Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18

Be Told" may be an apt name
for this "inside story" of the true facts con-
corning the birth of the new "Ofhcial System"
OF contract bidding
So many misconceptions of the situation
have arisen that it seems high time to abandon
the policy heretofore held by the Bridge Forum
and accede to the requests Of those readers
who have been asking for light. It had been
held that bridge players are interested in So
called bridge authorities only to the extent of
wishing to know what they advise not caring
how they decided upon that advice. This has
been proved fallacy by repeated questions as
well arguments wherever bridge enthusiasts
foregather. They want to know what Is back
of 1t all and the reasons. They entitled to
know from one who has the facts and
present them diSpaSSionately.
To start at the beginning, Earle S. Sleeves,
, who had been engaged in the merchandising of
bridge supplies by mail order and otherwise for
some years. last Spring went to a general manu-
facturer and business man named F. Dudley
Courtenay with a big idea" The idea was
that bridge players obliged to pay
necessarily high prices for most Of their equip
ment because the average store had to obtain
its goods from hundreds of different sources
in such small lots that it could not obtain a
real wholesale price for them If somebody big
came into the field and furnished store with
everything it needed in bridge goods it would be
q matter of one big order at low price, hence
the store could sell at proper low prices to the
bridge playing public.
Mr.. Sleeves pointed out that to do this
cesSfully the organization must merit the abSo-
lutte confidence of the stores and public alike.
This could be Gone. he argued, If the confidence
OF all the nationally prominent bridge authori-
ties could be won, so that they would become
members of advisory council and guide the
destinies of the organization in all matters
having to do with the game itself. Mr..
Courtenay, enthusiastic bridge fan, did not
merely see the idea; he extended it.
1t Couldn't Be Done, but Vas.
why not" he asked. get an of those
authorities together in the name OF such an
organization to render the greatest possible
service for bridge players everywhere-the
Standardization of contract bidding? This
would enable many more people to take up the
game, people who hitherto have steered away
because Of the confusion of countless systems"
Told by various people that this couldn't be
done, that each authority was committed to
his own particular bidding method Mr.. Courte-
nay decided to see them himself and find out
about it direct. Each OF the first few called
upon said he would gladly join in such a sorely
needed enterprise. but that nobody else would.
That was enough for him. The organization
vas born, the project launched, under the name
q Bridge Headquarters, Inc
Those who asked to accept places
the advisory council, committed to the stand
ardization of bidding, Work, Whitehead,
LEM, Shepard, Reith Lggett, Wyman Jaeger,
Wolfe, French, Adams. Richards, Culbertson,
Scott, Mrs Kerwn and the conductor of this
forum.
Every one of those invited accepted whole
heartedly with the exception of Ely CulbertSon
snd, Gratz M. Scott. The others constitute
the advisory council, with the exceptions of
Wilbur C. Whitehead, who died shortly after
giving invaluable service to the enterprise, and
r. r. Richards, who resigned Victor r. Smith
and Mrs Guy " Purdy have been added to
the council, which with Mr.. Courtenay has 16
members.
The position of Mr.. CubertSon in the matter
has been misunderstood by many of those in
terested in the situation. Mr.. Courtenay spent
three hours early June afternoon in Mr..
Culbertson's Office trying to get the latter to
join with his contemporaries so the job could
be a unanimous one, utilizing every bit of know
ledge gained by the research of all along various
lines. Mr.. Culbertson tried to get Mr.. Courtenay
to have the council acknowledge the Culbert-
son system as already standard everywhere"
and recognize the outstanding author
ity," which terms he would join. Mr..
Courtenay could not do this and did not con-
slider it correct. He did his best to change Mr..
CulbertSon's stand but failed he departed
with regrets that the project could not be quite
unanimous. Mr.. Scott rejected the invitation
because he was member of the Cubertson
teaching forces.
With the organization formed, its first meet
ing was held on June 16 in New York, a date
in bridge annals to be long remembered, the
first occasion on which any prominent bridge
authority agreed to co-ope ate on an equal basis
with other ones to produce the best system their
combined brains could c1ntrive.
What occurred at that meeting and later on
will be told in succeeding weeks This INSTALL
ment should help clear up three misconcep-
lions. First the new group has declared
hat lie