The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-06
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HelIespont is the only writer that
advises against a diamond declaration
with six cards Of the suit and no out
side trick The same writer would de-
clare clubs If he had only FIVE Of them,
four being honors, and not another
trick in his hand.
Robertson says that the dealer
should declare on Eve hearts, diamonds
or clubs, even If he has not a trick
outside, provided he has two honors
in trumps. With six cards he would
declare, even with only one honor; but
sixty pages further on he tells US
never to declare diamonds with FIVE
Of them, unless there are three outside
tricks.
Badsworth says to declare hearts or
diamonds with six Of them, even with
nothing else in the hand.
Dalton says you must have two out
side tricks to declare hearts, even
with six trumps. With six diamonds,
even If headed by the Q or the J, he
says you must pass the make; but
with both Q and J he advises to de-
clare. a distinction that il is hard to
see the Importance Of
Elwell says to declare hearts with
six Of them, even without trick in
plain suits; but not to declare with
five hearts unless there are two out
side tricks, or three Of the five hearts
are honors. He recommends declaring
diamonds with six of them, even with
out a trick in plain suits.
Metcalfe would not declare hearts
with six of them, unless he had two
honors, one Of which was K or A He
would not declare diamonds even with
seven Of them, unless he had some
thing" outside. He would not declare
diamonds with six Of ihem to two
honors, unless he held a good fve-card
plain suit to help out the declaration.
AIelrose would declare hearts with
six Of them and nothing OUTSIDE. The
weakest diamond make that he recon-
mends is six of them to two honors,
if there is nothing outside.
Dunn's advice TO beginners" IS to
go hearts or diamonds when the hand
is worth three certain tricks and one
probable In his advice to advanced
players" further on in the book, he
says to declare hearts or diamonds
only when you have three certain
tricks IN trumps and one probable in
a plain suit; or two certain in trumps,
one certain and one probable in plan
suits. 1t is a pity that he does not
define what he means by certain
tricks as distinguished from probable
ones.
Street says 70 declare hearts with six
Of them, including one honor, even
with nothing outside With regard to
diamonds he says to declare with six
of them, but makes no proviso as to
whether there should be any tricks in
plain suits or not He also says TO de-
clare diamonds with FIVE of them. in
GLIDING three honors, leaving the read
or TO infer that ne does not insist on
any strength in plain suits.
MainWaring thinks that to call hearts
with only four tricks in the hand, no
nv No, hor Sc
a dangerous experiment At the same
time he says that the dealer should call
hearts "defensively' with six of them,
if there is an honor as good as Q, or
10 among them, even with nothing out
side.
Doe says: ITO call hearts with only
five trumps you should have five sure
tricks in the hand, one of them being
absolutely certain in the trumf. suit;
but that you should declare hearts
when you have six of them of any kind.
even without a trick in plain suits. It is
difficult to reconcile such advice II is
even more difficult to imagine hand
in which there are four sure tricks
in plain suits, and only one absolutely
certain" in hearts, which would not
be a better no-trumper. He says never
10 declare diamonds with only five of
them, no matter how good the other
cards are, unless il is very irnproba BILE
that dummy can have a better call. At
the same time he recommends declar-
ing diamonds on any six cards of the
suit, even without a possible trick in
the hand outside.
None of these writer's offers any
reason for his advice, or presents any
facts TO demonstrate the Importance
of distinguishing between five trumps
and six, or six trumps and seven. The
only conclusion that the average read
er can come to is that most of our
authorities regard five trumps as an
attacking declaration, intended to win
the game, while six trumps is a de-
fensive declaration, intended to save it.
AS an example of planning the play
OF a hand in advance take the follow
ing position, in which has declared
no-trumps at the score OF love all:
HAND No