Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1931, Page 95

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, OCTOBER 4, 1931. THE BRIDGE FFORUM possible the Mighty—Hozww Champions Took Their Defeat—Bridge News of the Week. the star pla, It is by the gods of the Mrs. Wakeman, in the north, made a deal- er's bid of one heart. With both sides vul- nerable, her opponents could not conceive her making a “psychic” and opening the bidding with less than even the very lowest minimum bi Burnstine called two diamonds in On her second turn Mrs. Carter rebid with two hearts. This brought two spades from Mr. Schenken, a pass from Mrs. Carter, three diamonds from Mr. Bernstine, and there it ended. Six-odd were made easily, only one club trick being lost after the heart queen was led. But six-odd not having been bid, the champions were beaten out of 1,250 points—500 for game and 750 for slam—by the psychic bid of Mrs. Wakeman. Showing & genuine appreciation, and also & sense of humor, the champions were as tickled by the event as were those who out- witted them. Between hands they told every friend they could find about how the two bridge teachers had ‘“given them the ax.”™ Then, to make the story still better, Mrs, Wakeman later told how she happened to make the psychic original bid and rebid. *“I thought I had the ace of hearts,” she said, “but was so excited over playing with the champions that I didn’t take a good look at my hand.” The Proof of the Pudding A similar case of good results from odd causes came when Miss Helen R. Mascher and Miss Lily Jacobson of Long Island were play- jng the artificial two-club bid as a game de- mand at another table. Miss Mascher held these cards in the north: OAKJS643 YE2¢A HAQM She started with two clubs, East bid two diamonds and Miss Jacobson five clubs, for- getting for the moment that the original bid was artificial. Then came six spades from Miss Mascher, seven clubs from her partner, double from East, seven spades from Miss Mascher and a concluding double by East. The king of diamonds lead fell to the ace, #nd the rest was easy. At the end there was & buzz around the table about an impossible bid that could not be made—the five-club wesponse. But the proof of the pudding was in the eating. Contract Bidding How would you bid the following hand, West Being the dealer and only his side vulnerable? AAQI4 ¥Q10 743 HhJT742 NORTH 0. SOUTH 8632 \ &%) 2 B»AK10985 When it came up in the national individual ters’ tournament recently the bidding of hand was rather obvious and ordinary at all but cne of the tables. It was the same at ¢his table up to a certain point, going thus: West ' a diamond, North a spade, East two hearts, South three clubs, West three dia- monds, North four clubs, East four diamonds; South pass, West four hearts, North pass, East five diamonds. It was now up to South. In every other ease he passed, but not so Henry P. Jaeger, the great Cleveland player. Not having had enough strength to overcall four diamonds, he, nevertheless, had enough to overcall five—a seeming paradox. When he bid six clubs, how- ewer, he gave a fine illustration of an important phase of defensive bidding. He was sure in his own mind that the opponents could beat even a five-club bid, but there was not enough at stake to justify a sacrifice bid when game was not threatened; he could afford a still larger penalty, though, to prevent a game. The play was pretty. The adversaries took Continued from Eighth Page the doorway was not Miss Effie Prince, but a girl T had never seen before, although I knew it must be Miss Effie Prince’s cousin, Grace. “It’s Mr. Tucker, isn't it?” she said in & very friendly voice. “Come right in! Effie just went to the kitchen for doughnuts. Put your coat and hat on that chair. I'm Effie's Cousin Grace, as you probably know. We al- most thought you were not coming.” “Yes, ma'am,” I said. “Mr, Cluff and Mr. Bemis are here,” Miss Grace sald, leading the way into the® living room. “Of and I turned to her. “Count 10—baby chick,” I said to myself, and put out my hand, but she had two dishes of doughnuts and she put one in my hand. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Tucker!” she said. “Just put it on the table. And, my, but you are gay this evening! All dressed up and everything!” “All dolled up like a Christmas tree,” sald Joe Cluff, who was sitting on the cou Ed Bemis laughed. He was sitting on the stool, swinging it this way and that and ning, because these two fellows were from the village and were cut-ups and the life of every party. , *“He looks like a candy cane, if you ask me,” Ed Bemis said. ) piano “It's my shirt,” Joe time. “Come here, Pawley, and show the lady.” I can tell you that I was furiously angry by this time. So I started for the door. I was not going to stay there and be made a joke for Miss Grace Prince or anybody else. “Hey, you! Come back here with my shirt!™ Joe Cluff yelled. “Ed, the chicken farmer is going off with my shirt!” “Why, the mean thing!” Ed Bemis said, “We won't let him do that, Joe. We'll take it right off him.” ON! Ntile household fact, known by any housewife, neanly wrecked a performance of the “Barber of Seville” here a few Yyears back when this opera was put on by the Washington Opera Co., under the direction Edouard Albion. i The lather which the bar! face of his customer wi reality made of whipped white of dge Thrill Can Equal That of Beating two Learts and a cdiamond, the second dia- mond being trumped with the nine. Two high clubs were laid down, then the five to dum- my's seven, so that dummy's last diamond could be ruffed. A small spade to the nine lost to the king. With all red cards now Jaughing like a hyena—if that is how hyenas laugh—threw me to the floor, my head striking piano stool on the way down, so that I lay fioor an unconscious condition. Grace Prince and Miss Effie Prince also me later that this caused no little con- sternation on the part of one and all, Mr. and Mrs. Prince coming in from the kitchen to see The next thing I knew was that Miss Effie Prince was holding my hand. As soon as I became aware of this I counted 10 silently, but in my joy at finding that all was turning out according to my Uncle Oscar's advice as to hand shaking I said “Baby chick!” out loud before squeezing Miss Effie Prine’s hand, Jook- ing into her eyes at the same time. As soon as I had spoken the words I remem- bered that I should not have said them out loud. p “Excuse me,” T sald. “I should not have said that.” “Why, my dear boy,” Miss Effie Prince said, “I love to have you call me your baby chick— don’t you know I do!” When I reported this to my Uncle Oscar on my return home that night he listened with great interest to what I had to say. “And you say that after she said that she kissed you?” he asked. “Yes,” I said. “There is no doubt about £ “Well,” my Uncle Oscar said, “accidents will I had not planned for any kissing being done for quite a while yet, but since it has happened we will go right on from there, I think everything will work out fine, We made a fine start, Pawley, and I think now that I was right in wrging to wear the best shirt, because this is what this should be a lesson to you, w you that, every time and all fRERS it eliminated from declarer’s two hands, East had to give up the rest of the tricks. The contract, therefore, was set three, giving East and West only 400 points instead of the 600 they would have.scored for a vulnerable game. Mr. Jaeger’s sacrifice bid was consequently worth 200 points to him. How wouild ycu bid the following hand, South being dealer and neither side vulnerable? ¥ None ®QJIT53 HAKL0754 4K1064 ves ¢ X983 PEITY AQ9852 WAKJIS54 P & None “A Law a Week What occurs in this situation? South bl one heart, West two diamonds, North lwd spades, East passed, South bid three hearls, West jour diemonds, North four hearts, East and South passed. While West is studying his hand, considering a five-diamond sacrifice bid, East, under the impression that the coniracting has closed and that it is his turn to lead, leads the king of clubs. East's partner, under the law, is barred from further participation in the contracting, which in this case closes it. Also, the card becomes an exposed card, which must be played whene ever the declarer calls it. The declarer, In addition, may, before dummy is exposed, pro= hibit a lead of the suit of the exposed card by the partner of the offender. If the card which had been led in this situation were lower than a ten the partner would not be barred from further participation in the cone tracting, but the rest of the penalty would be the same after the contracting closed, if the player at the left of the offender became the declarer. What occurs in this case? East, when it 18 West’s turn to lead, leads the queen of hearts, Declarer, under the law, instructs West te lead a club. Before the latter can obey, East pickg up Ris heart and leads the deuce of clubs, . Problems ofP/ay ; With a contract of five diamonds and W king of spades led, how would you play the following hand? &Q96 WAKS6 o6 HAQJIES eAKJ10543| NORTH o »H913 SOUTH &2 Y¥J432 QAKQJISTS &6 There is apparently no problem at all herd; from the expert point of view, but there is ond from the ordinary player's. West naturallg follows his king of spades with the ace whem gets a high card from his partner, hoping latter was a singleton, and that East the second round. South instead does rufiing, then drops the trumps. = ‘ Now comes the chance for & mistake by § . At one table in a recent dunl: cate game a young South led his jack hearts, thinking he was finessing. The queeny of course, covered it and forced one of thm tops. This made East’s nine good for a round trick, so that only the contract was made. The only chance to get four tricks with that heart holding is to find one adversary with the queen and a single guard, so it may be dropped by playing the ace and king. Where the hand was played that way an overtrick was made. The New Problem If South had bid a spade, West doubled, North two spades, East three hearts, South three spades, West four hearts, North four spades, East passed, South passed, West five North five spades, East doubled and lest raked in his two aces, followed by & o how would you play the following 47985 vs 4 QJ1062 HKJI5 NORTH i i SOUTH A Q1048 vJless o8¢ H84