Evening star., 1939-08-13

This announcement was made in
joint statement issued by William
E. McKenney, secretary of the
league, and Ely Culbertson, chair
man of the Laws Committee Of the
international Contract Bridge
League, at the recent summer ma
tional tournament of the league at
Asbury Park, N. j. This means
that the proposal which threatened
to cause great controversy has def
nitely been put aside and will not
enter into such necessary and advis-
able revision of the laws and rules of
bridge as the committee will pro-
mote for 1910.
Early this year the suggestion was
made and gained headway among
some outstanding players, Cd that all
suits except no-trump should have
the same value, 80 points per trick,
with the rank of the suits remaining
as at present for bidding purposes;
CD that there be Subslam bonus
for bidding and making five tricks
grand and little slams to remain as
at present.; go that there be Gre
ated an additional penalty for being
set five tricks or more, in order to
discourage sacrifice bids.
While the American Contract
Bridge League represents organized
bridge and the authority of its laws
is recognized by all bridge players
throughout the country, even upon
the Pacific Coast and in the North
west, where other similar organiza-
tions exist, still the fact remains
that there are actually millions who
play the game who are not affiliated
with it, even though they adhere to
its rulings. Organized bridge plays
duplicate bridge, while the unorgan-
lied devotees of the game play rub
ber or progressive bridge, the most
of them the former. They consti-
tute probably IS per cent of the
bridge players of the country. All
of them, however, to the extent of
millions, recognize the laws of the
American Contract Bridge League.
When the proposal above stated
was first advanced it aroused no lit
tie protest, not only among the un-
organized players but the organized
players as well. In recognizing the
objection survey was taken which
resulted in showing that an over
whelming majority of the players
desire their game as it is and want
no changes made in the scoring
rules. This writer at that time took
a very definite position against the
proposed changes, believing that
they were opposed by a decided ma
jority of Washington players, and
some reasons were assigned for the
opposition. 1t is quite evident that
others throughout the country were
similarly minded and made their
feelings known to the Laws Revi-
sion Committee of the league. The
result has been the announcement
that there will be no changes in
the scoring rules. The outcome of
the whole matter is very gratifying,
especially to those who fought
against the change, and will be well
coined by bridge players throughout
the country.
In compliment to James H Lemon
president of the American Contract
Bridge League, many Washington
players attended its summer tourna-
ment at Asbury Park, N. j., either
as participants or as kibitzers, but
unfortunately the results show that
they did not figure among the lead
ers in any of the several contests.
New Workers represented more than
one-half of the tournament and
carried away most of the honors.
Only here and there were top scores
won by outsiders. 1t may have been
because they were the best PLAYERS
or it may have been because they
were present in larger numbers,
somewhat out of proportion to the
rest of country, but Whatver it was,
they left little in the way of trophies
and championships for the fans
from the hinterland. A few Phila-
delphians showed, but they we're
generally poor second to the play
ers from the metropolis.
A feature of the tournament quite
apart from the play itself was the
arrangements made for kibitzers to