BRIDGE NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20648, 10 September 1932, Page 9

BRIDGE NOTES.

THE CONTRACT GAME. (SPICIALLT WBITTIH »OB THE [By William Shackle.] The main reason I think for contract s somewhat slow growth in infancy was that there has never been a central organisation to which to refer in case of dispute regarding the interpretation of its laws. A number of local rules have been introduced in each country separately, but tlfjse rules or laws have been accepted and recognised only in the land of their birth. To-day, however, the position is entirely changed, as in the later mont 3 of 1931 the two ruling authorities on bridge, namely the Portland Club, Lon-, don, and the Whist Olub, New York, arranged' a series of meetings with a view to compiling a complete and uniform set of laws which would be acceptable everywhere. These conversations, I understand, resulted in complete unanimity, with the result that we have been promised a set of laws on contract bridge which will bo recognised as the standard rules. It is to be hoped that these rules will very shortly' be published at a price which will make it possible for all bridge lovers to acquire a copy. Our own leading authority at Home, the Portland Club, has already made it clear that very few conventions, other than certain universally recognised ones, are to be practised in clubland, so during this series of articles I shall mention only such conventions as have received the blessing of the aforesaid authority. . Those of you who may read books by the various and numerous American "authorities" on bridge, will therefore find that my process of bidding will not bo uniform with any particular author which you may be reading. Yet probably notwithstanding the difference in process in most instances the final bid will be the same in each instance. Seldom in fact does the most devious and intricate method get one any further than the straight-out honest-to-goodness bid. It would be as well to mention that I do not. wish it to be thought that one should in any way disparage the usefulness of the many conventional systems which will be put forward by these various writers; indeed, such is furthest from my thoughts. As, however, many of these bids suggest that which is not fact, such bids definitely tend to be, shall we say, dishonest in practice, if anyone of tho four players at a table is unfamiliar with the particular convention being employed. Where the same players meet habitually this, of course, docs not apply, for instance at a club, but where bridge is played socially, such conventions as are purely arbitrary are certainly a little out of place. During the various journeyings which I have made I have actually met players who have said to me, "When I am your partner I will call the opposite suit to my real strength—if I bid hearts I hold spades, if diamonds, clubs, etc.," and such abuses have been allowed under the general vague heading and cover of conventions!

Such happenings cannot be legislated against. One can only refuse to make up a table when next requested to do so. The same type of player will occasionally revoke knowingly and purposely because lie will lose a fewer number of points by paying the peiyilty for ft revoke than he would otherwise have done by follbwiiig suit. Thiis, I may'say, is repeatedly done in America, where it is not considered in any way unsportsmanlike, because it is "actually within the law of the game. Naturally we do not consider such action justifiable at any time, yet it ia well to remember that there may be other angles from which this matter can be seen.

The play of the hand is very similar to that of auction, except that one has obtained more definite information by reason of the bidding. The bidding itself is entirely different from auction, especially in the. take-out from weakness which is so important a point at auction. At contract one only bids from strength, and never under any circumstances does one bid into another suit without definite - strength in tho suit named. Next week the whole question of bidding will be gone into, and then we shall be able to'commence actually play: ing the hand, though I would not advo; cato trying to play rubbers at a tbo early stage, as the slower one takes eaeh stage the sooner will one eventually be'eomo proficient.