A BRIDGE CLINIC

Southland Times, Issue 21581, 19 December 1931, Page 11

A BRIDGE CLINIC

AUCTION

(By

Horatius.)

CONTRACT

Dangers in trump leading remind me of the prevalent notion that the declarant’s hand is strengthened by a void or singleton in the suit bid or led by the opponents. Time after time you will hear players excuse a bid with the statement that they went on because they held a singleton of the other side’s suit. Their troubles have been caused by double counting: they have counted their trumps for the bid and then obtained the idea that in some miraculous way these trumps will take additional tricks because there is a void or singleton in the hand.

Give a man thirteen Spades. He has three void suits, but he can take only thirteen tricks. Give him ten Spades and three rags of Clubs. He has two void suits and that fact will inform the opponents that his cards outside of trumps can be narrowed to two suits. But in trumps he can take only ten tricks. Give him A-Qx-x, and if he takes any tricks by ruffing out of his own hand he will not make more than four in trumps and in the vast majority of cases will make no more than three. If he has a void, it. is disclosed on the first lead, and the enemy told the suit to lead with safety. They force the declarant’s trumps out, until his holding is no 'longer than their own.

If the declarant hold A-K-Q-x-x-x Spades he will probaldy make six tricks where Spades are trumps. He will clear the enemy’s trumps with A-K-Q and then make the small trumps with ruffs. But suppose he is forced to do this ruffing early, and makes two tricks in this way. He is left with A-K-Q-x and an enemy has J-x-x-x, not only will the Jack make, but there is a chance that on the last trump being drawn the enemy will proceed to take tricks in that very voided suit which had pleased the declarant bo much while he was bidding. Consider the question from another angle. If your hand holds three losing cards, you will lose three tricks unless these losers can be covered by winning cards in Dummy, or you can obtain discards on winning cards in Dummy. There a singleton or a void is valuable, because it allows discards of losers on Dummy’s winners; but if trumps are used on the void suit, there can be no discards and the three losers must still be lost. It is to prevent much needed discards, as well as to force trumps from the declarant, that the defenders lead the suit they know the declarant must trump. “Ah,” someone says, “but the void prevents the enemy from taking tricks in their suits and making game before you can start.” But that means rather lengthy holdings by Dummy and declarant in the wicked suit—three losers each, leaving seven for the opponent—and an outside trick. Now there were three losers in both of the attacking hands. Put those three losers in another suit, not headed by winners, of course, and they will lose again. It will be found that the even distribution of the suit first led may lose three tricks some of which might have been saved by judicious discards later; but the worst damage is done by the enemy setting up cross-ruffs, and they come where the 1 attacking hands have long holdings. But in all these cases the value of the trumps in the declarant’s hand remains unaltered. Trumps in Dummy have a ruffing value. If declarant holds A-K-Q-J-x-x he can make six tricks and if his Dummy has x-x-x, he will make three more if he can use them for ruffing before he leads his big trumps. If there are no chances for ruffs, these nine trumps will take only six tricks. The extension of the trump value depends entirely on Dummy’s ability to ruff. This explains why it is good to force the declarant to trump and bad to permit Dummy’s trumps to ruff, unless they can be over ruffed. The void has advantages, but the increase in value is made by discards, not by trumps, and these can be made if Dummy has winners in the void suit. Take this deal: North l WEST S: J-7-6-4 S: A-Q-2 II: A-Q-6-4 H: K-J-10-7-5 D: 9-8-3 D: 10-2 C: 5-3 C: Q-7-4 East South S: K-10-9 S: 8-5-3 II: 9-8-3-2 H: — D: K-7-4 D: A-Q-J-6-5 0: J-9-8 C: A-K-10-6-2 South bid One Diamond (the senior suit) and West One Heart. North and East passed, and South said Two Clubs. West could say nothing further and North selected Two Diamonds because he had one more in that suit. West opened with the Jack of Hearts, and North’s Queen was used, South discarding a Spade. On the Ace of Hearts, South threw away another Spade, and then the small trump from Dummy saw the Queen finessed. Ace and King of Clubs, allowed Dummy in with a trump on a small Club and another trump saw the Jack finessed, followed by the Ace of Diamonds taking East’s King. South then loses one Spade trick, scoring a Little Slam. If West had led the Ace of Spades three tricks would have 'been made before South started. But South’s void was an advantage because he had A-Q of the suit in Dummy.

Overcalling a bid by the opposing side, it has been seen, means manoeuvring in the face of declared strength, and it is necessary, especially when vulnerable, to exercise care before making an overcall because in the event of partner being weak, penalties may result. This caution is essential where the overcall must be a bid of Two. If the opening bid was One Spade, tlie overcall must be One No-Trump or Two in some suii. The No-Trump call made over a suit bid by the enemy requires adequate stopping-power in that suit in view of the declared strength. This condition is essential, and the bidder requires the full measure of 24 Honour Tricks to make the call in No-Trumps. If he has a suit bid he will declare it rather than bid NoTrumps. But if the suit bid is made, the hand should hold five trumps, and, when vulnerable, have four plaj'ing tricks. Three tricks may be risked when not vulnerable. Consider these hands; North East S: J-10-8-3 8: Q-9-6 H: 9-5-3 H: K-8-4 D: Q-7-6-4 D: 10-2 C: K-J C: A-Q-6-5-2 West South S: 5 8: A-K-7-4-2 H: A-Q-J-7-2 II: 10-6 D: A-8-5 D: K-J-9-3 C: 10-9-7-3 C: 8-4 South opens with One Spade, and West (his side is vulnerable) can bid Two Hearts. He holds 24 Honour Tricks, and has a 5card trump suit promising 4 playing tricks. He needs only Two Honour Tricks because he is vulnerable, but he must have the 5-card suit promising four tricks to be safe. North can count only 3 playing tricks and so he passes, because if South has extra strength he has another chance to bid. East can count 41 playing tricks, plus the Queen of Spades (11, 14; D, 4; C, 24), and he can just scrape a v double raise making the bid Four Hearts. He knows West must hold A-Q or A-J-10 in Hearls and a King guarded outside. If East were cautious and lifted one, bidding Three Hearts, West would risk the raise to Four, but East counting 4j playing tricks, plus the Queen of Spades should go to Four. In play West can make eleven tricks, losing the Ace of Spades and a Diamond trick. If South held K-J of Clubs instead of North he would still pass, but he would take one more trick against West, who would still make his contract. It will be seen, however, that West requires the trump strength of 4 plaj'ing tricks before bidding Two. To make the bid on 4-card suit would be fatal, because three leads of trumps would deprive East of ruffing power and give N-S another trick in Diamonds, may be two more. Where the overcall requires a bid of Three greater strength still is necessary. It is advisable, when not vulnerable, to hold 6 playing tricks, four of them in the trumps bid. Take these hands: North East 8: K-7-4-3 S: 6 H: K-Q-8-3 II: A-J-10-4 D: 10-9-5 D: A-K-J-8-3 C: J-6 C: 9-5-3 West South S: J-9-8 S: A-Q-10-5-2 H: 5 H: 9-7-6-3 D: Q-7-4-3 D: 6 C: K-Q-10-7-2 C: A-8-4 Neither side Is vulnerable. South opens with One Spade. West passes, and North can just manage a raise of one in Spades. He can count 4 playing tricks (S, 14; H, 14; D, nil; C, 1). East holds 34 Honour Tricks and 2 playing tricks in Hearts, 4 in trumps. He bids Three Diamonds. It will be noticed that he looks to his partner for 3 playing tricks. South has no rebid in Spades, and he has nothing more to say. Add the Jack of Spades to his hand and he would have a re-bid to Four Spades after his partner’s lift. West counting in Diamonds has 54 playing tricks, and he lifts the bid to game, Five Diamonds. East will take 11 tricks, losing Ace of Spades and Ace of Clubs. If South held K-Q of Hearts instead of North, the Spade bid would not have been raised, but East would still make his contract. When vulnerable, the overcall of Three Diamonds requires more strength, about 7 playing tricks and about five in the trump suit With a more general distribution of strength the Takeout Double should be used: North S: 8-6-3 S: 5 H: K-8-7-3 H: J-9-6-5 D: A-Q-7 D: KJ-10-o C: 10-4-2 C: 8-/-5-3 Wert South S: Q-9-4 S: A-K-J-10-7-2 II: A-Q-10-2 H: 4 D: 8-6-4-3 n’wnlfi C; A-9 C: K-Q-J-6 Both sides vulnerable. West opens with One Heart and North passes. East .counting 44 playing tricks, lifts to Three Hearts, and South bids Three Spades He has 7 playing tricks (S, 5; C, 2), and five are in trumps. West has nothing more to say. North raises to Four Spades. He can count 3 playing tricks and the bid showed i. Give two of South’s small Spades to North,

ical scene. The fact that except for their relationship to Sun Yat-sen most of the Soongs carved out their own careers is overlooked by their foes. For Mme. Sun Yat-sen, however, there is an affection in China such as no other woman enjoys in that country, where the populace is not quite accustomed to direct participation of women in politics. No matter what the apposition to her may be, no one would dare, so much as to criticize her, for she has stirred popular imagination by adhering closely to the Chinese conception of the duties of widowhood. But the family as a whole has not been able to win the people’s affection because of the brusqueness of its methods.