The San Francisco call., 1906-09-06
Copyright, 1906, by n. F. Foster.
No. q.

The method given last week for de.
termining whether or not a hand is
strong enough to declare no trunlps on
is called averaging the hand, because
the underlying principle of it is to fnd
out If the hand is above or below the
average.
The fundamental principle of that
method is that there shall be as good
as q trick in three different suits, and
that the hand shall contain at least one
ace.
The reason for insisting upon an ace
is that the score for honors at no
trump is important. 1t is all very well
to lust skin through and make the odd
trick, but there will not be much to
your credit at the end of the rubber II
the adversaries score thirty for forty
aces against you in the honor column
every time you manage to get twelve
below the line If you declare no
trumps without an ace in your hand
you will OCCASIONALLY find 100 scored
against you and you will probably lose
one or two by cards at the same time,
which is not pleasant.
The only hauds upon which II is
right to call no trumps without an ace
are those in which you have four
kings and another honor in each suit,
or three K @ suits and sure trick.
SuCn as " lVt VI - ~ aAo wv OSA4Nf -
in the fourth suit
On account of the value Of the hon.
ors one should always go no trumps
with four aces in one hand. They are
worth 100 points in themselves, and
with these four certain tricks 1t is very
difficult to lose the game at the score
of loveall.
on the same principle. with three
aces. which are worth 80 points in
chn oil M
trumps when he has nothing scored.
unless he has a much better heart
make, which we shall come to pres emily.
Even II the odd trick is lost occasion
ally there is some compensation in the
thirty above the line.
With two aces. although there Is no
score for honors. 1t Is certain that
honors will not be scored against you.
It must not be forgotten that the odds
are 5 to in favor of dumniys holding
one or both the other aces (32 to %,
to be exact). This would indicate that
you should score 80 or 40 above the
line a little more than half the time
when you have two aces yourself to
begin with.
With only one ace 1t Is about "a to
/ against your partner being without
an ace; that is to say, only about twice
in seven deals will thirty aces be
scored against you when you have one
ace in your own hand The risk Is so
slight that it may be disregarded when
you have strength enough in the hand
outside the ace TO justify you in calling
no trumps Such a hand would be
one ace and a sure trick in two other
suits.
When there is no certain trick in a
suit the high cards in 1t should be
good enough to protect 1t. Expert
ence will teach yeu that 1T is quite pos
sible to hold combinations of cards
with which you cannot make trick II
you play the suit. but which are almost
sure to win at least one trick II the
suit is played by the adversaries. These
are called protected suits, because 1t Is
very improbable that the adversaries
can start out and run the whole suit
down against you without letting you
into the lead at least once. Such COM
binations are K, ], and small. or x, 10.
and two small. @, ]. and another. or
even Q and two or three small cards.
The j. 10, and two others will almost
invariably stop or protect" suit.
It is fair chance to go no trumps
with two aces and a protected suit. but
with only one ace all three suits should
be protected If there is not a sure trick
in any of them.
All these considerations refer to the