CONTRACT BRIDGE Ban On Players Causes British Withdrawal

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31628, 14 March 1968, Page 11

CONTRACT BRIDGE Ban On Players Causes British Withdrawal

(Contributed by J R W ) One of the most satisfying aspects of the current bridge boom is the falling average age of the newcomers. Contract bridge has always flourished in the universities, and now in England there are schools’ competitions in which by all accounts the play reaches a high standard. For some time there have been international matches between teams below the age of 35, but this year there will be a full European bridge championship for players under 30. Despite such signs of progress, the game at the top is in a sorry state. The great cheating charge of Buenos Aires is still, after nearly three years, unsolved. England’s leading partnership, Terence Reese and Boris Shapiro, were accused of signalling illegally by varying the positions of their fingers holding the cards. Found guilty on the spot by the World Bridge Federation, they were subsequently cleared by an independent tribunal set up by the English Bridge Union. This verdict, accepted by the Euro-, pean authorities, was re* jected by the world body which, it is fair to say, tends to be American-dominated. Spice was added to the whole affair by the news that their American accusers were themselves charged with cheating, an allegation which was found to be groundless. Players Banned

A World Bridge Olympiad will be held this year, and in an effort to clear the air the English Bridge Union asked the World Bridge Federation if Reese or Shapiro would be allowed to play should they be selected. The answer wa< no, so England has announced that it will will not take part at all. The authorities between them have created a situation where some countries will not participate if Reese or

Shapiro plays, some will not participate if they do not and the rest would like to forget the whole thing. Meanwhile the E.B.U. has had troubles of its own. Last year, having announced a system of selecting its team for the European championship based on the results of a long series of trials, it did not stick to it when making the final choice. The result was a strike by the leading players and the formation of a Master Players’ Association with most laudable objects, as protests and arguments winged back and forth. Eventually a team was scrambled together which performed in the circumstances most creditably to finish fourth, but six months later the dust has barely settled. We cannot, of course, expect to rival this sort of thing in New Zealand, though the seeds of future conflict may be germinating even now. As soon as it was announced recently that a team would be sent to play against Australia this year, discussion began over the best method of selection. No decision has yet been made, but everyone in the remotest degree likely to be in the running is busily engaged propounding the method which will give him the best chance of selection. Ignorance is Bliss The average player, in blissful ignorance of these upsets, goes on as always making bad bids, misplaying his hands, and hoping for help from the defence. On this deal, however, South did not get it

There was nothing wrong with the final contract of three no-trumps played by South, against which West led the king of spades. The declarer allowed this to win and he also played low on the continuation of the spade queen. West realised that while the lead of the jack of spades would establish the rest of his suit he had no

vestige of an entry to enable him to run it He therefore switched to a small heart, which South won in his own hand with the jack, a piece of economy he was later to regret. The declarer played off the ace and queen of clubs, but East refused to take his king and the position had become:—

Another club was won by the king, the third trick for the defence, and then East led the king of diamonds. Too late the declarer saw the danger. If he took dummy's ace he would be cut off from the king and queen of hearts, for thanks to his lack of foresight at the third trick this suit was still blocked by the ace. He therefore played low from both hands allowing East to hold the trick, but the latter was aware of the situation and continued with a small diamond. It would do no good to overtake his ten with dummy’s ace, so South won in his own hand and cashed his remaining established clubs and the aces of hearts and spades. Eventually however he had to concede the fifth defeating trick when his eight of spades lost to West. The declarer had found that sometimes the ace of hearts can be a liability.