A Discussion on Bridge

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 17 June 1933, Page 13

A Discussion on Bridge

How should the bidding go and what should the result be? Z has the bid and calls one no [trumps, A passes, Y having fue of a major suit calls two spades, 13 passes also Z and A. The proper lead is either fourth highest of your longest suit which in this case is, of course trumps or lead “short,’’ so A would lead a diamond—the queen being the higher of the two. Y takes the trick with his ace and leads a trump to his ace then another from his own hand to the king. He then finds that the balance of trumps is in A’s band and that they are the jack, ten and nine. A must make two trumps so Z leads the king of diamonds fi-onu j Y’s hand, thinning probably that s queen was a singletpii and that he might force a trump. However, the king goes round. Z plays a heart l from dummy, taking with Ins king and leads another diamond. A may not trump, but if he does lie will probably lead a club to Z’s ace ana queen. Whatever A does Z discards a club from Y’s hand. If the diamond is not trumped A will discard either a heart or a club. How then are seven cards left in the hands and of these three of A’s-cards are trumps, so that in either hearts or c-lubs A has only two cards perhaps only one. Z now leads a small heart to Y’s ace and then leads the dub finessing the quepn, then leading the ace. Z does not lead the nine of diamonds at the seventh trick, because he i§ afraid that by giving A another disoaird, Y’s a/ce of hearts mav not make. At the tenth trick Z leads his nine of diamonds and all AB can do is the two trumps—five over to Z-Y and game. The new edition of the > Portland Club rules contains somej very important alterations. Chief of these (and they have been very much criticised) are alterations made in the rules governing the revoke. Previously wo have had the option of taking 100 points above the line or two tricks from a revoking opponent and the declarer who revoked could score nothing below the line for his contract oven if after paying the penalty he had his contract. The new rules, however, give not option—the penaltv is two tricks, but—and here is the important point—no trick may be claimed as a penalty trick which was made before, the revoke occurred so that if the trick in which the revoke occurs was won by the opponents j and the offending player makes no more tricks, the penalty lapses. Likewise. if the trick in which the revoke occurs is the last, the offending player) together with his partner, makes, the opponents may only take as a penalty the one trick in which tne revoke occurs. On the other hand, any piayei (except dummy) may draw attention to a revoke before it becomes established. Further than this, a revoke | is not established until the offender or his partner has led or played to the next trick. Until now, the revoke could not be cancelled after the trick was turned down. Also, if a player revokes and corrects it before the revoke becomes established, tins declaiers’ opponent may, if he lias played to the trick after the declarer, require him to play the highest or lowest card he holds in the correct suit. If tin declarer’s opponent is the offender, the declarer may treat the incorrect card as an exposed card or may call any card he wishes from the opponent s hand in the correct suit. There is another noint too, a revoke made in the twelfth trick never established. The argument has Deen advanced that so often, at the last two tricks, the cards are played carelessly not making the slightest difference t > the result and that the penalty ha* hitherto been too severe. Whether that really is the reason for tins inline- or not, ,the fact remains that a revoke at the twelfth trick means no penalty. All tricks taken as revoke penalties rank for all scoring purposes as tricks won in play. bo that if you were playing a. contract of four hearts and your opponents revoked and you were able to claim t\v o penaltv tricks it would bring your tricks up to six and you could score a .small slam. Previously, penalty tricks were not allowed to count foi slam purposes. ff the declarer re voices and. after he has paid his penalty he still has made his contract, he may score for it below the line.

Here is rather a peculiar hand in whidh the bidding went very, high. How should it be called?