1941: Contract Bridge

Despite the war — or perhaps because of it — contract bridge enjoyed increased popularity in 1941. The sale of playing cards (the most reliable index) reached a new all time high; the sale of bridge books, score-pads and other paraphernalia, kept pace.

The outstanding bridge news of the year was in connection with the Culbertson System, which is followed by 95 per cent of the world's bridge players. For the first time since 1935 basic changes were made in this system, the most important of which were as follows: The honor-trick table, keystone of every system, was altered slightly to provide new valuations for certain high cards and card combinations. Thus, whereas a king in one suit and a queen in another suit had previously been counted as one full honor-trick, this 'marriage' was discontinued, so that now the king is valued, as always, at one-half trick and the queen merely at a plus value. K-Q-J, which theretofore had been valued at 1 honor-tricks, was reduced to one-plus honor-trick.

The most sensational change in the honor-trick table, however, came about through the inclusion of singletons and voids. The traditional method of counting these values had been to place them in the table of 'winners,' i.e., to reckon them along with distributional strength. Now, however, singletons and voids count a plus value in the honor-trick table itself. This change was intended to have a direct bearing on opening bids. In the past many players had been in the habit of passing out hands which, on examination, were found to contain full games or valuable part-scores. In the new system, opening bid requirements were lowered somewhat so that these potentially powerful hands might conventionally be opened. The old basic requirements for opening the bidding had been 2 honor-tricks with a five-card biddable suit, and no greater latitude was authorized in respect to longer suits. Mr. Culbertson, recognizing the indistinguishable tie-up of distributional values with high-card strength, set up a new standard for opening bids. He authorized the opening of a hand containing a six-card major suit with as little as two-plus honor-tricks, and it should be noted, the 'plus value' in this formula could be supplied by a singleton or a void.

No-trump bidding also came in for its downward revision. The previous requirements had been four to five honor-tricks with balanced distribution. It was found that this relatively high standard deprived players of the full use of the no-trump bid, potentially one of the most valuable in the game. The vast majority of deals do not produce a hand of this strength. Therefore, to bring the no-trump within the scope of greater usefulness, requirements were lowered to 3 to 4 honor-tricks.

The most sweeping of all changes probably was in connection with the opening two-bid, or rather with the responses to that bid. The traditional convention required that the responder have at least one honor-trick, usually a shade more, to justify a so-called positive response; that with less than one honor-trick, he answer automatically with two no-trump. It was found that this technique prevented a partnership from selecting its best trump suit in a great many cases, viz., the responder, holding nothing but a long, weak suit, found it impossible to bid that suit at any time without running into great danger. The new system was aimed at the correction of this evil. It provides that the responder (to an opening two-bid) should show his suit if it is as good as five cards headed by Q-J or King, or any six cards. The presence or absence of an honor-trick in the hand is not pertinent on the first response.

Against the general trend of lowered requirements, responses to opening one-bids (in a suit) were tightened somewhat. In the past it was proper to give partner a 'courtesy response' even when holding virtually no top-card values. Now the table of responses is briefly as follows: The negative no-trump response requires at least one honor-trick divided into two suits. A single raise requires adequate trump support with at least one honor-trick. A one-over-one suit response requires at least one honor-trick with a five-card suit;  honor-trick with a six-card suit. A response that increases the contract, viz., two clubs to an opening bid of one spade, requires at least two honor-tricks with a five-card suit; at least one-plus with a six-card suit.

There were other changes in the system, but of lesser importance.

As evidence that contract bridge is more popular than ever, tournaments of every description flourished throughout the country and new records of participation were made in almost every type of event.