Evening Star Newspaper, March 13, 1932, Page 87

The Solution If all the countless unemployed Cared not for what they earned, If getting work to fill their time Were all for which they yearned The problem soon would melt away Because one type of jobs Which never had an applicant Can put them on in mobs; The horde of bugs who play at bridge Could merely advertise: “Wanted—Ten million listeners To hear our alibis.” EFORE criticizing a partner for his judgment in making a certain bid for play, it is usually well to find out his line of thought. It may turn out _ that his idea was sounder than your own—so sound that you will admit it was better—but that it merely resulted un- fortunately in that particular instance. Of course, even if his opinion does not eventually seem as solidly based, it is still better not to upbraid him and impair his efficiency on sub- sequent hands. Sometimes there is a case in which judg- ment would be divided among the world’s greatest players. One has just come to hand. It was the little matter of the original lead from this collection of cards: 487 874 033 _North had opened with a dealer’s bid of one spade, South called one no trump, North two diamonds, South two no trump and North three no trump, which East doubled. What should West lead from that combination of cards and bidding? Favoring the spade lead under the ecir- cumstances, we wondered how many others would agree, so sought a concensus at a recent championship tournament. The col- lection of opinions was almost bewildering, each with an amount of good logic to back it up. Willard Karn, holder of the national in- dividual championship and national pair title and member of the famous “Four Horsemen,” would prefer the spade lead, as would about a third of the stars interrogated. Their rea- soning was the same in each case. Spades having been denied by declarer’s first no- trump bid and secondly when the latter did not shift from the diamonds to the spades, South probably had only one or two spades, in which event East would have five or six and expect them to produce the setting trick if in the meantime his side entries were not disturbed too soon. Furthermore, East, with a hand capable of doubling three no trump, probably would not have passed the original spade except because he liked it. Another sizable group, among them John Rau, the young “psychic” addict whose team of four won the national open championship a year ago, was strong for the lead of the little diamond, not just because that suit was bid second and therefore might have the wide open spaces in it which would enable East to make merry, but because the litile diamond would look more like a fourth-best and consequently confuse the declarer. Quite a delegation, with Geoffrey Mott- Smith, former holder of tne Eastern pair title, prominent in it, considered the heart lead clearly marked. The partner’s double, he held, practically requested the lead of one of the two unbid suits, the one in which he was better equipped; that the leader knew this could not be clubs and therefore must be hearts. Still other fine players called the club the obviously correct lead, mostly designating the fourth-best; but one of this group, Curt H. Reisinger, donor of the famous trophy bear- ing his name, would lead the jack. In such a case, if East had an honor, the jack would force out declarer’s stopper, and a return would probably mean that the suit could be run, as he reckoned. In any event, this lead would put declarer on the spot and make him lead up to the hand of the doubler, he contended, So there we have logical reasons for each of the four suits in the lead. In nearly all of the cases the exponent of one lead thought the logic of the others was “sour.” The plain fact is that the out-of-sight hands might have been of various kinds, so that any one of those leads might have been the only one which would defeat the contract. As it happened, these were the cards, as reported by Mrs. George R. Lamade, so the reader may easily notice which lead will defeat the contract and which ones will enable declarer to make game: HEJIBE53 AAK104 QK1065 #QJ95S VAJ2 6Q108 »42 a87 VI 032 MHKJIBE53 SOUTH 462 VQ9s OJ164 S»AQ109 Bridge Builders E. A. MASON. For several years this en- ergetic enthusiast has been spreading the gos- pel of duplicate tournament bridge to clubs, employes of big companies ang other groups. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 13, 1932 THE BRrRIDGE FFORUM Haste in Criticizing a Partner’s Judgment Is Usually Unjustified—Duplicate Tourna- ment Bridge for Clubs and Other Groups. BY SHEPARD BARCLAY sells them the idea that they would de- more enjoyment and benefit from that d of bridge, shows them how to organize such games, teaches them how to play dupli- cate and then manages the resultant compe- tition. He works out of New York, but does not stick close to home. Indeed, he ranges far and wide, showing others how to get more enjoyment out of their bridge. Mr. Mason’s interest in a manufacturing business entirely divorced from the game is such that he can spare practically as much time as he wishes for this bridge building, which he does as a sort of semi-professional. He enjoys helping in the conduct of the big championship tournaments and leading char- ity bridges. When the largest scale team-of- four game in history was held recentily, the artists’ and writers’ championship, with 264 players, his work as director was machine- like in its efficiency, although it was the first time that the “Barclay movement” of the teams, necessitated by the big entry, had ever been used. It would be impossible to estimate the num- ber of people now playing duplicate who were initiated into its mysteries by Mr. Mason and his very helpful wife. 1930 Drought Serious to Insect Warfare drought of 1930, which almost spelled ruin for much of the agriculture of this country, has had a carry-over effect unmarked generally, but a matter of serious concern to the entomologists who are directing the war to preserve the food supply of the Nation. With few exceptions, the various insect pests which play havoc among the crops thrived under the conditions brought about by the drought. Many of them are controlled by nat- ural means such as fungus diseases and para- sites, which require moist conditions for their smaller lives. extended periods of dry weather tended to these natural enemies 80 limited that the insects increased tremen- dously. There were exceptions, of course, such as the European corn borer, the Mexican bean beetle, the Oriental fruit moth and the plum curculio. In the case of the first three, it is their habit to lay their eggs on the under side of leaves of the plants attacked. The terrific heat and the arid conditions of 1930 caused the leaves to wilt and twist, permitting the di- rect rays of the sun to attack the eggs. The result was that the eggs were dried and that generation of the beetles, borers and moths was greatly reduced. In the case of the borer, for instance, surveys indicated that as many as 60 per cent of the normal number of borers were eliminated. The plum curculio, which passes through a larva stage, was literally baked in the ground. The soil, dried hard as a stone under the in- tense heat, roasted the larvae and the decima- tion of the curculio population was extensive. The Mexican bean beetle, which after its in- troduction into this country in Texas was local- ized for many years, suddenly some years back began & swift and relentless advance which has swept it North into Canada and East into New England. During 1930 and 1931, however, control activities were almost unnecessary be- cause of the effect of the drought. The return of normal moisture, however, is likely to bring a recurrence of the infestation. ‘This particular beetle is the bane of the home or kitchen gardener, for effective control work is not so easy. Commercial gardeners through expert spraying can keep the beetles from in- flicting a serious damage, particularly as their crops are limited to a few pickings. The home gardener, however, seeks to prolong the bear- ing of his vines over as great a period as pos- gible. This makes the spraying more of a task, and he is probably lacking in the skillful use of the spray to make his task effective. Last year the outbreak of grasshoppers was exceptionally severe because of the drought, as was the damage done by the chinch bug, the coddling moth, the cattle grub and the buffalo gnat, all of which thrived in the dry weather. The buffalo gnats, in particular, did serious damage to the live stock of the Mississippi Valley. Nature set the stage over a two-year period for the breeding of the gnats, for they thrive on submerged vegetation. The drought of 1930 dried up much land normally under water. This permitted the growth of grass over a large area, which became submerged again with the return of rains last year. This tremendous in- crease in the brecging fields naturally brought a great increase in fho gnats. It was the grasshopper, however, which did the most damage last year, a damage so ex- tensive as to be termed unprecedented by the Department of Agriculture officials. The hop- pers most concerned were the two-striped and the differential—heavy-bodied insects which are not able or, at any rate, do not migrate over very large territories. They are strongly con- trasted to the so-called Rocky Mountain locust, which in the past has gone in huge swarms over areas hundreds of miles in extent. X So great was the infestation of last year's hoppers instances were found in which as many as 10,000 eggs were found to a square foot of sofl. Proper cultivation of the soil and the placing of poisoned baits for the insects which survived the anti-larvae cultivation aided in keeping the insects down, but the fact tha previous years with plenty of rain had seen th grasshopper pest at a minimum caused too many agriculturists to disregard the warning of the Federal entomojogists that a serious out- break was due. The Japanese beetle, at one time threatening to become the most serious of all the insect pests, has been placed under fair control, and it is believed now that the number is much less than a few years ago at the height of the in- festation. The introduction of parasites which keep the beetles down in Japan was the most effective means of controlling the beetle, while tilling of the soil during the grub stage and the proper disposal of refuse heaps has done much to discourage the insect. The danger at the present time is that farm- ers may grow careless because of the drought conditions holding the first four named insects under control and relax in their vigilance, as they did with the grasshoppers last year. Should this be so, the four in gquestion may rise to do the damage done by those which thrived in the past two years on the drought conditions. The fight of insect and man is unspectacular. It calls for much heavy labor, much discourage- ment, but nevertheless it is a war as vital to mankind as any in which man has engaged. It is a warfare requiring eternal vigilance and great co-operation. Cottonseed Fertilizer Gains HE use of cottonseed meal as a fertilizer is growing in this country with the use f this purpose consuming about 12 per cent all the cotton seed meal produced last year. The meal is particularly good for the treat- ment of lawns which are overrun with crab grass and weeds. The meal tends to make the lawn acid, which, in turn, stimulates growth of the undesirables which thrive best on an alkaline soil. A Law a Week Sowth having become declarer with a contract of five ciubs, East remarked: “If you've got them all, spread them.” Nobody else said any- thing, West led a small trump, which South won with the ace. East repeated his earlier remark. South, after studying dummy, spread his own hand, face up, on the table, and said: “I'll con- cede you the king of clubs and claim the bal- ance, five-odd and an overtrick.” East said: “I'll concede you your comiract, but mo over- trick.” West also said he would concede five- odd, but not siz, whereupon South offered West a wager that he would make the extra trick, West accepted, and South began playing the hand. Near the end he led toward the diamond ace-queen in dummy. West played low and de- clarer played the queen jor dummy. Both op- ponents protested that he had mo right to finesse after having made a claim of a specific number of tricks. South declared he had mot relinquished his rights to finesse, but had cx- posed his hand merely to accommodate his op- ponents. Under protest, he played the hand without finessing, and lost a trick to West’s dia- mond king in addition to one to the club king. South contends that he won his wager, as he would have made the contract if he had finessed. Is he right? It must be assumed that South's wager was that he would take the tricks claimed while playing under the laws of the game of con- tract bridge, not the laws of base ball, foot ball or tennis, or under some revised laws of bridge, revised to suit himself. Under the laws, when a number of tricks has been claimed by declarer, “either adversary may re- quire him to place his cards face up on the table and play out the hand.” He may not take any finesse unless he “announces his in- tention to do so when making his claim,” or “the adversary on the left of the finessing hand had refused the suit before the claim was made.” East having takem a trick, West led the ace “of clubs, of course, out of turn. South, the de- clarer, claimed the right to make East lead his highest card of that suit and compel West to play the ace om it, or to make East lead his highest or lowest card of some other suit, which declarer might designate. Is he right? Expc rts’ Mistakes East had made a dealer's diamond bid on this hand, South passing, West bidding two hearts, North doubling, East calling two dia- monds, South two no trump, rather daring, and North took it to three no trump. West led the five of hearts. ] i AAJI0 . Q8742 0 J65 KAKJ NORTH & & E & ] SOUTH MN963 QAL O Q842 &Q1064 Declarer counted up the that West had five hearts if lower card than the lead, the the jack win for East, then with his ace. West played the seem he did not have the three, a total of four and his partner three. declarer forgot that West, having bid headed only by the king, must have at least five, and therefore East was now void of hearts. He ran four club tricks, then lazily figured that when he lost the spade finesse the adver- saries could take the rest of the tricks. It would be better, he carelessly thought, if he merely cashed his club ace and let them have the rest, which he did, going down three tricks. Had he remembered West's heart bid, he would have played a small spade to the 10 after running the clubs. This would have enabled him to make his contract unless East put up a perfect defense. The latter could do it in two ways, either by taking the spade and returning another, then playing low on the first diamond lead, or else by letting the 10 win and on the first diamond covering it if it was the jack, ducking if it was low. Either of these procedures would beat the contract one trick, any other defense giving declarer game. To give up the hand and accept a verdict of three down was childish. Who can imagine South bidding one no trump on the following hand and making six- odd with the assistance of East and West? That actually happened, with two noted play- ers furnishing “brilliantly unsound” defense, as will be related next week. & ' #9652 10543 Q9862 & Q o8 NORTH b SOUTH