BRIDGE BLUNDERS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LII, Issue LIII, 3 February 1908, Page 2

BRIDGE BLUNDERS.

—^ { Bridge blunders, -who does not make < them? The experienced player suffers with the novice. No, matter how good one may be, Ihere comes the time when a stupid mistake causes confusion and disaster. As Mr William Dalton says in the 'Strand Magazine,' the only difference is that when a gocd player ,hae made a blun* • der he will generally bo the' first to recognise the fact, and to acknowledge it, whereas the indiffeivant player will try to defend himself and to- argue that he was right. Mr Dalton, so vkkl known as the author of "Saturday JJrjdge;" has many informing Ihimga to say in the course of his article, which has the advantage of card illustrations. He is down on the partner who will not xeturn your original lead at no trumps. He will say afterwards : "I could not return your lead Tight up fb the ace ot the kimg.' r Bnt , why not? That ace or that king is going to win a trick, and, as Mr Dafton puts it, the sooner it is got rid of -the better. A similar instance, odds the writer, is when a player has to lead up] to dummy and holds king and one oth^r of a suit of which neither the ace nor 1 the queen is in. THE DUMMY HAND. Nothing will induce the' indifferent player to touch this suit. He will lead anything rather. He will cling on like grim death io that singly-guarded' king, although it is absolutely useless unless his partner has either the ace or queen. This lead of the king from kmg and one up to weakness in dummy is a very favorite one with all good players, especially against a suit declaration. It can do no possible harm, and it may be so very useful. I remember once loading from this combination up to the knave and two others in ! dummy. My king wctn the trick, and I followed with the <smaH one; my partner won with the queen and led another small one, which I trumped. The dealer had the ace all the time, but he had tried to play what is known as the "Bath coup," with the result that he did not win a tnek in the suit at all. Some players are very "wooden. Not long ago I was playing with a partner of this pattern against a —NO TRUMP DECLARATION— made by the dummy. My partner had the opening lead, and things' hod gone very badly for vs — in, fact, we had not won a single trick. At last he got the lead. Every suit was marked against us except spades, which had not been touched. My partner had king and one other, and the queen, 10, and another were in dummy. The game wai absolutely lost unless I held the ace and knave of apad«s. As a matter of fact, I had thorn both and three others, but do you, suppose that he would lead that king ot spade*? ,J£ot &.chanc«. He led something else, and w« lost the game. When it was over I suggested verymildly : "Could not,, you have tried m« with' a spade? It was the only chance of saving the game.'V He replied, in a most aggrieved tone of voioe : "I couldn't possibly lead that. I had only, king and one other, and I was certain to make a trick in the suit if I sat tight with it." H© did sit' -tight with it, and we made one trick in the suit, but that was all we did make ; and we lost five by cards instead of losing only the odd'tri^k. Y«b nothing on earth would have ind<uoed that matt to acknowledge that he had played wrong. Leading an ace "to hav<j a look round" is another very oomrnnn form of — GIVINO AWAY TRICKS— CertninJv the l/v>k round ' is obtained, but often nt a hnavy expense, and the look roi7nd i« iksiiaHv of very little" use wh<*i it is <*H-ii<n<»d. Some rjiayers never Bwrn to m>TW tTint nn ftce'hnu other uses besides wwviinQr «ne trick, tie proper office m to nfov «. kin* or oueen, and to stop th«t wint, for the timo bein<?. Also it is , mvaTnnrilA »« ,v;tv* «t re-emtrv, and those precious card* of Tfl-entrv—how dearly we m«w them -whan they have been liehtlv n^rfw? with **rlv in the hand. The value of on ane is nownflAvs renoonised by almost evervbodv In the NO/Trumps game, hut- stwn&b * «uft Weclaratioii it w still o favorite Tjrwti'Y! witti weak nlayer* U> lend ont *n <we if ih«v have one so a« to -*»c th* dn^mv h»n<* before nnrtine with the lead, nnd ninny a earn* is sacrificed by so aojmfr. TestJmoninln prove Perron's Peniothtor mrm indigestion. AH chemwts. U, 3s M, 4i. «