Evening star., 1938-12-18
By Frank B. Lord.

After being played for in upwards
OF so matches the Clifford Challenge
Cup is to be won and finally awarded
for permanent possession this week
as the outcome of contest to take
place on Wednesday evening, De-
cember 81, at the Shoreham Hotel
under the auspices of the Washing
ton Bridge League.
The handsome silver trophy was
offered more than two years ago
by Col. Edward Clifford, former
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,
to the foursome which should win
it Is times against any and all
challenging teams of four. Since
that time it has been buffeted back
and forth among half a dozen or
more contesting teams which have
held temporary possession of it. Now,
there are two teams each of which
has won it IA times and the tug of
war comes between them next We'd
nesday night and the winner will
gain the coveted prize. The two
teams comprising the match will
consist Of Mr.. and Mrs. James H.
Lemon, Lewis r. Watson, jr., and
Louis Newman, and DR.. E. B. Con-
oily, Tom Hamlin, Simon Gerber
and Leroy Thurtell. The makeup
OF these teams is not exactly the
same as it was at the outset Of the
competition, owing to the illness of
some and the removal of other
players from the city, but they have
maintained their identity sufficiently
to be known as the Lemon and the
Connolly teams.
The contest has been conducted
as a team match in connection with
the regular team games of the
league. There have been prelimi-
nary games between rival teams
for the right to challenge the tenn
porary holders of the cup and at
one time, several months ago the
Lemon team was in striking distance
with 13 victories against II by the
Conolly team. Their defeat in sew
eral matches which followed en-
abled the Conolly team to come up
on even terms with them with the
result that the final struggle is to
take place between them with the
deciding game in the balance. +,
So successful and spirited has
been the contest that Col. Clifford
has announced that he will i'm
mediately offer another challenge
cup for competition.
r. r.
c. B. Pennebaker, star player Of
the Washington Bridge League, has
perfected a device whereby bridge
fans can follow the bids and plays
made by the experts at the recent
18th annual national championships
tournament even though they were
not in attendance at the big meet.
Bridge Journeys draw small audi
ences apart from those who are
actual participants for the reason
that there is practically no oppor-
tunity for onlookers to observe with
any degree of accuracy what is hap
pening at the different tables where
the contest is interesting and ex-
citing
In the device worked out by Mr..
Pennebaker the outstanding hands
in actual play at the tournament
are set forth on a sheet and shown
through series of windows so that
they may be seen as if the cards
were spread out face up on table
The dealer and the state Of vulner-
ability are also shown. The player is
thus enabled to bid the hands as he
believes they should be bid and to
make the plays as they would nor
mally be made II a foursome were
handling the cards. Each play in the
order In which it is made is then
indicated on spaces provided for that
purpose, and check mark shows
the hand in which it was won. When
the deal is completed the cover is
raised and there is revealed the pre-
else play by play that was made by
the actual players in the tournament.
Accompanying this there is also a
statement by the tournament player
explaining why he bid the contract
and the reason which he assigns for
each lead and play. In this manner
the average player or novice can
either justify his own method of
bidding or playing. or discover the
mistakes he may have made.
Only such hands as afford in the
minds of most players questions as
to the proper bidding and proper
play and which questions have been
successfully resolved by the tour