Judge — December 1933 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

definite line of no trump play: “bid the play” by going to three no trumps. For example: if you have four to an ace it is probable that you can give up a trick in that suit and get into dummy twice with the third and fourth rounds; and when you feel that you can get into dummy twice, no matter by what means, you certainly want to play for game in no trumps. With only three cards of the responder’s suit, even high ones, such as A Q x, the situation is very dif- ferent, because alert opponents will al- ways hold off with their high card or cards, and so prevent your getting into dummy by means of that suit. They will even sacrifice a trick in that suit rather than let you set up its low cards in dummy. AYBE you have sometimes as- sumed that when you bid no trumps and your partner bids and rebids your weakest suit, this must necessarily be a good time to bid three no trumps because he takes care of your weak spot. Mr. Sims’ theory is exactly the opposite. When your partner warns you in this manner that he has nothing except this one suit to offer you, that is the time to accept the proffered protection of a trump suit and to be afraid of no trumps. It is essential to foresee the actual play- ing conditions that you will have to face when the bidding is over. You may not have to suffer the loss of several tricks in your weak suit, but you have to fear the loss of tricks and opportunities which you need in other suits, because you will have to lead away from your own strong holdings and derive no bene- fit from your tenaces even if the high cards which you miss are actually on your right hand so that you could catch them if you could finesse. To get a play on the hand you need entries into dummy, not merely stoppers in an other- wise dangerous suit. Therefore beware of over-riding your partner’s warning unless you know from your own hold- ings in his suit that its very length in the two hands will provide the entries into dummy which your partner cannot visualize because of his lack of high cards. , NOTHER reason for bidding three no trumps over partner's warning rebid of his suit would be the possession of a long, strong, concealed suit, so that you have eight or nine tricks in your own hand together with enough protec- tion in the unbid suits to stand off at- tack in them. In this case you are con- tent for dummy to supply merely protec- tion against attack in the suit he has bid. You do not need to take tricks in it to make three no trumps. In the next issue I shall discuss situa- tions where constructive developments, rather than warnings, give significance to the bidding. Actual Playing Problem No. By Wm. F. McKenney North oA V4 9 @ KQJ97652 Y None 543 @AK South is playing the contract at six spades. West opens a heart. South's first spade lead is the king. Can you reconstruct the hand so South will be able to make his contract? Solution to November Problem Only the North and South hands were shown last month. You were told that South was playing the contract at three no trump, and were asked to build up a hand whereby West could make an open- ing lead that would defeat three no trump. The king of clubs was to be in the East hand, the king of spades in the West hand, and the diamond suit to be divided three-four. The correctly filled- in East and West hands are now shown. The only opening lead that will defeat the contract is the king of spades. The lead is a double dummy lead, but is given here simply to teach you the principle of the Deschapelles coup. With the king of spades opening dum- my’s only re-entry is knocked out before the heart suit can be established. Double Dummy Problem No. 8 By Russell Roosen North Spades are trump. West leads the king of hearts. South to win 10 tricks against any defense. Solution to November Problem North A73 K Hearts are trump. West leads the queen of spades. South must win ten tricks against any defense. Trick North ¢ o 4 + TuSShamOnuewoe PPOPOPOD Q J 4 3 sy K 4 290 94 69 6 30 80 Kons wOmuamrre COCPOPOPIGHOO BANe Sue ad 10 *At trick 6, if West plays a small club, North wins with the queen and returns a club, West winning while South dis- cards a diamond. From there the play is exactly the same. At trick 3, if West plays the king of clubs under North’s ace, the play is as follows: orth East Ae 3+ ry Sa + oo South + o 0 East returns a heart or dia- mond, South will make the same play as in the first solution; i. e. forcing West into the lead with the last trump and giving North two diamond tricks. If East returns a club, South discards a spade, while dummy trumps. West will then make a trump trick. If East plays two rounds of spades, North trumps the second lead and South has the rest. If East plays one spade and then the diamond, South establishes the jack of diamonds for a spade discard, the king of hearts being the reentry. If East plays one spade and then a trump, South can lead out all the trump and squeeze East or establish the jack of diamonds in the North hand for a spade discard. comicbooks.com