Judge — January 1937 — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Can I have my job back? V'll be good—I'm married now.” BRIDGE BY GEORGE COFFIN CHAMPIONSHIP bridge today, like our politics, is controlled largely by two chief factions. The American Bridge League and the United States Bridge Association have highly specialized net- works of geographical elimination rounds for master points culminating annually in five national events. The venerable American Whist League held its 46th annual congress in Chicago last year, and it holds its single National Championship in a different bridge center each year in order to maintain its national scope. While the famous East- erns sponsored by the Knickerbocker Whist Club in New York City is con- sidered the toughest tournament to win, its centralized local following has caused it to lose much of its national signifi. cance. The Vanderbilt Cup is also local in New York, and its exorbitant entry fees have reduced it to the status of a private party for champions only. And the bridge championship pic- ture is further complicated by the fact Judge that both the New England Champion. ships at Holyoke, Mass., and the Ohio State Championships draw such tre. mendous entries of the strongest play- ers that they might both be considered national. The A.B.L. holds three Champion. ships annually, the Nationals in Chicago, the Summer Nationals in Asbury Park in New Jersey, and the Masters Individuals in New York City for 25 players se- lected by invitation from national titlists. The U.S.B.A., Culbertson’s pet child, holds the Grand Nationals culminating a series of city, state, and sectional eli- mination tourneys throughout the coun- try to determine the sectional cham. pions. These fresh water sharks win as prizes all expense trips to the Grand Nationals in Manhattan to try their skill in salt water. The U.S.B.A. also holds another annual affair, the Atlantic Na- tionals, which, like the A.B.L. and A.W. L. tournaments, offers a good workout for anyone with the price of admission. While our ratings may be questioned in close cases, all agree that Oswald Jacoby of New York deserves the title of All American Bridge Champion. His outstanding capture of four national mugs last year, to say nothing of his taking the French over the bumps in a special international team match ar- ranged chiefly for publicity, crowns him Contract King for 1937. Few realize the nervous strain in. volved in winning National Champion. ships. If you think it's an old ladies game, try it sometime! Leading tour- nament players go into strict training to win their silver vases, one reason why the husky Jacoby, a football star in his college days, won twice as many national titles last year as his nearest competitor. Like five competitors for second place, Louis J. Haddad of Chicago won two national titles, but his wins of sectional tournaments definitely place him ahead of the others. Third comes A. Mitchell Barnes who holds a unique record. In all the events at the Easterns last year he won the best individual score, and was the only player outside of New York City among the country’s, first ten. Here's our lineup: Oswald Jacoby Louis J. Haddad A. Mitchell Barnes David Burnstine Fred D. Kaplan Irving Epstein Edward Hymes Charles C. Vogelhofer Stern Cunningham Jules Wetzlar 1. 2. 3. 4, 5. 6. Syren The next 16 national-champions in order are Robert F. Rubel and Allyne Paris both of Chicago, Walter Malowan, Morris Ellis, M. D. Maier, Harry Fish. bein, Mrs. Ely Culbertson, Baron Wal- demar von Zedwitz, Sam Fry, Jr., M. S. Reilley of Chicago, Philip Sterner and Lewis A. Bernard both of Cincinnati, Joseph E. Cain,. Edson Wood, L. J. Welch and Buck, all of Indianapolis. It’s interesting to note that the Crock. ford's team of Mr. and Mrs. Ely Cul- bertson, Richard L. Frey, and Albert Moorehead just missed taking home the A.B.L. National Trophy in Chicago last winter, because the Indianapolis team of -Cain, Wood, Welch, and Buck nosed them out by one-fourth match point! 36 comicbooks.com