FOR ENGLISH I held:- • AKJ9 \} 10 7 z 0 AKS , • .. 1062 . and opened one spade vulnerable. My partner bid two clubs, and I rebid two no-trumps-which my partner raised to three on :-'- . ' .. • .......-I- 10 7 t" . '· • .J.'I . \} 843 • · . 0 Q76 . ' .. AKJ7S This was a bad contract and there was no, game in spite of a 25 count. ·What should I have bid over two clubs ? , Read what the C.BJ. experts say on page 14. READ A. I· SMITH . EVERY SATURDAY IN THE ~ . i8aily ~tltgraph \ Bridge Table Gam es Table Te(l Parties Children at mealtime Homework Letter tvritin.g Package wrapping Family ironing Sewing Cafe or Hotel use 1 ORDER DY TUESE NUMBERS T'S too good for Cannata players- KO. I il's tho finest foltling tnble matle I SIZS llt!IOIIT TOP COVJIR It's \"ono's famous "l?o\dawny," - Orecn FeU 171S Stnndnrd 27" designed to mnl<e n perfect bridge ao·xao· JJrown Felt 1717 tahlc with 1001 e:rtm uses that mnka !' 27" On>en }'elt lOIS it incii RJlC' nRuble in the· home. 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VONQ is the registered trade mark oi Yono Ltd., u Y ' CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL BRIDGE The Officlal Bulletla of the THE BELGIUM BRIDGE EUROPEAN FEDERATION BRIDGE REVIEW • • ANNuAL SUBSCRIPTION Annual Subscription Rate : (10 issues) 30/- post free 10/­ post free •• . European Bridge Review Enskede, Sweden •• Agent in Great Britain : Circulation Dept.: MR. G. C. H. Fox 114 Wigmore Street, Rue Phillip~le-Boa, 20 London, W.l. Brussell Belgium Single copies 3/- from Newsagents . CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL I ' CHAMPf.ON BRIDGE BOOKS THE FOUR ACES SYSTEM OF CONTRACT BRIDGE by world champions Oswf:lld Jacoby, David • Burnstine, Michael T. Gottlieb. Howard Scllenken and Baron Waldemar von Zedtwitz. Introduction by Harold · S. Vanderbilt. This all-American bidding system, based on the ob-so-easy 3-2-1 point count, has beaten every known. system. Not the writings or pet theories of one player. but a harmonious system as practised by the world's top masters, as they bid it, as they play it, as they win by it. The 332 pages of this jumbo book lucidly cover every phase of winning bids, made easy in simple lan­ guage for average players. Profusely illustrated with type hands and bidding sequences. An one-guinea value for only 15/- post free THE 4 CLUB BID by John Gerber, the Texas Star, saves a round over Blackwood and just as easy. Paper, 6/- post. paid Mail cheque or money order to British Sales Agents :- Cambra y Publications Ud., 3 Cambray, Cheltenham Ab I/ ow about six weeks for delivery· since these ' ooks ar e suppe1 · d only on order from' U.S.A. 3 CONTRACT BRIDGE JOURNAL I~ONDON CLUB 16, Berkeley Street, London, W.l. C o n f e r e n c e and Board Rooms available for Com­ pany Meetings, Bridge Con- tests, Matches, etc. Duplicate Pairs every Wed­ nesday and Friday evenings at. 7.45 p.m. Rubber Bridge every after­ noon and evening (1 /- per hundred.) Secretary: Major George E. Gray News of French Bridge in:- BRIDGEI LE BRIDGE Monthly Review o.f the · 32 Rue Chalgrin. FEDERATION OF Paris. 16. ITALIJ\N BRIDGE (F. I! B.) I• Official Publication of the " DEFERATION FRANCAISE Yearly Subscription : de BRIDGE" - £l:O:O Subscription ~ate per year : Pres. 1000 (French) Write to:- Director: . Write to above address. FEDERICO ROSA Via Monte Napoleone 8. Free specimen copy on request. Milan. · Italy. 4 .J.OURNAL 'I FOR ENGLISH BRIDGE ·. UNION Editor-in-Chief : H. ST. JOliN INGRAM - ' EiW of London and Soutbem Realon : ........ TERENCE REESB Ytar of !\Odland and Northern· Realon: c.,elltlon Editor : ... Manuscripts and all BrldJ:e Correspondence to : • . THB EDITOR, COI'mtACT 8RJOOB JOURNAL. 3 LONDON LANB, BROMLEY, KENT. J • I All Correspondence on All CorTespondence on Subscriptions to Publishers : . Advertising to : CECIL M. KAUFMAN, CAMBRAY PUBLICATIONS Lro., 49 UPPER PARK RoAD, 3 CAP.!DRA y. HAMPSTEAD, CHELTENHAM, GLOS. LoNDON, N.W.3. Telephone : 55708 Telephone : Primrose 0552 · CONTENTS Page CONTENTS .. , Page EorrORIAL ' ••• 6 B EST HAND ••• 29 , OvER TJIE BORDER EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 3Q-31 by Terence Reese 7-10 by C. E. Dickel 32-33 I ITALIAN MAtu.UC SYSTI!M 11-12 AsKJNO BIDS Al'\'Y QuEsnoNs ••• -13-17 OcronER CoMPIITmON 34 . RESULT TAKE YouR PARTNERS . MIDLANDS AND TilE NoRm - by Gordon H. Hammond 18-19 by Harold Franklin ... 35-38 CLUB NJGIIT IN BIRMINGHAM 2Q-21 A DE Luxe CoNGRESS • • .' · 39-4Q EAsrnouRNE CoNGRESS 22-23 oowNYOUR WAY • •• • MATLOcK 23-24 CoMPIITmON PAGES . Acot by I. C. H. Marx 24-28 DIARY AND SToP PIU!SS 5 EDITORIAL It certainly does not seem 12 pairs has been s h e 1 v e d by months ago since we sent out the E.B.U.; but we accept the seasonal greetings, but the calen­ findings of the Council, and can dar tells us it is so. To one and only hope that the matter will be all we repeat the time-honoured considered again at a later date. · "A Very Happy Christmas, and We all wish our women's team a Prosperous and Peaceful New a particularly Happy New Year Year.'' when they visit New York to'play Nineteen-fifty-two has b e e n the American women in January. rather a quiet year in the bridge (This is not an official Great world, with no major upheavals. Britain v U.S.A. match : it is New conventions and systems sponsored by Messrs. Wadding­ (other than Marmic) have been tons). It will be a far, far more conspicuous by their absence. strenuous affair than Dublin, and There have been no discoveries of it is good to know that severe any importance a m o n g s t the practice , games are the order of players ; a few have lost their the day. It is to be hoped that lustre and a few have enhanced the$e games will take a wide their claims to be considered in range, so that the girls will not the top ftighl Duplicate continues always have the usual crowd in .to grow in popularity, and practi­ opposition- all playing more or cally all County Associations are less the same system. It is essential able to announce good-sized in­ that they have very varied kinds crease of membership. The sad of opponents. At least one game exception is London I Here the against very unorthodox bidders number of members has fallen off might be advantageous. The cap­ considerably, and it is to be hoped tain, Ewart Kempson should be that the next twelve months will able to cover this angle. see this rectified. With the hun­ dreds and thousands of players in London proper, it should not be difficult (with an energetic Com­ IMPORTANT mittee) to bring the total up to at As most Bridge Magazines, least a thousand. Kensinl!ton St. both home and abroad, appear about the 1st of the month, it Is John's Wood, Bayswater, -Cheisea quite likely that many readers and all the big City and West End would like to have the publi­ Social Clubs should be well re­ cation of at least one about the presented. middle. Therefore, starting with Strange to relate we have been the January issue, we shall in future come out on the 15th of completely free from brickbats each month. this year- for which many thanks. We are hoping to increase the The bouquets we have received number of pages in the Journal, although not of the orchid variety' but this can only be done If our have been very welcome. ' circulation goes up. Will you We are a little disappointed that yourself please help us and secure one new subscriber for the ques~on of altering some of 1953 ? Our warmest thanks. the sconng for match-pointed 6 . ·European Champ·ipnship (2) . ' . by TERENCE REESE ~ Britain's second ~atch at. Dun was to say that East should have [Joghaire was agamst Swttzer­ bid no more than two hearts. bnd in the third round. The · That is borderline, I should say. s~iss bad lost their first two My view is that West, over three matches, but they played well hearts, should have made a slam uainst us and later improved suggestion without going above their position in the table. Britain the game level by bidding three Jed by 5 points at half time and spades. East then bids three no­ eventually won by 13. trumps and West four hearts, The first three boards saw having said his piece. Britain 12 points behind. On hand Of the next nine boards seven I Schapiro, for some back-handed were ties-evidence of the close­ reason that I have not yet under­ ness of the struggle.