CONTRACT BRIDGE

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1935, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE

INCREASING VOGUE. NEW RULES FROM LONDON. WILL IMPROVE THE GAME. The recent announcement from London that the Portland Club has issued a new wet of rules for the game of contract bridge draws attention to a form of entertainment which is becoming the international first choice in Card games. Contract bridge, it is claimed, is as superior to auction as a battle of brain and skill as auction was to the old form of the game, which it superseded, and in which the bidding started and stopped with the dealer. Contract has now a wide vogue in America, England and Europe, and during the past two or three years has been taken up enthusiastically in New Zealand. Women perhaps have been quicker to adopt the game than have men. With more leisure time, they have become keener students of its science, whereas men learn more by experience. Nevertheless, there is a definite growth in the number of men playing ''contract."

The essential point about contract i> it* reward for calling' the full value of Hie hands, and in tbis respect the poor player lias not the advantages which he lias in auction. In (lie latter a player might call one of a suit and yet a small slam for which lie reaps the full reward, but it is not so in contract. At contract bridge a. player hat, not only to call properly, but lie lias also to play his cards properly and to make the proper deductions from his opponent's calls. Even if a good player receives poor hands lie may still force his opponents into making awkward bkls himself. In (his way contract bridge has more mental appeal than other games. The new rules reduce many of the complications in scoring and also reduce the complications in under trick penalties. The same applies to under tricks when vulnerable.

Conventions Standardised. Tt is agreed in contract circles in Auckland that the new rules are beneficial to the game, particularly the one which hats as its objective the standardisation'of the conventions, and forbids the using of a convention the significance of which has not been announced. Generally speaking, a local player stated, the, new rules would be endorsed in Xew Zealand, a« they would result in improvements and greater facility for enjoying the game. Jt was fair that conventions should be announced or agreed upon before the opening of piny, and the restriction of the number of conventions would assist the game's popularity, but the elimination of conventions altogether could not be agreed to, for if there were no conventions there would he no contract bridge.

Another of the new rules gives "dummy" a more articulate voice in the game. Dummy as such will exist no longer, and is to be known a<s "declarer's partner." His part in the game will no longer be restricted to a few points on which he may express himself, but in future he will be able to draw attention to any irregularity. This is considered as only fair, as "dummy - *" wins and losses are always alfected by what the opposing players do.

New Scores. The effect of the alterations in scoring is to increase slightly the penalties for failure to secure contract on less than, a game bid when doubled, not vulnerable; for instance, under the new scores, three down doubled would cost the declarer 500 points as compared with 450 under the old scores. For four down the penalty would be the name (700), and for live down 900 under the new rules as compared with 1000 under the old rules. The penalties for failure to .secure contract when vulnerable, however, are considerably reduced, both undoubted nnd doubled. Km" example, four down, vulnerable, undoublcd, under the new rules would cost the declarer 400 points (under the old rules. 70(1): and doubled, 1100 points (under the old rules, 1400).

The alteration of the Xo Trump score will be appreciated by players, who, under the present system of scoring 30 and 40 alternately for odd tricks, have to indulge in quite a little mental arithmetic. The scoring under the new rules will be as follows: — TRICK SCORE. For Undoubted. Doubled. Clubs or (liumonrie .... 120 40 Hearts or spados 30 (SO No trumps— First trick 40 SO Other tricks 30 GO r-RB.MIIWI SCORE. -\»i. Vulnerable. Undoubted. Doubted. Ench ovor-ti-ick trick value 100 Under-trick penalties — First trick r>o h>o All subsequent ."ill 200 Little slam S(W Grand slam 1000 Vulnerable. Undoubted. Doubted. Each over-trick trick value 200 Under-trick penalties— First 100 200 All subsequent 100 300 Little slam 750 Grand slum 1300 Auckland Tournaments. Much encouragement has been received by the Auckland Bridge Club in its effort to raise the standard of contract bridge in the .city. The. entries for the Pascoe cups duplicate tournament have been more than satisfactory, and so far 20 pairs have nominated. The first of the games will be played at the club rooms on Tuesday night, and it is anticipated that accommodation will 'bo taxed to its utmost, as entries do not close until the night of play. There are two cups, and these go to the pair making the highest average score in the seriee of nine tournaments. The tournament is open to all contract players, whether members or not, but ii condition is that to qualify they must play in at least six of the contests.