Tournament Bridge

Bridge is one of the oldest card games still being played. Once known as euchre, it passed through various stages and was successively known as whist, partnership whist, auction bridge, and finally, contract bridge. The game holds a beguiling interest to most people because it is undoubtedly the most challenging of all card games, combining skill in bidding, play of the hand and, also, the subtle art of gamesmanship. Gamesmanship, as defined in an amusing book on the subject by Stephen Potter, is the art of winning without actually cheating. In bridge, the expert uses gamesmanship, when he not only plays his cards but also his opponents, in attempting to gain the maximum from the hand.

Because bridge is considered a game of skill rather than chance, it is perfectly legal to play for money and stakes may range from one hundredth of a cent a point in a game with four maiden ladies who still enjoy auction bridge to as high as fifty cents a point with top ranking players who are wealthy enough or proficient enough to be able to indulge their gaming urge.

Tournament bridge is played primarily for laurels, however. All tournaments are conducted under the auspices of the American Contract Bridge League. This non-profit organization runs the tournaments, awards trophies to the winners and, through a rating system, ranks the players who participate on the basis of the tournaments they have won.

Tournaments are conducted on the match point system. To understand this, you must understand the difference between tournament bridge and the ordinary brand of rubber bridge most people play. In tournaments, everyone sitting in a certain direction (North, East, South, or West) plays the same hands. This is accomplished by dealing out a hand and placing it in a "board" which has pockets for the cards. As a hand is played out, instead of throwing the cards into the center of the table to be gathered up by the winner of the trick, they are placed in front of the players and returned to the "board" after play is concluded. On the next round, another person sitting in the same position can play the identical hand. Points are scored by gaining a better result with the same cards than other players sitting in the same position. One point is given for each player you beat, sitting your way, one-half a point for a tie score and no points, of course, for getting a smaller score from the hand. The person who has the greatest number of "match-points" is the winner of the tournament.

In tournament bridge you are, in reality, competing not against your actual opponents, but against players at other tables who are sitting in your same direction. Since each hand is a separate contest, bidding a grand slam may be of less importance than making an overtrick at a part-score contract. (continued on page 46)Bridge (continued from page 25) All in all, tournament bridge is a better test of a player's skill since it greatly reduces the element of luck which is such an important factor in rubber bridge.

The best way to learn to play well is to compete against strong opponents. Tournament bridge is an excellent, inexpensive way for the average player to play against the experts and, in so doing, improve his game.

The experts play in tournaments for a variety of reasons: some for the sheer love of the game, others to win prestige for business reasons (books, newspaper columns, teaching), and others to meet old friends and lift a few of those cups that cheer.

The biggest tournaments, the Bridge Nationals, are held in August and December and attract players from all over the country. Many come for the experience of competing against the top-ranking players and, also, to try for the awards and prizes given out. Since one of the events, the Masters Team carries with it an all-expense-paid trip to meet the European champions for the international title and others reward the winners with merchandise worth a good deal of money, all the players are not solely driven by the competitive urge. However, in the main, the players put out a good deal of money and time, as do most amateurs in other sports, for the chance to compete.

The players at a tournament are an interesting bunch. Most of them are extremely extroverted and very confident of their abilities; very few could be described as shrinking violets. They range from social register ladies who come formal for evening play to a superstitious expert who wears brightly colored berets and keeps changing them as his fortunes wax and wane.

There are those who are always willing to give or take a bet on their ability, or on yours, to beat them or the entire field. One of my biggest "kicks," aside from winning the two major events at the 1953 Summer Nationals, was cashing in on a 40-to-l bet that I wouldn't win the Masters Pairs at that tournament. Since I had put $10 on my nose, for sentiment's sake, it was a very welcome windfall.

What does it take to become an expert bridge player? Can anyone with practice, become one? I'd say, no. Some have neither the interest nor capacity to play really expert bridge. They either give up the game after a few attempts at it or remain at the same level that I do in golf -- a happy duffer. There is a knack, a sort of card-sense, that is required to play really expertly. This knack, incidentally has nothing to do with mathematical ability. A number of the nation's top players would have difficulty getting through a beginning course in algebra, or adding up a grocery list, for that matter. The knack to play really expertly seems to be something inborn, and a person either has it or doesn't. Without it, you'll never win an event in a tournament, but you can have just as much fun at the game as those who do.

All that's really required to play good social bridge is a reasonable knowledge of bidding and a passable ability to play and defend a hand. It cannot be overstressed that bidding is conceded to be the most important aspect of the game. The most brilliant player in the world can't bring in a hand if he is in a hopeless contract; a mediocre player can bring in a hand if it has been reasonably bid.

An expert would rather play with an average player who can arrive at a reasonable contract than one who has mastered all the intricacies of play and defense, who knows all the obtuse squeezes and coups, but can't bid well.

An important thing for any player to realize is his limitations. Just as I wouldn't attempt to drive the green on a 250-yard hole, so the average player should refrain from bidding games and slams that he thinks will be extremely close and that he will have to play over his head to make. (continued on page 48) Bridge (continued from page46) It is far better to play a part-score and make an overtrick than to bid a game and go down one.

As one is learning the game, it is wise to be conservative. As a player gains experience and knowledge, he can start bidding the close games and slams as, by then, he will have the ability to bring home the difficult hands.

One of the hands that came up in this year's International Match at Monte Carlo illustrates the importance of bidding:

All Vulnerable.

North

S. A K 8 6 5

H. 6

D. A J 8

C. K 7 4 3

West

S. J 9 3

H. K 10 7 5 2

D. K 9 6

C. 9 5

East

S. Q 10 2

H. Q J 3

D. Q 7 5 3 2

C. J 10

South

S. 7 4

H. A 9 8 4

D. 10 4

C. A Q 8 6 2

The American team bid this hand to a small slam and made seven when all the suits split. The French team, holding the same cards, arrived at three no-trump and lost 760 points on the hand. Since the American team won by only 4200 points overall, this one hand represented one-sixth of the winning margin.

Right up next to bidding on my list of bridge musts, I'd put keeping one's composure. It is, of course, always our partner who makes the mistakes and it sometimes takes real self-control to refrain from dropping little barbs into the conversation like, "Why didn't you bring your head along with you for the game tonight?"

Composure pays off, however. You'll play a better game and so will your partner, if you take the bad breaks philosophically, don't try to play one another's hands, and figure there's always the next round coming up, with a chance to even the score.

Talking about telling someone how to play a hand reminds me of why I quit claiming tricks. Once, playing against two middle-aged ladies, I played out the first few tricks, then laid down my hand and claimed the rest of the tricks as ours. They asked me to play it out, which I proceeded to do, taking all the remaining tricks. I then excused myself to get a drink.

When I returned, my partner filled me in on what had happened during my absence. The two ladies had taken offense at my action and had told my partner that they considered me a little obnoxious for claiming the hand. My partner, a very well-mannered fellow, attempted to defend me, saying that the claiming of tricks was not an unusual practice, that it saved time, and that he didn't consider my actions obnoxious. To this, one of the ladies replied, "Well, you wouldn't--you're rather obnoxious yourself." It would have been rather difficut to top that, so my partner and I conceded the ladies the honors and in the future I played out all my hands.

If you play sociable rubber bridge and want to win more than you do now, or if you never hold any cards and want to minimize your losses, here are a few tips that may be of help:

The only way that you can tell your partner that you have a bad hand is to pass. When your partner has opened the bidding and you have a mediocre hand either pass or bid one no-trump to slow him down.

When you have opened the bidding on a minimum hand and your partner responds, either rebid your suit or bid one no-trump to show that you have nothing in excess of your original opening bid. The same applies when your opponents start over-calling. If you have opened a minimum hand, pass at your first opportunity to allow your partner the chance to double the opposition, raise your suit, or to concede the hand to them. The greatest losses occur when a partnership keeps bidding and rebidding the same values. Before you realize it, you're over your heads, the opposition doubles, and you eat at hamburger heaven the rest of the week.

Also, when you and your partner have a majority of the high cards but don't have a good fit in any one suit, the smartest thing to do is pass, and hope for a better break next hand. There's no point in bidding and re-bidding your six card heart suit, when your partner stubbornly insists on taking it out to his seven card suit in spades.

Caution can be overdone too, of course. When your partner has opened the bidding and you have a good hand, you should be thinking about the possibilities of bidding game. After you've responded and your partner has made a rebid, giving you a clearer idea of the partnership's assets, if you still think there's a game in the cards, don't be a coward, go ahead and bid it. This will eliminate all those arguments where a guy has been passed out by his partner after what he considered to be a forcing bid. And you will have the advantage of having reached game without revealing all your strength to your opponents, making it more difficult for them to defend against it. That can sometimes make the difference in bringing home a shaky contract.

Even the experts sometimes arrive at unreasonable contracts and sometimes, with a little luck, bring them home. Here's an example from last year's Summer National:

North

S. K J 7 6

H. A K Q 7

D. Q J 9

C. 10 5

West

S. 9 5 2

H. 10 9 6

D. A 10 8 6 4 2

C. K

East

S. 8 3

H. J 8 5 3 2

D. K 7

C. J 7 6 3

South

S. A Q 10 4

H. 4

D. 5 3

C. A Q 9 8 4 2

After North had opened with one no-trump, South reached a contract of six spades. In playing the hand, West failed to lead a diamond and the slam was made by guessing the club situation. Since I played the South hand, and it was printed in Life Magazine, I still get questions that boil down to: "Do you have to be an expert to make a slam bid when your opponents hold enough tricks to set you from the very start?" I always answer, "No, but it helps."

The expert often has an edge in a game, beyond his actual skill. Opponents are apt to be awed by his reputation. It's a good idea to remember, when playing a so-called expert, or anyone better than you, that no one can make an ace out of a deuce. If the expert gets himself into an un-makeable contract, he'll go down the same as anyone else. It is the nervous or unsure player who gives "presents" to the expert, and permits him to walk away with the big winnings at rubber or tournament bridge. The average player can hold his own, if he refuses to concede victory before the hand is played. I wouldn't say that he will beat a really expert player very often, but he should be able to make him work plenty for his points, and there is always another hand coming up.

If you play much bridge, you're probably a confident player, with or without reason, and that's what makes the game so much fun. If the last hand went against you, it's "Tough luck, partner, if the finesse had worked we would have made it. But deal those cards, we'll kill you this time!"

About the author: If bridge has a world's champion, he's a twenty-four year old guy named William Rosen. He won last year's Mc-Kinney Trophy for the best performance of the year, accumulating the highest number of points scored by any individual player in championship tournaments. His team won the Master's Team of Four and Master's Pair competitions at the national tournament in St. Louis, and the first part of this year, he and other members of the U.S. team won the international bridge finals at Monte Carlo. As this issue goes to press, he is in Washington, D.C., defending his national titles.