Evening Star Newspaper, April 10, 1932, Page 85

FHE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGFYON, B. C, APRIL 10, 1932 HE BRIDGE FORUM Shifting Values Stocks have slumped and broken, Real estate is low, Traveling is cheaper Anywhere you go. Food and clothes are bargains, Salaries are down; If those facts depress you, Smile away your frown. All things aren't unctable On this fickle earth; Queens and kings and aces Still retain their worth. ANY a player overlouks the fact that half of the time the eppe- nents become the declaring side. In thcse cases his partner's last bidding decision is merely whether to pass or double. Be- sides his own hand. he will consider the de- fensive strength indicated by any bids his mate may have made. An original bid of one will be counted upen 2s announcing a hand which ordinarily should be trusted to take at least two tricks, and in many cases more, against anything the opponents bid One of the most grievous errors a bridge player can make, in either auction or con- tract, is to open the bidding when lacking the high card defensive sirength his part- ner will bank on. Sound original bids ef one are the foundation cf successful bidding on the majority of all hand-, regardless of the system in use. Depending on the high cards guaranteed by such a bid enables the partner not only to double at the right time, but to make take-outs with assurance, for they guarantee him entries into the dummy if he becomes declarer. As a rule, therefore, a player should pass rather than open the bidding with doubtful honor values. Before dctermining to pass because of such a lack, however, he should take one more look to see if his hand jus- tifies a pre-emptive bid. In any modema system of either auction or contract am or- iginal call of four in a major suit or fve in a minor shows ability to take quite a num- ber of tricks if that suit is trump, but peos- sibly nmone at all with another declaration prevailing. Lacking defensive ability, the player wishes to keep the opponents from exchanging c¢heap information whieh will enable them to make a game themselves. A very fine example of just such a hand has been offered by J. R. Marsh. It was the following, West being the dealer in a con- tract game in which both sides were vulnerable: & None V9632 OJ9ss $Q10842 AAQJIE5432 AKS s 1078 o103 OKT7664 SES HATS QAKQJ4 0AQ 976 West’s hand richly justifies a pre-emptive bid of four spades. It lacks the defensive strength for a sound bid of one, but figures to rproduce about eight tricks 1f played aé * spades, the exact amount for a pre-emptive bid of four when wvulnerable. If that ecall had been made, everybody would have passed the contract would have been safe, with loss of just ome heart and two diamonds. This perticular West, however, did not make the pre-empt, and the results were mere sad vice versa. Mr. Marsh usband-and-wife pairs were competing, the men being East and South aad if mot always respectful, wives North. In this surcharged situs~ West risiked a bid of exactly one spade. jected two diamonds and South get his way with three hearts, s call which been shut out by a pre-empt. West’s rebid of three spades, North made & brilllant and daring jump to five hearts. . Bast hungrily doubled this, visualizing & penalty. But, alas, Mrs. West did not defensive strength she had guaranteed. spades were in too long a suit to be . It would have been the part of her dangerous first bid, to as a possible sacrifice, but led the 10 of diamonds. The jack, king and ace all fell on the first trick. Followed a heart trick, a spade ruff, another heart, the diamond queen, another spade ruff, the nine and eight of diamonds for club discards, then the club 10, which East decided to take with his ace. His last diamond was ruffed; them two trumps forced discards from Mrs. West. She had to decide, on the last of them., whether South’s remaining card was a spade or a club. She unhappily deter- mined it was a club, so discarded her spade ace, and the spade 10 gave declarer the final trick, for an extra trick doubled. All of which could have Been forestalled by a pre-emptive bid. Mr. Marsh hints at the sequel by merely saying: “And se, far into the night” Bridge Builders DAVID H. VAN DAMM. The prominence of bridge as an organized activity on the great steamships ewes much to him. When Sidney Lenz formed a company several years ago %0 arrange for definite bridge programs on the high seas Mr. Van Damm was one of his asso- ciates. Since then Mr. Van Damm has extend- ed the weork, which began with wransatlantic Misleading the Partner Regarding Defensive Strength Is a Costly Error—A Study of Unusual Results. BY SHEPARD BARCILAY liners, to the cruises conducted to the West Indies and other ports. A capable bridge specialist, skilled in teaching and in the con- duct of tournaments and games, can be found in charge of all these activities on board the big ships. » The bridge talent for these services, under sponsorship of both Mr. Lenz and Mr. Van Damm, has been recruited from all parts of the country, including some of the highest-ranking teachers and a number of experts accepted natienally as authorities. Because of this pioneering the day seems near when an ocean liner cannot be considered fully equipped unless it has some one deflmitely in charge of this most popular of all shipboard entertainment. Symbolism “The 32 eards in the deck can be considered as represenfing the 52 weeks of the year,” de- clared the gay sentimentalist. “And the four suits can stand for the four seasons.” “How about the 13 cards of each sui 7~ the heckler. “What do they symbolize “Your hard luck,” he answered. asked A Law a Week While the scere of @ hand was being written, West said: “Pariner, you revoked four tricks back, and we should pay the penalty. You jol- lowed suit three times after that om the same suit in which you revoked.” East argued thet since his revoke actually cost his own sidc @ trick, since he thereafter followed to that suit three times, and since mo mention was made of the revoke until after the hand was finished, and them omly by his partner, who, he said, should have mentioned it before, mo pema’ty should be taken. Who is right? It is always refreshing to discover one mcre player who desires to pay penalties for his side’s irregularities in line with the spirit of the laws, thus expressed in their preface: “An offending player should earnestly desire to pay the full penalty, and thus atone for his mistake. When this essential principle is thoroughly understood penalties are paid graciously and cheertully, improper claims are net presented, arguments are avoided, and the pleasure of the players is Are Men More Truthful Than Women? Continued from Fifth Page were taught in the same manner as facts of geography or as simple rules of arithmetic. The modern educator will rarely give his ethical instruction in the form of formulae opinion concerning any one of the 10 pairs of conflicting ideas,” pointed out Dr. Maller. “Im the case of self-sacrifice versus ambition and specialization versus versatility, the edu- cators were equally divided among themselves as to which is the most desirable of the two. A slight majority expressed preference for . A considerable majority preferred caution to fearlessness, 77 te 28 per cent; truthfulness to courtesy, 77 to 23 per cent. There was a greater agreement as to the preference of self-expression over inhibition, 80 to 20 per cent; respect for human life over loyalty to country, 88 to 12 per cent; homesty over respect for parents, 81 to 19 per cent, and being pro- pcn:n over following tradition, 91 te 9 per DBOPLE who are engaged ai present in re- galing their guests at the home party with games on ethics, “enigmas’” or other “probiem” pastimes will, doubtless, after. reading thus far, yearn for some new problems to submit at the next gathering. Here are some examples of g Pl I."'r‘f" 41 sgifgifi'gf Y T L MR ] ;r i Bef E H most in need of help. Which of the principles should he follow? Which ideal shouid be given preference? To leave such solutions to the materially enhanced.” The future of the game as a pastime for ladies and gentlemen deperds largely on that conception of ethics, especially since many players who will nct pay penalties for infractions unless the opponents cateh them in the act will not think of announcing thcir own side’s lapses. With the revoke in this case clearly estab- lished by aeknowledgement of the offender, the penalty should be paid. The question of time limit does not prevent the scoring of the revoke until after the next ensuing cut of the eards, or if the revoke came in the last hand of the rubber, until after the score has been agreed upon, or until there has been a draw for any purpose in connection with the next rubber. Declarer led the queen of spades jrom his hand and played the seven of diamends from dummy, which contained no spades, before either adversary had played to the triek. The adversaries promptly pointed out that the lead was not in declarer’s hand, but in dummy, so that declarer had led out of turn. It happened that declarer's hand contained no diemonds, What is the penalty? Unusual Results Victor R. Smith realized his side needed & clear top on this hand when it came along late in a recent tournament. Se he went after it. AANn VAJS OAKQJI62 $63 AQJ1086 H95433 ¢ None VQes o5 OTe SAQJI10952 MESS Y QK1097632 $ 10983 &7 With their side vulnerable, his partner in th@ North made a dealer’s bid of two diamonds, g which Mr. Smith responded with twe ne trumygy West cut in with four clubs, North bid fivg diamonds and East passed. Mr. Smith reasened that if his partner could bid five dismendd§ without any strength showing from himy therd would surely be fix-odd in the hand if & cluly lead could be prevented. He thereupon bid six clubs in an effart g make both opponents believe he could take the first club trick, so they would try else. He expected his partner would shift six diamonds, but the latter, having heard hi§ proclamation of strength combined with message about ability to stop a club promptly called seven diamonds. Some players would have guessed the eclub lead as tricky and therefore would have Jed suit without hesitation, but in this case worked perfectly against East, whe opened & spade. After two trump tricks, the ace of heart§ revealed West's blank, marking the finesa§ which made the grand slam edsy. Leonard Ames and Charles H. Goren, young players of the Deal Club, in New managed to bid and make a game on the South half of the following Stlicon Never “Free™ ILICON, next to oxygen, the most abundan@ element in the earth’s erust, is never fou free in nature. In faet, it is seldem te be fou: free even in the laborateries for its separatiogh from oxygen, for which it has a grest affinity, iy dificult to accomplish. As far flung as the sands and quarts is silicen for silica, a combination of silicon amd exygen, is the basis of sand and quarts. Its use is widew spread, particularly in the manufacture of giass, porcelain and china. CONTRACT BRIDGE ‘Brewesn Engravers and Printers 611 TWELFTH STREET