Evening star., 1940-07-28
BRIDGE
The Game and
Its Players
By Frank B. Lord.

IOIIlu SlliIlIIleT UcIllptl dIuicS VI
vailing here during the last week
have had little effect upon contract
players, although electric fans can
not be adjusted easily to afford
them much relief from the heat.
A strong breeze directed across a
table disturbs the cards. In some
of the hotels and clubrooms where
the players gather air-conditionlng
has been installed and this enables
the devotees to play in comfort.
While in most of the social clubs
duplicate games have been Sus-
pended for the summer, rubber
bridge continues to be popular,
although there are one or more
duplicate games every night in the
week, including Sunday. They con-
tinue to draw almost as many play
ers as in the regular season. On
Thursday nights the Chess Club,
located in the Hotel Gordon, puts
away its chess equipment and brings
out the bridge tables for members
and invited guests. There are
usually as many players in July
as in December. On the same night
the Twenty-Four Hundred Club
also has a spirited game at 240O
Sixteenth street NV. The Agri-
culture Bridge Club plays regularly
at the Grafton Hotel, while at Mrs.
D. E. Stephan's Studio there are
five games each week. Mrs. Dixie
Wright has games on Monday eve
ming and Thursday afternoon and
the Railroad Retirement Admins
tration Bridge Club meets weekly
at 20l0 R street NV. The Cheeks
Club and the Washington Whist
Club also are experiencing very little
cessation of the game.
At the Wardman Park Hotel the
Federal Bridge Club, whose mem
bers are Government emploves
meets every Tuesday night in the
year, holding pair game which
is well attended during the summer
months. Its seasonal team games
will be resumed in September
The Washington Bridge League
has just concluded one of its major
events, the play of the master
pairs, those holding masters points
according to the rating of the Amer
lean Contract Bridge League There
are now nearly 100 of these masters
in Washington.
In this contest, the winners were
o. j. Brotman and AL Roth, who
triumphed in two-seSsion match
with a score of 43l. Tied for second
place were Mr.. and Mrs. James H.
Lemon and Mrs. Irene Surguy and
Gene Hermann, each with score of
Alb. DR.. E. B. Connolly and James
G. Stone were fourth with 4O1 points
and Mr.. and Mrs. C. NJ Hall, fifth,
with $685..
A pair game of non-maSters was
played at the same time at the
Shoreham Hotel. In this match first
honors were carried off by Mrs.
Alma Byrne and A. M. Sheppard,
while Mrs Anne o. Grimes and Mrs.
Lena Browning were second.
Meanwhile, Washington players
are attending tournaments in near
by towns. Last week there was one
at Conneaut Lake, Pa, and over the
present week end one is in progress
at Hershey, Pa.
One of the two big national events
of the year will occur during the
first week in August at ASbury Park,
N j. 1t will be the 14th summer
tournament of the American Con-
tract Bridge League. and large
delegation from Washington is
scheduled to take part in the cham
pionship play. Gov. Moore of New
Jersey has issued special invita-
ton to the bridge players of the
country to attend and has promised
them a high degree of entertain
ment.
"It gives me great pleasure" he
said, Ito invite you again to accept
the hospitality of our State, as We
are happy to greet the members of
an organization that provides so
much pleasure and pastime to mil
lions of card players
Two weeks later, the Southern APP
palachian tournament, an event
well attended by Washington play
ers, will be held at Asheville, N. c..
]. L. Roster, Arlington, Va, sub
mits the following highly interesting
deal upon which West made four
hearts. He contends that the con-
tract should have been set one
trick and that North and South
could have made four spades. He
asks what the bidding and play
should have been. In both con-
tentions Mr.. Roster is correct.
The deal was:
AKQJ lo742
095
uA 1O52
= none
As N A9 63
0Ko 10 s3 We 0Ae2
oKQJ743 S nes
VJ74
N6
AK1 1852
West was dealer, and only East
and West we're vulnerable. The
bidding went:
West North East South
10 "a 3D. Pass
80 3A 80 Dbl.
The bidding was very bad on the
part of South, and the play was
equally so by North. North had
' jumped the bidding on the first
round, showing that he had a
strong hand. When East bid three
clubs, South, holding seven of the
suit headed by the king and also
his partners ace, should have
doubled then. East and West
would have been set three on the
hand for a loss of 300 as they were