Chapter 10

The game is, of course, far more important than the contract, and the Declarer, when he has a reasonable chance of obtaining it, should, if necessary, risk his declaration. On the other hand, his opponents should save the game beyond peradventure, even if by so doing they lose an opportunity to defeat the Declarer.

A couple of examples will show this more clearly than pages of explanation.

Suppose, the score being love, the Declarer, who has bid three Royals, has about exhausted the possibilities of his cards. He has won eight tricks and has the lead in his own hand, with an Ace and Queen of the same suit in the Dummy. One more trick will fulfil his contract, two will give him game. The development of the play has shown that the adversaries will make the rest of the tricks whenever they obtain the lead, and consequently, if he finesse and lose, the eight tricks already taken will be all he will secure, his Ace will "die," and he will be "one down."

He is without information as to the location of the King; neither adversary has declared, and neither has by discard or otherwise in the play given a reliable hint as to the absence or presence of the all-important card.

His duty is plain. By finessing he may lose 27 points and a penalty of 50, 77 in all, but the finesse gives him an even chance to win the game; and whether it be the rubber, with its premium of 250, or merely the first game, but still a most important advance toward the goal, he should take his chance, realizing that the value of the object for which he is striving is far greater than the 77 he may lose.

Under similar conditions, however, if the Trump be Diamonds, the finesse should be refused. It would then take three more tricks to make game, and but two are possible. One completes the contract, and winning the finesse adds only 7 points, less than one-tenth of the 71 placed in jeopardy.

The 21 points in the trick column assured by refusing the finesse are, viewed from a practical standpoint, just as near a game as 28 would be, but 21 makes the bidding for game on the next deal much easier than if the effort to win the extra 7 had resulted in the score remaining at love. In this case, therefore, not only when the chances are equal, but even when unmistakable inferences of declaration and play indicate that the success of the finesse is almost assured, the opportunity should be refused.

"Penny-wise and pound-foolish" aptly characterizes a player who would risk advantage of position and 71 points for the chance of gaining a paltry 7.

PLAY FOR AN EVEN BREAK

The Declarer, in the absence of any positive indication to the contrary, should base his play upon the probability of an even division of the cards. That is, with seven of a suit in his own hand and Dummy, he should play for each of the adversaries to have three; with nine, he should play on the basis that the four missing cards are equally divided. In the long run, playing for the even break will net many tricks, but in a small percentage of instances it will result unfortunately. The case in which the question most frequently arises is when either in Trumps or in the Declarer's strong suit in a No-trump, the two hands hold nine cards headed by Ace, King, Knave. The division between the two hands may be

Ace, King, Knave, X, X and X, X, X, X

Ace, King, X, X, X and Knave, Ten, X, X

Ace, Knave, X, X, X and King, X, X, X

King, Knave, X, X, X and Ace, X, X, X

or any other.

In all these cases the Knave finesse is tempting, but it should be refused, and the Ace and King played with the expectation of an even break which will drop the Queen on the second round. The exceptions to this general rule occur when

(_a_) The presence of the Queen in either adverse hand has been indicated by some declaration or double.

(_b_) When one adversary has shown unusual length in some other suit.

In the latter case, it is sometimes wise to play on the assumption that the adversary, very long in another suit, has but one of the suit in question, and consequently to finesse the _second round_ on that basis.

GENERAL PLAY OF THE DECLARER

The Declarer, as soon as the Dummy's cards are spread, should size up the situation, see how many tricks are in sight, what suit or suits it is necessary for him to establish, and what, if any, finesse or finesses he will have to make in order to secure his declaration and his game.

In determining which way to finesse, he should be materially assisted by the bids of his adversaries, and during the play, as situations develop either in his favor or against him, he should be continually figuring on the best method to make his declaration. He should remember that failure to fulfil his contract will not only result in a material loss on the score, but, in the end, may cost the rubber. When the scheme of play he has planned at the start shows signs of becoming unsuccessful, he should, if possible, change it for one more promising.

The Declarer, especially if brought up in the Whist school, should bear in mind that he now has no partner anxiously seeking information regarding the contents of his hand, but that he has two adversaries from whom he should withhold, as long as possible, knowledge of his strength, weakness, aims, and schemes. When any method of play suggests itself which seems more deceptive than another, and yet produces the same result, it should be adopted. False cards should be used whenever possible, as they are less informatory than the conventional lowest of a sequence. The Declarer should worry his opponents in this way whenever the opportunity offers. In playing small cards, the higher should frequently precede the lower, and every means should be used to make it as difficult as possible for the adversaries to place the cards.

DECLARER'S PLAY OF NO-TRUMP

The Declarer will find that he is obliged to use different tactics when playing a No-trump from those he employs when a Trump has been named. In the former case, his main object should be to establish his long suit or suits, and to shut out those of the adversary. When he has the Ace (without any other stopper) of an adverse suit, unless there be some other he fears more, he should refrain from playing the Ace until the third round, or until sure that the partner of the long hand has exhausted his holding of that suit. The reason for this is obvious. If the holder of the long suit can be kept from the lead, the suit will not be made. He may be without a reëntry, so it is important that his partner be unable to put him in by leading that suit. In this case, the Declarer should take any doubtful finesse, which he has the opportunity of taking either way, so that, if it lose, the holder of the long suit will not be in the lead.

The Declarer should postpone as long as possible leading a suit of four cards in one hand and three in the other, headed by Ace, King, and Queen, but not the Knave, unless he be afraid of a long, adverse run which will force him to awkward discards. The reason is that, should either of the adversaries be long in that suit, three rounds will establish for him one or more cards which otherwise would not be made good. Leading even two rounds will be a warning not to discard from that suit. It should, therefore, be avoided, except for the purpose of placing a lead, until the other strength of the Declarer is exhausted, or until it becomes evident that, when next he loses the lead, the adversaries will control the situation. Then, and not until then, should he lead such a suit with the realization that, having postponed its establishment as long as possible, he has adopted the most probable method not only of shutting out adverse long cards, but also of making an extra trick for himself.

While the probability of establishing an adverse trick is not nearly so great when the Declarer has four cards of such a suit in each hand, it is still possible, and the method of handling it above advised, when the total holding is seven, should be followed even with eight. A thoughtless Declarer who has nothing to fear from an adverse run will often as soon as he gets in (and before he establishes some suit that demands attention) start with a suit of this character. Such tactics sometimes cost a declaration--sometimes a game; yet the thoughtless one rarely appreciates his folly.

An example may make this more evident:--

DUMMY DECLARER

Spades X, X Ace, Queen, X

Hearts Ace, X, X, X King, Queen, X

Diamonds X, X Ace, Queen, X

Clubs Knave, 9, X, X, X Queen, 10, X, X

The 2 of Spades is opened, and the Declarer wins the first trick with the Queen. He now has assured two Spade, three Heart, and one Diamond tricks, with a chance of one more in both Hearts and Diamonds; six sure and eight possible, without the Clubs. If he establish his Clubs, he can make 3 tricks in that suit, which will insure game.

If he open his Hearts, he may establish one or more for the adversaries and thus give up all chance of the game, as he is at best practically sure to lose two Spades and two Clubs.

It is impossible to gain any advantage by running the four Hearts before the Clubs, even if they all be good; in other words, it is a play which may cost the game and cannot by any possibility gain anything whatever.

When the Declarer holds a suit long in both hands, headed by the three top honors, two in one hand and one in the other, it is wise to win the first trick with one of the honors of the hand which holds two; this is apt to be beneficial in the event of an adversary refusing or having a singleton.

The Declarer, even when he has bid a light No-trump and received little assistance, should play with confidence. His adversaries do not know the flimsy character of his declaration, and will credit him with more powerful cards than he really holds. Even experienced players seem to feel that a No-trump declaration is entitled to greater respect than it deserves when made with the minimum strength which conventionally authorizes it. A clever player will frequently capture the odd with such a declaration, merely because the adversaries do not realize his weakness.

DECLARER'S PLAY OF A SUIT DECLARATION

The Declarer generally has a greater opportunity to display skill in the play of a suit declaration than of a No-trumper. With a suit declared, as soon as the Dummy is placed before him, he must determine which of two plans of campaign it is advisable for him to adopt: that is, he must either lead Trumps until the adversaries have no more, or he must play the ruffing game and make his Trumps separately. The latter is especially advantageous if, with his weaker Trump hand, he can take a trick or tricks that would, of necessity, be lost if he immediately exhausted all the Trumps.

The Declarer, therefore, should first look for a chance to ruff losing cards with his weak hand; when he does not find that opportunity, he should realize that the adversaries will attempt to do some ruffing themselves, and in nine cases out of ten, should exhaust the Trumps.

When the Declarer has a holding which makes him anxious that the Trump lead should come from the other side, and the Dummy contains short Trumps and a short suit (which short suit the Declarer cannot arrange for the Dummy to ruff, either because he has the same number as the Dummy, or because he has winning cards), he can sometimes induce an adverse Trump lead by opening the short suit, thus conveying to his adversaries the impression that he desires to ruff with the short Trumps.

If the Declarer have sufficient Trump length in his weak Trump hand to exhaust the adverse Trump holding, and still remain with sufficient Trumps for all possible ruffs, he should lead Trumps before taking the ruff, so as to avoid any chance of an over-ruff. An obvious case will exemplify this principle:--

The Declarer holds Ace, King, Queen, and one small Trump; the Dummy, four small; the Declarer, King, Queen, and two small Clubs, in which suit the Dummy has Ace and one small. Part of the Declarer's original scheme of play is to have the Dummy ruff his losing Club, yet to lead that suit before three rounds of Trumps would be the height of folly, as a winning card might be ruffed by an adversary or the Dummy over-ruffed.

Managing the Dummy so as to utilize all his small Trumps to the greatest advantage is one of the tests of the skill of the player of the combined hands. A simple example follows: With Hearts Trump, the Dummy puts down one small Club, and three worthless Trumps. The Declarer wins the first trick, has Ace at the head of his long Trumps; also, Ace, King, and two losing Clubs. His play is plain. He should lead his Ace and then a small Club; ruff the latter, lead a Trump from Dummy, and then the remaining losing Club, for Dummy to ruff with his last Trump.

PLAY BY DECLARER'S ADVERSARIES

The adversaries of the Declarer must realize that they are at some disadvantage in the play. The Declarer knows every card in the Dummy, but each of his opponents can at best only guess the holding of his partner. They should, therefore, strive by every means in their power to give each other all possible information.

They should always play the lowest, and (except with Ace, King, and one or more others) lead the highest of a sequence. The only case in which they should withhold information or play a false card is when such action may upset the calculations of the Declarer, and either cannot mislead the partner, or, if it do, will not affect his play. For example, with King, Queen, over an adverse Ace, Knave, 10, a false card is more than justified, as it tempts the Declarer to mould his play for another finesse; so also, in other cases in which the partner is without strength in the suit and his play is, therefore, unimportant, he may be treated as if he were a Dummy.

The advantage of forcing the strong hand is just as great in Auction as in Whist or Bridge, and as a rule it is the best play possible for the adversaries of the Declarer. The only exception is when the Dummy has an established suit and a reëntry.

Suppose, for example, with four tricks to play, the Declarer has the last Trump (Hearts), one Club, and two Diamonds. The Dummy has three winning Clubs, and the leader a Diamond and winning Spades. He knows he can force the Declarer's last Trump with a Spade, and generally this would be his wisest play; but the long Clubs in the Dummy show that the usual tactics cannot now be employed, and his only chance is to lead a Diamond hoping that his partner has one or two winners.

It goes without saying that leading a suit the weak adverse hand can trump, and upon which the strong hand can discard, is carrying out a custom most commendable at Christmas, but which at the card-table does not arouse the enthusiasm of the partner.

A player should be most careful not to indicate by some mannerism that his hand is trickless. By pulling a card before it is his turn to play, by apparent lack of interest, or by allowing himself to be wrapped in gloom, he may give the Declarer as much information as if he spread his hand on the table.

THE SIGNAL

One of the best and most serviceable methods of giving information is by using "the signal," which is made by the play of an unnecessarily high card. For example, the Ace and King of a suit are led. The play of the 6 before the 5 constitutes a signal, as the 6 is an unnecessarily high card.

The meaning of this signal is that the maker desires the suit, in which it is made, continued. Playing in ordinary order, lower before higher, shows that the continuation of that suit is not requested. It is the old Trump signal of the game of Whist, which, inasmuch as a demand for a Trump lead is not needed in Auction, has been borrowed and transformed into a request to continue the suit. This signal was first used to mean, "I can ruff the third round," but the absurdity of limiting it to any such meaning soon became apparent, and, as it is now played, it means, "Partner, continue this suit. I have some reason for asking you so to do." The failure to give this signal may mean, "Shift the suit," but does not of necessity do so. It merely says, "Partner, I have no reason for asking you to lead this suit a third time."

This signal is a most important part of Auction tactics. It can be given on either the partner's or the Declarer's lead, should always be used when a continuation of the suit is desired, and should be watched for by the partner with the most painstaking care. The first trick sometimes furnishes this information. For example, the play of the deuce, or of any card which the partner can read as being of necessity the lowest, tells him that either the card is a singleton or that the player is not beginning a signal.

When a player is anxious to place his partner in the lead, the signal may be of the greatest possible value. Suppose, for example, he has two suits from which to choose. In one of these suits he is without strength, but his partner may have the Ace. In the other, he has the Ace himself, and his partner may have the King. If he guess the wrong suit, the Declarer will get in and take the rest of the tricks. By leading his Ace and watching the size of the card his partner plays, he can generally tell what to do. If the lowest card be played, he should shift the suit. In such a situation, if the partner wish the suit continued, and has more than two small cards, he should play the highest so as to emphasize the signal.

THE DISCARD

The discard which in Whist has been the subject of so many controversies, and which, even in Bridge, has created some discussion, does not assume nearly so great importance in Auction. The strength of the various suits having been clearly indicated by the bid, there is not as great opportunity to furnish new information by the discard.

It must not, however, be assumed, merely because the Auction discard is comparatively unimportant, that it is not worthy of consideration. True it is that there is no need to worry over any such complicated systems as strength or rotary discards. They are apt to confuse and produce misunderstandings far more damaging than any possible benefit which results when they work perfectly. The strength discard may compel the playing of a card which, if its suit be established, will win a trick, and the rotary is not always reliable, as the discarder may be void of the "next suit," or unable to discard from it because it is composed of high cards only or of necessary guards for single honors. The "odd-and-even" discard, that is, 3, 5, 7, 9, showing strength, 2, 4, 6, 8, weakness, is very satisfactory when the hands are made to order, but a certain proportion of hands fail to contain an odd card when the discarder desires to announce strength, or an even one when he has extreme weakness. The awkwardness, when using this system, of such a holding as 3, 5, 7, is self-apparent.

All these plans or fads had their innings in Whist, where important information had to be conveyed by the discard, but in Auction, they are about as necessary as pitching a curve to a blind batsman.

The plain, simple, old-fashioned discard from weakness is all that is used or required, provided it be understood that a signal in the discard means a reversal of its ordinary inference. A signal by discard (that is, for example, discarding first a 5, followed by a 2) is generally a showing of strength in that suit, and a most pronounced suggestion, if not an imperative command, that it be led at the first opportunity. The only case in which it is not an evidence of strength is when it shows a desire to ruff. The signal in the discard is most serviceable when the Declarer is playing a long suit, and the partner is in doubt which of the two remaining suits to keep guarded. In this case it may not be a command to lead, but merely a wireless message saying, "I have this suit stopped; you take care of the other."

A signal in a discard to show strength is only necessary when it is not advisable to discard once from each of the other suits, which by inference gives the same information, yet does not shorten the strong suit.

Strength information can often be transmitted by the weakness discard, just as quickly and more simply than by the now generally abandoned strength discard. For example, the discard of the lowest card shows weakness and negatives all possibility of a strength signal, but if the first discard be as high as a 7 or 8, and the partner can read, from the general composition of his hand and the Dummy, that the discarder must hold a lower card in that suit, he gets the information at once.

Regardless of showing his partner strength or weakness, the player has ample opportunity to give evidence of skill in discarding. Too much information should never be given to the Declarer when he is in the lead and controls the situation. There are many hands in which it becomes obvious that all the adversaries of the Declarer can hope to accomplish is the saving of a slam, or the taking of one more trick. The question is not what to tell the partner to lead when he gets in, but how to win a single trick. In such a case, a bluff discard, _i.e._, showing strength where it does not exist, is sometimes effective, although a keen Declarer is not apt to be easily deceived by any ruse so transparent. One thing to remember under such circumstances, however, is not to help the Declarer by showing weakness, so that he will know which way to finesse. In No-trumps or with the Trumps exhausted, never discard a singleton, or too many cards of a weak suit.

When a suit has been declared, it is unnecessary, by informatory discarding, to repeat the announcement of strength. This principle, just as is the case with other systems of play, is predicated upon the ability of the partner to remember the bids. If, however, he be unable to do so, information by discard will obviously be sowing seed on barren ground, and should be withheld, as the Declarer is the only one who will reap any benefit.

BLOCKING THE DUMMY

When the Declarer is playing a No-trump and the Dummy holds a long suit without reëntry, an adversary of the Declarer may have the opportunity, when he has a card stopping that suit, of blocking it and preventing the long cards from making, by holding the winning card until the Declarer has played what is necessarily his last card of the suit.

AVOID OPENING NEW SUITS

The adversaries of the Declarer should avoid opening new suits unless the situation shows it to be necessary. They should remember that when the honors of a suit are evenly divided, opening it is practically sure to cost a trick, and that the starting of any suit, which is not headed by Ace and King, or a three-card sequence, is almost invariably disadvantageous. The lead by the partner has been made with some object, and should, therefore, be returned, except when the holding of the Dummy or some other development renders such action plainly inadvisable.

Shifting suits is about as advantageous as swapping horses while crossing a stream, and the advice to return the partner's suit rather than risk a new one applies with equal force whether a No-trump or suit declaration is being played, but does not refer to the situation in which the partner evidently desires that the suit he has declared be led through strength up to him.

HOW TO RETURN PARTNER'S LEAD