Forcing v. Vanderbilting

In a quiet, smoky room in Manhattan, 32 of the foremost bridge-players of the U. S. met in fours last week to play for the Harold S. Vanderbilt Cup. At a corner table the donor of the cup sat, ruddy, youthful, in a brown business suit. Expert Sidney S. Lenz was sick and could not play, but Wilbur C. Whitehead was there, smiling through pince-nez attached obscurely to his clothing by a neat black ribbon. Present were Ely Cuthbertson and his wife, Josephine, famed as the most dangerous married couple in bridge. All felt that the occasion was significant for something beside the trophy at stake. It was a contest between two basic theories of contract bridge. In recent months the "Vanderbilt convention" (TIME, Sept. 30) --a bid of one club to oblige Partner to declare strength or weakness--has been losing caste. Replacing it has emerged a new convention, a "forcing" system in which the initial bidder, wanting stronger indication of his partner's strength, bids not one club but two in any suit. After many cigarets had been smoked and much ice-water sipped from black goblets the Vanderbilt trophy was presented to the team of the New York Bridge Whist Club. The winners had used the new forcing system. So had the Cavendish Club team, which came in second, and so had the Knickerbocker Club team, which was third. Of all the teams in the room, only the one on which Mr. Vanderbilt played used his convention. He finished tied with another team in fifth place.