Evening star., 1940-08-11
BRIDGE
The Game and
Its Players
BY Frank B. Lnrd.

meeting of the summer tournament
OF the American Contract Bridge
League, which has been in session
at Asbury Park, N. j., during the
past week. The play was the ma
tional mixed team of four champion
ship. The Washington foursome-
which had no part in the contro-
versy-showed up remarkably well
ending the event of the day only
one-half point behind the leaders
One of the teams tied for first
place narrowly escaped being heavily
penalized, and another tying team
made mistake in its scoring. Baron
Waldemar Won Zedtwitz's team was
to have included Mrs. Margaret
Wager of Atlanta. When she did
not report for play It became nee
essary to get a substitute, and Miss
Black, New York. was drafted She
reached the scene just moment
before the game started. The team
scored 3812 points. The record for
the team captained by Edward FL
lenbogen, Philadelphia, showed a
score of 38 points. The official
scorers, however, caught an error
which gave the foursome an addi-
tional one-half point and enabled
them to tie with the Won Zedtwitz
quartet.
Then came the mixup. Mr.. and
Mrs. J. H. Block played a deal
against Robert Appleyard and Mrs
Lottie Zetosch in which Mrs. Block
contracted to make seven hearts
After the first lead she spread her
hand, announced she would draw
trumps and claimed seven-odd
Under the rules, drawing trumps''
means taking out all adversely held
trumps-which, If it had been done
would have prevented her from
trumping diamond in dummy nee
essary for the slam. Spreading her
hand also precluded her from taking
a f1nesse. Under protest, she was
allowed to correct her error and to
play the hand as 1t originally would
have been played, which was easy for
a grand slam. Allowing the protest
meant three-way tie for first place
The action Of declarer in spread
ing her hand and claiming all the
remaining tricks is a practice fire.
quently followed by many good play
ers. but 1t often results in a set II
the rules are strictly enforced, as
they should have been in this case
There is no advantage to be gained
except. in some instances, saving
of time In this particular case, by
playing the hand as she had an
nounced, Mrs. Block would have been
set one trick; while by playing it out
she readily would have been able to
make her contract.
The Washington team ranking
next in this event was composed
of DR.. and Mrs. A. j. Steinberg
Louis Newman and Miss Frances
Jacoby, Wilmington, Del With 80
points, against 3S1a for the leaders
they were tied with Cecil Head
Mrs. Mabel Irwin, New York, and
Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert Lent, Bronx
vile, N. Y.
In the opening event Of the mems
pair championships, those two ris-
ing young Washington experts, Al
Roth and o. j. Brotman, were in
vincible. They led both sections
The defending champions, Oswald
Jacoby and John r. Crawford, did
not play together. Mr.. Jacoby was
paired with Edward N. Marcus, Bos-
ton, and was twenty-third in his
section, while Mr.. Crawford, who
played with Charles J. Solomon,
Philadelphia, disappointed his fol-
lowers by score which placed him
thirteenth in the section in which
he was entered.
In the opening session of the
women's pair event, the defending
champions, Mrs. r. c. Young, Phila-
delphia, and Mrs. A. M. Sobel, New
York, also Jared badly, although
they are classed as two of the best
women players in the league. They
finished in the first session in twen-
ty-sixth place in field of SO. Miss
Helen Bonwit and Miss Ruth Sher:
man, New York, were first on the
opening day of the event.
A feature of the early part Of the
tournament was the presentation by
Mrs. Donald B. Tansill, on behalf
OF the league, of a fund of $1,4OO
to Memorial Hospital. New York
The money was raised through
Have Heart, Take Hand" bridge
parties held to support the league s
endowed children's ward in the hos
| pltal. The Washington Bridge
League, an affiliate of the national
body, participated in the contribu-
ton. The money was accepted by
Dr.. Alfred F. Hooker, a member OF
the hospital staff, to help pay the
expenses OF INDECENT children.
A score or more of Washington
players participated in various
events Of the tournament through
out the week. william Cheeks OF
washington assisted William E. Nc
Kinney, secretary Of the league, In
conducting the tournament. mfr
and Mrs. Cheeks also played in the
Presidents Trophy event.
They were boasting at the Ma
tional Press Club of bridge triumphs,
remarkable hands and skillful play
ing, when Frank Albus told of a
game recently played at Rehoboth
Beach. His partner was John F.
Greaney and they were playing a
set game against their respective
wives. In one rubber Mr.. Albus
bid and made grand slam. That
was quite jolt for the girls, but
on the next deal Mr.. Greaney also
bid and made grand slam-two
in succession that was-and the
worst Of 1t was the second slam
could have been set, but q misplay