Contract Bridge

It certainly seems reasonable to assume that when two teams meet to determine the world championship, the caliber of bridge is going to be at the highest possible level.

While it is true that this expectation is generally met, it is also true that there are always a few hands that shock the faithful and make them realize that even the expert foot may be made of clay.

These rare transgressions are not really surprising when one considers that each participant plays several hundred hands and makes several thousand decisions in the course of a long championship event. An occasional fall from grace must therefore be accepted as par for the course.

For a good example of how bridge should not be played, consider this deal from the Great Britain- U.S. match in 1955. The bidding went as shown when a British pair held the North- South cards.

Why South jump- shifted in hearts rather than clubs or spades, or whether four notrump was Blackwood, is not known, but the fact is that North- South blundered into six notrump as shown. West cashed the K- A of hearts, and Uncle Sam rang up 50 points on the register.

The bidding was equally odd when the U.S. held the North- South cards. North opened the bidding with three notrump, and South raised to six notrump. The American pair were playing that an opening three- notrump bid showed a long, solid minor suit with not much else on the side.

With nothing to go on, East selected the jack of spades as his opening shot, and North made all the tricks to score 1,020 points. So, in considerably less than brilliant fashion, the American team gained 1,070 points.