"Towie", the new threat to contract bridge

A card game that is spreading rapidly in the upper reaches of society

CHRISTOPHER DUNPHY

(EDITOR'S NOTE: IS Contract Bridge, as at present played, faced by a game that will challenge its supremacy? Vanity Fair, having heard on all sides of the rapid growth of Towie—the card game which has been taken up so generally in Newport, Southampton, and Palm Beach—has persuaded Mr. Dunphy, one of the most confirmed and conspicuous addicts of the game, to describe its merits, as compared to contract. This piece—the first to be written on the game—will be followed in our next issue by another article on Towie, from the pen of William J. Huske, the well known authority on contract, and a recent convert to the new game.)

Towie is really a development of contract bridge. But advocates of the game claim that it puts a period to the bickerings so apt to follow partnership disasters at the bridge table. When Towie is the game, there are no more quarrels, no tiresome waits while two battling partners endeavor to assess the blame. In Towie it is each man for himself, so far as the bidding is concerned, and, when the auction is ended, the final declarer knows that whatever the outcome may he he will not cost anybody any money—but himself—and will not he called upon to make any labored explanations. Furthermore, it is a good game for three, four or five players.

Towie is above all things an attacking game. Only the player who bids and makes game contracts can ever hope to win at it. Even heavy penalties, inflicted on one player, do not add greatly to the doubler's profit, as such penalties are also collected by the other players. But games and rubbers, which are hid and made, interspersed with slams when opportunity occurs, bring the rich reward of daring.

The game acquires its name from a slang phrase used by some bridge players, and its literal meaning is "Down, 1,000. Pronounced with the "Tow" as in town, not as in toe. Penalties as great, or even greater than this, are not at all rare at Towie.

Mr. J. Leonard Replogle, more than any other man, is responsible for the American vogue of the Towie, having introduced it, last winter, to Palm Beach.

The Racquet Club has taken up the game in New York and its devotees expect that it will soon cross the portals of the l nion and Knickerbocker.

Aside from the fact that it is a game in which each player pays for his own mistakes and profits alone from his own brilliancies, one of its great advantages is that three persons make up an entirely satisfactory table. There is no tiresome waiting for a fourth who may never come. But four is probably the ideal number. Five players at a table are possible, hut five and six both make rather awkward combinations. When six wish to play it will he found wiser to form a second table.

aWhatever number may form the table, all may play, hut only three play actively at one time. The remaining player, or players, first "punts" against the declarer, profiting when he loses and paying when he wins, and then himself comes into the game as an active, and bidding, player.

Assume, for instance, that four persons, A, B, C and D make up a table of Towie. Each player draws a card and the player drawing the highest ranking card becomes the dealer. He has the choice of seats at the table. The player drawing the second highest ranking card has second choice of seats and may select any one of the three remaining vacant seats. As a matter of practice such player usually takes the seat to the left of the dealer, as such choice gives him the right to the second deal, and hence the first hid on the second hand. The player cutting the third highest card has the choice of the two remaining seats, etc., etc. There thus remains, in Towie, always one vacant place at the table. Cards dealt to this position become the dummy hand. When there are four or more players the player, or players, not winning seats in the draw, then enter the table as a player is forced, by the rules, to withdraw. The (Mitering player must take the seat vacated by the retiring player.

The table having been formed and the players seated, the dealer (the player who has drawn the highest card) then deals the deck in the regular order of contract bridge. When tin deal is completed, and before he has looked at his hand or any hid has been made, the dealer turns up any six cards in the dummy. If the dealer turns up more than six cards there must he a new deal and tin dealer forfeits 100 points to each opponent. The auction then proceeds as in contract, the dealer having the first right to hid and tin* calling continuing until two players in succession have passed.

If the final hid is a game contract, the player at the left of tin declarer makes the opening lead, after which tin* declarer reveals the seven remaining cards in the dummy, sorting them in suits as in the game of contract. If the dummy hand was dealt across the table from the eventual declarer, there is no change in the seating arrangements, hut if the dummy's cards were to his left then the player who occupied the seat opposite the declarer, during the auction, takes the seat at the left of the declarer and the dummy is spread in the position vacated.

Where the dummy cards were dealt to the position at the right of the declarer, the player seated directly opposite moves to that position. In other words, during the play of the hand the seating arrangement is the same as that of contract except that only three are seated at the table.

The play then proceeds as in regular contract and the two defending players, for that hand, become partners. While all the players, active and inactive, are financially interested in the defeat of the contract undertaken, no player in the game may advise one of the active defenders in any way.

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If no player undertakes a game contract, then the hands are sorted in suits, stacked one upon the other in the reverse order to the deal and redealt as a goulash. Again the dealer turns up any six cards in the dummy, and again the auction proceeds in regular order. In goulash deals it is customary for the dealer to shuffle the dummy hand before turning up the six cards so as to avoid, if possible, the massing of cards of one suit.

When there are only three players in the game all participate in the rubber throughout, and it is thus possible for one player to win two games and the rubber without either opponent scoring a point. But, when more than three are playing, and before any player has won a game, an active player must give up his seat to the player next in turn, either (a) by bidding and making a game or (b) by failing to fulfil a game contract. After one player becomes vulnerable, however, a non-vulnerable player retains his seat even if he fails to fulfil his contract, if the player or players waiting to reenter is vulnerable. If a vulnerable player fails to fulfil a contract, he gives his seat to the vulnerable player sitting out.

In Towie, the old contract code of 1927 is the basis of scoring, Towie players having decided that the penalties and premiums of present-day contract are too great for Towie. The current values are assigned to tricks, however, and it requires three no trump, four spades or hearts and five diamonds or clubs to make a game, unless a lower contract is doubled and becomes the final contract. Honors are scored as in present contract.

Undertricks are scored as follows:

Not Vulnerable

hie VulnerableDoubled UndoubledDoubled

1st Trick 50

2nd Trick 50

3rd Trick 50

4th Trick 50

5th Trick 50

100 100 200

100 200 400

200 200 400

200 200 400

400 200 400

Each additional doubled undertrick, whether or not the player is vulnerable, is scored at 400 points.

Only honors and penalties are scored above the line. The winner of the first game of a rubber scores, as a bonus, 500 points, in addition to his trick score. This score, of course, ultimately counts against every player participating.

Thus, let us assume the foursome of A, B, C and D, in which A bids and makes his first game, say four spades. His trick score is 120 points and his game premium is 500 points. As there are four players participating he will ultimately be paid at the rate of 620 x 3 or 1860, but he only scores 620. This will be explained later.

For winning the second or rubber game, a bonus of 1,000 points is awarded. Assuming the same foursome, and again making a contract of four spades, the winner would score 1120, plus his previous 620, or 1740, not counting any penalties he may have scored against other players in the game. Without any penalties he would actually be paid three times 1740, or four times 1740 if there are five in the game.

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The premiums for little slams, hid and made, are 500 points, if not vulnerable, and 750 points if vulnerable. For a grand slam, bid and made, 1,000 points if not vulnerable and 1,500 points if vulnerable.

A player bidding and making three no trump, scores 190 points and 140 for four tricks, 170 for five, etc.—if bid.

All overtricks are valued at 50 points per trick (not vulnerable), regardless of the contract, giving to them a value greater than under the present contract scoring code.

OVERTRICK VALUES

Not Vulnerable Vulnerable

Undoubted Doubled Undoubted Doubled

Each trick 50 100 100 200

FULFILLING CONTRACT. DOUBLED

Not Vulnerable Vulnerable

Each trick 50 100

From this brief description it is evident that Towie is a game for the player who takes a chance. Towie is not a game for those who seek to win by the slowand steady piling up of small advantages and the infliction of minor penalties on opponents, in lieu of possible games or slams. No player can win largely, if at all, at Towie by the policy of conservatism.

Stress has been placed on the rewards provided for those who venture greatly in the bidding, but the beginner should be warned against the perils of overbidding. As the successful declarer collects from all others taking part in the game, he also pays to all if he loses. Thus, should a player rashly undertake a game contract and go down four tricks doubled, even if not vulnerable, it would cost him. in a game of four, 600 points for each of the three other players, or the tidy total of 1,800 points. If vulnerable, such a set would cost him 4,200 points.

In playing Towie for money it goes without saying that stakes should be much lower than at contract bridge. Generally speaking, although it is but a rough approximation, players who play contract for 2½ cents a point should play Towie for 1 cent. Those whose contract stake is 1 cent should be content with a stake of one-fourth of a cent, and other games in like proportion.

In order to make clear how a game of Towie is scored the actual score below is analyzed in detail.

ABC 600 600 650 740 1.300

2.640 650 600

On the first hand, B contracted for, and made, five hearts, having been forced to that point by A's bid of four spades. His score is thus entered as 650 points, 150 as the value of the tricks taken and 500 as a game bonus.

On the second hand A contracted to make four no trump and actually made six. He thus scored 140 points, the value of his trick score, plus 100 for two overtricks and his game bonus of 500 points.

On the third hand B (vulnerable) undertook a game contract of four spades, was doubled and defeated two tricks, the penalty being 600 points. A and C therefore enter this figure of 600 in their columns above the line.

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On the fourth and final hand, A, being vulnerable, bid five diamonds and was doubled and fulfilled his contract. He thus scored 200 points, the value of five tricks taken and doubled, 100 for fulfilling his contract, plus his rubber bonus of 1,000.

Thus, the rubber above results as follows:

A wins 2,000 points from C and 1.900 points from II, or a total of 3.900 points. (All figures less or more than a hundred are paid for as 100 even. 40 being considered nothing, and 150 being considered 200.) 1). whose score becomes 700, loses 1,900 points to A, whose score becomes 2,600 and wins 100 points from C. His net loss is therefore 1,800 points. C loses 2,000 points to A and 100 points to B, a total of 2,100 points.

The reader will note that the high man collects from all the others and that the player with the lowest score pays to all.

It might be explained that opening bids of one are rare. In fact the prevailing opening bid is three no trump, provided the player can find a reasonable number of good cards in his own hand and supplementary strength in the six exposed cards in dummy. Players with weak hands, with no intention of seeking to buy the contract, should make a bid of one in their strongest suit to direct a lead, expecting the next player to contract for game in no trump and desiring to suggest a possible game saving lead.

Equally, such bids as four clubs and four diamonds, over three no trump, are fairly safe, unless one player or the other holds a "rockcrusher", as there is little point in playing for a small set against an opponent and less indeed in making a doubtful penalty double, which, if fulfilled, will produce game. The usual procedure in such cases is: if a player has a very strong hand, to go on with his own bid and seek to collect from all players rather than to share the proceeds of a double with another player.

A rubber of Towie may last from one to twm hours or it may require only a few hands. However, no one need be deterred from playing because of fear that dinner will be delayed, or a train or appointment missed, as, at the end of any hand, the score can be totalled and the settlement made. As there are never part scores in Towie, but only games bid and made, or penalties suffered by those who have failed to fulfil game contracts, there is no occasion to add any bonuses for those ahead, in an uncompleted rubber, as is the usual practice in "train" bridge.