Evening Star Newspaper, May 31, 1931, Page 84

The Monarch. We all have thoughts of lions As beasts that the jungle rules, And kids regard their teachers As despots within the school; The moon may reign at night time And so may the sun at day, But bridgers know a sultan Who governs with firmer sway; Though each may seem a monarch, The sheen of their glamour slumps, d They're all a bunch of pikers Compared to the ace of trumps. OME contract piayers seem to have a deathly fear of being defeated in a con- tract, and therefore are consistent under-bidders. They consider that this is conservatism. Comdr. Winfield Liggett, jr., one of the greatest p'ayewrs of this game, as he was of auction, re’ated an incident recently in which a player had b-asted that, after keeping track of every hand he had played for some time, found that he made 80 per cent of the contracts he bid. “Then you have not been bidding enough,” declared the commander. Just what did he mean by this? Perhaps the answer will be clearer in the form of an illustration. Suppose three deals of approximately equal strength in the part- nership hands should come up at different times during an evening. On two of these it is possible to make three-odd in spades, and on the third four-odd can be made. Is it better to bid three spades on all of them or four spades? If only three-odd are bid, the player would get 90 each on the two hands with which three-odd are made, and 120 on the cne whicn produced four-odd, giving nim a total of 300 points. Game is known to be worth, on the aver- age. 500 points, so if the player bid four-odd every time his side would score 5001 120 for tricks on the game hand and would be penalized only 300 points each for his two defeats, even if his side were vulnersble. Thus his plus of 620 minus his loss of 200 would give him a net of 420 points for the three hands. He would be 120 points better off for bidding game when he had only one chance out of three $) make it Kenneth R. Pyatt writes in to say: “Better far to be ultra-conservative in bidding than otherwise.” With this no expert will agree. But when he adds, “The best bridge player I ever knew never bid unless he had the cards,” he will find plenty concurring with the idea. Trying to bid them to their full justified value is _important to successful contract, but bid- ding without the cards is also expensive—in fact, generally more expensive than the ocon- trary. For the average player, it is well to endeavor to value the cards accurately and usually try to bid them accurat’ly. A Law a Weet. What is the revoke penalty im progressive oontract and tournament duplicate comtract? In progressive contract it is exactly the same as in rubber contract—two tricks for the first revoke by any player, scored exactly as if made in play; 100 poinfs in the honor score for each subsequent revoke by the same player; 100 pcints for any trick which the revoker's side is unable to pay because of not having taken enough. In tournament duplicate contests between teams in which each hand is scored as either a win, loss or tie, the revoking side loses the hand. In a pair contest scored on the board- a-match basis, the North-South and East- West pairs getting & match point for each team excelled, the hand is first scored exactly as played and then the number of matcn points recorded is reduced by subtracting from it 2 number equal to 25 per cent of the match points possible if top had been scored on the hand. If it is the usual tournament duplicate con- test, with half the pairs playing North-South all evening and the others East-West, total net cumulative contract points to decide, the non- revoking side is entitled to all the tricks it normally would have taken if there had been no revoke, and in addition 100 points for each revoke; if it gained any extra tricks because of the revoke, it is a%so entitled to them; if the players at the table are unable to agree as to the normal outcome of the play, those in charge of the competition shall decide the question. : The penaities given are those provided by the official laws of the American Bridge League. In duplicate contests, is a re-deal allowed at the first table if all four players pass the hand, or must that deal stand, to be played them at the other tables? Contract Systems. Wow would you bid and play the following haud, South being the dealer, with neither side vulnerable? 41763 v1e eKJS HAQJI109 &AQ103 PAJS S A100Y a&s53 THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., MAY 31, 1931. & 7uE BRriDGE Forum % Timidity in Contract Bidding Is Not Conserva- tism, but IV aste of Opportunity —Advan- tage of Valuing Cards Accurately. BY SHEPARD BARCLAY, Author of “The Contract Bridge Guide” When plaved in a duplicate contest recently, this hand was opened with one spade at every table and, after West's pass, North bid two clubs. At most of the tables, Sou'h now called three no trump, which closed the contracting. At one, though, Charles Simon, a brilliant young player, bid three diamonds, a forcing takeout. This bid involved the principle that a suit which was not quite enough to bid origi- nally is worth showing after your partner has made a voluntary bid of some sort, perticularly when the hand is strong enough generaily to justify a forcing takeout. In this case, North considered himself strong snough to respond with a raise to five diamonds, whersupon Simon made a somewhat daring raise 10 six. West doubled it, and led a spade, expecting 0 wait for declarer’s leads up to his History’s Verdict of Joan of Arc among the French and would maeke easier the Continued from Third Page January of 1431, the Maid of Orleans was formally accused of being a heretic and a witch. Before she was put on trial she was cross- questioned by the bishop and the shrewdest ecclesiastical experts that he could find. An ignorant peasant maid, unable to read or write, was pitted against some of the most intelligent scholars of the age, who sought to confuse her and draw from her statements that might be used against her. There were 15 meetings between Joan and her inquisitors in the bishop’s castle and 10 in Joan’s cell. The strain of them can hardly be imagined. Joan was in poor health, still suffer- ing from her wounds. She had to stand for hours before her judges. Her sleep was dis- turbed at night by her coarse guards, who liked to taunt her with rude jests and obscene accusa- tions. But the inquisitors got little out of her. She refused point plank to testify concerning her spirit voices and visions, which, of course, con- stituted the crux of the “heresy” and witchcraft charges against her. She met all of their tests. For example, the Bishop of Beauvais chal- lenged her to repeat the “Pater” and the “Ave,” believing. as men did in those days, that if she was in league with the devil she would be unable to say these psayers. But she replied that she would say them gladly if the bishop would hear her in confession. ‘This was an adroit counter-stroke. her spiritual father and defender. Badly oon- fused, he declined her offer. GAIN, they asked her if she believed her- self to be in a state of grace. This was an- other catch-question; if she said yes, she would show herself full of pride and presumption, and if she said no she would admit that she was unworthy to bs the heavenly instrument she had - proclaimed herself. But she got out of it neatly by replying: “If T am not, I hope my Lord will put me task of dethrcning Charles VII. So the bishop tried again. INALLY Joan was led to a scaffold. Instru- ments of torture were set up before her, and she was told that she would be tortured immediately unless she confessed. A paper was handed to her to sign. This paper, which had b2en drawn up be- forehand, was a complete retraction; an ad- mission that she had gravely sinned in saying that her signs and visions had come from the angels; an adrission that she had wilfully led the people astray; an assertion that she had despised God and his sacraments and had been guilty of idolatry. In addition, it contained promises that she would be guided by the church and would sub- mit herself to correction and punishment. It is doub:ful that Joan knew just what the paper contained. It was read to her, but there are grounds for bclieving that certain portions were omitted. But, at any ra e, with the stake, the instrum:nts of torture and the red-garbed executioners in full view, Joan signed, making a round “O” at the foot of the paper while a priest guided her hand. Immediately the church authorities announced that she must spend the rest of her days in prison, to “eat the bread of grief and drink the water of anguish and to weep for her sins.” They told her that she would be confined in an ecclesiastical prison, thus escaping the English, but when they took her away they led her straight back to the English prison from which she had come. T was then that Joan retracted her “confes- sion”"—but it made no difference. The Eng- lish were determined that she should die. They had not paid their 10,000 pounds for a piece of parchment, but for the destruction of the leader of their enevies, and they insisted on getting * full value for th2ir money. They had threatened Cauchon repeatedly, and once more they applied pressure to him. The fact that the girl had disavowed her confession bore no weight at all. They agreed this bogus confession was enough. The English ordered the Bishop of Beauvais— who, by this time, is said to have become heartily sick of his job—t0 go ahead. Joan was formally condemned, and the execution was ordered to take place. at once. The rest of the story is quickly told. The scaffold was erected in the market place of Rouen. On the night before the execution, taverns, filling the streets with drunken song and oaths, celebrating the downfall of the maid of Orleans. , on the following day—May 31, 1431, just years ago—Joan was led from her cell, - lashed to the stake and burned to death im the guarded cards in the other suits. Simon read the lead perfectly and counted on East to hoid the missing high spades and Wast to have the outstanding high diamonds and clubs. So he finessed these suits by leads from his own hand and played the double finesse in spades to catch East’s honors, so that he took every trick. The combination of the double followed by the spade lead made the hand a certain slam for the clever card reader, whereas otherwise it was headed for sure defeat, if finesses were taken the wrong way. How would you bid and play the following hand, neither side being vulnerable and South the dealer? 4 Qlo vQs52 ®AQ854 1084 PAJYB6432 AK YKJ VvAl08 ¢93 e K102 »3 HQIV7IE63 A5 V97643 ¢JT8 HdAKS Considerable Total. J. D. E wonders what is the score for making a diamond grand slam, vulnerable, doubled, hclding 100 honors. Slam premium is 1,500, rubber bonus 500, premium for making the contract 100, seven tricks at 40 each add 280. and the 100 honors bring the grand total up to 2,480. Problems of Play. With spades trumps, South having the lead, how can North and South take seven of the eight tricks in this hand against any defense? aAS @ None ¢ 1042 &QJ10 NORTH vKJ |~ &3 »Heb a al YAQ32 & None SdA32 South must lead the ace of hearts and dis- card a club. On another heart, covered by the king, North must trump with the aoce of spades. East's discard is immaterial, but nor- mally would be a diamond. To the third trick, North leads the diamond ten, East and West following; South must discard a heart. North leads the queen of clubs. On this East has two choices, and the mode of play the rest of the way is governed by what he d-es. If East plays the seven of clubs, South plays the deuce and West the five. North now leads his last club, South playing the ace whether East covers or not, West following suit. South offers the last club of his hand, which West must trump because he has only trumps, and North over-ruffs with the six. Now a diamond is led from North. If East, with only the kings of spades and clubs, should ruff, South dis- cards his heart queen: if East discards his club king, South ruffs, so that bhis only trick lost is to the spade king. If Egst plays the king of clubs on the fourth trick, South covers with the ace and leads back a club to North. The latter now leads a dia- mond. If East ruffs with his spade king, de- clarer cross-ruffs the last two tricks. If in- stead he discards a club, South wins the trick with his spade seven and returns the last club, ruffed with the six, on which East must follow suit, Poor West, with three trumps for the last three tricks, loses all of them. This, ac- cording to Frederick Ley, who sent in this “hors d’oeuvre” as he calls it, “makes West very sore, and he gives up bridge for the rest of his life.” Mr. Ley, by the way, has ihe soul of a real bridger, for his letter submitting the problem said: “In case you have some- thing better to do for the next five minutes, I am inclosing the solution on another sheet, but think it only fair you should not use it, since T have spent so much time on your prob- P. S—If any one can do this problem in five minutes, he’s a better man than most are, Gunga Din. The New Problem. West having bid his diamonds and having led the king of his suit, how would you play to make a four spade contract om the Norih and South cards of this deal? & 10963 VAKS * Qs $K1008 NORTH = E.3 SOUTH SAJB542 ¥vQ108 &9 &HATE