Salt Lake Telegram | 1933-06-23 | Page 8 | Culbertson on Contract

On Contract B BY EL ELY CULBERTSON S AUCTIONS AUCTION'S LAST STAND It will vill be no doubt a a. matter of surprise to many players who take their cor seriously and play either in one of ot the larger bridge clubs or in select circles to learn that auction is still sun a popular game in some sections of at the country Among the larger cities clUes of ot the United States auction made its last stand as a club club- tournament and game In the city of Cleveland where for some some eight or nine years an auction league presented a program of inter- inter club of f team four our play in which members members mem memo bers of the various social clubs participated participated par par- in the play of hands at duplicate du duo plicate bridge The city championship championship championship champion champion- ship was hotly contested and the relative values of at games at major majorr suits or r trump no-trump were part of every good auction players player's mental equip equip- ment meat The fact that four hearts made was worth points if it the partnership partnership partnership partner partner- ship held simple honors compared with the score of for tor three aces frequently determined the eventual contract For instance a player was often faced with close decisions as to whether or not he should try to make four spades with simple honors worth points in preference to a safer game contract of five diamonds which under the same conditions would net only However much we anay lInay think hat chat duplicate auction accentuated unreal values value as duplicate contract does in making a a difference in the value of ot going game-going contracts unquestionably unquestionably un un- questionably many fine defensive plays were made in auction even with the slight information given in the i bidding compared with the precise information in formation ordinarily conveyed in reaching a game declaration at contract con con- tract One of the last hands played at duplicate auction in Cleveland was the one below In which South was eventually forced to a contract of five spades South dealer A 4 A 10 4 t 2 o OJ J J 7 2 4 K J 10 8 3 6 G 2 g 96 s i N 7 1 3 c Ej K 10 6 0 03 S 8 3 4 K 4 4 4 g 5 Aa At every table every but one six spades were made and at that table the small slam slant at auction was defeated only by the skillful playing of O. O E E. Emrich who was a member of the thelast thelast thelast last championship auction team in Cleveland He held the West hand and opened with the heart king which was of course the universal opening Other players shifted at this point to either a trump or a club I and permitted the making of the remaining remaining re tricks However Mr Emrich Emrich Em Em- rich by the comparatively rare expedient ex cx- of giving the declarer a ruff ruffin ruffin ruffin in the weak trump hand held the contract to five He continued after alter I leading the king with the ace of hearts thereby a ruff by dummy which effectually prevented the setting up of the club suit for discards dis dis- cards of ot losing diamonds Ordinarily It is extremely bad play to deliberately give the declarer a ruff in a hand weak In trumps but the good player sees the situations which are exceptions as us well as ss the situations which prove the rule TOMORROWS TOMORROW'S HAND RAND RANDIf If you as s East were playing to defeat a n contract of ot six clubs and your partner had opened the spade 8 what line of defense would you adopt when you eventually won a D atrick atrick trick with the club king South d dealer Neither side Ide vulnerable score Part-score North and South 60 1 4 K J 3 10 7 4 c A Q 10 8 4 O. O J 6 7 Mr Jacoby Q 9 G K 8 1 3 2 j. E-j. W 10 6 48 8 4 A 6 5 r O A II A QS 10 9 5 Ii The hand will be discussed dL in tomorrows tomorrow's tomorrows tomorrow's to to- toI I morrows morrow's article Copyright 1933 1033 Ely Ety C Culbertson a