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Show "U LasaaasaasMsstsi n , ., , .,. rs. How to Play lf(f BRIDGE I rsAs -jc 192930 by I iBIr Wynfl Ferguson 'jr Author of 'PRACTICAI. AUCTION BR1DGB, Copyright, 1929, by Uoyk, Jr. ARTICLE No. 21 Anartkletnthf Brooklyn Daily Eagle recently bore this heading: "Woman Holds 13 Heart at Bridge, Bids Cleverly, Clever-ly, Scores 974 Points The following day the newspaper received a letter, which was published under this heading: head-ing: "Says Holder of 13 Hearts Did Not Bid Hand Cleverly." The writer of it is suspected of being a New Yorker. The article and the letter follow: "If you're s Bridge player, the chances are more than 100 to 1 that it 1 n . , . 1 Company made famous by Wynnt Ferguson in his 'Little Red Book "Miss I'lotkin does not bid cleverly, the contrary being the fact. She was simply beneficiary of fortuitous circumstances, cir-cumstances, in that she profited by a lark of knowledge of proper bidding on the part of her opponents. " Four Clubs undoubted, if made, is never game at a love score, but 'Four Clubs' doubled is. Why then, in the first instance, double four of a never napiJenca to yon. cut it ma happen to Miss R. Estelle Plotkin of - ISH E. 26th Street. Fourth Hand on rubber game, she was dealt all 13 Hearts in the deck. And she bid four Clubs! Yet on the hand she won a total of 974 points. Here's how: One of her opponents dealt and passed, her partner part-ner passed, her other opponent bid two Spades and then came Miss Plot-kin's Plot-kin's bid of four Clubs although she didn't have a Club in her hand. "The man who dealt doubled. Miss Plotkin's partner and her other opponent oppo-nent passed. Then Miss Plotkin bid four Hearts, the man who dealt doubled, and when the two other players passed, Miss Plotkin redoubled. jvunur suit, tncrcuy mining game possible? "When Miss Plotkin's opponent doubles 'Four Clubs' he expects to defeat the contract, this being a business busi-ness double. If he has a double for Clubs and thinks he can defeat the t contract, why double and give her the opportunity to shift from a suit that he wants to play to a suit that he does not want to play and a contract that he cannot defeat? "Miss Irwin's advice on the subject of doubling, while perhaps ultra-conservative, is, I believe, nevertheless, sound. 'Never double a suit bid unless you can double every suit'; the double meaning a business double. "The others thought her Heart bid was forced to get her out of the Club double. The result was that Miss Plotkin got three tricks over contract with the bonus of 100 for contract, 300 for the three overtricks, and inasmuch as it was rubber game she also got 250 for rubber. This, with the 100 for all honors in one hand and the 224 for game (56 multiplied by 4 because of the redouble) gave her a total of 974 points on the hand." Here is the letter: "Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle: "It is evident that the writer of the caption 'Woman Holds IS Hearts at Bridge, Bids Cleverly, Scores 974 Points,' knows very little or nothing about Bridge when he states that the holder of this hand 'bids cleverly.' "It is even more evident that one of Miss Plotkin's opponents, who doubled her bid of 'Four Clubs' knows, if possible, less than the writer of this article, and is evidently the senior member of the firm of A. Sapp & "The same argument holds true of Miss Tlotkin's redouble, which was al x) bad bidding as it gives the original Spade bidder the chance to go to 'Four Spades.' which it appears she should Ivive done under the circumstances, thereby forcing Miss Plotkin to bid 'Five Hearts,' which she should have bten left to play, undoubted, reducing the score to 500. "However, there can be no question that Miss Plotkin should have been left wlLh the contract 'Four Clubs', the double being atrocious bidding and a shining example of 'Auction Criraes.' "Not even the scoring of this hand is correct, the correct score being 1074. Why give such bad bidding so much publicity ? I believe in justice to the many Bridge fans who read your valuable paper, which is usually more reliable. The Eagle should, at least, ofTer some explanation, if not humble apology for the erroneous and misleading mis-leading information conveyed when it stated that this hand was bid cleverly." Answer to Problem No. 19 Hearts Q, 6, S Clubs nornj ' Diamonds A, K, 7, 6 Spades Q, 4 Hearts K Hearts A, J, 4, 3 Clubs Q, 7,6, S Y : Clubs 10, 9 Diamonds 4,3 1A B : Diamonds 8,5 Spades 10,9 l Z : Spades J Hearts 10, 9,8, 7 Clubs K, 8, 3, 2 Diamonds 9 Spades none Diamonds are trumps snd Z is in the lead. How can Y Z win eight of the nine tricks against any possible defense ? Solution: Z should lead the deuce of dubs which Y should trump with the six of diamonds. Y should then lead the four of spades and Z should trump with the nine of diamonds. Z should then lead the trey of clubs and Y should trump with the seven of diamonds. Y should then lead the ace and king of diamonds. A and B follow suit and Z should discard the seven and eight of hearts. Y should then lead the queen of spades. B must discard the trey of hearts, Z should discard the nine of hearts and A follows suit. Y should nn UaH th five of heart B can do one of two things. (1) He can play the four of hearts and let A win the trick with the king. (2) He can pby the ace of hearts and thus retain tha lead in his own hand. In either event, A B can only win one trick. (1) If A wins the trick with the king of hearts, he must lead dubs up to Z's kir.g eight of clubs. Z, therefore, wins the last two tricks. (2) If B wins the tri k with the ace of hearts, he must lead hearts up to Y's queen six of lie irts. Y, therefore, wins the last two tricks. ... lu either case Y Z must win eight of the nine tricks. It is a pretty problem in throwing the lead. Study it carefully. |