Evening star., 1940-11-10
BRIDGE
The Game and
Its Players
Bv Frank B. Lord.

NlIll Vic blSeCob CfCiAt Va eiiC
year in local bridge, the 10th annual
tournament, now over except for
team-of -four games being played
today at the Shoreham Hotel, Capt.
tai players will have nearly months
respite before entering the winter
nationals to be held in Philadelphia
the first week of next month. Local
duplicate games, many of which
were suspended last week because
OF election and the tournament
will be resumed.
Interest will be centered largely
upon the outcome of the Clifford
Challenge Cup match which has
been in progress at stated intervals
for the past 18 months and which
may be decided finally in the next
two or three rounds. One team,
comprising S. G. Churchill, Repre-
sentative John C. Kunkel and Mr..
and Mrs. A. P. Stockvis, already has
won 1t six times, the last four
consecutively, and the experts look
for the teams possible success in
the next two or three sessions.
This is the second challenge cup
given by Col. Clifford, and under
the rules which govern the play
for it, eight wins are required for
one foursome before it becomes
their permanent possession.
In the first challenge cup contest,
Col. Clifford provided that the prize
must be won Is times by one team
before being finally awarded. Two
other teams, one captained by
James H. Lemon and consisting of
himself, Mrs. Lemon, Lewis r. Wat
son, Al Roth and Mrs. w. Van
Devanter, alternate, and the second
directed by Col. Clifford, have been
successful four times. Col. Clifford's
teammates are o. L. Veerhoff, M.
C. Stark and P. w. Shepard. The
remaining contestants have won
only once or twice.
Because of attention the match
is attracting in the Washington
Bridge League, its sponsor, Paul E.
Golden, the secretary, has compiled
history of the event.
Eleven teams entered the COM
petition on March Is, 1899, to de-
termine which should be designat-
ed as the defender of the cup. In
this game the victors were John D.
Mothershed, Oscar j. Brotman, Lou
is Newman and Al Roth, but be-
ing merely nominal defenders they
were not credited with a win. The
team making the second largest
score was given the right of chal-
lenge. This honor went to the
team of Mr.. and Mrs w. de st. Au-
bin, Mrs. C. R. Kavanaugh and
Lewis Tubbs for having defeated
Tom Hamlin, DR.. E. B. Connolly,
w. M. Mcintyre and Gene Herman,
alternate The Mothershed team
won and thus gained its first cred
1t.
In the next game it lost to the
Hamlin team, which held it against
two successive challenges. II then
lost to the Clifford team. which won
it four times in succession, twice
against the Hamlin team, once
against the Lemon team and once
against a foursome comprising 1t.
Comdr. w. A. Corley, DR.. c. c..
Mcdonnell, F. M. Lake and D. c..
Elliott.
In the game that followed the
winners were Mr. Newman, Mr..
Roth, Mr.. Brotman. DR.. A. j. Stein
berg and Paul Kibler. alternate. In
turn, they lost to the team of Mr.
Tubbs, Mrs. Kavanaugh, Mrs. Eve
lyn Woodside, James G. Stone and
Mr.. de st. Aubin, alternate. Then
the Churchill team, with Herbert
Shepard substituting for Mrs.
Stockvis, stepped into the picture
and won for the first time They
recorded another victory against
Mrs. N. T. N. Robinson, Mr.. Moth
ershed, Mrs. C. S. Athey and Mr..
Kibler.
In their next attempt the Church
i'll team lost to the Lemon team,
which then won four consecutive
times and In their fifth defense
game, surrendered to the Churchill
team, which has since won three
times more in succession.
Some interesting hands developed
in practice games played in the
various studios in preparation for
the recent tournament. Miss Ger
trude c. asks for advice as to
what her course should have been
in the following circumstances as
she sat in East position. South
was dealer and opened with one
diamond, West doubled, North
passed and East bid one spade.
Thereupon South passed and West
now bid one no-trump which North
passed.
East held these cards:
J109873
q
K1074
4 IA
Miss Cs problem concerned what
she should do after her partner
had first doubled one diamond and
bid one no-trump on the second