THE BRIGADE TABLE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1927, Page 27

THE BRIGADE TABLE

i ' Su j 1 M/SOR TENACE 5 I ..„,... , I A DEAL.FOR DUPLICATE AUCTION. It fell to my lot recently to arrange-a deal for a trial of duplicate Auction. This method of play is popular in America, where, I believe,* it is regularly used to test the latest theories of bidding and leading; but it lias never had much of a following where the Portland Club holds sway, and it was under these laws that the trial was held. To make it as interesting as possible, I set a deal as full of traps and pitfalls as I could devise. Here it is

The game was played at'eight tables', ana. there was every variety of biddins and play. . ° «rf * o lle,,ta ble the bid<liug started with Une bpade." Here it went on—A, "Two Hearts"; V, "Three Clubs"; B, "Three Diamonds," and finished at B being left in with a contract of "Six Diamonds" doubled—a contract which,-of course, h-» failed to make." At one table Z opened With I<our Spades," and was left in to make them At two of the remaining o" x 'j „ blddlu S opened with "Two bpades and in each case A bid "Three Heartsl; and at four Z called "Three bpades initially. At one of these he was left mj at the other three A doubled. The replies of the three partners to the double was very interesting. One did not recognise the double as informative and left it m. Another took it out to 'Tour Diamonds" and was silenced by an over-bid of Tour Spades"; the third bid "Four Hearts," and being over-bid, went to "luve aud made his contract. I was j. trifle disappointed with tho bidding. A bid of "One" or "Two" in Spades was unworthy, .of Z's hand, and though ,],-, cc 1S generally accepted, I prefer lour with such strong attacking strength and such weak defence. It not only excludes the game bid in Hearts, the old justification for bidding four initially; but it rules out also the new informative double. Yet only one olayer made this bid. * . If three players out of eight holding A's hand see the opportunity for the informative double, all the ink which has been poured out to explain this convention has not been entirely- wasted; .but I confess that I hoped for a better result. A:s cards are far too good to be wasted in defending a Spade declaration, and though in this case either a Heart or Diamond

bid will succeed, it is surely better play to Jeave the choice of suit to partner. 1 was glad to see that two players out ot three recognised the double of "Three opades as informative, though the one who took out to Diamonds could not have had a very clear idea of the purpose underlying this double. It is not to secure the declaration or the play of the Dummy; it is not to prevent the other side beinj left in; its object is to find, if possible, a' game-winning bid between two hands. With "Three" of a Major suit bid by the opponents, tho best hopo of game must lie in the other Major suit, and the doubla should never be : made unless this is strongly held. The doubter's partner, then, with four of the unbidden Major suits to the Jack, 10, should take out into that, although he holds a five card Minor.

So much for the bidding. The deal contains a neat little problem in play for players holding Z's cards left in with a Spade declaration; and only one of them, the player who started by bidding "Four Spades," w-orked it out correctly, though all got a lead which enabled them to do so. The' problem is, how to get game? It can only be done, if the Hearts are led three times, by making all the trumps and three tricks iu t Clubs; and the only way to do this is to ruff three leads of Clubs with high trumps, and lead back three small trumps to Dummy. Here's-how:—

V then makes Jhe two remaining Clubs, and A makes his Ace of Diamonds.

Z A V B Y-Z A-B 1. H. 2 H.K. H. 3H. 4 0 1 2. H. 7 H.Q. H. 5 H.C 0 *2 3. SX H.A. H:9. H.lO 1' 2 4. C.4. C.2. C.A. - C.B . 2 2 6._ 5.9 5.2 _S;lfl. 5.4 4' 2 7. 'S£ C.J. Co H.J. 5 2 8. H. 7. . DA. S£ S.o. G 2 9 _S ; A : D.K. - C.6. D.2 7 . 2 LO 5.3. D.v. 5.6 ■ D.6. 8 2 '