THE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PRESS ASSOCIATION Editor: John Carruthers This Bulletin is published monthly and circulated to around 400 members of the International Bridge Press Association comprising the world’s leading journalists, authors and editors of news, books and articles about contract bridge, with an estimated readership of some 200 million people BULLETIN who enjoy the most widely played of all card games. www.ibpa.com Bulletin No. 609 October 1, 2015 President: PATRICK D JOURDAIN Editorial 8 Felin Wen, Rhiwbina Cardiff CF14 6NW, WALES, UK The opinions expressed here are solely those of the editor do not necessarily (44) 29 2062 8839 represent those of the IBPA Executive or its membership.
[email protected] Chairman: Bridge organisations do a pretty good job of protecting their players against unusual PER E JANNERSTEN bidding methods. The problem is not the methods themselves, but the fact of their Banergatan 15 unfamiliarity to the opponents. Given enough time for preparation and enough play SE-752 37 Uppsala, SWEDEN (46) 18 52 13 00 against the methods, opponents will eventually become competent against them and
[email protected] lessen their effectiveness. This is true even in World Championship play, where certain methods (called “Highly-Unusual Methods”, HUM for short) are forbidden in short Executive Vice-President: JAN TOBIAS van CLEEFF matches and allowed in longer ones. There are exceptions to this ‘protection’ of course: Prinsegracht 28a Australia and New Zealand spring to mind, where virtually anything goes as regards 2512 GA The Hague, NETHERLANDS system. And since that’s what their players are used to, no one seems to mind.