At North-South, Game ; 'West, Love ; South deals • 9 7 2 IV AKJ83 0 A 8 2 ' + KQ He bios a Heart ; West overbids Two Clubs ; North Doubles"; and East bids Two Spades. What should South say now ? This p;oblem IS fully uiscussed on Page 7. ·-· .. .·· CHAS. BRADBURY LIMITED 26 SACKVILLE ST., PICCADILLY ACHILLE LONDON, WI. SERRE Phone Ree. 3123-3995 LOANS ARRANGED (Jtdlty. ma,uizp With or without Security. nnd \VAN UOROUGII ~IAN OR ~etiw COUNTRY CLUB (lncorporoted with the West Surrey Bridge Club) Residential Club with Bill iards, cardrooms, fl!lto~t!Yx •wimming pool, lovely gardens and dancing every Saturday night. Illustrated Brochure on application to The Secretary, Wanborough Manor, near Gu ildford. and sports Telephone Puttenham 351. • new lease The copyright of this magazine is life vested in Priestley Studios Ltd. It is published under the authority of the English Bridge Union. The Editorial Board is composed of, ., and the Editor is appointed by, the English Bridge Union. ··: RIVIERA · HOTEL CANFORD CLIFFS BO~MOUTH FACES CHINE AND SEA AMID GLORIOUS SURROUNDINGS Quality fare prepared by first class chefs ·Perfectly appointed bedrooms and .suites · Cocktail Lounge-Tennis-Golf Telephone : Canford Cliffs 285 Brochure on Request e You cm1 always rely 011 a good game of Bridge at The Ralph Evans's Hotel I" \ . CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL OFFICJAL ORGAN OF THE ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION VOLUME 3 }ULY, 1949 NmtDI!R 9 NOTES • CONTENTS ~ Page , The exigencies of the Press­ ' EDITORIAL • • . I 2 the fact that the Contract Bridge GoLD CuP Cmr.IAX · ~ Alibi" 3 Joumal must leave the Editor's HORNS OF THE DILEMMA hands some appreciable time before The Editor 7 it reaches the reader-have com­ CAMROSR FINAL pelled this issue to be out-dated Noel Byrne 10 before publication. ON SELECTION AND SELECTORS 12 The news from Paris is already HANDS FROM PLAY 14 AsSOCI.-\TION HISTORY. known. The British team has,- for 1. .. 19 0 DounLE-TAKE the second year in succession, borne Gordon Hamrno11d 20 away the blue riband of Europe. BRIDGE ON THE SCREEN " Gui1zea Pig " . 21 The Ladies came joint third. In SIGNALITIS the August number, M. Harrison­ C. E. Dickel 22 Gray, the British Captain, will ToRTUOSITY TRIUMPHANT write extensively of the whole (For the Opposition) ." o o 24 event. In the meantime, we offer A QUESTION OF TACTICS to our team oui official-as they G. A. Miller · o o 28 }ULY COMPETITION 29 have already received the heartfelt ANsWERS ,To JuNE unofficial-congratulations of all CoMPETITION 30 players . • • • • 0 All Bridge Correspo11dence to the Many readers have written to Editor: point out various defences to the GUY RAMSEY, Problem on the Cover of the June issue ; some with alternative solu­ I . rj, Cannon Place, tions. The Editor congratulates London, N.W.J. those who , found lacunae which All Correspondence on escaped Robert Darvas and the late Subscriptioru or Advertising to Dr. Paul Stem, and promises to Publishers : scrutinise, . with even greater care. any future teaser. PRIESTLEY STUDIOS LTD., Commercial Road, On this occasion he-in common Gloucester. with Homer, Davas and his old friend, Stem, nodded. · I I EDITORIAL HERE are two methods of It is our convtct1on, however, training for a ~ajo_r eyent: . that the British ·team, und~r its T the one, more conventiOnal, Gibraltar-like pivot and Captain, to unde~go a rigorous course of M. Harrison-Gray, not ~nly pos­ practice right up to the last minute; sesses the cool judgmenf and the· other, to fling away all normal technical ability to carry again the routine and plunge into experiment. blue riband of the International, Each has ;ts risk: the former in­ but the even more important curs the hazard of staleness ; the capacity to pull out its best efforts latter, the lessening · of when these are most required. -concentration. Last year, the Gray team was · · Britaip's· two teams, proceeding · seven strong-the " spare " being to Paris by train and plane as these found of great value in the Jines are written, have split the strenuous programme. This systems benveen them. Place aux year, with an even heavier fh.-ture dames, the Ladies played the list, it has been thought advisable Iceland team, which paid a fleeting, to co-opt a seventh player to re­ and very welcome, visit to London inforce the Gray-Konstam, Reese­ late in June, and only ceased fire Shapiro, Dodds-Rayne partner­ 14- hours before emplaning for the ships. After careful consideration, Capital of Light and Love . and · Adam Meredith, tall, slim, idol of Bridge ! In_ a tense, close match, - Lederer's, was the fortunate player during which they led by anything to be invited. Meredith, whose from 3 to 2 International Match performance in three matches points for the bulk of the hands, impressed the Americans they ended up jmt 2 points down, profoundly, thus gaim his ·first ranked as a draw. International Cap . He will The Men, on the other hand­ abandon the Baron he has _played at least in some. cases- embarked of late for Acol to conform to the on a series· of experimental bids, element in the team with which he psychic bids, three - card bids. will be partnered. '~,Te beg to offer These (as might have been expec­ the newcomer our hearty congrat­ ted against such good opposition as ulations and our equally hearty the Reykjavik team, with its super­ good wishes. complicated system : a compound of Vienna, the Two-Club, Lederer The Ladies will have the benefit and Culbertson) did not meet with of that young veteran, Mr. Graham great success; and the Londoners Mathieson, as their 'non-playing went down by 4-6 I.M.P. Captain. Since they have no se~enth team-member to provide This reverse followed a defeat in relief to the three pairs, Fleming­ the 90,..board Melville Smith Cup Gordon, Rhodes-Litante Lester­ and the not overwhelming victory Williams, Mrs. Fleming will be in the Gold Cup Final, recorded free~ from. the cares of Captaincy : in this issue. And there have not no mcons1derable strain on any been few who, scanning the player. Mathieson, himself an auguries, foretold, Cassandra-like, expert, and himself widely and doom in Paris. deeply experienced in both strategy 2 CONTRACT BRIDGE ·. JOURNAL :and tactics-above all, himself a ~· double " are · · excellent-it .. is popular personality and a fighter certain that both teams will enhance ·who does .not recognise defeat Britain's already high prestige, both (witness his performance in the as players and as individuals who second half of the Crowninshield possess the charm and sportsman­ Cup) should prove a tower of ship which makes the game a field .strength. · .. of honour as well as a field of ·whatever the outcome- and we battle. feel the chances ,of . a British GOLD CUP CLIMAX by " Ali bi'!. HE Gold Cup Tournament, have at various times .figured in always referred to as the the semi-final round. T " Blue · Riband of British The other cla5h was between the Bridge," has many points in com­ holders, Pedro Juan (captain), Dr. mon with the F. A. Cup. The luck Sidney Lee, Terence Reese, Boris of the draw plays no inconsiderable Shapiro, Adam Meredith, Dr. part ; and the quality of the play Hans Leist (only the last four in the final is apt to be affected played) and Graham Mathieson by the importance of the occasion (captain), J ordanis Pavlides, Leslie :and the magnitude of the prize. Dodds,· Eddie Rayne, Kenneth It is therefore pleasant to record Konstam and M. Harrison-Gray, the final stages of the 1949 contest, all of whom took an active part in which departed from the stereo­ this match, also of 64 boards. typed pattern in more than one As was to be · expected, this respect. battle of giants aroused enormous In the semi-finals Len Shenkin's interest in London circles, and Glasgow team opposed those speculation was rife as to the result. experienced campaigners, Don The play, ·however, was disap­ McAllister's Bridgend team, while pointing, for whereas Mathieson's two famous 'London combinations team were very much on their toes contested the other tie. The Juan's players never showed the Shenkin team, who once won the intensive will to win of which they Cheltenham Rose Bowl " inter­ are capable.. Swings were few and national" competition, were soon far between, yet Mathieson always 2,000 . points in arrears, ' but appeared to have an edge ; the thereafter played with such skill first session of 32 boards saw him :and resolution that they eventually leading by 1,220 points. won the 64-board match by a On the resumption Mathieson comfortable margin. History was suffered a . terrible setback that thus made, for they became the might well have decided the fate first Scottish team to reach the of the match. Both sides reached final of the British teams of four a vulnerable contract of Six Clubs .; championship although other owing to the luck of the lead Juan's players from North of the Tweed player made twelve tricks, his 3 ~-~~=====-=========~------- CONTRACT BRIDGE . JOURNAL vis-a-vis made eleven only, repre- + K, and this confirmed Gray's senting a swing of 1,470. Some impression that West had started other minor reverses found with a singleton truinp. Once this Mathieson 980 in arrears. view is taken, the contract is easily The match temperament of his made ; OK was followed by a team now asserted itself; the third round of .Diamonds, ruffed deficit was gradually reduced, until with \? 9, ,and. \? 10 was led to out of the blue 980 points were dummy's \? A.