HINTS ON AUCTION BRIDGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 904, 22 February 1930, Page 23

HINTS ON AUCTION BRIDGE

The Play Of The Hand Against A Suit Declaration (id

( Written for 1H& SUN by -Caliban."'— Copyright L* New Zealand.) Ijs my article last -week 1 began by emphasising that the problem which confronts the leader is a two-fold one: he must decide, first, what is the minimum number of tricks that be ought to try to make, and, secondly, what is the best method of making them. And I went on to say that his plan of campaign, upon which his opening lead will depend, must be based upon a consideration of the various tactical elements of his hand.' The tactical elements which to be taken into account are, 1 suggest, the following:— (1) Quick tricks in the leader’s own hand.—The presence of quick tricks t Aces, or Kings supported by Queens) will, as a rule, greatly simplify the header's problem. If, in particular, he has a suit, headed by Ace, King, the formulation of his plan of campaign can always be deferred until he has *een Dummy’s hand, since, clearly, by leading the King, he can have a look at Dummy without surrendering the initiative. (2) Quick tricks in his partner’s hand, as indicated by the latter’s calls. If the leader himself does not possess a good attacking suit, he should open his partner’s. It is for this reason that original calls in a suit should always be made in top honours; for the odds are only three to one against a*" original suit caller finding himself in the position of leader’s partner. And if the latter has been misled, and opens a suit which his partner does not command, a game which might otherwise be saved can easily be given away. (3) Length in a sui'c held by the leader which there is some possibility of establishing or which—at the worst—can be used to force the declarer’s trumps. It is difficult to say whether this element should or should not be regarded as more important than the quick trick element in the hand. It will depend upon the factors discussed last week, i.e., the declaration and the state of the score. If the leader's first duty is to attempt to make, say, three tricks, id erder to defeat a call of five, he will probably aim at ** getting away” with his quick tricks at the earliest opportunity. If, on the other hand, he is certain of saving the game, or if there is a strong probability of his handsomely defeating the declaration, he will aim rather at conserving his quick trickr and at establishing his own or his partner’s long suit. Generally speaking, a Buit of five or more to the/ Ace should be opened, since to open it can do little harm and may severely harass the declarer; but to open a suit not headed by the Ace involves greater risks, and where the number of tricks required is small, and the prospects of getting them exiguous, alternative lines of attack must be explored. (4) Implied strength in the hand held by the leader’s partner in a Buit called by the declarer’s partner.—This is an important element in attack which, in the absence of more obvious possibilities, the leader should be on rhe look out for. I will give an example. Suppose the calling is as follows: Y, On- Heart; B, No Bid; Z. One Spade; A, No Bid; Y, No Bid; B, Two Clubs; Z, Two No-Trumpa; A, No Bid; Y, Three Spades: all pass. And suppose that A, having the lead, has nothing good in his own hand. He should carefully consider the implications of the calling. His partner, B, passed Y’s cal! of One Heart; B’s Clubs, therefore, are not very good (eii.ee he was in no hurry to show them) ; moreover, Z has over-called Clubs with Two No-Truinps. But B, while passing Hearts, spoke up promptly when his opponents switched to Spades; and the declarer, evidently, is not keen on the Hearts, since he called Two No-Trumps in supporting his partner. The inference is that B is si ting over Y’s Hearts, and that a Heart from A would be a good speculative lead. (5) A singleton (or doubleton headed by the Ace) in the leader’s hand. —With some players, th- lead of a singleton amounts tc a positive mania; they are in such a hurry to try to ruff something that they will open with a singleton rather Van with a suit headed by Ace, King. lam sure that this ia a mistake. A singleton of a suit of which one is certain one’s partner holds the Ace is, of course, a promising lead, and, if one can indicate a card cf entry or so, can probably be made the basis of a successful attack. But singleton: opened “in the dark” lead, as often as not, to disaster, and personally I am p' ays inclined to leave them.