AUCTION MIDGE OF TO-DAY

Evening Star, Issue 18021, 15 July 1922, Page 11

AUCTION MIDGE OF TO-DAY

[Written by Eunest Beiuiholt for the ‘Evening Star.'] X. The deal which I was examining in my last article was as follows: A. —Hearts 9; Clubs A, K, 5,4; Diamonds 10, 9,6, 4,3; Spades Q, J, 6. Y. Q, J, 10, .4; Clubs 7,2; Diamonds A, K, 7, ,6; Spades 6,5, 2, B. K, 8,7, 3,2; Clubs 9. 8; Diamonds Q, J, 2j Spades A, 10, 4. Z. Hearts A, 6, 5 1 Club? Q, J, 10, 6, 5; Diamonds 8; Spades K, 9,8, 7. Wo found that if A was Irift in to play a Club declaration, AB made six tricks and YZ seven. If Y was left in to play'a Diamond declaration, YZ made six tricks and AB seven, or (in another variation) YZ made only four tricks and AB nine. Taking the average of these three separate results of a four-trump call, the declarers (holding exactly one-half of the high cards) win 5 1-3 tricks ner deal, and their opponents 7 2-3 tricks per deal. This is a vastly different icsult from the result we found on a five-trump declaration, on which the declarers won eight or nine tricks per deal, and their opponents five or four. I am,, of course, fully aware that, in order to establish reliable statistics, a largo number of deals must be analysed; and I only put forward the,few plays included in these articles as illustrations. But an extensive series of experimental tests have convinced me that the above results are typical of what may be expected in the long run. /The reiM why Mr R. F. Foster found 1 in the deals which he tabulated that the Aces and Kings held by the declarers scored approximately twice as many tricks as the Aces and Kings held by the was tin: the ’ final dewtaratiems almost invariably fell to the side whidh held length as well as strength in trumps. W T o found, for example, that in the deal set out above if Z overbids with two Clubs his partner’s call of one Diamond, the balance of , advantage is immediately transferred from AB to YZ, On the Diamond call the declarers win only six or four tricks against seven or nine respectively. On the Club call (although tho Clubs themselves are not strong, and both Aco and King lie with the adversaries), tho declarers win seven against six. It is impossible therefore to accept Mr Foster’s dictum that minor suits should be bid “on strength regardless of length.’’ He tells us, for example, that one Club is the correct bid for tho dealer when ho holds— Hearts 8,6; Clubs A, K, 3; Diamonds 8,4, 3,2; Spades 9,7, 6, 3.—(‘ Foster on Auction,’ p. 62.) If wo glance at the deal given by him to illustrate this point, wo find that the partner of the dealer holds Clubs Q, 9, 8,6, 4,2, together with three sure tricks in the red suits. In another example given on page 60, where tho dealer holds Hearts Q, 10, 8,6 j Clubs A, K, 6,2; Diamonds 10, 8,7, 2; Spades 7, wo find the dealer’s partner with Hearts A, K, 9,5, 5,2; Clubs Q, J, 8,5," 3; Diamonds none; Spades J, 5. Hero again, naturally, an initial bid of one Club turns out well. Suppose, as a further illustration, that we transpose the hands of B and Z in the deal at the head of this article. It will then stand as IV Hows; A. —Hearts 9; Clubs A, K, 5,4; Di'a monds 10, 9,5, 4,3; Spades Q, J, 6. Y. Hearts Q, J, 10, 4; Clubs 7,2; Diamonds A, K, 7,6; Spades .5, 5,2. B. Hearts A, 6,5; Clubs Q, J, 10, 6, 3; Diamonds 8; Spades K, 9,8, 7. Z, -Hearts K, 8,7, 3,2; Clubs 9,8; Diamonds Q, J, 2; Spades A, 10, 4. (Note carefully that each side still holds exactly half the high cards in the pack.) Now, if A bids one Club and is left to play it. the difference in the result will bo enormous. THE PLAY.

(The card in black type wins the trick. The card immediately beneath is led to the nest trick.)

And A : B have three winning Spades and tho last trump. Result; AB 11, YZ 2. The reason is obvious; AB have p:aeticaSy a)’J the trumps between them. Now it will be readily admitted that if tli. dealer declares a suit of which he holm only four, it will bo much more likely that ono of his opponents will hold five o: that suit than that his partner will. The former event will occur 229 times and the latter only 115 times in I.COO trials, _ the one event," (as can bo predicted a priori) being twice as probable ns tho other, it is true that in some of the cases in which the opponents are strong the latter will rescue the dealer from the consequences of his temerity by outbidding him; but (as Foster himself has sa'd) it is a foolish policy to make a bad declaration in the expectation or hope that your adversaries will pull you out of it. If a call on four to tho A, K be a bad one, a call on A, K bare, or on A, K, and ono small, must be considerably worse. Moreover, it is difficult to see why, if a short suit call is right in a minor suit, it should be so universally condemned a? taboo in a majer. On the whole, therefore, I am quite clearly of opinion thai Foster is wrong in insisting on such declarations, and that Milton Work (who follows tlie practice of the great majority in America) is right in censuring them.

Trick. Y. B. z. A. 1 DK D8 D2 D3 o HQ HA H2 H9 3 H4 Ho H3 C4 4 D6 G3 ,DJ 1)4 5 mo H6 H7 C5 6 D7 C6 DQ 05 7 S2 S7 SA So 8 C2 CIO C9 GA 9 C7 CJ C8 CK