Evening star., 1939-03-05
Bv Frank B. Lord.

Along about this time of the year
when all nature Is terminating and
preparing to bring forth new fruit.
the mind of the bridge racketeer
also becomes active in an effort to
propagate a new idea. The word
racketeer is not used here in an
offensive sense, but rather to indi-
cate one who seeks to inaugurate a
change in the existing order, per-
haps more for the purpose of profit
than for the improvement of the
game.
It was so just a year ago, when
bridge gentry of this type sought to
engraft upon q contented bridge
playing public that monstrosity
called "five-suit bridge" 1t could
scarcely be argued that it was an
improvement, but it was a crude
attempt to satisfy the craving for
a change which some enthusiastic
fans seem to possess. Its sponsors
loudly proclaimed that it would over
shadow the standard game of con-
tract and that within six months
everybody would be playing the
crowns" or the "eagles" as the
game was termed according to ones
nativity.
The prediction was made in this
column that 1t would "die a-bornin,'
and so it did. not because of that
prophecy, but because flve-suit
bridge had nothing to recommend
it, and everything to disqualify 1t.
Within the six months every one
who attempted the game had given
it up.
Now comes another suggestion
for change. not so radical. nor so
absurd as its predecessor, but never
theless one that, if made. would
more or less seriously impair the
settled satisfaction which the con-
tract-playing public now has with
respect to its game. The subject
has been rumored about in bridge
circles here and elsewhere for sew
eral months, but since the bridge
authorities promised that there
would be no important alterations
in the game before the promulga-
ton of the 1910 rules, the topic
has advanced no further than the
gossip stage.
The Association of American Play
ing Card Manufacters who had an
unfortunate and perhaps costly AK
perience in the production of five
suit decks are now seeking to sound
copfiy,oopf for
posals which are suggested for in
corporation in the standard rules
and regulations Of next year.
The QUESTIONABLE submits the fol-
lowing:
/. Do you favor making all suits
Except no trump)-of one value
80 points per trick (the rank of
suits to remain as at present for
bidding purposes?
2. Do you favor establishing a
sub-slam bonus for bidding and
making five <icks grand and little
slam bonuses to remain as at pres
ent)?
3. Do you favor creating an ad-
ditional penalty for being set five
tricks or more. in order to dis
courage sacrifice bids?
These questions have been sent
to bridge experts, bridge editors
and others, and the result of the
survey will doubtless be submitted
to the bridge lawmaking powers for
their consideration in connection
with next years rules.
The answer to these questions so
far as this writer is concerned, is
mo" Emphatically no with re-
spect to the first, and perhaps a
bit less emphatically toward the
other two which would not cause
as much disturbance to the present
orderly procedure of bridge playing,
as would the first one.
Bridge propagandists contend
that there are upward of 15,000.-
900 Americans playing the game.
We can take set of three or four
millions on that declaration and
still there are a goodly number of
fans and the vast majority of them
are we'll content with the game as
1t is now constituted. Any radical
change would upset the skill they
have acquired, and perhaps dis
courage others, for certainly the
novices could justly argue that the
constantly occurring changes would
make the game uninviting to them.
Card valuations in most games
are purely arbitrary. 1t is the varia-
ton in values that gives Zest and
adds interest to the game There