AUCTION BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 103, 3 May 1929, Page 6

AUCTION BRIDGE.

FLAG-FLYING

(By A. E. MANNING FOSTER.)

It is the mark of the good bridge player to win big rubbers and lose small ones. This' is rendered possible because so many players overcall their hands and will keep on ilag-ilying heedless of penalties. If you watch first-class players you will be surprised to see how easily, as a rule, they let rubbers go when they find the weight of cards against them. You may even consider them unenterprising and lacking in the bulldog spirit of showing light. But they know their business, and, if you follow their methods closely, you will see that they come out on top, because, although they may lose as many rubbers as the others, the losing ones are usually quite small compared with the winning ones. The moral is, llag-llying does not pay. If you were to keep a careful account for a year of all rubbers in which you have kept the game alive by deliberately overcalling your hand two or three tricks, I am open to bet that you would find it has been a losing proposition. For every rubber you win—and what a small one it usually is when you do win—you lose three "whoppers." If you are what I call a temperamental liag-flyer these words will make no impression 'on you. Probably you can't help it. Some people seem to take a pride in the habit. They cheerfully lose 1300 or 400 points time after time, and find solace in tho fact that they have scored the game. Now I admit that it is worth while to overcall a hand one or two tricks, even in the face of a possible double, especially if there arc honours to score, in order to prevent the other side from scoring both tricks and honours, and perhaps game. But to risk being down three or more j tricks, even if the game is in danger, it* to ignore the doctrine of chances. Your Hag-flying is only going to pay you if in the end you win tho rubber. If you keep on flag-Hying it is not going to pay you, although you win the rubber. If the adversaries are a good deal ahead in any case it is going to be an expensive and unprofitable business. I remember a rubber I played with a flag-flying fiend as partner. The score was game all, and we were over r>oo points to the good. If we lost the rubber we couldn't lose on points. But in the third game he made an outrageous bid of four Hearts over three No Trumps, was doubled and lost 000 points. All he said was, "they would have made game and rubber, partner." $ The point to realise is that a game or rubber is not "saved." It is simply postponed. There is no guarantee that you will win it ultimately, either on the next or succeeding deal. You may find yourself in the position of again having to save it or submit. And, having already thrown discretion to the winds, you will be apt to keep on Hag-flying in tho hope of saving something from the wreck. I watched a rubber at a London Club where a llag-flyer lost consecutively on five hands running. It is true in the end he won the rubber ho had been at so much pains to save. But it was a poor consolation to him and still less for his partner, as they had to' pay on a loss of 780 points. If at the crucial moment when he started on his wild career he had accepted the position and lost the rubber the total los 3 would liave been less than 400 points. When your opponents are a game in and you are at love it is never worth while to flag-fly. If you lose points then the odds are still against you winning the rubber. But when the score is game all, and especially when your opponents are something up in the rubber game, it- is not in human nature to let them get out cheaply. You may push a little in the hope of driving them beyond the line or escaping with a trivial loss. But at the same time you must exercise discretion and not indulge in foolish flag-flying. Better lose the rubber. The experienced and wary player is always on the look-out for the flag-flying opponent whbn tho score is critical. He may deliberately underbid his hand with the view to bringing off a profitable double. I could, of course, tell you of successful Hagflying feats which turn out profitably for the makers, but I do not think I will spoil the moral I am inculcating by so doing. After all, they are rare occurrences. To all, except experienced and seasoned players who will scent out the time and season for stretching their bids a bit, I would this advice: "Leave flag-flying alone!"