Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1930, Page 84

ANY players never learn the im- portance of the first trick. They consider it as a mere thirteenth of the entire hand, whereas fre- quently it can decide the entire fate of the contract. . Such was the case with this one, on which one no trump by south was the only auction bidding and three no trumps would be the final bid of most contractors: aJ92 Viss 643 9863 NORTN k) SOUTH AQ108 YVAKJS ¢ AKQ o AT4 When the three of spades was led and that terrible dummy exposed, many declarers would have given up in dismay. Not so Frank H. ~ Castle, who had south’s job to do this time and knew how to stop, look and listen. Besides his one sure trick in clubs, three in diamonds, two tn hearts and one in spades—total seven—he saw that two more hearts could be scored if a finesse would work, granting that he could get in dummy to lead hearts. So, before playing to the first trick, he studied to see if there was any way to create an entry in dummy. Lo and behold, here was his chance on the very first trick, by playing low from dummy on the spade lead and, after east’s king was played, putting his queen on it. On the return lead of a spade he played his ten, which west nabbed with the ace and re- turned a diamond, of course won by declarer. The next spade lead was won by dummy, who now finessed his ten of hearts, next the jack, #nd game was assured. " Had he not apparently wasted his queen on the first spade lead he could have made only seven tricks. > U Real Versatility. OBBY JONES, Walter Hagen, Leo Diegel, Wild Bill Mehlhorn and Craig Wood are all good bridge players. Mehlhorn is probably the most enthusiastic of the lot, playing in the strongest company he can find. Wood is per- haps the deepest student of the game among all prominent golfers. He is the type that likes to analyze technical articles on the game and work out the correct answers to problems. Hagen and Diegel, who have toured a lot together in all parts of the world, are hardly what could be called orthodox players. They delight in sticking in a queer bid occasionally to confuse their opponents. If they followed similar tactics on a golf course, using niblicks for driving and drivers for putting, we wonder how many championships they would have won! The late Walter J. Travis, holder of both American and British championships, was probably a more inveterate bridge player than any prominent golfer of today. Contract Systems. wnATwouldyoqu,usmn-vulnenble dealer against a non-vulnerable side, on the following hands? “Jli! @AKT52 A YEKJE B Vvo64 c $KJT D SKQJIB4 9QIT ¢9QI54 43 These hands illustrate how important it is to know just what kind of trieks your partner means when he says he shows “two tricks” or “two and a half tricks” with a dealer’s original bid. He may be counting defensive tricks in any one of several different ways, known gen- erally as “sure tricks,” “honor tricks,” “quick tricks” or “high card tricks.” Under the first two headings, a player is allowed to count no more than two tricks in any one suit, under the third no more than two and a half, under the fourth as many as three. The various high-card combinations are gen- erally valued under these various headings, as in the following table: ®Q32- #IJ5 53 @632 #AQ952 ¢874. 495 Cards S.T.HT. QT .HC.T. AKQ ...cce00 2 2% 3 2% 24 1% KQJ ........ 1 £Q10 ....... 1 FEREFFERR w0 *In two different suits THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 28, 1930. ' THE BriDGE FOorRUM “The V. ery‘F irst Trick Often Decides the Fate of the Entire Hand,” Says the Bridge Expert—DPoints to Remember. By Shepard Barclay. Thus hand A contains only one sure trick, two and a half honor tricks, one and a quarter quick tricks, one high-card trick. It is there- fore bid—one spade—by those who show two “Ring Out the Old! Ring in the New!”’ By Eileen Irish.. ANUARY 1 the curtains will be drawn, ,the lights out and the last chapter writ- ten in the history of old Metropolitan Memorial, the National Church of Meth- odism, at John Marshall place and C street northwest. On that day the Government will take over this property. It lies within the sec- tion allotted to the District of Columbia for a municipal center, where a monumental group of buildings will be erected. The last service in the old church is being held today. Communion will be administered at the altar where McKinley knelt, often sur- rounded by the children from the Chinese Sun- day school, and where he took his last com- munion. Next Sunday the congregation will turn its face to the west, and wend it way to University Heights. Then the- history of the new Metropolitan Memorial M. E. Church will begin. At the junction of Nebraska and New Mexico avenues, just off Massachusetts avenue, on a large lot adjoining th: American Univer- sity, cement is being poured and work is well under way on the sanctuary of the new Metro- politan Memorial Nationa! Methodist Church. THE history of Metropolitan Memorial M. E. Church extends back into the 60s, when the General Conference resolved to build a national church, and the first national church was erected in the Capital, where many denomi- nations have since built such edifices. Contri- butions were r2ceived from the country at large and pews were placed in the church by the States. This church was dedicated February 28, 1869, and President Grant and Gen. John A. Logan were members of the first board of trustees. The first pastor of the church was Dr. John P. Newman, and it was largely through his ef- forts and those of his wife that this church has much of its cathedral-like atmosphere. They made a trip to th> Holy Land and brought back with them rough logs of olive wood and cedar from the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives and Mount Lebanon. These logs were made into the pulpit and altar rail in the auditorium. The keystone in the arch above the pulpit, on which is the inscription, “Jehovah Jired ™ - and marble tiles in the vestibule, were brought from the ruins of Solomon’s Temple. The ivy on the wall grew from slips brought from Mar- tin Luther’s grave. The church was incompléte when dedicated; and two years later the spire and chimes were dedicated. The tall spire, which has become a Washington landmark, is called the Kelso spire because of the large contribution given by ‘Thomas Kelso of Baltimore. Viewed from the plaza north of the Capitol, there is a point where this spire seems to rest upon the breast of Washington Monument and nestle there. The chimes, given by individuals and the primary department of the Sunday school, have each bell inscribed by the name of the donor be removed to the new location & campanile, ALBO the memorial windows, the pulpit and altar, the pews and the tablets will be re- moved to the new church. The tablets honor Presidents Grant and McKinley, Vice President Fairbanks, Gen. John A. Logan, Bishop John P. Newman, Justice Thomas H. Anderson, An- drew B. Duvall, Matthew G. Emery, Capt. Sam- uel Ford, S. Carroll Ford, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Gray, Mrs. Jane C. Graves, Judge B. F, Leighton, Benjamin Charleton and the 44 boys who served in the World War. A glorious com- pany to inpire others to carry on in support of the church, as their invisible presence has seemed to do in the past! Many able men have occupied the pulpit of this church. Two of them, Bishop Newman and Bishop Bristol, were called from the pastorate here. The present pastor, Dr. James Shera Montgomery, is also chaplain of the House of Representatives. Vice President Curtis regularly attends Metro- politan Memorial M. E. Church, and he bfoke ground for the new church last Summer. He has written the foreword for a brochure that is being prepared for distribution. The old church has been one of the most perfect types of Gothic architecture in this country. The new church will be modern Gothic, a new type of architecture. It will be one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the city—churchly in every respect as the old church has been. For several months services will be held in Hearst Hall, on the campus of the American University. World Sulphur Supply. SURVEY conducted by the Bureau of Mines indicates that, so far as sulphur is concerned, the world need fear no shortage for a long time yet. It is estimated that almost 1 per cent of the earth’s crust consists of sulphur and the known and readily accessible deposits are tremendous. The United States and Italy seem to be most plentifully supplied, with Chile, Spain and - Japan possessed of large quantities. ‘The deposits being worked in Texas are be- lieved to contain at least 40,000,000 tons, while immense and unestimated deposits exist in Culberson County in that State, Estimafes of the Italian supply vary from a conservative 25,500,000 tons up to figure of 84,000,000 tons. - Gain in Hog Output. Tnlputyenmafuonehhncpmdm- tion. The supplies of Denmark, in par- ticular, and the rest of Europe in general are far ahead of former years, with the result that American producers are finding serious compe- tition. In fact, this competition has severe that prices are below last year’s Unfortunately for the innocent side, the offenders profit in such a case. There would be no earthly way to draw a law which could determine absolutely whether a side gained & certain number of tricks by its illegal play. There would be differences of opinion between the two sides as to the effect of the revoke on ensuing tricks. Hence the only equitable way to treat such situations is to have the revoke penalty heavy enough so that it would almost salways be greater than the offenders’ profit from the irregularity.. That is just what the penalty is. Cases of a side profiting from its own revokes are so rare as to be almost negligible. ~ Next week—1Is it ethical to ask the score just before your partner is about to bid, with the purpose of appraising him of the existing situ< ation? Auction Problems., - HOWmldyoubidlndphth hand, south being the dealer? &aAQI10 vVio733 106 &»J109S AhAIOT42 VAK ®KQJ PN &dKQS The bidding is simple. At auction south bids one no trump and all pass. At contract south would bid two no trump, north three, and all game without having to touch the clubs. When t, however, he loses to the king, and he also n2eds a club trick. :;E 4 should play low. no side entries—only should not take the second tri can take the third. The third cases is nearly always the im % one he wants to take, because by suit is probably established and he can run of it. present emergency, if west violates important rule of defensive no trump y his hand is dead and he will take no more tricks with it. If, however, he plays low—as did Philip Stockvis, the capable west, when his hand was actually played—notice what happens. Declarer, after winning the second diamond trick, should now sense his danger. He sho: cash his two winning hearts and four lead a club, hoping that ve EEEg 1 E5 5335%555 FEg HOWwouldmNdlndphythe!olm hand, in which south is the dealer? & Nape ¥v9762 ®$Ks & A1098754 J108654 NORTH B v Q :AJIODCI E §