Walter Buller (bridge)
Encyclopedia
Lt. Col. Walter Buller (1887–1938), auction
and contract bridge
organiser, writer and player, was the leading British bridge personality at the start of the 1930s.
, first in France and then as a staff officer in the War Office
. He retired from the army in 1923 and thereafter lived in London.
and Jimmie Rothschild
in 1927. The Portland Club, which regulated the laws of whist since early in the nineteenth century, remains the law-giving body for bridge in Britain, and has taken part in every subsequent revision of the laws of bridge.
In Buller's bridge career, and his weekly column for the Star
, he was a showman whose motto was "Must do something to stir them up!". As such, he was the perfect foil to Ely Culbertson
, the great publicist for contract bridge
. Buller organised the first Anglo-American match against the Culbertson
team in 1930, and captained the English team. This match inaugurated the 'Golden Age' of contract bridge, leading to an extraordinary amount of publicity in the press. Culbertson, a genius as a publicist, created many small incidents for the benefit of the press, and Buller did his best to provide quotable phrases in his interviews and his books.
Buller was the leading proponent of the direct bidding system called British Bridge. It prided itself on having no conventional (artificial) bids. He was a bridge columnist, and wrote several books. Buller won the first English National Pairs in 1932.
In the famous match at Almack's
club the English team was Buller, Mrs Gordon Evers, Dr Nelson Wood-Hill FRCS and Cedric Kehoe RN
. Mrs Gordon Evers was Walter Buller's favourite partner: "white-haired and striking, she had toured the US as an actress in Sir Herbert Tree's company". The former world chess champion, Emanuel Lasker
, reported the match for German and Austrian newspapers; he became a registered teacher of the Culbertson system.
The US team was Culbertson and his wife Josephine, Theodore Lightner and Waldemar von Zedwitz. All the members of the American team would be recognised as outstanding players in the years that followed. Both their partnerships were experienced and organised; the result of the match was not long in doubt. Culbertson won by 4,845 points over a week's play of 200 deals (total points scoring): not quite so bad for Buller as it might have been.
Hubert Phillips
commented on the match:
Later, in 1934, a match between Buller's team and Almack's Club was played, in which Almack's used ideas taken from Culbertson. Almack's won, knocking another nail in the coffin of Buller's system. The consequence was that direct and entirely natural bidding went out of favour, never to return. In the future, even natural bidding systems used detailed agreements and conventions.
Auction bridge
The card game auction bridge, the third step in the evolution of the general game of bridge, was developed from straight bridge in 1904. The precursor to contract bridge, its predecessors were whist and bridge whist....
and contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
organiser, writer and player, was the leading British bridge personality at the start of the 1930s.
Life
Buller joined the Army Service Corps in 1907, and served throughout World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, first in France and then as a staff officer in the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. He retired from the army in 1923 and thereafter lived in London.
Bridge career
Buller was one of those responsible for contract bridge being adopted at the Portland Club, after the game and its new scoring system was brought to England by Lord LascellesHenry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood
Henry George Charles Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood KG GCVO DSO TD , styled The Hon. Henry Lascelles before 1892 and Viscount Lascelles between 1892 and 1929, was the son of the 5th Earl of Harewood and Lady Florence Bridgeman.Lascelles was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards and commanded the...
and Jimmie Rothschild
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
in 1927. The Portland Club, which regulated the laws of whist since early in the nineteenth century, remains the law-giving body for bridge in Britain, and has taken part in every subsequent revision of the laws of bridge.
In Buller's bridge career, and his weekly column for the Star
The Star (London)
The Star was a London evening newspaper founded in 1788.The first edition was printed on 3 May 1788 under the editorship of Peter Stuart. Founding sponsors of the new paper included publisher John Murray and William Lane of the Minerva Press...
, he was a showman whose motto was "Must do something to stir them up!". As such, he was the perfect foil to Ely Culbertson
Ely Culbertson
Ely Culbertson was an entreprenurial American contract bridge personality dominant during the Thirties and Forties. He played a major role in the early popularization of the game, and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge"...
, the great publicist for contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
. Buller organised the first Anglo-American match against the Culbertson
Ely Culbertson
Ely Culbertson was an entreprenurial American contract bridge personality dominant during the Thirties and Forties. He played a major role in the early popularization of the game, and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge"...
team in 1930, and captained the English team. This match inaugurated the 'Golden Age' of contract bridge, leading to an extraordinary amount of publicity in the press. Culbertson, a genius as a publicist, created many small incidents for the benefit of the press, and Buller did his best to provide quotable phrases in his interviews and his books.
Buller was the leading proponent of the direct bidding system called British Bridge. It prided itself on having no conventional (artificial) bids. He was a bridge columnist, and wrote several books. Buller won the first English National Pairs in 1932.
In the famous match at Almack's
Almack's
Almack's Assembly Rooms was a social club in London from 1765 to 1871 and one of the first to admit both men and women. It was one of a limited number of upper class mixed-sex public social venues in the British capital in an era when the most important venues for the hectic social season were the...
club the English team was Buller, Mrs Gordon Evers, Dr Nelson Wood-Hill FRCS and Cedric Kehoe RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Mrs Gordon Evers was Walter Buller's favourite partner: "white-haired and striking, she had toured the US as an actress in Sir Herbert Tree's company". The former world chess champion, Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
, reported the match for German and Austrian newspapers; he became a registered teacher of the Culbertson system.
The US team was Culbertson and his wife Josephine, Theodore Lightner and Waldemar von Zedwitz. All the members of the American team would be recognised as outstanding players in the years that followed. Both their partnerships were experienced and organised; the result of the match was not long in doubt. Culbertson won by 4,845 points over a week's play of 200 deals (total points scoring): not quite so bad for Buller as it might have been.
Hubert Phillips
Hubert Phillips
Hubert Phillips was an economist, puzzleist, bridge player and organiser, journalist, broadcaster, and an author who wrote some 70 books.- Life :...
commented on the match:
- "The Culbertson Forcing System was definitely vindicated. The contest showed that 'card sense', intelligent guesswork fortified by experience, cannot stand up against a methodical system of conveying information also fortified by card sense."
Later, in 1934, a match between Buller's team and Almack's Club was played, in which Almack's used ideas taken from Culbertson. Almack's won, knocking another nail in the coffin of Buller's system. The consequence was that direct and entirely natural bidding went out of favour, never to return. In the future, even natural bidding systems used detailed agreements and conventions.
Publications
- Buller, Walter 1929. Reflections of a Bridge Player. Methuen, London.
- Buller, Walter 1932. From Auction to Contract: the logic of British Bridge. Methuen, London. "Contains the famous accusation that forcing bids are equivalent to scratching one's head or blowing one's nose to convey information." (Leslie Parris, Contract bridge books)
- Buller, Walter 1932. How to Play Contract Bridge. The Star, London.
- Buller, Walter 1933. Colonel Buller on the Beasley–Culbertson bridge contest, 1933: the 6303 calls reviewed and analysed. The Star, London. Contains "sustained vituperation against American methods... always entertaining." (Leslie Parris)
- Buller, Walter; and Kempson, Ewart. 1934. The Buller–Almacks bridge contest (the best contract bridge yet seen in this country). London. Discusses 76 of the 100 hands.
- Buller, Walter 1936. The Way to Play/The Buller System of Contract Bridge. The Star, London.