Evening star., 1938-06-12
In Local Bridge Circles
By Frank B. Lord.

- est thrill that comes to
bridge player, as such, Is prob
O ably the bidding and making
Of q slam. Yet many deals contain
slams that are easily made with only
q modicum OF skill, but they are often
allowed to pass with only game bid
and sometimes less than that. Then
the question always comes, How could
we have reached the slam contract
in the bidding?" The trouble almost
always is the failure to recognize
slam possibilities. For slam bidding
there must be "a certain number of
control cards, generally two positive
controls. plus the necessary playing
tricks to fulfill the contract. These
bids are strong slam invitations: A
forcing bid of two in q suit; bid
Of three no trump; an overcall in op-
ponents' suit: q Jump shift; q Jump
shift rebid and bid Of one more
than is necessary for game. II you
recognize these bids you will reach
many q slam which you may now
miss.
T~HE Federal Bridge League is PLAN
ming for the establishment of .
clubhouse which will serve as its per-
manent headquarters for all purposes.
This does not mean that the club in
tends to erect building. Its members
are not entertaining any such lofty
ambition, but they do propose renting
quarters on an annual basis which
they can equip with all necessary
bridge accessories for conducting their
regular team duplicates during the
winter season and their pair events
throughout the summer, and also pro-
vide q meeting place for such Of
their members as desire to hold pri-
vate party bridge games on their own
account.
At the present time and since its
organization five or six years ago the
league has been holding its sessions
in public halls and hotels where ac-
commodations could be obtained.
Often these are not all that could
be desired In the matter of comfort
and convenience for players. For no
greater cost 1t Is estimated that a
suitable apartment. with nearby park
ing facilities. could be obtained for
the exclusive use of the league and
its members at all times, whether for
league games or private games. The
idea is one that has been advanced
by Miles E. Myers. the newly-elected
pros{dapf of fha 1roo n; ;yo tiox, ord A..
meeting with enthusiastic favor.
Several apartment locations are be-
ing considered, and before the regular
team Of four tournament begins in
the fall the league expects to estab-
lish itself in such quarters. The league
has been steadily growing in numbers,
and while its membership will con-
tinue to be confined to employees OF
the Federal and District governments
and to members of the Army, Navy
and Marine Corps who will play in
the team Of four matches, those who
are not members will be permitted to
play in the pair events.
At the meeting of the league at
the Hotel Grafton on last Tuesday
night the winners in section A were
Lloyd Tubbs and Sam Groves, 1071a
points, first: C. A. Whitten and L.
E. Shmidl, lot, second, and Miss Maize
Buie and w. De st. Aubin, third. In
the second section. played under a
different movement from the first
section, the winners were Lewis Tubbs
and Mrs. c. W. thinner, first, 56
points; Mrs. A. ]. Steinberg and Mrs.
Rose Robins, second, 50 points, and
DR.. Emily Grewes and Mrs. ]. A.
Hodgkins, third, Al points.
IN DUPLICATE bridge there Is
frequently a serious question as
to what q non-vulnerable pair should
do when its vulnerable adversaries
seem destined to make q game or pos
sibly Q slam contract. Should they
deliberately make an overbid and be
set. or allow the other side to make
q contract that cannot possibly be
successfully defended? Often such a
sacrifice bid is made. and even if it is
doubled, as 1t is likely to be the over
bidding side may win the board be-
cause their loss will be less than II
the opposition fills its contract.
Sometimes. however, such an at
tempt proves more disastrous than II
the game going adversaries were left
alone in their bid.
Here is case in point where a
board was played in at least three
different bids. with varying results at
a recent duplicate held at Cathedral
Mansions.