GREAT BRIDGE BATTLE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 301, 19 December 1931, Page 23 (Supplement)

GREAT BRIDGE BATTLE.

Fight of the Century in U.S.A. NEW YORK, December 10. The battle of the century is on. American papers to-day give more space to a contract bridge game than to the opening of Congress. Sidney Lenz and his partner, Oswald Jacobs, playing the official system, were 1715 points ahead in their 150 rubber contract bridge match against Mr and Mrs Ely Culbertson and the Culbertson system. America is baseball mad, but the national game never got such a front page display as this contract bridge game. Curiously enough, it is the one contest which cannot be efficiently broadcast by radio. In three hours the players disposed of three rubbers. Culbertson said that Lenz and Jacobs had dreadnoughts in v holdings, and that if the cards had been reversed the Culbertsons would have had 4000 points. Culbertson was especially critical of the failure of his opponents to bid more. Lenz replied that doubling by his side would have driven the Culbertsons into other suits and making successful contracts. All agreed that there was nothing sensational in the handling of the cards after dummy was down. Lenz fulfilled five contract, Jacobs and Mrs Culbertson made it three times each, and Culbertson once. The greatest argument developed from the second hand, when Mrs Culbertson set four on a bid of five diamonds. Lenz claimed she had a slam in clubs.