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Show j EASY LESSONS IN j f AUCTION BRIDGE ? ' i ? (By PAUL H. SEYMOUR 1 Author of "Highlights on Auction Bridge ? 0., i?- -V . . . -i (Copyrlgnt. by Hoyle. Jr.) Article Nineteen. Junior's Play to a No Trump (Continued.) IF SENIOR'S first lead is low in his own suit, junior should play his highest card and If he wins the trick return his next highest at once. If senior's lead is high in his own suit, junior must think at once about j unblocking. Unblocking in your part- j ner's suit is playing in such a way j that you will not win the trick upon j which you play your last card of that I suit. For instance: Suppose that senior opens with a King, follows witn the Ace, and then leads the Jack ; and that junior holds the Queen and two small ones. The natural way for junior to play would be his two small ones on his partner's Ace and King. But if he does this he will win the third trick and be unable to lead bock, i Thus senior will be left holding some good cards which he cannot make un- j less he happens to get the lead in another an-other suit. The proper way to un-block un-block is to hold the lowest card of that j suit until the last. In the case given above If Junior Jun-ior holds the Queen, seven and three he should play the seven on senior's King, the Queen on the Ace and then his last card, the three, would fall on senior's Jack, leaving the lead with senior to make the remaining cards of that suit. If senior leads the Queen and junior holds King and one small one he should play the King on the Queen, and if it wins lead back his small one. If the opening lead at no trump is an Ace it calls upon partner to play his highest card thus to unblock un-block quickly and vigorously. If senior's first lead is low in junior's jun-ior's suit it indicates length or an honor, , and if junior wins the trick he should lead back low hoping that senior's honor may catch declarer's stopper for that suit. If senior leads high in junior's suit and junior can place the other high cards in such a way as to know that declarer holds one higher one which cannot be caught, he should play low, because he wishes to get declarer's high card out as soon as possible while senior still holds one of that suit. Suppose, for instance, that senior leads the ten and that junior holds the Ace, King, Jack, eight and live and dummy exposes the nine, seven and two. Junior can feel very certain that declarer has the Queen and two small ones, and that if he (junior) wins the first trick with the Ace and then continues con-tinues the suit with the King and Jack, declarer will win the third trick with his Queen and then senior will have none of the suit left to lead in case he gets In the lead again. In this case junior would have two good cards which he could not make unless he had a re-entry in another suit. However, How-ever, if he plays low on senior's lead of the ten, declarer will have to play his Queen on the first trick and then four tricks are set up in this suit, which may be taken whenever senior or junior gets the lead. Declarer's Play of a Declared Trump After senior has led to the first trick and dummy's cards have been spread on the table, declarer should stop to look over the two hands and estimate their probable value. By taking two or three minutes at that time to lay out a campaign for the play of the entire hand, he will save much more time than this as the play proceeds. Moreover, such a preliminary survey often enables him to avoid mistakes which might cost him the game. Some of the points to be decided at this time are: Shall he extract trumps 'at once; which suit shall he play first : what finesses shall he take : from which hand shall be lead each suit ; has he J enough entry cards in each hand to j play the way he wishes to. or. if not. j can he create one or more by playing i his cards in a certain order. If senior j opens with a small card of a suit in ; which he has bid. declarer knows that j he has three higher cards of that suit and probably one lower one. He ; should try to determine just what J cards senior holds. Applying the rule j of eleven will tell him how many jun- I I lor holds above the one led. and this, j together with seeing dummy and his i own hand, should help him to place i quite accurately all of the high cards, i Many who have never tried to play auction in this way may think it a ; tremendously difficult task, but they I will be surprised after playing a few I games and holding these things in their minds how much they can figure out. i and how greatly they will he hene-j hene-j fited by knowledge gained in these i ways. j |