Evening Star Newspaper, January 3, 1932, Page 81

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 3, 1932 & /ur BripGeE FORUM A Nezw Declaration, “All Trump,” Furnishes More Excitement Than Goulashes — More on “The Official System.” BY SHEPARD BARCILAY Kindly Opponent (To be recited upon occasion by the maker of a “big one-bid.”) Kindly opponent, he helped m2 out, Pitied my partner, so full of doubt, After her pass came bis bid, and then, Pleased and contented, I bid again, So, though it's true that my system’s wrong, Now I could show that my hand was strong, Told her to raise though her cards were lame, Getting an otherwise hcpeless game; Wish in my method the bids were made So I could scorn my opponents’ aid; Seldom can trust them, but now I shout: Kindly opponent, h> he'ned me out! HE new declaration, “all trump,” certainly adds some new thrills to the game of bridge, either auction or contract. As its inventor, we hardly know whetier to claim the credit or accept th> blame, to boast about it or apologize. Of the few people to whom it has been introduced ', some are delighted and, r prece g least, al- most refuse to pl g e denounce the inventor in asking if he is trying to ruin the 3 Whether “all trump” will ever take pnlongside the ne u and the declarations as a p¢ 4 be predicted by any < 1e and con- servative. That it ces wild” or goulashes for surprising excitement is already beyond ques ended to all playvers who like The new declaration as & sent consti- tuted, ranks equal with no trump, three odd tricks being required for game, not doubled. Each trick bid and made in contract counts 35, as in no trump. So, with this declaration in the game there is a better scoring balance, two minor suits worth 20 a trick, two majors worth 30 and the no-trump and all-trump declarations worth 35 each Its operation is simple. Whenever all play- ers follow suit, the highest card wins the trick. If a player cannot follow suit, he can trump with any card of any other suit, all other suits being trump. If two or three players trump with cards of different suits, the highest “trumping” card takes the trick; if of equal value, the first high one. Here is a typical example of the way the mew declaration works: its place four-suit &AQE3S v52 ¢3 HAT543 498 ¥987643 ¢J1096 & North opened with a spade, East doubled, Bouth passed, West bid one no trump; North called two clubs, East two no trump, South, knowing his partner was long in the suits where he was short, bid two all trump, West three no trump and North three all trump, since he had two more than ordinarily short suits. Neitner East nor West dared double this, even with all of their high cards, for ruffing values are the main item with the all- trump declaration and their distributions were too balanced, with slight trumping chances. Declarer made his contract, plus an extra #rick, in this fashion: E Trick West VYA d ’0445 MM | eMowusmanww L 2 > R Chodoepped >heece QMo W e - P w oy A i <4 a® Fowmumopwpr edoedppeoephe “oo>»abDoaa0 ‘q‘:l [ ] - 3 » L © > & o 13. 10 The new declaration is particularly adapted to those hands in which one partner is short of the suits in which the other is long, hands which are now classed as ‘“misfits.” They constitute the only kind of hand for which there has not been a logical declaration. Expressions of opinicn from readers who try this out will be appreciated, and any of ap- parent value or interest to other readers may be passed along in later instaliments of the Bridge Forum. The “()ff/'('id/ System” Until recently all bidding after the opponents opened it was called “defensive” bidding, prob- ably for lack of better terms. The new system distinguishes between mere defensive bids and what 1t calls “attacking bids.” Under the head- ing of defensive it includes nothing but those minimum suit overcalls of an opponent’s bid made immediately after the right-hand op- ponent has bid, so that the latter’s partner is about to get a chance to speak. A mirimum suit overcall by a second hand of a decler's bid is therefore defensive. So is third hand’s minimum call over either an original bid by third hand or a third hand raise or takeout of a dealer’s bid. If, however, a dealer’s bid has been passed around to third hand his sure defense against a game, if one has not yet been bid, is to pass. Hence any- thing but a pass in such positions is an attack- ing bid, for there is no sense in keeping the bidding open for the opponents except when holding enough strength to promise that your own side can go somewhere. For a minimum defensive bid of one there must, of course, be a biddable suit. If it is a four-carder there should be at least two high card tricks in the hand; if a five-carder, at least one and a half high cards. When the overcall must be two, such as two hearts over one spade, there should be at least a half trick better, and if vulnerable still more strength in either high or probable tricks. The state of the score, tendencies of partner and opponents and similar factors should be con- sidered in deciding whether to require a bit more than minimums, or to shade them. Minimum overcalls of three, when two has been bid at the right, are in the danger zone. The intermediate two-bid of the new system heads off cheap bids over it on many occasions. Uncle Sam’s New Tozwon in the Desert Continued from Twelfth Page will bé about 120 degrees in the shade. Those accustomed to milder climates should give consideration to the possible effect of extreme heat upon the health of themselves and their families.” About the buildings the Government has this to say: “The Government will not erect any buildings for commercial use or for residence for any but its own employes. Permittees engaging in business in Boulder City will be obliged to ar- range for their own business and residence quarters, the plans for all such buildings to be subject to the approval of the Government, as to construction, height, architectural design and location on the lots. All buildings will be of Spanish design. “In the principal business district buildings must be of semi-fireproof construction, with brick, concrete, hollow tile or abode walls and stuceo finish. Arcades over the sidewalks must be provided for protection sgainst severe sun- light. Industries which spread dust, create noise, or carry~unusual fire hazard, or are otherwise objectionable will not be permitted in the central business district or in the resi- dential districts.” Business men are warned that the 8ix Com- panies will conduct & commissary in competi- tion with other businesses that might want to establish there. Not all the information given out by the Interior Department is designed to warn the people who would establish themselves in Boul- der City of the unpleasant conditions they might encounter. For instance, it is stated there will be a swimming pool for the populace in the principal city park. Later on, it is expected\, there will be tennis courts. Even a municipal golf course is a likelihood, though what will be used for grass has not yet been determined. There is room for a country club, if there should be any demand for such. Also undoubtedly there will be provision made for a theater, billiard halls, bowling alleys and any other indoor sports establishments as come within the moral standards set for Boulder City. Until 1938 the dam will be building and Boulder City can expect a reasonable pros- perity. For those six years the security of the town is practically assured. After then no- body knows how the model town experiment will turn out. HE magnitude of the dam project itself Is almost beyond conception. When com- pleted Hoover Dam will be the largest in the world. The dam and reservoir alone will cost $70,600,000. It will tower 730 feet above the foundation rock in Black Canyon and will raise the water surface of the Colorado River 582 feet. Along the crest the dam will be 1,180 feet long. It will be 650 feet, or about two city blocks, thick at the base and 45 feet thick at the top. Into it will go about 5,500,000 barrels of cement. In the 26 years it has been in existence the Bureau of Reclamation of the Interior Department has used only 4,926,000 barrels of cement. The entire Colorado River, which through the years has eaten into the bed rock to form canyons that are the marvels of the Western world, will be diverted while the dam is build- ing through four tunnels, each 50 feet in di- ameter, two on each side. Through these tun- nels the mighty Colorado will roar while work- men will go peacefully about the task of stop- ping up the natural river bed. The tunnels are being bored through solid rock and their total length will be about three and ome-tenth miles. Later on these gigantic tunnels will be used in the dam’s operation both for the power plant and the spillway. The two inner tunnels will be used to generate power and the outer oves will be used as spillway outlets. The power plant at the dam will produce from 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 horsepower, depend- ing on the requirements of the contractors who purchase the power. Some idea of just how much power this is can be gained from com- parison of Hoover Dam with some of the other power-producing units in the United States. Niagara Palls, on the American side, for in- stance, can produce only 557,500 horsepower; mmwm,vmmuwrmbh the power for the Pennsylvania Railroed electric trains between New York and Waschington, has a capacity of only 378,000 horsepower, with an ultimate capacity estimated at 594,000 horse- power; Muscle Shoals, 250,000 horsepower, with an ultimate capacity of 600,000 horsepower, Measured in acre-feet (the ameount of water that will cover one acre one foot deep) the lake backed up by the dam will hold about 30,500,000 acre feet when full. The area of the lake will be 227 square miles. It will be 115 miles long and 8 miles wide at the widest point. The lake will back up into the Virgin River, a tributary of the Colorado, 35 miles. It will have a shore line of 550 miles. The estimated average annual income from power from the dam is $6,500,000 over the 50-year repayment period. The vast lake backed up by the dam is ex- pected to provide plenty of water to irrigate 2,000,000 acres. This is to be divided as fol- lows: California, 1,000,000 acres; Nevada, 15,000 acres; Arizona, 900,000 acres. Irrigation facilities will be provided by the All-American Canal, which will be run 75 miles into Imperial Valley, Calif., with a 115-mile extension into Coachella Valley, Calif, at a cost of $38,500,000. The vast quantity of cheap power that will be available at Hoover Dam, it is believed, can- ngt fail to bring prosperity to Boulder City in the years to come in the form of manu- facturing conremns, To bid three after such a call requires at least about six probable tricks when not vulnerable, seven when vulnerable. Overcalling still higher bids requires about one extra probable trisk for each extra one that must be called. Among the attacking overcalls the most im- portant is the informa double, which shows at least three and a h high-card tricks and which partner must not p unlzss released by an intervening bid, ept to set the op- posing bid. This denies a two-suiter. Second in importance comes the jump overcall of one more than necessary, which shows about three higit tricks and seven probables, either with biddable suits or one rebiddable one. Partner must keep it open, even with only about cn2 high trick. Third is a no-trump overcall, showing ti ame count as an origi:gl no trump of the same h¢ t, and also satis- factery stoppage of the opponents’ suit. A suit made in a situation where the next opponent’s pass would cloce the contracting at less than a game bid requires approximately I I riginal fourth-hand bid. able the opponent to show his partner’s hand fits ce a game, especially e using one of the older e bi extremely i>n with fair hands nesses of their tly depend upon m bid their games. that is, of two eor is necessary to overcall the ion—can be based on prob- within two of the tricks within three when I g of the suit named by oppo- nents will be discussed n2xt week. . . A Law a Week What occurs if de or, playing a no-trewmp hand, leads a club jrom his hand towwrd a sin- gleton jack in dummy; the only club still out is held by East, who promptly plays it before either West has played or decclarer has calied or touched the card in dummy? Declarer may call upon West to play his highest card of any designated suit, since hgga holds none of the suit led. If West has no cards of the suit called, the penalty is paid. What is the law on the subject of studying an opponent’s facial expression while he is playing to a trick for the purpose of trying to decide whether or not to finesse against him? Problems How would you bid and play the following hand, North and South bzing vulnerable, with South the dealer? & None YAJT6432 Q542 AO4 HKJI1098 NORTH 754 .| #Q82 [~ 95 vEI108 v -5 g :.::101“ *Q SOUTH AA3 vQ $A98763 hAB32 A fine example of sacrifice bidding was given on this hand by Mrs. Elizabeth B. Banfield, always ranked as a capable teacher, proved herself also a great player by the that helped her team of four win the national championship recently. South had opened with one diamond when her partner, George Unger, called a spade in North bid tohree diamonds to con- North to five diamonds, Banfield South to six diamonds, and it was around to her. Now, with & hand para- Playing carefully she limited the defeat of the contract to four tricks not vulnerable, doubled, so that the opponents got omnly 600 points instead of the 1,370 their slam would have netted. Her bid was therefore worth 770 points to her side. The New Problem Just one slip in this hand and you ecaw’t get maximum results. Try your bidding and play on it, North being dealer with both sides vulnerable. AK9652 v Qe $J62 1076 AQT4 A None va7 YAJI548 AT $KQl0954 - hQJ9842 »3 #AJ1083 ¥K102 ¢33 SAKS