Evening star., 1945-12-23
- A 10 6 z

AAy pSAi Va SlupUO III LllG
South hand and the nine of clubs
in West were wrongly placed to
make an equal division and distri-
button of all the cards. The charac-
ter OF the deal was discovered by
Oswald Jacoby, who at first thought
he had found a deal he had long
been looking for, but subsequently
learned that it was one card off.
The bridge mathematicians since
have been figuring on how many
deals would be normally required to
produce duplicate Of this one. The
estimate runs into many millions.
All OF which proves that 1t is the
distribution OF cards that makes
bridge hands.
The announcement of the opening
OF the Bridge Studio of Washington
at ITS N street NV. last week was
bit premature. The studio is pre-
pared to receive players this week,
however, and will be in operation
on Christmas Day, it is stated. All
organized bridge games here will be
held as usual throughout the holiday
week with the exception of the Gus
tomary Tuesday evening game of
the Federal. 1t will not be held on
Christmas Day.
Beginners at bridge and some
average players often have difficulty
in determining when a partners
HNf1hln &c intended IJ1e s~
asking for take out.
Miss Betty Hughes of Takoma
writes: Last night in a rubber game
my partner doubled a four-spade
contract after had called diamonds.
Having no spades, but eight dia-
monds to the king, jack with the ace
OF hearts, took him out in five dia-
monds and was doubled and set two
tricks. We could have put the op-
ponents down two doubled and vul-
nerable. My partner was cross with
me for making the five-diamond bid.
Please give me some rule that will
guide me in deciding when my part
ner's double is a take-out or for
penalty" -
This request is so well answered
by Mrs. Florence Osborn in her
Bridge Table column that her rule
is given here. THE double of one
no-trump is intended for penalties
and should be taken out only when
the partner has a long suit and a
hand too weak in high card strength
to support the double. The double
of two no-trump is always for pen
alties and should not be taken out.
"A double is intended to be taken
out provided partner has not bid,
doubled or redoubled and provided
the doubled bid is a suit bid of not
more than three. The double of an
opening three is regarded by most
players the same as a double of a
one bid. Since the bidder, however,
must take nine tricks, the doubler's
partner may feel more free to pass
for penalties. A take out double must
be made at the players first oppor-
tunity. If an opponent bids after a
take out double and the doubler S
partner passes, the double may be
repeated as request to bid. But
without an intervening bid, If the
partner passes the first double for
penalties, the pass is regarded as a
response and any later double is
intended for penalties"
This statement gives Miss Hughes
the necessary information.
The duplicate players of the Ma
tional Press Club have applied to
the American Contract Bridge
League to become a master point
unit of that body. At present there
are a half dozen or more such units
in Washington, including the Wash
ington Bridge League. the Federal
Bridge League, the Women's Aux
iliary, the Agriculture Bridge Club,
the Capital City Chess Club and the
Stephan Studio. When the appli-
cation is granted the Press Club
players intend to hold a master
point game once a month, begin
ming in January. Winners of the
regular duplicate last week were M.
o. Ryan and Stephen White, first,
lit; Mr.. and Mrs. David Sentner,
second, 113, and Mrs. Katherine Fen
ton and Mrs. Ira Terrant, third,
110k.