Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-06
By Frank B. Lord.

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Into the whist family now comes
the latest member, known rs Hy-
Lo contract, which struck New York
with 4 bang last week and has
moved on to Washington, where
1t was exhibited at the annual tour
nament of the Washington Bridge
League and aroused keen interest
among the players rs to its fascinat-
ing possibilities.
Hy-Lo contract does not involve
any change in the game 50 far as
bidding and playing are concerned.
Any system as well As the stand
ardized code Is equally adaptable
to it. Nothing that has been learned
about contract Is made obsolete, and
all present knowledge of the game
can be utilized without change.
What it does do, according to its
sponsors and those who have played
1t, is to eliminate the holding of
poor hands. 1t is quite impossible
to hold 4 Marlborough. 1t tends
to abolish the element Of luck and
places q premium upon skill by Of
fering each player the choice of
two separate and distinct hands.
There is practically no possibility
for a partnership not to have at
least an opening bid. Every bid
and every play in Hy-Lo is the same
as In ordinary contract. The bids,
the doubles. the scoring and the
penalties are the same, and the only
thing taken away from contract is
the holding of poor hands.
Hy-Lo contract is not played with
cards: therein is the big difference
from the customary game of con-
tract. Instead 1t Is played with
plastic tiles somewhat resembling
and about the size of domino, so
designed that the player has the
choice of two hands, one of which
is usually as good as the other is
poor. Each tile contains two char
acters representing either the court
or honor cards or the pip cards.
Each tile is divided in the center
by 4 clasp, 50 that when the
player draws his quota Of Is tiles
he has before him two complete
sets of hands. Those above the
clasp are classified as In the high
field" and those below 1t IS in the
low field"
There are SO tiles in . deck" IS
for each player, and one which is
used to indicate the dealer after the
cut has been made and is passed
on to the left after each deal. When
each player has drawn his quota
the tiles are arranged on a rack
before him. The dealer makes the
first bid or pass. II he bids he must
designate the field in which he is
bidding, such as one high heart or
one low club. Any type of bid used
in any system, as the forcing bid,
the pre-emptive bid or the double,
may be employed. As the auction
progresses the player may change
the field in which original or any
subsequent bids are made.
In the case Of q take-out double
the doubler specifics the field. high
or low. in which he is doubling, as
for example. dealer bids one low
spade and second hand may double
In the high fleld. In the auction
neither field outranks the other, so
that one high club may not over
call one low club. It requires two
club bid or q bid Of a higher rank
ing suit.
When the auction is completed
TIA elilAs
either up or down so as to obliter-
ate the characters In the field which
Is not being played. The oppor-
tunity to bid in either of two fields
makes the competition spirited and
exciting. After the contract is de-
cided upon the leader sets his open
ing lead and the rack containing
the tiles Of the dummy Is exposed
rs in card contract and the play
proceeds as in the ordinary game,
the winning tile being placed by
the one who plays it in a vertical
position, while losing tiles are placed
in horizontal position, as cards are
placed in duplicate.
Scoring is exactly the same as in
contract and all contract laws and
rules apply. The advantage claimed
for Hy-Lo contract is that by offer
ing the player the choice of two
sets of hands the factor of bad luck
Is overcome. Theoretically, with
players OF equal ability the score
would be zero. but actually plus or
minus Is determined by skill and
the errors made by each side.