The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-09
LEM INCREASES
LEAD IN BRIDGE
BY $50 POINTS
No Fair Test of Systems
Shown Yet, Asserts
Expert on Cards.

By United Press
NEW YORK. Dec. 9.-Sidnev S.
Lenz, grim champion of the new
official system in contract bidding.
retains his lead over Ely Culbertson
after session two of the battle Of the
bridge theories.
Lenz and his partner. stockv
young Oswald Jacoby, bagged four
of the seven rubbers played Tues
day night and boosted their adj
vantage Of It's to 2,O75, a gain OF
800 points for the day.
Culbertson, a thorough Snowman.
waited until everything was ready
for the opening deal of the evening.
saw to it that the press was ably
represented behind the leather
screen which shields the PLAYERS
from kabitzers, then calmly asked
if any one present would like to bet
$500 against his 81 900 that he and
his wife, Josephine. will not win.
Taken" snapped Jacoby.
Offers Another 1000
CulbertSon raised his brows,
looked rather scornfully at Jacoby.
then smiled.
DO you want another thousand?"
he asked.
Jacoby said he would think it over
and let Ely know later.
oh, we'll" Culbertson said. II
might as well tell you that I've got
$4,000 I'll bet at to l odds that 10
and beat you"
So far as could be learned. there
were no takers, other than the one
$500 bet with Jacoby.
1t began to be evident today. how
ever, that the widely heralded 15O-
rubber conflict would be really con-
elusive only to the players them
SelveS-if to them.
Strategy Not of Best
AT least one stock-holdinp NOM
Der OF Bridge Headquarters. Inc.
sponsor of the official system. as
serted that LEM and Jacoby had
changed the official one-two-three
values so much that their pIav
offered no fair test of their system.
This statement was made after
Lenz had made an opening forcing
three bid on a hand which con-
tanned the tempting ace-king-uueen
combination in two suits. both
minors. '
Jacoby holding an ace-king. re-
sponded with three no trump and
the hand was played, and won. at
Tour no trump, no slam being in
sight. e -
The forcing three bid worked adj
mlrably, but the contention of the
dissenting official system advocate
was that it was unjustifed.
Some of the strategy was not NJ
the best in the second session.
There was, for instance, the follow
ing hand:
SPADES-9 s
HEARTS-o J 8 s5 3
DIAMONDS
CLUBS-7
CULBERTSON
SPADES-Q 4 "a
HEARTS-K
DIAMoNDs-s
oLUBS-1O "a
MRS. CULBERTsoN
sFADES-K IS
HEARTS, "a
DIAMONDS $50
CLUBS-A K
JACOBY
SPADES-A 10
HEARTS+A 10
DIAMONDS-A X o 10
CLUBS-Q Q 2
Jacoby opened with the inter-
mediate two bid of which the Of
f1cial system advocates are proud.
The Culbertsons passed throughout.
Lenz. bid two hearts, Jacoby two
no trumpS, LEM three hearts. ia
CODY three no trump and LEM four
hearts.
Loss Is Only S2.O7
He made five. At double dummy,
taking the singleton king of hearts,
with the ace instead of trying a
f1nesSe, little slam can be made,
but with four hearts out, the de-
clarer would be taking undue lib
critics if he attempted such a play.
The most searching analysis Of
play in the first two sessions of the
contest fails to give any basis for
a strictly neutral Judgment upon.
the rival systems of bidding. OF
the ten rubbers, the LEM team has
won six on the basis of games, and
the Culbertson team four. On a
basis of net score per rubber, the
LEM team has won seven, the Gull
bertScns three.
But for the ten rubbers, the Lenz
margin of 2,075 points amounts to
only 207 per rubber and at the tenth
Of cent point which probably
marks the normal household con-
tract, the total loss of the GILBERT
sons for the ten rubbers would be
a trif1ing $207.