THE BRIDGE TABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19792, 12 November 1927, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE BRIDGE TABLE.

BY MAJOR TENACE

*A DECLARER'S BLUFF.

What is the advantage of playing the dummy? It is usually held to be worth one trick. In actual practice, of course, it is often worth a good deal more. The advantage arises, first, from the ability to finesse; and, second, from the freedom from conventional play to which tho defenders are bound. Everybody is alive to the advantage of finessing. Indeed, many players try to push it too far; but the advantage of being free from convention, of having no one to deceive but the opponents, is not so widely recognised as it should be. Hero is a hand in which game was missed through failure to adopt a very simple and obvious bluff:

At love score, Z dealt and bid one no trump and all passed. A led the seven of spades, which Z won with the nine from dummy. He then led the king of clubs. A put up the ace, and, realising that it was hopeless to try to establish the spades, switched to hearts, leading the three. B played the queen and Z won with the ace, which it was-useless to hold up. Z then ran off five winning clubs from dummy, upon which A discarded three spades and a heart. It is a good plan, if you intend to abandon a suit und the opportunity occurs, to inform your partner of your intention by discarding from it. B throw a diamond, his two remaining spades, and a heart.

Game Lost in First Trick. At trick 9, after the last club trick had been made, the score was Y-Z 7; A-B 1; and the position was as follows:

The lead was in dummy's hand. Z led a small diamond, hoping to find B with the king-jack, and finessed the ten. A made his jack of diamonds and his ace of spades, and then led the jack of hearts for his partner to clear the rest. Z's play was hopeless; but as a matter of fact, he could not make more than one more trick by any play—one trfck short of game. The whole trouble arose from Z's play to the first trick. He carefully informed A that B held no spade higher than the nine, and that he himself had the queenjack. For all A could tell, Z might have yet another small spade. What could he do in the circumstances but switch to another suit. Z would have lost nothing by putting the king of spades from dummy on to A's first lead. He cannot make more than two tricks in the suit however he plays, and the play of the king would have, left Z completely in the dark as to the position of the queen and the jack. Instead of leading hearts through dummy's weakness, then, he would probably have continued spades, hoping that his partner held the queen and that another round would clear the suit. Had he done this, Z could have made game against any subsequent play. Semi-Two-Suiters. I am often asked how the bidding should be opened and pursued with hands of the following type:— (1) Spades—A KlO 5; Hearts—A QlO 43: Diamonds—B 5: Clubs—4 2. (2) Spades—Q 4; Hearts—A Q4 2; Diamonds—lo 7 ; Clubs—A KlO 53. (3) Spades—A JlO 4; Hearts—A K 8 5; Diamonds—lo 52; Clubs—J 6. They may all be classed as semi twosuiters, and one general rule, subject to a few exceptions, will practically cover them all. In the first hand, spades and hearts are of practically equal strength, but the hearts are longer. If the hearts are bid first and the bid is overcalled, it may be impossible to show the spades, though quite possibly there is game in spades but not in hearts. On the other hand, if the spades are bid first and the hearts on the second round, partner will think that he is offered the choice between two fivecards suits., and according to modern convention, he should choose the one that best suits - his hand, with a strong preference for the suit of higher value. If this should occur, I think that the hearts should be rebid to show greater length. It is a difficult position, but, I think it is better to show the spades early than to run the risk of not being able to show them at all. Should the spades and hearts be of equal strength, but the spades of five cards and the hearts of four, however, then I think that the spades should be bid first, and the showing of the hearts should depend on the progress of the bidding and the other strength of the hand. I do not think that I need justify an initial bid of one heart on the second hand. The fact that the hearts are of better game-going-value is sufficient justification. The third hand is one which causes a good deal of difficulty, but it is really quite simple. Since it may bo difficult to show a four-card suit after the first round, the player with two four-card suits should show the stronger of them while he has the chance. He may not be able to show his partner the full strength of his hand, but at any rate he tells him where his battalions are massed.