1940: Contract Bridge

Despite expectations that 1940 was going to be a very active year in contract bridge, the spread of the war, quiescent in early 1940, diminished preoccupation with bridge activities. The main activity halted was the drafting of the new code of laws, work on which had started late in 1939. The rubber bridge laws are under the supervision of a triple body consisting of the Portland Club of London, the Commission Francaise du Bridge of Paris, and the Whist Club of New York. These groups had been in communication with each other for months. But when the war spread, all negotiations ceased, and Harold S. Vanderbilt, chairman of the Whist Club Committee, announced that work on the new code would wait for later English and French cooperation.

This announcement met with the unqualified approval of the American players because it gave them a little respite from learning new laws and adapting their game to meet them, and, being in full sympathy with their English and French brother bridge players, the Americans felt it only fair that the latter groups be consulted before making the new code official. In connection with the war, contract bridge players responded generously for the beleaguered countries. Hundreds of huge bridge parties were held all over the country to aid England, France, and Finland. Thousands of dollars were raised via these parties to relieve the suffering of the people in the beleaguered areas. More than thirty ambulances were purchased, equipped, and manned for the fighting democracies.

Since all the bridge authorities were marking time, waiting for the new laws, no radical changes were made in any of the systems in vogue. The Culbertson System, used by over 90 per cent of the estimated 15,000,000 players, remained the same. Word came out late in 1940, however, that a new and simplified Culbertson System was in the making, and was due for official release in March, 1941. Ely Culbertson is personally working on the new system, and has announced a few of the contemplated changes. One of them is lowering the requirements for an opening bid. It has been Mr. Culbertson's opinion that too many hands were being passed out that, if opened, could score a 'partial,' or possibly a game. To encourage lighter opening bids, he is assigning certain honor-trick values to void suits and singletons. Another contemplated change is in the biddable suit requirements. Heretofore, a minimum biddable suit has been defined as a suit headed by a jack and at least one other higher honor. By scaling these requirements down to a four-card suit headed by only a jack, or any higher honor, Mr. Culbertson believes there will be more flexibility in the choice of opening suit bids, which will work hand-in-hand with his theory of lighter opening bids. This, necessarily, will mean that the requirements for adequate trump support must be raised. As a result, more one-over-one bidding will be fostered and additional valuable information will be exchanged between the partners.

Tournament bridge enjoyed its greatest year in 1940. The American Contract Bridge League, an amalgamation of the American Bridge League and the United States Bridge Association, reported larger attendance than ever before at its tournaments. Records were broken in its two national championships held at Asbury Park, N. J., in August, and Philadelphia, Pa., in December. New all-time records were set in the two blue-ribbon events of the year — the Masters Pair championship with 64 pairs entered, and the Open Pair championship with 128 pairs. In addition to the national championships, the League sponsored and conducted over 300 sectional, state, and city tournaments. Its membership list soared to 12,000 and more than 2,000 players are on the national master lists.

The League's annual charity party, held all over the country on St. Valentine's Day, was a huge success and over $30,000 was realized. This money is used for the relief of crippled and undernourished children, no deductions being made for expenses. Both the American Legion and the Forty and Eight organizations assisted the League in this charity work, and the slogan for the party 'Have a Heart — Take a Hand' — was popularized by the nation's newspapers.

Although work on the rubber bridge code is at a standstill, the duplicate laws under the jurisdiction of the National Laws Commission are in process of revision. The new code has been promised for the summer of 1941. Although in general only minor changes are contemplated in the laws, a drastic change is being considered in one phase of scoring. At the present time, there is a 50 point bonus for fulfilling a partial score. Under the proposed change, a doubled partial would receive a 100-point bonus, and a redoubled partial a 200-point bonus. This, of course, would hold true only if the doubled score were less than game. There is considerable dissension among the players as to the advisability of this change. Those against it contend that it will curtail 'close' doubles and thus eliminate one of the most exciting features of the game. Those in its favor maintain that more credit should be given a player who makes a doubled contract; they argue that the same bonus should not be given for a doubled and an undoubled contract.

The champions of 1940 were: Masters Pairs, Morrie Elis, Harry Fishbein, New York; Masters Individual, Morrie Elis, New York; Masters Teams, Bertram Lebhar, New Rochelle, N. Y., Sam Katz, Maplewood, N. J., Alvin Roth, Oscar Brotman, Washington, D. C.; Open Pairs, Mrs. A. M. Sobel, New York, Charles H. Goren, Philadelphia; Men's Pairs, Robert A. McPherran, M. D. Maier, New York; Women's Pairs, Mrs. Edith A. Atkinson, Wayne, Pa., Mrs. John Waidlich, Short Hills, N. J.; Mixed Pairs, Mrs. Ralph C. Young, Sidney Silidor, Philadelphia; March-Point Teams, Jeff Glick, Miami Shores, Fla., Morrie Glick, Harry Feinberg, Cleveland, Louis Newman, Washington, D. C.; Open Teams, Harold S. Vanderbilt, Edward Hymes, Waldemar von Zedtwitz, Charles Lochridge, Robert McPherran, New York; Mixed Teams, Mrs. Olive Peterson, Philadelphia, Waldemar von Zedtwitz, Mrs. Marie Black, New York, Henry S. Chanin, Atlanta, Ga.