:: EDWARD MAYER ENGLISH INTERNATIONAL PLAYER '· writes IN THIS ISSUE ACHILLE · CHAS. BRADBURY LIMITED SERRE 26 SACKVILLE ST., PICCADILLY LONDON, WI. Phone Reg. 3/23-3995 LOANS ARRANGED W ith or without Security. ·• A PERFECT MANICURE gives bridge confidence. MARGARET RAE, 117 Earls Court Road, S.\\'.5. Tel. Frobisher 4207. Specialists in permanent waving. Open Saturday afternoons." The copyright of this magazine is 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 Brrdgc Union. ... 81\ANCHES AND AGENTS IN PR INCIPAL CENTII.El • I RIVlEBA HOTEL '· CANFORD. CLIFFS BOURNEMOUTH FACES CffiNE AND SEA AMID GLORIOUS SURROUNDINGS Quality fare prepared by fi~st class chefs Perfectly appointed bedrooms and suites Cocktail Lounge-Tennis-Golf Telephone : Canford Cliffs 285 Brochure on Request e You ca11 always rely 011 a good game of Bridge at The Ralph Evans's Hotel • •,.J .CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION VotU:IIE 2 }UNE · }ULY, 1948 NUMBERS 8 & 9 AVE ATQUE .VALE • CONTENTS • HIS, the first double number Pilge of the Contract Bridge LOOKING BACK· T Journal, has both triumph George Nelso11 2 and tragedy to record . PRAGUE Ll:ll!T SYSTE~I It is an occasion of supreme Frn11tisek Joles 4 satisfaction to congratulate the SD!PI.E TACTICS Dr. Sid11ev Lee . 7 British team which, for the first THE DEVIL ~s CouP time, has borne the laurel from Dr. Adolfo Gialll/rt:::zi 9 all Europe ; and it adds one final BRIDGE IN SWEDEN . fillip that its Cap~ain should be Dr. E. Tf'emer 11 that same M . Harrison-Gray whose AtL AT SEA-S. J. Simon 13 enthusiasm created, whose address · HERESY Prof. A. k!acKimzon 15 set the standard for, this magazine. GossiP oF THE MoNTH Foremost to have rejoiced in the Guy Ramsey 17 national success would have been COPENHAGEN DIARY Gray's successor in the Editorial Terence Reese 19 chair, Dr. Paul Stem. But bareh· DR. PAUL STERN-A Tribute 24 had he been appointed and man}· AROUND THE CoMPETITIONS 26 of his dreams seemed to ha,·e MY FIRST SQUEEZE V. H. Walker 30 come true than illness, long and NoRTHERN OuTLOOK indomitably held at bay, dashed Ewart Kempson . 31 the cup from his lips. , NoRTHERN lRELAl'o/0 This is no place to mourn him : A. J. Fletcher 33 our tribute, from full hearts, 'VOJIIEN'S ANGLE appears on another page.· The · 1\frs. A. L. Fleming 35 credo of journalism is that of READERS' FORUM 37 BooK REVIEW 38 Royalty- The Editor is dead, long CRI:\IE-BUT NO PUNISHMENT live the publication. Edtuard Jl!fayer . ·. 39 The Contract Bridge Joumal will PROBLEM CoRNER-"Telltx" 41 survive the death of Paul Stem as THIS DUPLICATE BUliiNESS it survived the resignation of Mrs. 0. B. E. Cole . 42 Harrison:-Gray : with deep and SLA:IIWARD Ho : bitter regret ; but also, with that A. G. Figgim 43 courage which has marked- and, juNE-}ULY CoMPETITION . 45 please Heaven, shall ever mark­ ANSWERS TO iMA y . lP . the · free Press of a free country. CoMPETITION 46 Guy Ramsey A 1 RECOLLECTIONS of a LOOKING Pioneer Bridge Player GEORGE NELSON BACK (Leeds) My first weekly ouR Editor's article, although I request for blush when re­ Y an article on reading it, was a the early days of great success. My Contract revived so theme· song was, many pleasant re­ collections that and· still is, the despite the risk of duplicate part of being classed as one the game. By of ·those who organising dupli­ delight in ancient cate con tests, history, I venture charging a ,·ery to respond. modest entrv fee The birth of and giving -prizes Contract Bridge in so that the whole Britain was a very of the entry fees laboured event. could go to some When I first tried useful charity, I to introduce the soon got a number new game into of disciples of the our leading Yorkshire Clubs, type who considered playing cards they turned it down with more of a game than a gamble. ridicule. The sporting clubs said The number increased until I was "\Ve don't bet on talking horses," able to form a Yorkshire Contract while the others commented, " It Bridge Association. \Ve were not is too much like hard work." the first association of this kind However, in the winter of 1932 for that other Northern Bridge I approached the Editor of the Journalist, Ewart Kempson, started Yorluhire Evening Post and told a North-Eastern Association just him that this game was becoming before us. \Ve had some of the all the rage in America, and that first inter-county matches with all other European Countries were his team. "\Vor Ewart" (as they playing it. " They can't all be call him in Newcastle) did much wrong," I argued. He agreed to to forward Contract Bridge, and my proposal and asked me to though I never likt:d his bidding write a weekly article on Contract, system, I greatly admire the way suggesting an immediate start. he wears the " cap and bells " I was hardly ready for that, so among writers on the game. His I took a fortnight's grace in pungent wit spares not e\·en his ·which to obtain what little literature best friends which proves there is there was concerning the game, no malice in his humour. ' and with this I literally went to Then came the battle of svstems. bed for a week. Dear old Walter Buller ·whose ' '2 CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL Yery name signified " bid British" his short reply was_: " lousy." with ·his ardent disciple Ewa'rt This mightily offended the late Kempson, Richard Lederer with his Manning Foster v,·ho had nominated T~Yo-<:;Iub system, Harry Ingram the Team and arranged the event. ·w1th h1s One-Club, and others too \Vhen Culbertson came to the numerous to mention ; but Contest a second time there was ·Culbertson had them all whacked what a London newspaper described and proved it in no small measure as a " Dramatic · Scene at Bridge -when he played against them. Tournament." Manning Foster My first introduction to big sent him a message telling him l3ridge was when the Yorkshire not to come again, whereupon Post and the Yorkshire Evening Ely Culbertson walked out. .Post sent me to London to report Manning Foster then called a on what was hailed in most meeting of Press representati\·es ·papers as a " history-making card and suggested that we should event." This was in June, 1933 taboo Culbertson in all our papers. -when the International Bridge I edged by saying that such a League held its first European decision ought surely to be left . ·Contest in London in which the to our respective Editors. representative teams of Austria, Consulting mine, I told them that B e lgium, Denmark, Holland, leaving Culbertson out of Contract Norway and England played 30 Bridge was like playing H amlet Matches during the last week in without the Prince. l\'lay at Grosvenor House. The A great "fillip was given to the bidding and play were very tedious ; game when Culbertson brought as an example, my daughter, an American team over to play Mrs. Nancy Bedford, told me England at Selfridgcs in 1933, a that when she was acting as match described l?y Culbertson ·marker, a player took 6 minutes as the " Bridge battle of the to make his bid, which was typical Century." It turned out to be -of the bidding in general. all that and then some which led The battle ended with Austria me to describe Ely as the " Barnum collecting 24 points, Holland 17, of Bridge." Norway 15, Denmark 15, England The match was a six-day event _1 +, Belgium, 8. At that time the and was attended daily by the Austrian team played natural most distinguished Yisitors. fro m bidding, the Dutch and the society, stage and sport. T he late Norwegian teams play e d Lord Moynihan, who honoured Culbertson. One England pair us by becoming the President of actually played Ingram's One-Club the Yorkshire Contract Bridge whilst the other used Lederer's Association, came se\'eral times. T wo-Clubs. I introduced him to Ely and the two became great friends. It was a sad story for England. Ely Culbertson was nearly right The general public followed the when he came along to see the match through the introduction of tournament and someone asked an electric screen which was him what he thought about the controlled by a switchboard English bidding and play- and (Conti1111ed f!-11 page 6) 3 by The PRAGUE FRANTISEK JOLES (Captain of representati•e LIMIT. SYSTEM Czechoslovakian Team) that will probably be of no interest REAK hands arc the night­ e.g. weak len.gth in a side suit, is mare of the tournatl}ent very rarely gl\•en. F player. When I hold such a hand I don't mind whether my As the sequence of bid~ is very partner has a strong o~ weak !~an?, precise, it has of necessity to be but I am extremely mterestcd m somewhat elaborate and I cannot rvhat he I holds. One Queen, a O'ive here the complete classificatil'm, singleton • or even a worthless but I will give my English friends doubleton may be of far gr~~tcr a short survey of our conventions importance than an Ace, h.mg, so as to arouse the interest of Queen in his hand.