Bridge

Much puzzled by proceedings which occurred last week in Manhattan's Hotel Chatham, small Bruce ("Jump-Bid") Culbertson and small Joyce ("Fifi") Culbertson conferred together in their bedroom. Presently, dressed in blue satin bathrobes, they rushed into the drawing room of the Culbertson apartment, amused themselves and startled a large gathering of formally dressed adults by screeching a ridiculous question: "Where's Santa Claus?"

"Ely, Ely!" cried Mrs. Ely Culbertson. Presently pale, fretful Ely Culbertson had his children taken in hand, sat down with his wife to start a game of bridge against Sidney Samuel Lenz and Oswald ("Ossie") Jacoby. It was a match of 150 rubbers, expected to last for six weeks, to decide, theoretically, the merits of the famed Culbertson "approach-forcing" system as compared to the Lenz version of the "official" system (TIME, Dec. 7).

The delay caused by the Culbertson children was by no means the only one which preceded a bridge match which compares to an ordinary evening at cards as Waterloo compares to a pillow fight. Mrs. Culbertson dropped her glasses, had them stepped on and finally, with the aid of her husband, found another pair in her lingerie drawer. Editor Frank Crownin-shield of Vanity Fair made a radio speech calling attention to Mrs. Culbertson's corsage of orchids. Author Ring Lardner, retained with upwards of 100 less celebrated newshawks and bridge addicts to report the affair, said: "The people of New York and vicinity have not been in such a fever of excitement since the night The Ladder closed." Faithfully reported were the first words of the match, spoken by Mrs. Culbertson after Lenz & Jacoby had won the cut and settled themselves North & South, respectively, of a walnut card table especially constructed for the match. First words: ''Where do you wish to sit, Ely?" Mr. Culbertson chose West.

First Night All four contestants, even the usually placid Lenz (onetime paper box manufacturer & ping pong champion) and Mrs. Culbertson, were nervous. Noises from a party next door came through the wall. Troops of inebriated bridge addicts found the Culbertson door, were prevented from entering by five porters. On the first hand, Mr. Jacoby bid three no-trump, went down one. The play continued in a manner so erratic that even novice bridge addicts detected painful foibles. On the second hand the Culbertson team bid five diamonds, went down four. The fourth hand was generally conceded to be the most preposterous of the match. Mr. Lenz, with an easy chance to make a four no-trump contract, was set two tricks. Later he said that he had fallen asleep while waiting for Culbertson to bid, had dreamed that diamonds were trumps and "played out my dream-bid." Lenz & Jacoby won the first two rubbers, the Culbertsons won the third after being set five on a little slam bid in hearts on the first hand. Score: Lenz & Jacoby, 1,715.

Second Night. Before play started, Culbertson bet Jacoby $1,000 at 2 to 1 that his side would win, in addition to his original bet, the proceeds of which were to go to charity, of $5,000 to $1,000. On the tenth hand of the eighth rubber. Lenz made the first contracted little slam of the match, in hearts. Dissension occurred when Mr. Culbertson said he had to "see about something" and asked Mr. Jacoby, dummy, to play his hand. Referee Lieutenant Alfred M. Greunther and two assistants said, "No, no!" Noises were heard from a room where reporters, informed by messengers of the progress of the match, were compiling their stories. Said Mr. Culbertson, who was brought up in the Caucasus and whose mother was the daughter of a Cossack: "Who's walking around all the time squashing their Russian boots?" Playing sounder bridge than the first night, the Culbertson team won three rubbers, the Lenz-Jacoby four, Lenz & Jacoby increasing their point lead to 2,075.

Third Night The Culbertsons made 13 contracts, were set at eleven. Lenz and Jacoby made twelve, were set at 14. Even Mr. Jacoby, who earlier in the day had been bitten on the right hand by a mongrel dog he was trying to save from being run over on Park Avenue, seemed irritable. Mr. Lenz waited impatiently while Mr. Culbertson superintended the laying of a heavy rug to prevent squeakings & squash-ings. Later he got up from the table, complained to the referee against Cul-bertson's "waste of time." Referees decided that, though Lenz magazine articles inveighed against "psychic" bids, and though this match is officially to follow the Lenz and Culbertson systems, a "psychic" bid by Lenz-Partner Jacoby was permissible. Later Lenz objected to a Culbertson breach of system--a partner's raise on a doubleton suit.

At the end of the sixteenth rubber there came what Ely Culbertson described, in his report for various newspapers, as the "most spectacular hand of the match." Culbertson held four spades to the nine, bid 4 spades and made six. Score: Lenz & Jacoby, 1,815.

Fourth Night Cards favored Lenz & Jacoby (203 aces & kings to 157) as they had through the whole match--636 to 596. Mr. Culbertson prefaced play, as he had each night previously, by saying to his opponents: "Have you changed your systems?" Said Mrs. Culbertson: "That's getting a little monotonous, Ely." Disappointed because the conflicting elements of the Culbertson and Lenz systems had been infrequently demonstrated so far, experts were pleased at the first Culbertson two-demand bid, which produced a small slam in clubs:

Lenz

J762

Q 8 0 10 8 6 5 4 Culbertson NORTH Mrs. Culbertson . (dealer) A 4 3 A J West AKQ99765252 A K Q 9 7 SOUTH W 3 A Q 5 K J 9 8 6 4 Jacoby K Q 10 8 5 K 10 4 3

Bidding (neither side vulnerable)

South West North Pass Pass Pass 4-3 Pass Pass 3 NT Pass Pass Pass Pass Opening Lead: K, by Mr. Jacoby.

Bad cards for the Culbertsons, even with a brilliant victory in the 28th rubber, left Lenz & Jacoby 5,650 points ahead. Ely Culbertson refused a $250 bet offered by Mr. Lenz for a friend.

Another Night. Bothered by a superfluity of spectators, Ely Culbertson ordered the room cleared, announced that all the cards used--a fresh deck for each hand--would be auctioned for charity. To settle a controversy, he produced a copy of his Contract Bridge Blue Book, gave it to Mr. Jacoby, asked if Mr. Jacoby wanted it autographed. Said Mr. Jacoby: "I do not." A 15-minute argument over rules occurred when Mr. Culbertson dropped the ace of spades into his lap so that it was seen by his opponents but not by his partner. . . .

P: In Grinnell, Iowa, two barbers. Ed Jansen and John Ditzler, organized a ten-day, highpoint craps-match, patterned after the Lenz-Culbertson bridge match, to demonstrate the respective merits of the "African twist" v. "cotton roll." Late results, posted on the barber shop window, showed that Barber Ditzler, using the cotton roll, was 17 passes up on Barber Jansen.

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