BRIDGE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 11, 15 September 1909, Page 11

BRIDGE.

Defensive Spades. Some few weeks baek I gave, at the request of my readers, some of the pros and eons in favour of and against an original spade. I must confess I used to be a very strong and firm supporter of a defensive spade make, but lately I have had my confidence a good deal shaken, and am beginning to think that though one must frequently go down when leaving it on a really rotten hand instead of declaring spades original, yet in the long run one wins in the aggregate number of points. Quite lately I had the two following hands dealt me:— 1. Hearts: Nine, seven. Diamonds: Six. Clubs: Nine, eight, six, four, two. Spades: Knave, nine, eight, six, two. a defensive spade call if ever there was one. The score was love all in the second game, and, contrary to my usual custom, I passed. My partner called hearts. A led king of diamonds, and my partner put down—

Hearts: Ace, king, queen, knave, six. Diamonds: Knave, nine, three. Clubs; King, queen. Spades: Queen, seven. A led ace of diamonds tiie second trick, and I trumped with the seven of hearts, and led a small club, which A took with the ace, and (wrongly) led ten of spades; B won with the king, and played the ace back. A failed, and B played another, on which I put the eight, Dummy overtrumping with the ten, and, leading another diamond, I made my nine of hearts, and we scored 24 below and 80 above, a total of 104. If I had made spades we should have made one club, one heart, and three spades, and lost 4 below and 4 above, a balance of 112 in favour of leaving it in this case, to say nothing of the fact that from 24 in our next deal we won the game and rubber. 2. I took up: Hearts: Six. Diamonds: Ten, seven, six. Clubs: Nine, seven. Spades: Knave, ten, seven, six, four three, two. I passed, Dummy called no trumps. A club was led, and Dummy put down: Hearts: Ace, ten, seven. Diamonds: Ace, queen, nine, three, two. Clubs: Ace. Spades: Ace, king, nine, five. and we made seven spades and the other three aces, or 48 below and 100 above. If I had called spades we should have made 11 tricks, or ten below and 4 above, a balance in favour of leaving it '(in this case) of 134, to say nothing of the rubber which this game won. The balance of points in my favour by leaving these two calls was actually 246, quite omitting the fact that two rubbers were practically won by these “passes.” **.** * * * » Now, I am not arguing from results; there are many instances showing that leaving it on such hands was attended with disastrous results, and tricks and games were lost on an expensive call by dummy even with a good hand. But what I want to point out is the fact that in two games only I was 246 points to the good, and that balance will stand a loss of 20 tricks in no trumps, 30 tricks in hearts, 40 tricks in diamonds, or 60 in clubs before it is dissipated, to my leaving it, the value of which may be put down at 300 points at least, and with the bets on the rubber as 500. Therefore, I shall go on with that balance in hand, and if I occasionally lose one or two tricks in hearts or no trumps, when I pass on a rotten hand, I might for a long tune consider that I am well to the good. Of course, such strong calls from dummy are an exception, but it must be remembered that if you hold a knave only, there are 15 other court cards to be divided among three, and your partner may have your share as well as his. own. I, therefore, was prepared to risk an occasional loss for the chance of doing much better. * * ****** Of course, I am always assuming that your partner is a player, and not a person who calls hearts on a pass with queen and three small ones, and a guarded king in another suit; or no trumps also on a pass, with no guards in the red suits. If I were blessed with such a partner I should become more of a spade caller than the greatest advocate of the defensive game, but I am thankful to say that I don’t play with many who are so unwise. Of course, I am not saying that the above two hands prove anything, for they are extraordinary hands in their way, but from the statistics which appeared in an American paper some months back, it certainly seems to me, provided that those statistics are correct, that in the long run one wins in points. On the other hand, it must be remembered that in that long run you are probably playing with a number of partners. And of these partners, those with whom you go down will certainly not bless you—in fact, they will probably do the reverse. —“Araez,’ in the “Australian Star.”