THE BRIDGE TABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20384, 12 October 1929, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE BRIDGE TABLE.

SIMPLE STRATEGY* j

BT MAJOR" TENACE.

If only the average player would strive to make tho most of every band ho holds ho would soon lift himself out of tho ruck. Let him cxamino his own hand nnd dummy's every time ho secures tho contract to see whether ho can win an overtrick without imperilling his cbanco of gamo or contract; and if ho can do so, let him plan to win that overtrick. Its immcdiato worth to tho score may bo merely six or ten, but tho , habit of strategy which the constant planning for it inculcates is worth many games and rubbers. Let us tako .v. very simplo case. At love score Z deals and secures tho contract at ono no trump. A leads tho four of spades, and when dummy goes down Z sees tho following cards:—

Assuming, as is highly probable, that A has led from tho ace of spades, Z can count seven certain tricks between his own hand and dummy—two in spades, two in hearts, one in diamonds, and two in clnbs. These are all that ho needs to fulfil his contract, and, since game is out of the question, there is no need, as far as tho immediate score is concerned, to try for more. But suppose Z is an enterprising player who wants, where possible, to mako a trick beyond those which tho luck of tho deal assigns to him. He will see that there is a chance of an overtrick if either the hearts or the clubs are evenly divided. On further examination be will, discover ths'.t ha must play for tho hearts split first, becauso if it fails bo can still try futile club split; but if he tries tho club split first and it fails, the queen of spades will be taken out of dummy's hand before tho heart suit can bo set up; and even if the hearts are evenly divided Z will not bo able to Ret into dummy to mako the fourth "card. So much for the positivo side—reckoning how many tricks Y and Z can make: now, as a check, or what sailors call a. cross-bearing, let us take the negative side and see how many tricks Y and Z must lose by. this play. Since Z can seo every spado below tho four led to tho first trick, and since tho.four was led as fourth best, A has only four spades. Ho can therefore make only two tricks in the suit. If the hearts are not evenly divided Z stands to lose two more tricks here, alid he must loso ono trick beforo tho clubs can be set up—five tricks in all. Z can then make eight, tricks, provided that ho finds tho clubs evenly divided. Of course, there is the possibility that A and B may switch from spades to diamonds, but as Z cannot provide against this defence ho had [ better ignore it. Suppose the full deal is as follows

The six adverse hearts aro evenly divided, and tho six adverse clubs aro unevenly divided. If Z, after making the king of spades, leads aca and another heart, he will, on recovering tho lead, be able to make tho remaining heart in dummy, and will win eight tricks against any defence; but if, after making the king of spades, he leads ace, king, and another club, A, on getting in, will draw dummy's remaining card of entry, the queen of spades, and Z will not bo able afterwards to make dummy's fourth. Now, let us suppose that the full deal is as follows:

Here the hearts aro unevenly divided and the clubs are evenly divided. Now, suppose Z, as in tho previous case, tries for tho heart split first, B will get in with the jack on the third round, and after making the queen, will probably return his partner's spades. Dummy will get in with the queen, and Z can then play for tho split of tho clubs. A will win the third club round; but having dono so he can only make his remaining two spades and Z will make a trick with the ten of clubs as soon as he gets in with the ace of diamonds.

To sum up, by trying for the heart split first, Z leaves himself the option of trying for tho clubs should the hearts fail; by trying tho clubs first ho stakes everything on tho one play. It may bo urged that all this is very elaborate and hardly worth working out for tho sako of winning an extra ten points below tho line. -As a matter of fact, playing for splits is about tho simplest strategy of auction, and a player should know almost instinctively when and how to adopt it. To tho beginner, of course, tho reasoning must seem elaborate, but it ho does not work it out as often as possible, ho will not succeod in doing it when gamo dopends upon it, And game may very well depend upon it. In the example given above I deliberately put the score at lovo all so that gamo should not depend upon the extra trick. But suppose that Y and Z were ten or more points advanced toward tho rubber gamo. Tho extra trick would then bo worth not ten points below tho lino but 250, tho value of the rubber, and if Z has not familiarised himself with the play by trying it on every occasion when lie can do so with safety, ho may not soo ,tho opportunity for winning an extra trick at all, and oven if ho does ho may seizo tho opportunity in the wrong way. Therefore, I say, when ovortricks can bo made without imperilling gamo or contract, play to make them. That is tho way to improve your bridge.