Bridge & Humor: You Must Bid By Ely Culbertson

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St. Petersburg Times – 4 Abr 1933

Up in a Boston suburb, a contract club is holding a pair tournament for men, so eight of the wives of the players engaged in the tournament decided to have their own games on tournament-nights with two team-of-four meeting at their homes. It has been the custom for the husbands to join the wives latter in the evening for refreshments.

When they arrived recently they found a heated discussion in progress over the hand below:

North, Dealer. Both sides vulnerable.

When the lady sitting South passed and West also passed, ending the bidding, North remarked: «But, partner, you must bid. My Double was for a Takeout, not for penalties.»

It was too late, however, and the contract was played at two clubs. The result was a penalty of 2,000 points, East being set 6 tricks, vulnerable.

At the other table the hand was played by North at four spades undoubled, and East and West succeeded in defeating the contract 1 trick.

When the scores were compared, South remarked: «I am glad I know the liturgy and sometimes leave undone the things that I ought to have done.»