybe I am slightly prejudiced maintaining it at this level. 7 The Brave Old Days by HARRY INGRAM
(The second instalment of an account of the 1934 Schwab Trophy)
The match was given tremend teams in the early part of the ous publicity in this country and match was:- long columns in all the national Britain: Lederer (N) and Rose daily papers were devoted to the (S) in Room 1, Ingram (W) and bidding and play. The Dor Hughes (E) in Room 2. chester Hotel went out of its way America: Morehead (N) and to stage the event well and, had Mrs. Culbertson (S) in Room 2, the . public been admitted, thou and Culbertson (W) and Lightner sands would have been disap (E) in Room 1. pointed. You had to be a very V.I.P. to gain admission, but there The Systems must have been many who did so The American team naturally under the Press banner and who played the current version of had never seen the inside of a Culbertson's approach - forcing newspaper. methods, with the Culbertson Players who bemoan the hold 4- 5 No Trump. Tho/ British ing of poor cards may be inter systems were as follows: - ested in a few statistics from the Lederer and Rose: Lederer Two match. Over the 300 hands played, Club opening, forcing to ga~e; the Aces and Kings were divided other Two bids on strong distri as follows:- butional hands, forcing for one NoRTH SoUTH EAsT WEsT round. Aces 287 310 297 - 306 Ingram_:__Hughes: Ingram One Kings 301 300 296 303 Club. The requirements for a N-S held 1,198 Aces and Kings; One Club opening were based on E-W held 1,202 Aces and Kings. quick tricks, and a minimum Only on three occasions did a hand would be nearly equivalent player hold all four Aces. to a modern 2NT opening. The The match was decided by negative response, with le than aggregate scoring under the old 2 quick tricks, was One Diam nd , scoring method and honours and if opener wanted t ~ r to counted. The placing of the game he now had to jump. 8 a part-score in the other room, but as it was aggregate scoring the loss on such hands was not so important as with i.m. p. scoring . . And, of course, when the "bash ing" bids were successful the gain was much greater. The match started with each side making 3NT, but on board 2 there was a first-class illustration of 1934-vintage bidding: Dealer East North-South vulnerable NORTH + AJ9 5 \/ KQ86 Harry Ingram today: <> Q J 5 + QJ WEST EAST Opening Two bids were based • Q 10 7 2 + 4 on 6-4 or 5- 5 distribution and \/ J 10 \/ A954 were not forcing. 0 A K 10 9 4 <> 8 7 3 + 54 + 10 8 7 6 2 By to-day's standards some of SouTH the bidding was not very precise, + K 8 6 3 but on many deals the final con \/ 7 3 2 tract was all one could wish for. <> 6 2 Psychic bids by both sides were a + AK93 good deal in evidence, but did not In Room England were achieve much success in the long North-South . . run. On the other hand, bids which to-day would be described SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST as "bashing" bids generally paid No off handsomely. There were No 1 <> . Dble lNT numerous occasions when a pair 3+ No 3NT No would be in game in two bids, No No shutting out all interference. This East led the eight of diamonds sometimes resulted m being one and the contract was defeated by too high, with opponents making two tricks. In Room 2: 9 SouTH WEsT NoRTH EAST .North-South were vulnerable · No and East was the dealer. No 1(> 1\/ No In Room 1, Culbertson and 2+ No No No Lightner reached Six on the Two Clubs was defeated by one following sequence: trick and the swing to America WEST EAST was 150. 1. How modern experts-and 3NT 4_NT others-will shudder at these two 5NT 6~T auctions. Three of the players No 't.•" held biddable spade suits but In the other room Hughes and spades were never mentioned. I bid Seven. Mrs. Culbertson, as South, had WEST EAST an excellent opportunity in room I+ 2, but to bid a "weak" four-card 2NT 3. major suit was unthinkable. Yet 4. 4NT on board 5, having heard the 5NT 6NT bidding One Club on her left, One 7NT No · Diamond from partner, she bid West's first response to the One Spade on .Q1098 \/873 One Club opening showed power (>843 +103. ful holdings with no five-caf(t suit The first grand slam came on and was forcing to shim. lNT .board 18: would have been positive, forcing NORTH to game. Not that we were proud • 10 8 4 of the sequence, of course, as \/ 10 8 3 Seven depended on ·three-three {) Q J 8 Spades or a rather unlikely + 10 9 3 2 squeeze. Anyway, England gained WEST - EAST 700. • A97 • KQ52 Board 19 provided another \/A J 4 y>KQ52 swing to Great Britain when 0 K' 9 7 6 0 A 3 Leder~r and Rose bid Six Spades, +KQ6 +AJ4 making l3 tricks, whilst America ' SOUTH played in Four Spades, making 12 • J 6 3 tricks. There were three losing \/ 9 7 6 diamonds in each hand, but <> 10 54 2 neither side got the diamond lead. • , g_ 7 5 Happy days . 10 Cut and thrust followed until The positive response to the board 26 when, with both sides One Club opening showed two vulnerable, these cards were dea1t quick tricks. and Hughes, East, by East: could judge that these must be No~TH either AK, or KQ and A, or two .K8752 Aces. Any of these would help \/ 9 6 2 his hand. () 10 6 Gains to Great Britain were +A 52 coming along pretty rapidly at WEST EAST this time. On Board 28, with • 10 3 • AQJ6 North-South vulnerable, these \/AKQJ4 \/ 10 were the East-West cards: .0 9 ()AKQJ52 WEST EAST + 10 7 6 4 3 +K8 • K J 8 4 2 • 10 9 SOUTH \/ A K 9 2 \/ J 10 7 • 94 ()- () Q 10 6 5 \/8753 + K 8 6 5 + A Q 10 4 () 8743 When Culbertson, West, opened + QJ9 One Spade, Lederer (seldom guilty The Americans missed the good of underbidding) came in with slam as follows:- Two Diamonds on .5 \/Q64 WEST EAST () K98432 +J93. This was Culbertson Lightner doubled by Lightner and passed 1() out, and the contract was made. 1\/ 2. Rose turned up with just the 3\/ 3NT right stuff, including ()AJ7. No In the other room I opened Easy to fault under to~day's One Spade, North passed and methods, no doubt, but not so Hughes bid INT. I said Two easy then. In our room we bid · Hearts and 3NT from Hughes and made Six Diamonds. closed the bidding. This was duly WEST EAST made for a total gain of 560 and I+ the session el).ded with our leading by 650 points. · 1\/ 2() 2\/ 3() * * * 4+ 4NT The first hand of the second 5\/ 6() session could have resulted in No America suffering a _heavy loss. 11 With N-S vulnerable, Lightner A few boards later, bearing in (East), fourth in hand, bid lNT on mind Lederer's opening Three +Q84 \?K54 ()9853 .AQJ, and bid mentioned above, it was was three down. It is unlikely strange to find him opening, that to-day he would have got second-in-hand and vulnerable, ttway so easily. The N-S hands One Diamond on +J64 \?2 were: 0 AQJ9632 .K2. Competitive bidding followed and the oppo SOUTH nents were pushed to Four Hearts. + AJ7 Lederer now bid Five Diamonds \? Q 8 3 which was doub1ecl for three <> Q 10 7 down. In the other room Three • K 10 4 3 Hearts was bid and made, which NORTH was the limit of the hand . • 10 53 2 Again Lederer and Rose re \?A J 6 covered the points with interest AK4 0 on the next board. They bid and • 8 6 5 made' Five Diamonds on these In the other room the American cards:- North opened One Diamond, Lederer Rose South responded 2NT, ·North passed and nine tricks were made. + 10 2 +A J 9 \? 8 \? K J 10 On the next hand Lederer 0 A K J 10 8 4 3 () Q 7 2 (North) opened Three Hearts as .K42 .QJ75 dealer holding +9 \?KQ9732 0 K7 .AQ96. Culbertson and 3NT was icy. What did they Lightner now reached 3NT which do in the other room with these they made because the defenders, 25 points? They threw in the later in the play, failed to find hands! You may n9t believe me, their club tricks. Lederer's part but I have the records in front of ner held .K1 07. The swing to me. America was 500. Two boards later Willie Rose Lederer and Rose recovered the 'dealt and this was the layout: loss on the very next hand when, Lederer Rose with a combined count of 25, +AQ • 10 8 they bid and made 3NT, vulner \? J 10 8 6 3 \?AQ95 able. Believe it or not, the <> :{<. 10 7 6 OQ Americans threw the hands in. • 10 8 .A97654 12 Rose opened Ope Club, Lederer WEST EAST responded One Heart and there Ingram Hughes was a butt-in of One Spade. Rose I+ 1v' bid Four Hearts and 11 tricks 2<) 3<) were made. Yes, you are quite 3NT 4. right-the deal was thrown in in 5<) 6<) the other room. No Then Britain lost 440 when The slam was made for a Hughes and I stopped in Three score of 1,370. One Club was Hearts with Four 'bid and made conventional and One Heart in the other room, but we had a shows two quick tricks and a good board soon after, when five-card suit. Hughes, with 14 Hughes and I reached a slam points facing my strong opening which was missed by Culbertson bid, had no difficulty in going to a and Lightner. small slam. Culbertson and Light ner were l,ess ambitious with One WEST EAST Diamond, One Heart, Two Dia +AQ7 +K monds, Three Diamonds, 3NT. . r\1 5 \/AJ943 The first day's play ended at <)KJ7543 <)A 10 6 3 a.m. and we were leading by +AK5 • Q 10 6 2 2,500 points. Our mistakes (and West dealt at ga~e all and the they were terrible!) will appear in auction was: further instalments. The You11g Ones by MICHAEL BUCKLEY If you want to insult your when I had to leave in the middle _ partner without being crude, quite of a match, and when I returned a popular way is to say loftily, rather more than an hour later I "Even a university player wouldn't found that three more boards had have done that." Wasn't it Mr. been played. Very scientific? Reese who once complained that Well, I admit there was the man they were "very slow, very scienti- who insisted that on +Axx . fie, and very bad"? As a recent \/AKQJ <)xxxx +xx the only university player, I confess to correct response to One Club was feeling a little piqued. Very slow? One Diamond. Very bad?. . Well, Well, I admit there was the time . . but no, it's all too painful. 13 Really the trouble is that uni- - Unlucky. Declarer won with versity players try to do too much. the King and ran the trumps, dis This hand gives the general idea. carding spades from table. Fin- East dealer ally, East succumbed to the squeeze East-West Vulnerable in the black suits and the contract NoRTH was made. Of course, East was + J 10 8 5 2 wrong, but he showed imagina- \/ K 9 tion and one cannot help feeling 0 10 6 a certain respect - unless, of · • A 9 7 4 course, one happens to be in the WEST EAST same team. As I say, university • 7 6 4 +AKQ3 players try too hard. \? J 6 3 \/ Sometimes, however, they play . 0 QJ74 OAK983 quite well and quite quickly. Take • 6 3 2 • Q J 10 8 this hand played by Rob Sheehan, SOUTH last year's Oxford captain. +9 North dealer \? A Q 10 8 7 5 4 2 Love all 0 52 NORTH .K5 + AKJ8 SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST \? 10 8' 5 2 10 0 7 53 4\/ No No Dble • Q 10 No 50 5\? Dble WEST ,. EAST No No No • 10 6 5 • Q 9 7 2 West led the Queen of diamonds \? K 6 3 \? 9 4 and East won the second round. 0 AJ 64 0 Q 10 9 Now he started to think. If he .A5 3 • 9 7 42 cashed a spade, would not South SOUTH be able to enter dummy twice • 4 3 in trumps, run spades through \/AQJ7 East and establish a winner, which 0 K 8 2 he .could reach by means of the • K J 8 6. Ace of clubs, and thus escape for SOUTH WEST NoRTH EAST one down? Surely it must be · No No better to lead a c!ub-knock out 1\/ No 3\/ No an entry, maybe make things easy 4\/ No No No for partner, and anyway the spade West led a trump, won by couldn't run away. South who played on clubs. West 14 took the second round and led a WEST EAst spade. Judging from West's • KJ7 5 .AQ9 failure to play diamonds or \?AJ9875 \? Q 4 2 ' trumps that · he held Ace of <)K <) A 10 8 53 diamonds and King of . hearts, .AQ • 7 6 declarer resorted to a partial West deals and opens One elimination. The spade was won Heart; North intervenes with One on table and a heart led to the Spade. Well, what contract do Ace; the clubs were cashed and _you reach? Six Hearts? Tough: another spade led· to the King. spades break 6- 0, trumps 4-0 Then a spade ruff and a heart put and you go two off. Watch the West on play with only diamonds 'Varsity men:- to, lead. Ten tricks made. WEST EAST But the quality most esteemed 1\? 2<) - in university bridge circles is not 3NT 4\? speed, science or skill. Take the 5. 5<) two hands shown in the next 6\? 6NT column. We call it "flair." Sou.th African Tour by ALBERT DORMER Rita Jacobson and Jack Harri- found that the city is nearly 6,000 son of the Cavendish bridge club, feet above sea level, approximately Johannesburg, have plenty of the height to which jet aircraft get-up-and.:go but many South are pressurised. It has a wonder Africat;ts thought they were ful climate,· seldom above the attempting too much in sponsor- nineties in summer, seldom very ing a tour of the Republic by a cold in winter, and is the com British team. Fortunately for the mercial centre of South Africa five of us-Nico Gardener, Albert despite its remoteness from a Rose, Michael Wolach, Tony seaport. Prosperity is still based Priday and myself-they weren't discouraged and a fortnight before largely upon gold-mining but Christmas we climbed into a jet business is expanding in all direc- and left London's smog behind. tions and any citizen who is not Landing at Jo'burg with no a chronically bad cardholder can ear-popping seemed odd until we wind up a wealthy man. 15 Probably the prevailing faith by 70 new match points to )7. in opportun~ty and individualism Sapire and Haddad represented is reflected at the card table. South Africa at the Turin Olym Jo'burg bridge claims a majority piad, and on their p·erformance of all the players in South Africa against us the other pair are not and to me it seems an effervescent, short of that class. Dr. Gordon, polyglot, community devoted t"o a general practitioner, is also well good card play but also to bid- known as a rugby referee and as dirig methods which do not always an Eastern Province hockey bear the warranty of the bank. player. Few of the stronger players will Their victory made big news bid "down-the-middle." in the South African press and, if We started off with five matches one can say it without meaning to be condescending, if might which were . won in varying be all for the good of South degrees of comfort by means of African bridge that we were sounder bidding rather than card beaten by a team whose bidding play. Then, after a hectic time is probably closer to our own than crammed with sightseeing and . that of most teams we have so out-of-this-world hospitality, we · far met out here. Their successes were. on the road. Accompanied came partly from bouncing tac- by Our Sponsors and als'o by Alec · tics-pre-emptive openings and Traub we made the 900 mile trip jumps which forced the opponents to Capetown, where we played a to guess. For_ example: pairs tourn~ment (won by Gar- dener-Rose and Priday-Wolach) +KQJ5432 and two 32-board matches against \/Q 16 Capetown players. These too 0 K 8 4 were won, though on one set of .9 3 16 boards we could make little Third hand with neither side impression, then came a 500 mile vulnerable, do you open One drive alongside the Indian Ocean to Port Elizabeth. Spade or Three? Our player pre ferred One and the bidding con- Here we were told we would tinued with a double by left hand, meet one of the strpngest teams: Two Spades by partner and Three Dr. Aaron Gordon, Edgar Hill, Spades by right hand. The opener Max Sapire and Mickey Haddad. had to bid Four Spades which So it proved. Over 32 boards was doubled for 300-a fair save they beat us . fairly and squarely against the enemy's 3NT or Five 16 Diamond game, but a losing from .74 at the end. Gardener board because in the other room received the same lead at the the opening bid was Three Spades other table and put on dummy's by Mickey Haddad, passed out .Q, which was headed by the for a cost of only 50. King and fo-ce. He played Ace Our isolated successes came and another heart and when all mainly in the play. The South followed he was able to afford a African declarer pursued a losing trump finesse to East's 10 and line on the deal below. still bring in dummy's hearts for ten tricks. NORTH • Q J 9 8 Neither side reached the fair \/ 10 9 6 3 2 slam on the cards below and 0 7 6 5 though one would not wish to +2 lose sleep over it an interesting WEST EAST point emerges. • 6 53 • K 10 North dealer \/ Q J 4 \/ K 7 East-West vulnerable 0 Q9 0 J 10 8 4} 2 + K J 10 8 54 + 7 3 WEST EAST SOUTH • J 7 s· 4 2 • A K93 • A 7 4 2 \/A 3 2 \/7 \/A 8 5 ()KQ 0 J 9 6 2 OAK +A Q 10 + K 9 7 3 +AQ9 6 Our East player passed on the As South he had opened 2NT first round, not wishing to open and had landed in Four Spades. light on a suit headed by the .6 was led and covered with the Jack. West bid One Spade and 8, 10 and Ace. The declarer East went Three Clubs, a force attempted a crossruff and after after passing which guarantees. trumping two clubs in dummy he support for opener's suit. West tried to ruff the third round of rebid 3NT, indicating that no diamonds :ln -the closed hand with trumps would have been his rebid ~ .2 but was overruffed and fin- after a simple response from ished two down. partner, and East could only say The overruff seemed unlucky Four- Sp~des which .became the: but even without that he would final contract. still have needed favourable trump True, the cards fitted perfectly position in order to make .a trick and Six still depended on a single- 17 ton or doubleton +Q, but I am SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST inclined to think that West's No No correct rebid is Four Clubs. In 10 Dble No I+ this sort of sequence-a jump No 4. Dble No shift by a passed hand-support No No for . responder's suit should be South led the King of diamonds construed as a definite slam try, and at trick two tlie Queen of and it is up to responder to make spades was led and taken by what forward move he can. On North. When South failed to drop ' slightly different cards the bid the singleton 8 or 9 the declarer ding might go: No Bid-One knew his fate, and play continued Spade -Three Clubs - Four with a club, won by South, Clubs ,_ Five Spades - Six Queen of diamonds and another .Spades. diamond. Dummy .had to ruff 1After losing a hard fought high and North had to make a ::match· one tends to examine the further trump trick for a penalty losing boards too critically. Was of 200. In the other room the 'West to blame in the auction British pair: sacrificed in Five ·below? Clubs, not doubled. Four Hearts is unbeatable and North dealer the spotlight must turn to West's Gam~ all Four Spade raise. The suggestion NORTH was made that West's hand merits + K9 8 5 only Three Spades, but I certainly cv 9 6 don't agree with that. I also 04 doubt whether an alternative pro ._ + K Q 10 9 6 4 posal-Three Hearts over East's One Spade-is sound, but there WEST EAST might be a case for Two Dia + AQJ3 • 10 7 4 2 monds; if East can introduce .'\/AK8432 cv Q J 10 hearts voluntarily, as he would 0 A 8 . 0 J 10 9 6 2 have done on his actual hand, +2 +8 then Four Hearts is very likely to be the right contract. SOUTH .• 6 In passing, and .at the risk of cv 7 5 tieing accused of sour grapes, I OKQ753 would not be too proud of North's +AJ753 operations. Tight doubles are 18 apt to work out disappointingly most important one' of the tour: . when the partnership has an an unofficial "Test" against a unidentified 11-card side suit. selected South African team which Tonight, 27 December, we beat will include players who, in the a team representing Port Eliza view of the British team, · have beth. Tomorrow we play two played best against them during matches in East London, then on the tour. At present Dr. Gordon's to Durban for two or three days team seem to have a good chance and back to Johannesburg. There of being among the starters, and we wind up the tour with three or if it works out that way the return four more matches, including the match will find us on our mettle.
CAMROSE MATCHES
ENGLAND v. WALES St. Ermin's Hotel, Westminster, 19th-20th January, 1963. (Staged by the L.C.C.B.A.) English team: K. Konstam (non-playing captain); M. Harrison-Gray and Dr. M. Rockfelt; A. W. Bowen and M. S. Buckley; E. J. Spurway and B. P. Topley. (The latter two pairs tied for second place in the trials and have both been selected.) Welsh team: V. Bevan and R. Griffin (Swansea); B. Clowes and C. Smith (New port); M. Goldblatt and C. Samuels (Cardiff).
ENGLAND v. SCOTLAND Craiglands Hotel, Ilkley, 16th-17th February, 1963. This match will be staged on Bridgerama. English team: R. F. Corwen (non-playing ~aptain); R. Preston and R. Swimer; A. Rose and N. Gardener; R. S. Brock and R. T. Higson (who won the Carnrose Trial). ' ·
OBITUARY We regret to announce that Geoffrey Humble died on Christmas Day. He was President of the Hertfordshire Contract Bridge Association, member of the E.B.U. Council and for many years a member of the Tournament. Committee. He worked at many European Championships in the recording room and was a great success at the Torquay Championships.
19 Never Use Blackwood by BARBAROSSA
In his New Year message to the nation 'Der Alte' makes little con cession to popular notions of goodwill.
Let us get one thing quite clear. Queen of spades came down after The Culbertson Four-Five is an one ruff, so I made thirteen tricks. adult weapon and Blackwood is In the other room East-West merely a nice toy. But of course were more communicative:- in practice we all play Blackwood SOUTH WEST NORTH for the sake of partner, who I+ No doesn't understand the Culbert 20 30 No son Four-Five. No 4+ No With this characteristically Eng No 5\1 Dble lish piece of hypocrisy I, for once, No No · No agree. Few players realise the South led his singleton heart to potentialities of using Blackwood: North's Ace and ruffed the re fewer still those of not using it. turn. One of my opponents recently Ex post facto critics will no had the opportunity of learning doubt blame East for not bidqing this valuable lesson for nothing 6NT. Such criticism is superficial. at least, it only cost him the East correctly judged that he match. would need to ruff partner's WEST EAST spades to establish them. He can +AJ842 +K hardly be blamed for not knowing \113 \/K842 that partner had three diamond OAQJ 074 tricks for him as well. +KJ2 +AQ9843 Another case where Blackwood I held the East ~ards and in my was profitably dispensed with. I room the auction went:- held:- SoUTH WEsT NoRTH EAST • 10 54 2 I+ No 2+ \/A98643 20 30 No 3\1 0- No 4+ No· 6+ + 7 64 No No No West bid One Heart, North. South led ·a diamond which I Two Diamonds and, as East, ' I finessed. Trumps were 2-2, the raised to Four Hearts. When 20 West bid Five Hearts, -I gave him done. South will have doubled Six. What else? Partner, a and the unwanted heart lead will Blackwood fanatic, was not inter be inevitable. ested · in Aces! North led a In practice North led a dia diamond and as I put down the mond and I discarded two hearts trumps, partner asked anxiously, before playing Ace and another "What about the diamonds?" le • club. North held the singleton "You've seen them," I rephed King of clubs and was intelligent acidly. His hand:- enough to ruff the second club .A 7 and play a trump, but I still made \/KQJ75 twelve tricks by leading hearts 0 9 7 54 through South. +AK One last example to show that One can show one's contempt no slam convention is an effective for the convention in other ways, substitute for confident, even of course. though theoretically wrong, bid WEST EAST ding. • A Q J 10 8 4 · • K 73 WEST EAST . \7 6 2 \7 K Q 9 • K5 • Q 8 2 OAK542 0- \/AJ9432 \/KQ75 + A 10 53 2 J 7 + 0 A 8 7 5 OK The system in use was, pace +J + K Q 10 4 3 Messrs. Reese and Dormer, Acol ancl Blackwood. WEST WEST EAST 1\7 10 20 1. 2. 6\7 No 3\7 4NT North held six spades headed 6. No by the Ace, which he led. On There is one feature of this viewing dummy he decided that auction which the intelligent the only chance was that partner's reader will have observed. After six of spades was a singleton and West's bid of Three Hearts, he he continued the suit. Trumps cannot risk responding Five Hearts were three.....,nil, but declarer didn't · to East's 4NT in case the dolt need to be~ ·-professor of psycho niises hearts to Six. Of course logy to place the Ace of clubs with West will convert to spades but South and the contract was easily by then the damage will have been made. · · 21 In the other room .Blackwood begin the New Year on a charit was used to inform everyone able note. within earshot that there was no Agree to play whatever your slam on, and the partnership partner suggests - Flint, the successfully stopped in Five Giggleswick Diamond, Standard Hearts. A theoretical triumph, Bridge or even Blackwood. As I no doubt. have shown, you need not actually This, I am ceaselessly reminded, use it. But partner will be saluting is the season of goodwill (11 00 the happy morn a good deal more penalties and "It was only an beatifically if he thinks that you overcall, partner" excepted, of are tagging along. A happy .New course). So I will endeavour to Year to all my readers. The Tollemache Cttp by HAROLD FRANKLIN The four finalists in this year's boards to win the event with inter-regional championship for maximum Victory points. There teams of eight are London, Bucks was . no shortage of interesting and Berks, Warwickshire and hands, and the problem came at Yorkshire. Bucks and Berks, trick 1 for the defenders on this one of the newer counties, perform hand: for the second time in the final, • Q 10 9 7 5 while Yorkshire create a record \!}A 9 7 by appearing for the seventh 06 successive year. Following are • QJ 4 3 some of the highlights of the You deal and pass, at game all, regional eliminators: and your left-hand opponent opens Five Diamonds, the final South-East Area contract. Your partner ·leads the Last year's upset of form, when Ace of clubs (denoting AK) arid Sussex deposed the two favourites, you see the dummy, as follows: proved only temporary and the +AK863 arena was once more dominated \!}K652 by the big two, Middlesex and 09 London. Both defeated all their • 6 52
1 other opponents and Middlesex The minds of the defenders overwhelmed London in the final were curiously exercised as to the 22 surest way of taking two club Preston worked out a more tricks and the Ace of hearts. Play effective play , of West's club the Queen of clubs under the holding-the four followed by the Ace to show QJ? You think Jack. East would know that the partner will now play a small club three was missing ·and· would to .your Jack ~nd you will be able know equally well that West had to take the Ace of hearts ? That not begun with J4 or J43 and was how some players worked that his holding must therefore things out, and they were quite be what it in fact was. At wrong. This was the complete another table the Sharples found deal: their three tricks, but only after West dealer living dangerously. West played Game all the four of clubs to the first trick NORTH and the Queen of clubs to the second trick. East decided that \? J 4 the Queen of clubs could not be ·() A K Q J 10 8 7 5 4 West's last club, but is +Q \? • 8 7 ()AKQJlOxxx .Jxxx any less WEST EAST likely a Five Diamond opening • Q 10 9 7 5 • J 42 bid than the hand declarer held? \?A 9 7 \? Q 10 8 3 Rodrigue probably -found ·the ()6 () 3 2 best answer when he played the • QJ4 3 • A K 10 9 three of clubs on the first trick. SOUTH His partner could only switch to +AK863 a heart and west would then be \?K652 able to judge tli,e best continua- ()9 tion. ' • 6 52 A good minor-suit game con When West played the Queen, tract as. an alternative to a poor East, the opening leader, had to 3NT presents a problem even consider the possibility of his to the expert. Few, if any, pairs having .QJ alone. A , club ruff found the answer on this one. might then be the best chance to WEST EAST take three tricks. So East at .8 .•J1095 tempted to take three club tricks \? A K 10 5 \? J 4 and the declarer was able to () AJ4 ()K76 discard his losing hearts on dum • Q J 8 3 2 • A 10 7 6 my's spades, ()9 providing the West bid One Club, North entry. overcalled with One Spade, East 23 bid lNT and West Two Hearts. good one: when partner responds East then pursued' a variety of Three Clubs it is hard to imagine courses: 3NT, 2NT which was a hand which will not offer an raised to game, or Three Clubs, excellent play for Five Clubs, if which was passed. East might one · accepts the partner's short , have considered· his hand particu suit is most likely to be spades. larly well-suited for clubs: his And one can imagine holdings partner was known to have nine which will offer an excellent play cards in two suits and was quite for a slam, when even nine tricks likely to have a singleton spade. in no trumps may not be safe. Four Clubs certainly has more Such, indeed, proved to be the merit than Three Clubs, for East case. could scarcely have a more suit North dealer able holding once his hand has East-West vulnerable been limited by his bid of INT. NORTH In fact the club King was well + A92 placed and 3NT went well, but .;·rrt., by K~NNETH KONSTAM Since the war British teams have E~ypt,· Bid one grand slam and ~on the open championship qf five small slams, two-failing. Europe on five occasions. Only Britain: Bid one small slam once have they finished lower than only, leaving a heavy balance of fourth place (Amsterdam, 1955, swings in fav~ur of Egypt._ 'when the team was disorganised It simply is not possible to out at the last minute by the illness of bid and out-play a first-class: Terence Reese). The record is a opposition by a big enough mar good one and it compares favour- gin to make up for slam losses on 3:bly with the country's perfqrm three or four big hands. We shall ance in many other fields of never have a favourite's chance competition, but it could have against the very strong French been better had our slam bidding and Italian teams unless we can been more accurate. improve in this direction. It is ,in th!s department of the. game where British teams "Is it the method or is it' the ha.ve always been woefully weak, man?" In searching for the ' ·. and .Championships have been answer we are faced with one of : lost because of -this weakness. two alternatives: Either our This was noticeably .so in the players lose their judgment when 1962 World Championship in they reach the Five ·-level and ·New York, and also in this year's above, or our basic bidding European event in Beirut. systems are at fault. I believe it Against ·Switzerland our slam to be the latter. I cannot think r bidding cost us the match, while that players such as Reese, Schap I, against France, when we held a iro, Rose, Gardener, Flint, Swimer small lead at 'half time, the match and Joel Tarlo, to mention only a was lost in the last ten hands on a few of the culprits, players whose series of slam swings. Even in judgment in competitive situa out match against Egypt, one of tions is normally . so good, can the weaker teams in the field, we suddenly lose their heads at the Won only by a narrow margin higher ·levels. Yet these and aft~r the'two teams had bid the others, like me, are the "culprits." following slams in the last 20 . _Nothing is easier than to point boards:- · · · out afterwards how so-and;_so 28 could have made' a different bid Here is the 'outline of my pro which would have steered the . posal; and only ·trial,· ·error and partnership ,into the correct ~lam, study will show whether "George" but the truth· is that the A col can survive. system, .so admirably fitted ·to (1) No-trump bidding:·A s'trong· part-score situations, is woefully lNT throughout with Stayman, inaccurate in the slam zone. In etc., responses for the · accurate my opinion, the reason is that the exploration of.ganies and sla~s. limits of the combined hands are (2) A One Club opening .td' often discovered at too late a indicate any hand of 15 points or stage in the bidding, when it tpay more which is unsuitable for an be unsafe to proceed further. So, opening lNT or 2NT. This ·bid perhaps a player ' withholds the to be forcing for one round, and vital cue bid which would have any response other than One· enabled the slam .to be bid, or Diamond (indicating less thari perhaps he makes the cue bid and 5 points) is natural. A response finds that· he Is already too high of 1NT indicates a balanced hand at the Five level. with 10 to 15 points, while ~NT CAB is not . much better. than shows that the responder has a , Acol in this· respect, except that minimum of 16 points. . the strong 1NT opening employed Responses of Two Diamond's,' ~ thrqughout in CAB affords a far Two Hearts or Two Spades show more solid base for the accurate that responder himself could have exploration of strong hands than opened with One of the suit and does the weak tNT. that he nas at least a five-card The remedy, in my opinion, suit. lies in finding an accurate opening Over any response to the One bid for hands which are above Club bid, opener can make a minimum strength and which are jump bid in a suit to show the not suited to an opening bid of equivalent of an Acol Two-bid, INT. · or in no trumps to show a hand Sitting on the terrace of the St. which contains 20-22 points with Georges Hotel in Beirut, sipping shortage in ·the responder's suit. Arak and brooding over the For example, in the sequenc~: reasons for losing ·the champion One · Club~One Heart-2NT, the ship, I started thinking along opener has 20-22 points, no five.; these lines and so "George" took card suit, and not more than two shape. hearts to a small honour. 29 A rebid of Two Clubs over a (4) A weak Two Club opening One Diamond response, or Three to indicate a normal One Club Clubs over any other response at bid with five or more cards in the the One level, indicates what we suit and less than 15 points. are at present pleased to ·.term a I haven't yet been able to give 'fwo Club opening and becomes '''George" the sort of detailed forping to game. thought that will be needed before (3) One Diamond, One Heart, the method makes its debut, and · and One Spade·are normal opening there are some obvious gaps to be bids which· do not qualify for any filled in. For example, what's the of the above system bids. Pre best use to which an opening emptive bids, too, are normal; i.e., Two-bid other than Two Clubs a Three Heart opening should can be put? At present I tend to contain six playing tricks not the view that it sho~ld be made vulnerable, seven when vulnerable. on a completely solid suit with Responses to any opening but .around 8 playing tricks, or a hand One Club are as in Acol 'or CAB, which, owing to a low point with a · forcing takeout OJ?. hands count, does not quali~y for a which appear to have slam possi sequence such as One Club-One bilities despite the knowledge that . Diamond-Two Hearts. But the gpener has failed to bid One method seems sound enough and Club. the advantages are:- After an opening bid of, say, (a) The partnership is alerted One Heart, and · a response of very quickly to the combined level Two Clubs or Two Diamonds, of honour strength, and slam opener can fearlessly rebid 2NT investigation can begin earlier than on a minimum but suitable hand, in Acol or CAB. because his partner knows that (b) The traditional light tactical he has less than 15 points, not openings of Acol and CAB, which having opened One Club. work so well on the part-score and Exceptionally, One Diamond · competitive hands, are left un niay be opened on a hand of less affected. / than 15 points containing a four (c) So far as any system can be card club suit and no biddable termed a natural .one, "George" major. The bid is not forcing must surely fill the role. , The but the responder should bear in method is not so elaborate and mind· that such may be the type oetailed as to make the game tire of hand held. some for the players or opponents. 30 Below we reproduce the Dec. problems Problem No. 5 (10 points) Problem No. 1 (10 points) I.M.P. scoring, East-West game, the Match-point pairs, game all, the bidding has gone:- bidding has gone: SoUTH WEST NORTH EAST Sourn WEST NoRTH EAST 4. 5 Room 1 Room2 SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST Summers Harris Pearl- Walk- Perkins Francis Bergman Ette stone den No No 1+ · No No 10 Dble No 1NT No Dble 1CV No No 2NT No No No 20 No 3+ No 3CV No 40 No 5+ No No No +O led. 10 tricks. 100 to E-W. +Q led. tricks. 150 to N-S. \ · Room 1 : South took an optimistic view of his hand and nearly finished in the unbeatable (as the cards lie) contract of 3NT. North's inexplicable bid of Four · Diamonds landed the partnership in Five Clubs, which duly went down. The best auction is probably for South to double One Heart as his second call (hoping to extract a spade bid from partner) and then try 2NT when North responds Two Clubs. This would show a hand equivalent to a sound 2NT opening. Room 2: North-South were playing Herbert responses to a tak'eout double and the 1NT bid showed less than 6 points. Quite rightly, however, Perkins made a further try for game with the big hand and North, holding only a , King ;and .no '· five-card suit, declined. It was only owing to the extremely favourable lie of the cards (East's holdings in hearts and dubs enabled the declarer to make five tricks~ in these suits) that nine tricks could be made in no trumps. Walkden won t~e match by 4 i.m.p .s. 33 Percentages Are Tricky Things by I. G. SMITH In the September, I962, issue Plan I will lose to the following of the British Bridge World Alan seven holdings with North: KJ76, Truscott analysed this position: KJ75, KJ65, KJ7, KJ6, KJ5, KJ. WEST EAST Plan 2 will lose to the following + A 4 3 2 + Q IO 9 8 seven holdings by North: K 765, (declarer) (dummy) K76, K75, K65, K7, K6, K5. The problem is to give yourself Truscott goes on to say that, the best chance of making three thus far, the two plans show tricks. Truscott analysed four exactly equal chances. · He then possible lines of play, two of makes the point that in practice which he rightly rejected. I would many North players, holding Kx, like 'to discuss the remaining two. will betray their holding if de Plan . I is the double finesse, clarer follows Plan 2, and will leading twice from the East hand thus light up the winning play. and playing for split honours. This psychological factor; Trus The first lead should be low, in cott says, gives the edge to Plan 2. order to cater for a void with But it seems to me that Plan 2 South. (The overtrick is irrelevant is not so easy to operate as first to the problem, but the extra seems, for in certain situations trick gained by leading the Queen the declarer will still have to guess when North has the singleton on the second round even though Jack is counterbalanced by the he appears to successfully negoti possibility of South holding the ate the first round. Let us single King, in which case the examine some positions in which low lead yields four tricks.) Truscott assumes Plan 2 will win. Plan 2 'is to lead low from the North holds: closed hand with the primary KJ76, KJ75, KJ65. intention of finessing the I 0 in My contention is that North's dummy if North does not oblige correct defence, when West leads with the King. If South wins low , towards dummy, is to play with the Jack, declarer runs the the King every time. Now de Queen from dummy later. clarer has to make a decision on Truscott's analysis appears to the s~cond round, and his correct amount to this: follow-up is doubtless to play the 34 Ace. This takes care of the three his wife's birthday. Or perhaps combinations given above, but it he's just a hesi-cheat, a breed still means that Truscott's Plan 2 will very flourishing, alas. lose whenever North has the Digressing for a moment, the bare King, in addition to the tricky defence which I envisage seven positions when Truscott ad above is analagous to this situa mitted failure. tion: Dummy holds, say KJl 09x, Next, suppose that South, in and the declarer leads an obvious stead of North, is the player with singleton and finesses dummy's KJxx. Suppose also that when nine. If you, sitting over dummy declarer leads low and finesses with AQxx, are so helpful as to dummy's 10, South is clever win with the Queen, the suit will enough to play the King. De probably be established by means clarer must allow for this possi of a ruffing finesse against your bility by leading dummy's Queen Ace. The bold defence is to win on th~ second round (exposing the first round with the Ace, not South to the finesse), but now he the Queen; then the declarer may will lose to the single King with conclude that the best chance is to S.outh. ruff out your partner's Queen, , and he will make fewer tricks. So, according to my estimation, Returning to our moutons, it is Plan 2 will, against competent Plan 1 (the double finesse) for me defence, lose in nine cases and every time. It avoids ..a second not seven as quoted by Truscott. round headache, and there are It may be argued that I am enough of these in the game postulating a standard of defence already. And if I lose by this which is the exception rather than manoeuvre, I think I can tell my the rule, and this is no doubt true, partner I made the percentage but even less-than-Elysian defence play. may still create problems in Plan 2. For example, if an unknown Percentages are tricky things. North hesitates slightly before ( You have put your finger on the playing low, do you read him for same weak point in Alan Truscott's KJxx or for Kxx? Or he may even argument as did Roy Telfer when have two small ca~ds (or, with the Truscott showed him the manu real submerged tenth, even Jx) script. Regrettably, Col. Telfer's and be debating whether to signal comments could not be included in his doubleton! Or perhaps he was the September issue because of thinking about the last hand, or lack of space.-Ed.) 35 Midland News by A. HUTCHINSON "Well, how did it go, Hutch?'' "I know. Practically everybody asked Harry, play having finished made Three or Four Diamonds in the first round of the Warwick but with us it was different. shire Pairs Championship. Partner's opening bid of One I shook · my head gloomily: Spade was doubled by South." aNo good," I replied. "Every "Without hearts? A risky thing possible seems to go wr6hg double, l would say." · at present. How about you?" · "Agreed, but that's what · hap~ , "Hopeless. Even the palookas pened. I need hardly say that I did well against us." passed and North bid 1NT. As · "Ah well! It must change it was obvious to partner that I sometime, I suppose, but recently held a near Yarborough, she this is the sort of thing we've passed and 1NT became the been up against":- contract. She started with the NoRTH Ace of hearts and continued with • J 8 6 3 the _ King of spades, · taken in <::? 8 4 3 dummy. The Ja~k of di~monds () A 4 3 was then unhesitatingly led + K 9 8 through me, so confidently that WEST · EAST I can only assume that it wa.s • 9 5 • K Q 7 4 2 done on the basis of playing \? 9 7 6 2 <::? A K Q J always for the Queen to lie over () Q 9 7 0 8 2 the Jack. Ten tricks we~e then + 10 6 4 3 + 7 5 made to give us a bottom, and it SouTH would still have been so. if the • A 10 four available · heart tricks had <::? 10 5 been cashed immediately. Had () K J 10 6 5 the finesse been taken the other +A Q J 2 way, only seven tricks would have "You recognise it, of course?" been made, giving a top to us. A I asked. swing of 24 match pc,ints hinged "Yes, partner played it in Three on that finesse. Why had it to be Diamonds, just made. Four is on done that way?" I concluded if the diamond finesse is guessed." wistfully. 36 "Tough," he sympathised. "Thanks. You know, it hardly "You'd better have another seems worth the trouble of 'phon drink." ing tomorrow to get the result," "Thanks. The same again." he continued glumly. "I was North, as you know," "Waste of time so far as I'm said Harry, "and I suffered just concerned," I agreed. "Do you as badly on this little lot":- remember holding this collection as North?'' NORTH +A 54 3 +AKJ64 \?.A 3 \? 10 7 6 3 0 J 10 2 0 Q2 .AK 8 3 .K 7 WEST EAST "Yes," he said, brightening up +KQ7 • 10 9 8 2 a bit, "One of our few good \?Q852 \? K 9 4 results. West opened. a we~k 1NT 0 A8 5 0 6 4 3 and it was passed out. He • J 6 54 .Q2 managed to make eight tricks. SouTH Most North's got busy and ran • J6 into trouble. It would have been . \? J 10 7 6 a clear top for us but some clot 0 K Q97 in the West seat went one off in .10 9 7 2NT." "West was the dealer at love "Meet the clot," said I gloomily. all, and at every .other table opened lNT, doubled by North "Eh! You!" he enquired in with varying scores to N-S. My surprise. West passed and I opened 1NT "Yes, I too .opened 1NT, (15-16 points) which became the doubled by North and re-doubled final contract. On the lead of by East. South's rescue of Two +10 that's all I could make. An Clubs was promptly doubled by undisputed bottom but the galling me and North tried Two Hearts. part is that West admitted, with Yes, believe it or not, . Two a sadistic grin, that he meant to Hearts!" bid 1NT and was surprised to hear "Can'~ think why he didn't bid himself say No Bid." Two Spades or, better still, make I patted his shoulder in com an S.O.S. re-double, repeating the radely sympathy. "We'd better process if necessary should South have another. Sh.me again?" bid diamonds." 37 "Exactly, but there we were. haps he could fix up a judicial Partner held AJ8 of hearts but inquiry." neglected to double." "A great idea! If on]y o]d Mac. "Whatever possesse_d her? Not would agree." feminine intuition, surely?" he grinned. Qualifiers for the semi-final "Well, I don't play much _these - days, as you know, and I'm not Section A: 1, N. Dann and N. Watkin familiar with the idiosyncrasies son; 2, A. L. Wragg and J. Davies; 3, J. Morgan and Mrs. Cooke; 4, of soh1e ~f the pairs playing. But J. W. T. Freeth and H. May; 5, Mr. my partner knows those two and Mrs. 0. J. Bailey; 6, M. A. Porter opponents, and they play a sort and J. T. Chapman. of sick system." Section 8: 1, D. Valley and G. S. "Eh? Oh yes," he laughed. Moffat; 2, F. C. Keates and Mrs. "An unho]y version of the Gardner; 3, Mrs. Frost and Mrs. Hewson; 4, L.A. Douce and P. Millar; Baron system, I be]ieve, and 5, E. Foster and Mrs. Townsend; 6, they've produced some strange Jones and Chamberlain. sequences at times. Partner knew Section C N-S: 1, H. K. Cooke and she ought to double but had a P. G. F. Whitehouse; 2, H. Steier and hunch to pass, leaving me to P. 0. S. Johnson; 3, M. H. Airey and double or carry on in no trumps. E. H. Barnby; 4, Mr. and Mrs. V. Having only a doubleton King of Jordan; 5, D. Dargan and G. Bara; hearts, I decided on 2NT, which 6, G. W. Evans and Skowronski. completed the auction and, de Section C E-W: 1, L. Levey and J. ceived by the bidding, I mis Twine; 2, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong; judged the hand to go one off." 3, Mrs~ Davies and Mrs. Dixon-Green; 4, K. Jackson and E. Ingle by; 5, A. C. "Weird systems and conven Keey and E. G. Wilcox; 6, A. Hutchin tions ought to be abolished," said son and Mrs. Watts. Harry. "Though, like the poor, I Coventry Section: 1, I. R. Plummer suppose they'll a]ways be with and V. J. Garrod; 2, Mrs. Beale and us." B. Woods; 3, K. Robinson and E. "I suppose so, but I wonder. Wilkinson; 4, F. Downey and Mr. Howard; 5, S. 0. Lamm and -H. Could lain Macleod help?" Dennett; 6, N. Saville and E. Morgan; "How? He doesn't take part 7, W. Corby and E. Maynard; 8, Mr. at all now." and Mrs. W. E. D. Hall. "True, but he must still be interested, and he does have the Well, well, see you at the semi ear of the Prime Minister. Per- final after all. 38 Isn't It Fantastic? by JIMMY TAIT "Fantastic," I heard him mutter ing for me?" he asked. "I bid as I entered the card room. He Two Clubs." was one of four making up a game, a gaunt, thin-faced indi "Not your call, I'm afraid," vidual with tight lips and cigarette remarked one of the opponents. ash resting lightly on the lapels "I dealt these cards." There was of his grubby suit.- "Isn't it immediately an uproar which sub fantastic?" he said to no-one in sided only when it was established particular. "How many trumps that the two-clobber could bid do you need to support me, what he liked when it was his partner?'' He was leaning across turn to call but that his partner the table now, his voice rising must pass throughout. Deciding with his temper. "The things they to make sure of game and rubber do to me here is no-body's with 150 honours, he therefore business! A man can go grey elected to open Four Spades. waiting for partner to support his This was doubled on his left and suit in this club." He relapsed his triumphant re-double closed into incoherent muttering while the auction. the next hand was being dealt and East dealer I moved in to watch the game. North-South vulnerable The muttering continued through NORTH the deal but stopped abruptly .8 when the bellicose one picked up \/K962 his cards. "Music hath charms <> J 10 8 4 3 to soothe the savage breast"; so • 7 64 hath a Two Club opening, for that WEST EAST is what he had been dealt: .765432 .AKQJ109 y>AQ53 <)AKQ \/- \/110874 <> 9 7 6 ·<> 52 His eager fingers sorted the +A KQ 10 +J98532 ·-·cards into suits while his glittering SOUTH eyes rang up the points like a cash • A K Q J 10 9 register. The irritation had van \/AQ53 ished like magic, and his voice <)AKQ had assumed a genial tone. "Wait- +- 39 West led the Ace of clubs, one pointed out that he shouldn't South ruffed with the Ace , of hav~ touched trumps. at all. Had spades and led the 9; a dramatic he played on the side suits piece of card play which appealed immediately, he could have taken to the more impressionable kib- a force in dummy at some later itzers. When East showed out on · stage, and thus have come to · ten this trick, South switched to tricks, providing that three side hearts, from which point the winners are .cashable. While this game developed into ruff and is perfectly true, and represents counter-ruff between the declarer the safety play agains·t all six and his le{t-hand opponent. When trumps being stacked in one hand the smoke had finally cleared (a strong probability on the away the angry man was found to double) _one cannot help feeling be one down in his contract of sympathetic towards a man, who; Four Spades re-doubled, and at tr:ick one has visions of three East-West chalked up 400. , redoubled overtricks, and then "Fantastic, I had game in finds himself going one down. my own hand," were his first "Fantastic," I can still hear words. "Have yo_u ever seen him say. · No less fantastic was anything so fantastic?" No one his · uncharacteristic ,omission ,to seemed broken-hearted, but some~ claim his 150 honours! One Hundred· Up Conducted by ALAN HIRON ' ,I January Competition ~ A panel of experts will answer the questions and the marking of the competition will be determined by, though not necessarily · in strict proportion to, the votes of the panel. The follqwing prizes are offered for the best sets of answers:- FIRST PRIZE SECOND AND THIRD PRIZES Two Guineas. One Guinea. Please read these rules carefully. No competitor may send in more than one entry. Only annual subscribers to the B.B.W. are eligible for prizes. . . Answers should be sent to One Hundred Up, British Brid_ge World, 35 Dover Street, London, W.l, to arrive not later than first post . on February 1. Some latitude will be · given to overseas fOmpetitors. 40 Problem No. 1 (10 points) Problem No. 5 (10 points) I.M.P. scoring, East-West vulnerable, I.M.P. scoring, love all, the bidding the bidding has gone:- has gone:- · Sourn WEST NORTH . EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1+ No 1+ 10 No 2+ No 2\? 3+ 4\? 4+ ? ? South holds:- South holds:- +06 \?K852 OAJ103 +174. +A5 \?K108762 07 +KJ83. What should South bid? What should South bid? Problem No. 2 (10 points) Problem No. 6 (10 points) Match-point pairs, love all, the bid · I.M.P. scoring, game all, the bidding ding has gone:- has gone:- SouTH WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 10. No 1\? 2+ 2\? 3\? 1NT 3\? No ? ? South holds:- South holds:- +5 \?AJ8765 0K052 +74. +0104 \?173 094 +AJ1086. What should South bid? What should South bid? Problem No. 7 points) Problem No. 3 (20 points) (20 Match-point pairs, game all, the North-South vulnerable, the bidding bidding has gone:- has gone:- 'SouTH WEsT NORTH EAST SOUTH NoRTH EAST 1+ Dble No 10 No No 3\? No 1 ? South holds:- South holds:- +KOJ \?A104 OK017 +983. +A972 \?8 0K10865 +173. What should South bid, (a) Do you agree with South's re (a) At aggregate scoring? sponse of Two Spades? If not, what (b) At match-point pairs? alternative do you prefer? (b) What should South bid now? Problem No. 8 (10 points) Problem No. 4 (10 points) Rubber bridge, love all, the bidding has gone:- Rubber bridge, game all, the bidding has gone:- SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST No 1NT No 3+ Sourn WEST EAST No 3NT No 6\? 2\? No 6+ No No ? No South holds:- South holds:- +KJ9543 \?753 OAK09 + - . +986 \?3 00982 +06543. What should South bid? What should South lead? 41 London and the South by ALAN HIRONit The Masters' Individual at- East dealer tracted what was possibly the North-South vulnerable smallest field in the history of the NORTH · event. Fewer than 16 of the 37 +AQ4 eligible Life Masters eventually . \) J 10 9 turned up (some withdrew at the ()AJ83 last moment), and reserves had to • J 10 3 be called on from the leading WEST EAST ranks of National Masters in • J 9 7 + K5 2 order to form 4 tables. The only \) 7 3 \) 6 5 advantage of this state of affairs ()Q65 . <> 10 9 4 2 was that guilty parties could .KQ975 • 8 6 4 2 apologise for .their chucks with SouTH the consoling words, "Only 3 • 10 8 6 3 points below average, partner." \?AKQ842 () K 7 Dick Preston was an easy winner, his score of 264 being no .A less than 3 tops above Jack Nunes Correct technique, however, de-:- (246). Then came Mrs. Oldroyd . mands that you test the diamonds (243) and L. Tarlo (242). The before conceding the club trick, latter playeda neat loser-on-loser otherwise West will lead a spade on the hand shown in the next when he is in and thus put you column and he was the only to a premature decision. After declarer to successfully negotiate wipning the club lead, therefore, a slam contract. Tarlo drew one round of trumps Tarlo reached Six Hearts vl.a and played Ace, · King and an One Heart, 3NT, Six Hearts, and · other diamond, ruffing high in received the King of clubs lead. hand. When the Queen fell he Xt is not difficult ·to see that by was able to enter dummy with a conceding the second round of trump, lead •J and spread .the clubs you can estab_lish the third hand. Had () Q not fallen he round, which .gives you 11 tricks. would have continued in the same Later you try for a twelfth trick way and eventually finessed in either diamonds or spades. spades. 42 West dealer trump finesse lost and the clu~ Game all return was headed by the King NORTH and Ace. The Queen of clubs; a • Q 104 3 club ruff in dum.n;ty, and two \/A632 more rounds of trumps, left the 0 AJ 3 following position, with South on • 10 8 lead:- -WEST EAST NORTH .K6 • 7 52 \/4 \/KQJ87 \/ 6 3 0 10 9 8 6 0 Q 7 2 ·-0 AJ3 .176432 .K5 SOUTH WEST EAST • AJ 9 8 ·- \/ 10 9 ~ \/- \/ Q 8 0 K54 ·0 10 9 8 6 ·-0 Q7 2 .AQ9 .7 Light third-hand openings are SOUTH all very well, but if you don't buy .9 ·- the contract you give the enemy \/ 10 declarer valuable information, en .:_0 K 54 abling him to plan the play to the best advantage. That happened The last trump was played and ·at some tables on the hand hearts were thrown ·by North and above, but Mrs. · Oldroyd of East. The declarer, normally a Yorkshire, sitting East, said nowt very accurate card-player, was and the following auction ensued: probably thrown off guard by SOUTH NORTH East's failure to open in third Dr. Lee Harrison hand and he assumed that having Gray shown \/KQJxx and .Kx al No ready, she could hardly have OQ 30 as well. He therefore finessed 4. diamonds and went down. No In the diagram position the The four of hearts was led and declarer has a marked endplay ducked to East and the high heart against East once she discards a return was won in dummy, West heart-he should simply put her discarding a club. At trick 3 the in with the last heart. It follows 43 that she should have discarded a South's hand is a good one for diamond on the nine of spades; the Roman Two Diamonds which then declarer has to guess whether is forcing, though not to game, she has left herself with OQx. and which shows specifically a 4-4-4~ 1 or 5--;4-4-0 shape. As London Mixed Teams played by Flint the negative re This one - session event was sponse is Two Hearts, the positive , scooped by the international for response is 2NT showing about a mation of Mr. and Mrs. Chassay, trick and a half, and other bids formerly of South Africa, Mrs. show scattered values. Lester, and Cornelius Slavenburg of Rotterdam. Then came Miss After Two Diamonds by South Shanahan's team, Mrs. Rye's, and (Mrs. Rye), Flint's hand came Miss Nye's. into the 'scattered values' cate Jeremy Flint is a dabbler in new gory and he bid-Two Spades (note ideas and he was one of the first that suits, whether four-card or British players to adopt the con.:. longer, are bid at the lowest ventional Two Diamond opening possible level). South rebid 2NT, of the Roman system. In partner indicating that spades was her ship with Mrs. Rye he gave · an short suit, whereupon Flint raised impressive demonstration on this to Four Clubs, leading to an easy deal: ' game on a hand that produced several minus scores. South dealer East-West vulnerable NORTH Young PJayers' Pairs • J 9 7 2 Result:- \/ 8 4 Pts. 0 6 4 1st R. S. Brock and I. +KJ653 Manning (Yorks.) 3060 WEST EAST 2nd C. G. and A. Bot- +AK4 • Q 10 8 6 53 tone (Kent) 3005 \/A762 \/ J 9 3rd A. S. Monckton and 0 J 8 7 3 0 Q 10 5 J. A. Bieganski · +Q4 + 8 2 ' (Staffs.) 2977 SOUTH 4th E. Jamieson and P. Tottenham (Staffs) 2956 \/ K Q 10 53 5th N. · Blank and M. ·-0 AK92 Lipworth +A 10 9 7 (N.W.C.B.A.) 2885 44 =6th E. W. Crowhurst several contracts of 7NT. Those and J. H. Bilt- declarers who tried too hard · to cliffe (Kent) 2878 make this-playing for the drop =6th A. J. Tetlow and K. of OJ and then leading +Q from Yates (Yorks:) 2878 hand-went two down for a very The event was played simulta poor score. Those who went neously with duplicated boards quietly one down saved several at Birmingham, Halifax and Lon points. The moral is that at this don and 109 pairs participated. form of scoring it is a mistake to It is always fascinating to see go all out for unlikely slams. which of the accredited l\1aster A particularly tiresome de Players still claim to be under cision was presented to me when thirty-five, and this year proved I held this hand as South:- . no exception, although some well + K 72 known greying heads no longer \/A K J 10 6 5 had the nerve to enter. 0 8 4 3 It was perhaps the impetuosity .5 of youth that ca~ried quite a few At game all the bidding had pairs too far on this deal:- started with One Heart on my right and I had been c<:m1pelled Dealer North to pass. There was a response of North-South game One Spade on my left and partner NORTH +A 10 7 3 came in with a bid of Two Clubs \/AKQ4 -just what I wanted to hear OAQ and this was followed by a pass .A63 from the opening bidder. If I WEST EAST decided that the hand should be • 9 4 + KJ 6 5 played in hearts in spite of the opening bid, then I would be RESULT OF DECEMBER -COMPETITION Winner Max. 100 J. E. GoRDON, Beechbank, Bromborough, Wirral, Cheshire 93 {, · Equal Second E. C. MILNES, 181 Highgate, Heaton, Bradford, 9 87 G. D. SHARPE, 11 Netheroyd Hill Road, Huddersfield, Yorks. 87 Other leading scores: I. G. FoGG, N. F. CHouLARTON, 83; J. T. NAYLOR, 81; H. G. RHODES, 80; D. H. KING, 78; A. G. WILSON, 77; I. G. SMITH, s. LAHIRI, J.~KREEMER (Holland), L. 0. GORDEJUALA (Spain), H. DAVIDSON (Holland}, 76. Some further good scores in the November competition were: L. G. WooD, 85; D. J. DAY,_80; R. WALSH, 79; A. PESCOTT-DAY, P. N. RING, 78. CROYDON CONGRESS February 15-17, 1963 Hon. Sec. Mrs. H. C. HOBDEN Flat 3, 26 Park Hill Rise, Croydon. 46 One Hundred Up Conducted by ALAN HIRON December solutions: If· you did not enter for the December C!Jmpetition,,try your band at the problems on page 31 before reading how the experts voted. · The panel for the December com be based on a good suit." petition consisted of the following nine REESE: "Four Hearts. North's rebid experts: K. Barbour, E. Crowhurst, here no doubt denies high card strength, Mrs. R. Markus, J. Nunes, T. Reese, but it must also proclaim a fair degree D. Rimington, C. Rodrigue, and J. of playing strength." Sharples, all of London and the Home Retaining a little more flexibility in Counties; and C. E. Phillips of Cheshire. their choice, and so earning my casting vote, some panelists plump for 3NT. Problem No. 1 (10 points) (A bid of Four Hearts precludes a . Match-point pairs, game all, the contract of 3NT, but a bid of 3NT still bidding has gone:- admits of a possible Four Heart con Soum WEST NORTH EAST tract.) 11\7 Dble MRS. MARKUS: "3NT. If partner Redble 1NT 21\7 No decides that he would rather play in ? Four Hearts then I do not mind. The South holds:- 1NT bid by West strongly, suggests •Q32 1\77 OAQJ94 +AJ105. that the heart suit may not break What should South bid? favourably." Answer: 3NT, 10; Four Hearts, 9; RODRIGUE: "3NT. I expect to make Three Diamonds, Three Hearts, 2NT, a lot of tricks in the minor suits, where 4; No Bid, 2. the missing honours will be with partner The panel's vote: 3 for 3NT; 3 for or the doubler. The spade menace Four Hearts (Barbour, Reese, Riming should not be too great." ton); 1 for Three Diamonds (Crow At the other end of the scale we have: hurst); 1 for 2NT (Nunes); 1 for No SHARPLES: "No Bid. It is tempting Bid (Sharples). to show one's class here and make the South has been given the gypsy's master bid of Four Hearts, but I will warning by his partner: his problem join the pessimistic minority and settle is-to what extent should he heed it? for a plus score." · Most of the panel considered that they I'm afraid that you will not be joining held sufficient values in hand to insist a pessimistic minority but forming one on game. inste~d_:_at least the two remaining BARBOUR: "Four Hearts. There must panelists give their partners one last be a good chance that Four Hearts is chance: on: partner must have a good, sound NUNEs: "2NT. I feel inclined to pass, heart suit which will be enough when yet from the bidding the cards seem he knows where all the strength lies. well placed and game may well be on." A light vulnerable opening bid should CROWHURST: "Three Diamonds. We 47 have at least one Ace in reserve' and it or Three Clubs would require a better will be hard for even the most twisted ' suit, so there is no real alternative to minds on the panel to find a sensible my favourite bid of the opponent's alternative to the natural forward-going suit. If partner simply rebids Three bid of Three Diamonds." Hearts, we shall pass." Everybody twists nowadays, and I Willing to champion the cause of a have grave doubts as to whether Three bid that the others have rejected: Diamonds would be taken as a 100 per REESE: "Two Spades. At this vulner cent forward-going move. ability you can't stop to pick daisies by Problem No. 2 (10 points) doubling, and such calls as Three I.M.P. scoring, North-South vulner- Hearts or 2NT might turn out to be able, the bidding has gone:- ridiculous. Three Diamonds (non SouTH WEST NORTH EAST hesitant) would be taken as confirma No' No 1\/ 20 tion of hearts, so after all you have to ? accept the slight awkwardpess of Two South holds: Spades." +AJ109 \/K9 OJ62 +0752. At the risk of being relegated to the What should South.bid? . Obscurantist's League, Division Three, Answer: Double, 10; Three Dia- I will take issue with this panelist and monds, lO; Two Spades, 4. suggest that a bid of Two Spades The panel's vote: 4 for Double; 4 for will have more than a slight awkward Three Diamonds (Crowhurst, Nunes, ness attached to it, and furthermore Phillips and Rimington); 1 for Two that daisy chains sometimes have a Spades (Reese). retail value of 500 or even 700 points. South certainly has a difficult choice Problem No. 3 (20 points) here. He has only two-card support Rubber bridge, love all, the bidding for his partner'~ suit, but no genuine has gone:- stopper in the opponent's suit. If he SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST elects to bid either of his remaining 1\/ No four-card suits he may be left in a silly 20 No 2+ No contract, for he has passed originally. 3+ No 3\/ No MRS. MARKUS: "Double. May easily ? represent the best plus score we can South holds:- obtain unless partner elects to take the +AJ4 \/632 OKQJ74 +K9. double out because of a long heart suit." (a) Do you agree with South's 3+ RoDRIGUE: "Double. However, if bid? If not, what alternative do you partner removes to· Two Hearts and prefer? I raise to Three Hearts he will know (b) What should South bid now? that my double was based on general Answer to (a): Agree with Three values and I will have described my Clubs, 10; Prefer Three Hearts, 10; hand well." Prefer Four Hearts, 8. However, there was an . equally The panel's vote: 3 agree with Three plausible school of thought: Clubs; 3 prefer Three Hearts (Barbour, CROWHURST: "Three Diamonds. Sharples and Rodrigue); 3 prefer Four Difficult. We are clearly worth a Hearts (Mrs. Markus, Crowhurst and forward-going bid, but to bid Two Spades Phillips). . 48 As can be seen from the panel's vote, suits when you go a-slamming, I feel South had three equally popular choices that 632 of hearts is not a happy suit of action over his partner's reverse. The in which to give a jump preference as a Three Club bidders were content to slam signal. Perhaps the jump ·prefer make a completely forcing bid (the ence in this sort of sequence is better fourth suit) and wait to see if partner reserved for holdings of three to a high could describe his hand a little more honour and that in this case either of completely. the two alternative waiting bids are REESE: "Agree with Three Clubs. slightly superior. This seems a legitimate occasion for an Answer to (b): Four Hearts, 10; enquiring as opposed to an informative Three Spades, 8; 5NT, 6. call." The panel's vote: 4 for Four Hearts; Most present day bidders accept that 3 for Three Spades (Mrs. Markus, if the opener reverses over a response Crowhurst and Reese); 2 for 5NT at the two level, then an implied forcing (Barbour and Sharples). to game situation exists. Thus a bid of Again the panel was split into three Three Hearts by South in the sequence well defined factions. There were those given can be made without any fear of who bid a quiet Four Hearts and left partner dropping the bidding. any further running to be made by SHARPLES: "Prefer Three Hearts. If partner; those who tried to make a partner simply raises to Four Hearts precise quantitative bid suggesting that a slam try can be made with a bid of they held most of ·their values in suits Four Spades." in which partner was not interested While endorsing this choice, Barbour they chose 5NT; and those who still finds time to castigate what he feels is wanted to wait and selected a bid of unnecessary fourth suit bidding: Three Spades as the most economical BARBOUR: "Prefer Three Hearts. The bid available. distorted science of the lunatic fringe is PHILLIPS: "Four Hearts. Having obviously sti11 a force to be reckoned failed to elicit the hoped for diamond with if bids like Three Clubs are still preference we are now somewhat fixed. openly made:" As it seems that we are more likely to The remaining panelists are not go down in Five Hearts than make six, content to make a waiting bid but want we must content ourselves with a mild to suggest slam possibilities immedi underbid." ately: NuNES: "Four Hearts. I have a lot of CROWHURST: "Prefer Four Hearts. wasted values and would be very sur A simple preference to Three Hearts over prised to find that there is not an Ace, Two Spades would be forcing. This missing somewhere. Further, there is no leaves a jump to Four Hearts as a slam reason to assume that we have not got suggestion." a possible heart loser and I shall be I am not altogether in sympathy with quite content to leave it to partner to this school of thought. I agree with show any undisclosed extra values that their premise that a bid of Four Hearts he may have." should-be taken as a shim signal but, The "mark time" faction: rather on the lines of the adage which REESE: "Three Spades. Partner's suggests that you should not bid bad response to the fourth suit is not 49 especially favourable and it would be PHILLIPS: "3NT. Now we have precipitous to bid a slam of any sort. elicited a spade raise there must be a A simple, but often neglected, principle fair chance of being able to run nine in these positions is to make the lowest tricks. In spades, there are liable to be bid available. See what he says over four quick losers". Three Spades; there is still plenty of RODRIGUE: "3NT. To end a strapge room." sequence._ Four Spades can only hav~ Trying to make a definitive bid we a · very slender chance of success and in have: view of partner's first rebid, . nine tricks SHARPLES: "5NT. Natural. We are should be as easy in No Trumps as in still too good merely to bid Four spades. Partner is obviously very close Hearts. The slam try should be made to a 2NT rebid with something like in No Trumps to protect the club King and another spade so that 3NT position." with 25 points and a six-card suit must I think that there is quite a lot to be be a paying proposition." said for all these ideas and so, rather Apparently overlooking this bid: than produce some devastating argu MRs. MARKUS: "Four Spades. Tflis ment in favour of one particular bid is a decision between passing and I will dutifully award marks pro rata. bidding Four Spades-a' contract whiCh Problem No. 4 (10 points) may easily only depend on a finesse I.M.P. scoring, game all, the bidding or oh the position of a King in dummy." has gone:- Finally a surprising decision from a SOUTH . WEST NORTH EAST player not usually noted for his pessi 1\? No mism: 1. No 1Nl' No BARBOUR: "No Bid. If the four 2. No 3·· No points in our hand outside the spade ? suit had been an Ace or a King-Jack South holds:- then we could have gone on." •AJ9743 \?QJ 0J9 +964. I would have thought that QJ in What should South bid? partner's suit would have been as least Answer: 3NT, 10; Four Spades, 4; as useful as the side material that you No Bid, 2. specify. The panel's vote: 6 ' for 3NT; 2 for Problem No. 5 (10 points) Four- Spades (Mrs. Markus, Sharples); I.M.P. scoring, East-West game, the 1 for No Bid (Barbour). bidding has gone:- Well, a big majority here, and I must SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST say I'm ,not surprised. Even those 4. 5\? panelists who finally reject it have a 6\? ' Dble No kind word to say for 3NT. The -point here is surely that ten tricks in spades South holds:- must represent a remote contingency •K82 \?5 076 +0987643. - . but even a less than 50 per cent chance What should South bid? of n:lne tricks in No Trumps at this Answer: Six Spades, 10; No Bid,/ 5. form of scoring is a paying proposition The panel's vote: 6 for Six Spades; in the long run. Fully alive to this fact 3 for No Bid (Nunes, Rimington and we have: R~drigue). 50 A nice straightforward decision here: Problem No. 6 (10 points) does partner's double say emphatically R~bber bridge, love all, the bidding that he can defeat Six Hearts, or does-it has gone:- just suggest that he is better defensively SouTH WEST NORTH EAST than you have any right to expect? 1\/ 2+ Few of the panel held any inward No No Dble No doubts about what they were expected ? to do, for example: South holds:- . CROWHURST: "Six Spades. North +0942 \? A5 0963 +10752 . Vf.ill realise . that he can't be expected to What should South bid? hold two defensive tricks in this situa Answer: Two ,Spades, 10; Three tion. Equally, .he might well have no Clubs, 3; No Bid, 3. · defensive tricks so all good Norths The panel's vote: 7 for Two Spades; should double with one defensive trick 1 for Three Clubs (Crowhurst); 1 for to stop me toiling on into yet another No Bid (Nunes). phantom sacrifice when I also have one. There was a convincing majority in Here of course my prospects of con favour of the natural bid of Two Spades. tributing anything to the defence are Its supporters feel that they are unlikely pr~cisely nil, and there is no problem." to miss a game unless partner can raise REESE: "Six Spades. Partner's double a further bid. says no more than 'Don't assume that RIMING TON: "Two Spades. Partner I am valueless in defence.' The long has asked for my best suit and, apart flubs represent a hazard in the estima from the one that I'm wearing, this is tion... of defensive tricks and the safe the best that I can offer." course is to sacrifice." REESE: "Two Spades. Any of the BARBOUR: "Six Spades. Partner can three alternatives might be right, but be doubling on a void club and an Ace, Two Spades is least likely to be seriously but I would expect Six. Hearts to make ·wrong. Two Clubs doubled might be most of the time and Six Spades looks made, and Two Hearts might land you very cheap." in a 4-2 fit. With your +_Q and \?A However, some . of the panel. were you should be able to land eight tricks prepared to trust their partners through in spades even if partner's holding in fire and high-water: the suit is disappointing." NuNES: "No Bid. I can't see that I Bearing in mind that the identity of have any right to make a decision here. East may have a big influence on her Partner has taken control and it would decision: · be an impertinence on my part to MRs. MARKUS: "Two Spades. In disturb his double." rubber bridge psychology plays a very RIMINGTON: "No Bid. It is North's big part in the bidding. I might be party." tempted to pass if I have caught East Finally a panelist whose optimism for 700 in this sort of situation before.,. will, I trust, be .a great source of com A rather more arbitrary decision by: fort to him in his declining years: · NUNES: "No Bid. At rubber bridge RoDRIGUE: "No Bid . . . and lead and as the suit my partner has doubled +9 for partner to ruff and put me in is a minor and does not give the oppo with +K for a second ruff." nents game if they make their contract 51 Sure as smoking starts a fug, sure as open windows let in draughts and noise, sure as stale air dulls the brain-and sure as you've learned the economy Y ou need of buying quality ... Uf@[j]fl~J:IO&J --ttJ- ventilation for better air conditions Ask your electrical supplier to demonstrate the exclusive Vent-Axia automatic shutter. Vent-Axia Ltd. 60 Rochester Row. London S.W.I . Telephone: VICtoria 2244 Branches at: Glasgow· Manchester. Birmingham · Leeds· Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Bristol A MEMBER OF THE HALL· THERMOTANK GROUP 52 I gamble and leave the double in." available." Espousing a bid that all but he Even our Baronial panelist climbs on ignored, we have an exponent of action this bandwagon: bidding: NuNES: "Agree with Two Hearts. lt CRoWHURST: "Three Clubs. It is is a violation of the five-card suit rule in rubber bridge and not match-pointed this situation but we are playing match pairs, and partner should be full value point pairs and we have passed origin for his reopening double. ally." " We are far too good for a simple This is the crux of the matter- South Two Spades and the suit is hardly good has passed originally and any simple enough for a• jump to Three Spades. change of suit he makes is Hkely to be Furthermore, Three Clubs implies some . passed out. sort of heart support. Mter this BARBOUR: "Agree with ':rwo Hearts. slightly forward bid of course partner If partner passes it ~hould be a playable will have to make all the running." contract-even in a 4- 2 fit-unlike a You tertainly won't miss any doubt 4- 2 fit in clubs which would not yield ful games on your methods. many match-points." Problem No. 7 (20 points) CROWHURST: "Prefer Two Clubs. Match.:point pairs, North-South vul- Two Hearts might lead to difficulties if nerable, the bidding has gone:- partner raises to three-we shan't really SouTH WEST NORTH EAST know whether to battle on or not. Over No No I+ No ·Two Clubs on the other hand there can 2\/ No 3+ No be no problems- whatever partner ? rebids we shall be in comfort." South _holds:- As some other panelists have re- +742 \/AKJlO OJ6 +11043. marked, partner can find a particularly (a) Do you agree with South's Two embarrassing rebid-No Bid. I would ., Heart response? If not, what alter- agree with all your arguments were it native do you prefer? not for the fact that South has passed (b) What should South bid now? originally, but this fact must, I think, Answer to (a): Agree with Two rule out Two Clubs completely. Hearts, 10; Prefer Two Spades, 4; Determined to play in a 4- 3 fit at the Prefe_r Two Clubs, 2. very least: The panel's vote: 6 agree with Two RoDRIGUE : "Prefer Two Spades. I Hearts; 2 prefer Two Spades (Riming- don't want to be left in a silly contract." ton and Rodrigue) ; 1 prefers Two Club.s There's a lot in this simple approach, (Crowhurst). especially at pairs scoring, but you have "A response of Two Hearts over an got rather a lot of points. At any other opening bid of One Spade guarantees a form of scoring, the danger of a missed five-card suit." To what extent do the game would be too great. experts follow this tenet? Answer to (b): Three Spades, 10 ; REESE: "Agree with Two Hearts. The Four Spades, 6; Four Clubs, 3. proper reading of the 'Two Hearts The panel's vote: 5 for Three Spades; sh9ws a five-card suit' legend is that on 3 for Four Spades (Mrs. Markus, most hands where there is only a four Phillips and Rodrigue); 1 for Four card he~rt suit there is a better bid Clubs (Reese). 53 Mrs. Markus and Rodrigue settle for Between them the panel have made a bid of Four Spades because they out a pretty good case for the King of think that that is what the hand is spades lead. An attacking lead of some worth. With slightly different motives: sort is clearly called for in view of the PHILLIPS: "Four · Spades. Three menace of dummy's diamond suit-on Spades is technically forcing but at a passive lead like a trump declarer match-point pairs scoring partner might will have all the time he wants to estab take a view and pass." lish the diamond suit and draw trumps. The Three Spade bidders had one or A possible defect of a club lead is two telling points up their sleeves: pointed out by: CROWHURST: "Three Spades. Forc SHARPLES: "King of spades. To ing. Either Three Spades or Four lead clubs is dangerous, as partner Clubs would be in order here, but the doesn't promise the King of a suit when former is clearly preferable in that he supports it." partner may be able to co~vert to 3NT CROWHURST: "King of spades. It which we will be happy to pass at this sounds from the bidding that no· one form of scoring." else present has a great number of SHARPLES: "Three Spades. Forcing. spades, hence the lead seems to repre Four Spades should only be bid to sent our best chance of collecting a show a maximum hand with a key trick or two before dummy's diamonds feature in at least one of partner's suits." are brought into action." There is quite a lot to be said for RIMING TON: "King of spades. Part this last point. ner may hold a doubleton spade and a One final idea from : quick trump trick and we shall be able REESE: "Four Clubs. Extraordinary, to take a spade trick and a spade ruff." isn't it?" A slight refinement on this theme of I'm tempted to agree. While a 4-4 the doubleton spade in partner's hand, fit in clubs · may well produce an extra albeit a dangerous refinement, came trick to a 5-3 fit in spades, it is likely to from: earn you fewer match-points. Also, as NUNES: "A small spade. Partner Crowhurst says, 3NT is by-passed. might hold the doubleton Jack of Problem No. 8 (10 points) spades and a certain diamond trick I.M.P. scoring, love all, the bidding now we have no chance of a ruff for has gone:- declarer will draw trumps-but we SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST must unblock the spade suit -before 1+ 1<) 2+ 3\/ South's club entry is driven out." No 4\/ No No This lead has another possible No advantage-dummy may turn up with South holds:- J9x of spades and declarer hold Axx in +KQ75 \/9 <)42 +AQ9632. his hand. Now he is likely to misread What should South lead? the lead and insert dummy's nine. The Answer: King of spades, 10; A small imaginative small spade lead cle~rly spade, 3; Ace of clubs, 3. will not cost if partner holds either the The panel's vote: 7 for the King of Jack or the Ace but it is easy to visualise spades; 1 for a small spade (Nunes); 'situations where you will have to do a 1 for ' the Ace of clubs (Reese) . . lot of explaining. to an irate partner. . 54 , I Conducted by G. C. H. FOX The noted bridge teacher directs our regular feature for improvers and , social players. Many of you may have decided the other half East-West. The to follow our suggestion and try North-South ·pairs do not have out duplicate bridge. Perhaps you to move throughout the evening. are wondering how to set about Let us suppose that there are nine it, as none of your immediate tables, that you and your partner circle of friends play competitive · sit down at Table No. 3, and that bridge and you don't belong to a you occupy the North-South seats. , Club. You should enquire of You will be North-South pair 3 the clubs in your area as to for the whole evening . . whether they hold duplicate With a nine-table tournament tournaments. If you have diffi- you will probably play 27 boards culty, contact the Secretary of (i.e., hands), three against each ... your County Bridge Association. other East-West pair. For the A list of Secretaries is given in first round you deal at the table. this magazine from time to time, When this has been done you and some bridge clubs advertise bid and play the first hand. Then regularly in our Directory (see you have two things to do. First page 61 ). record your hand on the hand Let us assume you have arrived record cards provided for your at a club for a pairs event but, use. You simply copy down not having played duplicate be- your hand on the record card, so fore, you are feeling a trifle that the competitors who later strange. So we will begin by play the board . can check that putting you wise about the gen- their cards are correct. eral procedure. · The other task with _which you The most usual kind of pairs may be unfamiliar is to enter the contest is a Mitchell movement. score. This is very important and Half the pairs sit North-South and will be dealt with next month. 55 Ronald Crown discusses standard British bidding and tests your knowledge with a special quiz. His subject in this article is no-trump bid ding. This month we are going to 2. If the honour strength is discuss no trump bidding. We contained in two suits, open with have already agreed that our no a suit bid in preference to 1NT. trump opening bids will be weak 3. Avoid opening lNT with (12-14 pts.) when not vulnerable a worthless doubleton, particu and strong (16-18 pts.) when larly when you are opening a vulnerable. This is the founda strong no trump which normally tion of our system and, as we will promises a guard in all suits. find out in later articles, in certain bidding sequences you will be Examples:- able to draw important inferences Not Vulnerable, open INT on: from the fact that partner did not .K84 \?Ql096 OA104 +KB. open INT. .A5 \?QJ7 OK43 +QJ852. Basically, of course, the open ing bid of 1NT is very simple, Vulnerable, open t'NT on : but certain requirements are .AJ96 \?K7 OQJ92 +AJ8. standard. It is not enough to .KQ4 \?QJ94 OAQ +KI053. have the correct number of points: you also need the correct distribu tion. Any of the following hand Responses to a tNT opening patterns is suitable: 4-3-3~3, 4-4~ 3- 2, and 5-3-3-2. When your partner opens 1NT he announces the strength of his If you apply the following hand within very narrow limits. simple rules you will not go very The auction is now under your , far wrong:- control and you will be able to 1. Do not conceal a f~ir five judge the final contract by a pro card major suit. cess of very simple arithmetic. 56 To make game, as a general with 21-22 points. rule, you require 25-26 points A little more advanced is the in the combined hands. If, as action to be taken when partner responder, you hold a balanced opens 1NT and you can see that hand, you should act as follows:- a slam will be on only if he is Opposite a weak no trump: maximum. For example, partner With 0-10 points-pass. opens a strong no trump and With 11-12 points-you should you have a balanced 16:.count. If raise to 2NT. he has a full 18 points, yo~ have With 13 points or more-you 34 between you, but if he is should bid 3NT. minimum you do not want to bid a slam. The way to indicate this Opposite a strong no trump: is to bid 4NT, and he will pass With 0-7 points-pass. if he is minimum, bid Six if he is With 8 points-raise to 2NT. maximum. With 9 points or more--bid It is, therefore, most important 3NT.' to remember that the sequence, You see the reasoning behind 1NT by opener, 4NT by re- the above rules? When you know sponder is never Blackwood. It is you have fewer than 25- 26 points a natural bid and the opener in the combined hands, you pass. should either pass or bid 6NT. . When you know you have at But do not . be surprised if you least 25-26, you bid 3NT. When occasionally meet players who do you are borderline you raise to not appreciate this fact. It is a 2NT and the opener bids Three matter which has given rise to if he is maximum. many misunderstandings in the "What about slams?" you may past. ask. There the magic figure is In this month's discussion we 33-34 points for 6NT, 37 points have dealt with the action to be for 7NT. If, opposite a strong taken by responder on balanced no trump, you hold 18 points, you hands. But frequently when part should raise to 6NT because you ner opens 1NT the responder will know you have at least 34 points have an unbalanced hand which but cannot have the 37 that would may play better in a suit contract. be necessary to give .a good play What to do on these hands will for 7NT. Similarly, opposite a be the subject in next month's weak 1NT you should raise to Six Bidding Wise. 57 81 DOl NG WISE continued BIDDING QUIZ You are vulnerable. What do you open on each of the following hands? 1. + K 52 \/ 8 2 0 A KJ7 + K Q IO 3 2. • Q IO 8 \/KJ92 0 AQ4 +KJ6 . 3. +A 53 \7 A 3 2 0 J 8 6 3 +AKJ 4. + K Q 9 7 6 \7 K 10 0 KQ2 +A9 5 You are not vulnerable and partner opens 1NT. What do you say? 5.. + 9 8 7 \7 A 5 2 0 Q 3 4tKQ632 6. + K 6 2 \7 K 8 3 0 A Q J 7 +AK4 7. + Q J 4 \/ IO 3 2 0 A 8 7 + K9 6 5 You are vulnerable and partner opens INT. What do you say?· 8. + 8 3 \7 K Q J 7 0 A Q 8 + Q 7 4 3 9. + IO 7 \7 A 6 5 3 2 0 A 8 5 + 9 6 3 IO. + A K IO \7 A Q J 0 Q J IO 3 + K J 9 ANSWERS TO BIDDING QUIZ 1. One Diamond, IO points. You generally plays above ifs face have no heart stop and the value. honour strength is contained 6. 4NT, IO points. If partner mainly in two suits. has his maximum of I4 you 2. INT, IO points. Despite the should make 6NT. minimum point count this is an 7. No Bid, IO points. Your ideal no trump hand as there are maximum combined holding is tenaces in every suit. 24 and you have no redeeming 3. lNT, IO points. This time features. the hand is less suitable, but it is 8. 3NT, IO points. Simple generally a mistake on a good arithmetic. You cannot have hand to open a very weak suit. more than 32 points between you. 4. One Spade, IO points; INT, 9. 2NT, IO points. Again the 2 points. Do not conceal a good five-card suit is compensation for five-card major suit, even though the minimum point count. It you have the point count for INT. would be a bad mistake to bid 5. 2NT, IO points. A minimum . hearts, as the hand will play in points, and you cannot have better with the lead going up to more than 25 between you, but partner's tenaces. the clubs are an asset. A hand 10. 7NT, IO points. Simple containing a good five-card suit arithmeti(: again. 58 Dan Burgess improves your card play with his specially selected problem hands. This month his su~ject ·is the management of trump contracts. It has been said that an expert The problem: How should West card player is one who can count play in Six Hearts after a trump up to thirteen, and the truth ~on:.. lead? tained in this remark is that the The plan: Counting the winners · best players are those who reduce we see 4 certain trump tricks a hand to its simplest form. This and 6 outside tricks in Aces. and is especially true in the handling Kings. There is no likelihood of of relatively high trump contracts. increasing the number of outside tricks ·and we have to_find a way If you are in a contract such as of making 6 trump tricks. This Four Hearts and it does not can be done by ruffing two spades ' appear laydown or nearly so, the in dummy. best question to ask yourself is, So, West should win the trump where are my 10 tricks coming lead in his own hand and play a from? Do not ask the alternative second high trump; then play question, Where are my losers Ace and King of spades and ruff and how can I dispose of them ? a spade with the eight of trumps. In my experience that is more If that holds he is almost certainly likely to lead to confusion. Simply home, for he has the entries to count up the tricks, in both hands, ruff the last spade with the Queen and if they do not amount to the and still come to hand to draw the required number you must form enemy's trumps. a plan to create more. Note the sequence of play, WEST EAST which is designed to minimise the +AK62 - • 9 5 danger of the defence making a \? A K J 10 \?Q842 ruff or overruff: two high trumps 0 K 7 6 0 A9 5 from the closed hand at tricks 1 · +A3 + K 74 3 and 2 before tackling spades. 59 PLA con inue I saw an experienced but with the Ace, cash the Ace and thoughtless player go down on King of trumps, and play out the that hand with the bewildered air clubs. If, the trumps are 3-2 of a magician's dupe. He drew West will probably make 11 tricks, three rounds of trumps immedi and if they are 4-1 he still makes ately. Knowing how his mind 10. (If the defender with four works, I am sure that, after a trumps declines to ruff dummy's cursory look at dummy, he con clubs, the declarer discards all his cluded that he had only one loser diamonds and ruffs a diamond (the third round of diamonds) and for his tenth trick.) did not bother to count his In practice West took the heart winners. Not until the situation lead and, almost without hesita was irretrievable did he realise tion, ruffed a heart in dummy. "I that the third round of trumps hope that won't cost," said his was a luxury he could not afford. partner, a sound but sardonic In the last hand the only means player. Now he played +A and K of making the contract was to and found an opponent with take extra tricks by ruffing. Do Jl Oxx. He turned too late to the not conclude that a ruffing trick is clubs, but the defender ruffed the always an "extra" trick. See if second round, drew dummy's last you can avoid the trap on these trump and cashed two heart tricks. cards: The defenders still had to make WEST EAST the Ace of diamonds and so took + A642 + K9 7 3 five tricks in all. \/A 10 7 3 \/8 The lesson is that, if your con 0 K8 6 0 Q2 tract looks safe enough without +Q7 +AKJ543 the necessity of ruffing, you should The problem: How should West abstain from so doing. ·Keeping play in Four Spades after a small · as many trumps as possible in heart lead, on which South puts each hand may, as in this case, the Queen? provide you with additional The plan: West can count 6 "iecurity. club tricks, 2 top trumps, a heart West's problem on that hand and a diamond. He does not was to keep "trump control". It need to make extra tricks by is a difficult field and you should ruffing and he should concentrate not let your mistakes discourage on security. Win the heart lead you. 60 Directory of E.B.U. Affiliated Cltibs BERKSHIRE aafternoons. TUITION. READING BtUDGB I.UU. 5 Jesse Terrace, 'WffW:' ~ MAYFAIR BRIDGE STUDIO-ll~ount Street Reading. Tel. Rcud111g 52136. Hon. Sec. r:: W.l. (2nd floor). GRO 2844. Hon. Sec., Mrs C. T. Holloway. Stakes Jd. Partnership. · H. Ponting. Stakes 1/- and 6d. Partnership Sun. first Saturday vening each month, 1st and Jrd Wed. evenings 6d., Mon. afternoon 6d. Duplicate Tuesday afternoon each month, and every pairs 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings 7.30, 2nd and Thursday evening. Duplicate every Monday 4th Sun. afternoons, teams 2nd and 4th Sat. even- evenina. ings. Tuition by G. C. H . Fox. HANTS STUDIO BRIDGE CLUB-18a Queens Way, 80URENMOUTH, GROVE RoAD BRIDGE CLUB- Bayswater, W.2. Tel.: Bay 5749. Hon. Sec., East Cliff Cottage, 57 Grove Road, Bourne- Mrs. H. Pearce. Stakes 2/-, 1/- and 6d. Partner- mouth 24311. Hon. Sec., Mrs. Moss. Stakes ship Mon. and Fri. evenings. 3d. Partnership, Thurs. and Sat. aft., Sun. MIDDLESEX evening. Duplicate, 1st Wed., 3rd Fri. HIGHGATE BRIDGE CLUB-80 Highgate West SOUTHAMPTON, SUTHERLAND BRIDGE CLUB- Hill, N.6. MOU 3423. Hon. Sec., Mrs. Osborn. 2 Rockstone Place. Tel.: 25291 or 73656. Hon. Stakes 2d. Partnership Wed. afternoon, Friday Sec., Mrs. Cahalan. Stakes 2d. Partnership: and Saturday evenings. Tues. eve. and Wed. aft. Cut-in: Mon. and Fri. NOTTINGHAM aft., Thurs. and Sat. eve. Duplicate: 3rd Mon. NOTTINGHAM BRIDGE CLUB-401 Mansfield eve. (Sept. to May). Road, Nottingham 65995. (Mr. and Mrs. Jack WESSEX CLUB-Lindsay Manor, Lindsay Hammond.) Half way house for Sunday matches. Road, Bournemouth. Westbourne 640341. Duplicate Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Satur- Hon. Sec., The Secretary. Stakes 6d. and 2d. day 7 p.m. Partnership, 6d. Mon. aft. and Wed. evening SURREY 2d. Partnership Tues. aft. and Friday aft. HEATH BRIDGE CLUB.-The fleath, Wey- Duplicate 1st 2nd and 4th Friday evening in each bridge. Weybridge 3620. Hon. sec. C. G. Ainger• month. ' Always open. Visitors welcome. Stakes 3d. Sat. HERTS eve. 3d. and 1/-. Partnership Tues. aft. and eve., HODDESDON BRIDGE CLUB-High Street, Fri. aft. Duplicate Mon. and Thurs. eve. Tuition Hoddesdon. Hoddesdon 3813. Hon. Sec. by Alan Truscott available. W. Lamport. Stakes 3d. Partnership, alternate SUSSEX Wed. afternoons. Duplicate, Tues. evening. HORSHAM BRIDGE CLUB-22A East Street, ISLE OF WIGHT Horsham, Sussex. Horsham 4921 or 2078. SHANKLIN,CRAIGMOREBRIDGECLUB-Howard Hon. Sec., Mrs. M. E. Binney, 7A Bishopric. Road, Shanklin, I.W. Shanklin 2940. Hon. Horsham. Stakes 3d. Partnership, Sun., Thurs. Sec., J. S. Danby. Stakes 2d. Duplicate Mon. eve., Wed., Fri. aft. Duplicate Tues. eve. (Oct. to May). Partnership, Tues. and Fri. Cut-in Mon., Thurs., Sat. aft. KENT BoG NOR CLUB-2 Sud ley Road, Bognor Regis· WEST KENT CLUB-12 Boyne Park, Tunbridge (Bridge section). Cutin, Mon., Tues .. Thurs., Fri. Wells, Kent. Tunbridge Wells 21513. Hon. and Sat. afternoons. Fri. evening. Partnership, Sec., R. H. Corbett. Stakes 3d. and 6d. Partner- Wed. afternoon and Tues. evening. Duplicate, ship, Mon. and Wed. 6d., Wed. and Fri. 3d. thefirstTues. afternoonineachmonth. Stakes 3d. Duplicate, 1st and 3rd Sat. (2.15). WHITEHALL RESIDENTIAL BRIDGE CLUB- SIDCUP-Sidcup Bridge Club, Sidcup Golf 11/12 Howard Square, Eastbourne, Eastbourne Club, Hurst Road, Sidcup. Hon. Sec., Mrs. 4544. Sec. Miss J. Fidler. Stakes 2d. and 3d. W. Davis, 24 Carlton Road, Sidcup. Telephone: Partnership, Tues. and Fri. aft., Wed. atvi Sat. FOO 1868. Stakes 3d. Partnerships Mon., evening. Duplicate Sunday. Wed., Fri. Duplicate Mon., Wed. WARWICKSHIRE LANCS HEATHERCROFT BRIDGE CLUB-2 Pebble Mill LIVERPOOL-Liverpool Bridge Club, 22 Upper Road, Birmingham 5. SEL!y Oak 0448. Stakes Duke Street, Liverpool. Tel.: Royal 8180. J'd. to 1/-. Cut-in or Partnership every aft. and . Hon. Sec., Mrs. H. T. Halewood. Partnerships eve. Duplicate Sun. eve., Mon. aft., and as Tue., Fri. afternoon. Duplicate Mon. evening. desired by Members. Visitors welcome. LONDON YORKS GRAND SLAM BRIDGE CLUB-21 Craven Hill, LEEDS BRIDGE CLUB LTD.-Moortown Corner W.2. Tel.: Pad 6842. Stakes 1/- and 2/-. House, Leeds 17. Leeds 681571. Hon. Sec., Partnership Evenings Mondays and Thursdays. Mr. R. Dorsey. Duplicate, Tues. and Thurs. Visitors welcome. Bounty pairs (£25) Weekly Visitors.Welcome. Open each day until midnight Tuesdays. Bounty Individual (£20) 2nd Sunday except Friday. Rubber Bridge every night. Would you like particulars of your club (address, telephone, hon. sec., stakes, partnership days, duplicate days) to be listed in this Directory every month? If so, please write to our Advertisement Manager (see address on page 3) for very reasonable terms. 61 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS 5/- per line. Special terms for a series BRIDGE CLUBS AND HOTELS HARROW LONDON HARROW BRIDGE CLUB- 16 Northwick Park GRAND SLAM BRIDGE CLUB- 21 Craven Hill, Road, Harrow, Middx. Tel. Harrow 3908. W.2. Tel.: Pad 6842. Stakes 1/- and 2/6, Good standard Bridge in enjoyable atmosphere. 5/- and 10/-. Partnership evenings Mondays and Sessions twice daily. Partnership and Duplicate. Thursdays. Visitors . welcome. Duplicate Pairs . Open teams of four every Saturday evening. (Bounty £25) Tuesday w~ekly . 'Rummy' all night games. MISCELLANEOUS BRIDGE REQUISITES WALLETS-better than boards at less than half the cost. Personal Score Cards, Travelling Score Slips, CARDBOARD £3 3s. Od. per set of 32 Result Charts, Hand Record (Curtain) Cards, LEATHERETTE £4 14s. 6d. per set of 32 ' "Silent Bidders" etc. MOVEMENT CARDS WRITE FOR SAMPLES: for Individuals, Pairs and Teams-of-four etc. W. B. Tatlow, 2 Roseberry Court, LLANDUDNO TUITION NICO GARDENER guarantees to improve PERFECT YOUR BRIDGE under cham your game. Tuition, practice classes and lectures pionship guidance. Private or Group Tuition. all under personal supervision; also postal course, Practice classes. Duplicate coaching. Master The London School of Bridge, 38 King's Road, Points contests. Lectures. Folder free from London, S.W.3. KENsington 7201. the Mayfair Bridge Studio (Dept. 5), 110 Mount Street, London, W.l , or 'phone GRO 2844. Diary of Events 1963 Jan. 18- 20 WHITELAW CUP Eastbourne 19- 20 CAMROSE V. WALES London Feb. 2- 3 MASTERS PAIRS .. Victoria Halls, London 2- 3 RESTRICTED PAIRS Droitwich 2- 3 COUNTY MASTERS PAIRS Ilkley 8- 9 DAILY TELEGRAPH CUP Waldorf Hotel 15- 17 CROYDON CONGRESS Croydon 22-25 SPRING FOURSOMES East bourne Mar. 2-3 B.B.L. FIRST TRIAL '9- 10 PORTLAND PAIRS Eastbourne and Ilkley 23-24 THE FIELD TROPHY Nat. Lib. Club 28 CHARITY CHALLENGE CUP Worldwide 29- 31 CuMBERLAND CoNGREss Keswick 30-31 CROCKFORD'S CuP FINAL London April· 4- 7 DEVON AND CORNWALL CONGRESS Torquay ' 20-21 NATIONAL PAIRS SEMI-FINALS .. Regional 26-28 B. B. L. SECOND TRIAL . . May 3- 5 GLOUCESTERSHIRE CONGRESS Cheltenham 11- 12 NATIONAL PAIRS FINAL Leicester 17- 19 LONDON CONGRESS St. Ermin's Hotel . 25 ANNE REESE CUP Nat. Lib. Club 25- 26 PACHABO CUP Leicester June 7- 9 YoRKSHIRE CoNGREss Scarborough 14-16 KENT CoNGRESS Folkstone July 19 to Aug. 2 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Baden Baden 62 For the Bridge Player ... BRIDGE SET (8351) fitted with two packs of single colour backed playing cards, score cards, pencils, Win/Lose cards and pocket edition "Laws of Contract Bridge." Retail price 17 /6d. BRIDGE PUBLICATIONS "Laws of Contract Bridge (1948)" Retail price 3/6d. "Laws of Duplicate Bridge (1949)" Retail price 2/6d. BRIDGE SCORING BLOCK (BR.4225) with the International Laws of Contract Bridge scoring table issued by De La Rue, official publishers to the Portland Club. Retail price 1/6d. each. STATIONERS DIVISION THOMAS DELA RUE &CO. LTD.,92MTDDLESEXSTREET, LONDON, E. I ' /.: ' All who desir~ to further the devclopn1 ·nt of Contract Bridge as a game should b(.' members of, and support THE ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION the governing body for England • Save 10/- on your subscription lfyou become a member of THE ENGLISH BRIO .... UNION your annual subscription to the B ~itish Bridge World is reduced to 25/"-·. · For full details of membership of the E. B. U. write to the Secretary :~ Mrs. A. L. FLEMING, 12 , Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. · (Phone Tunbridge Wells 30612) • /