CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 99, 29 April 1938, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

PARTY SYSTEMS

(By THE FOUR ACES.)

We have received so many letters asking us Low to arrange "party bridge" that we feel an article on the subject would l>c very appropriate. There are several forms. The first ici a progressive game in which the idea is for a player to play with a different partner each round. This is handled as follows:

The tables are numbered consecutively. starting with one. and before beginning play Ihe director or committee prepares individual lallv cards, one for each player. Each tally e;ir<.l bear* a table number and designates a position—Xorth. South, Kaist or West—at the table. The tally card may be drawn at random (<r assigned l>y the game comiuitteo or hostess as desired. When the play is called each player takes the jKhsJiioii assigned by hi* tally card. (Note. —At mixed parties it is customary to arrange the tallies and eeat assignments so (hat a jrentleman will alway<s have a lady as a partner ami vice versa. Thi* is accomplished by haviiifr tallies of two different colours or kinds, one for the ladies and one for the jientlemen.)

A "round"' consists of four deals, passedout hands being included as deals. At the conclusion of each round the movement is as follow*: At. table Kα. 1 the winning pair leumiii and the losing pair move to the highest numbered table. At all other table* the loae.re remain, the winning pair move up one table toward table No. ]. If it is desirous that a player retain the same partner all the evening. the pairs that do not move remain seated. Otherwise one of the playere who remain ■shifts his seat so that at the next round he will be playing against hi* former partner, and the new players arriving at the table pair oil" so that each ha* a new partner. At mixed parlies where it is desired to have a lady always play with a gentleman, the newcomers lo the (able take their scats automatically. Otherwise the newcomers cut to *ee which partner they will have. Counting the Points. It is desirable to use a modified form of duplicate bridge scoring, which is ae follows: In the first deal of each round no player ie vulnerable; on the second and third deals the dealer and hifi partner are vulnerable and the opponents are not; while on the fourth deal both sides are vulnerable. Accordingly, in scoring each deal is counted separately. A *ide making a partial score receives the actual points phis a 50-point bonus. For a nonvulnerable game 300 points is given, for a vulnerable game r>oo points, while slam premiums (which, of course, are {riven only when the slams are bid) are the same as in either rubber or duplicate bridge. In onder to restrict playere profiting from large penalties or from promiscuous redoubles, it is <'U«toiuaTy to allow a winning side to score no more than 1000 points on any ouc hand, except in the case -of a fulfilled «lam contract, but the loeing side should be charged with the full loss. At the end of each four hand* the playere enter their net score; for instanqe. if in four hands ymi have scored 800 points and the opponents 400. you enter plus 400. Whereas if yon have scored 1000 points and the opponents 2000, you enter minus 1000. (Note. —At many j ]>artieci it is customary to pive each side the actual points scored. W-e consider this very undesirable, since it leads to free doubling and redoubling, the idea being that if we set the opponent* we increase our score; if they make it. it doesn't cost us anything.) At the end of tlie game the players hand in their tally cards to the committee, and the winner is. of course, the player with the highest (hand) plus score. Prize* are awarded in any manner desired. In preparing these instructions we have followed the laws for, party iontract bridge as prepared by the National Laws and Kules Committee. Tauraey and Progressive. Another interesting icrame for parties is to hold a rubber bridge tournament. A draw is j.irraiiged Mmilar to tennis or golf tonrna- ; nient<. Eight hand* constitute n round, the -coring being the same a~ in rubber bridge. lAt the end of oijrlit hands a 50-point bonus ; i- given for a partial score and :SOO points for J any lejr on the rubber. The losing pair i* I eliminated. The winners proceed to the next ■round until one pair w left. It is customary for the players eliminated in the first round Ito play in a consolation tournament of their own. while those eliminated in the later rounds ' in~t play rubber bridge until the tournament . nds.

While propreeeive bridge make* n salisfnetory jrame for almost any number of tables, .1 rubber lirid're tournament of the type iust described should not be attempted with a iiekl of more than eiaflit table*. «inee otherwise the tournament will run too lonjr. Eijrht tables allows for simple and steady elimination. With seven tables the following procedure ik adopted: The seven pair* that win and the one pair that lose* by the smallest amount in the first round qualify for the speond round and vim are now down to four tables. The six pair* Hint lost- by the laifrtvt amounts in the firat round start a three-table consolation tournainent. Tn this t.liree-tahle consolation tournament the three winnoiw and the one lus<-r by the smallest amount qualify for the second round. ]f yon linppon to have <*ix tables to start with, the six winners qualify for the second round ami the six losers for the poneolation touriianient. and the procedure with each jrroup of three tables is the same as dwserilwsd previously. With five taUles. qualify five winners and one loser for the winner's tournament and four loser* for the consolation tournament.— (Copyright.)