The San Francisco call., 1906-11-08
no.

no.
Copyright, 1906, by R. F. Foster)
No matter what declaration the
dealer thinks of making, whether 1T
shall be attacking, defensive or pass
ing, there is one thing that must never
be lost sight of, and that is the score.
The chief object of bridge is to win
the game: or. if it cannot be won, to
save it, If il is in danger. If it is not
in danger, but the dealer has no I'M
mediate prospect of winning it, the
next best thing is to advance his score
to some favorable position.
Some players pay a great deal of at
tention to the honors. but the honor
score is not what wins games, al
though it may materially affect the
value of the rubber. If the honors are
particularly valuable, such as four in
one hand in a red suit, they naturally
influence the make, because, apart from
their intrinsic value, with such
strength in one suit and especially the
trump suit, 1t is not probable that the
dealer will lose more than the odd
trick, if that, no matter how weak the
rest of the hand may be. If he loses
a trick or two he will have his COM
pensation in the score above the line,
which is more than the average value
of a hand, tricks and honors combined.
1t must not be forgotten that 20 in
trick points and 1s in honors is aver
age and 48 or 64 is not to be despised,
even if it is all above the line.
When the dealer makes a declaration
on honors alone and loses the odd trick
or two by cards, it is evident that the
dummy's answer must have been very
poor, and that with any other make the
loss would have been much greater,
without any honor score to compensate
for it,
The only occasion upon which the
dealer is likely to regret having made
declaration simply on account of the
honors is when he finds that the COM
bined hands were good enough to win
the game If dummy had been allowed
to declare no trumps, but are not good
enough to win it with the declaration
that has the honors. There is not much
satisfaction in putting down big hon
or score If the rubber is eventually lost
through missing the one opportunity
that was given to win it.
But laying aside for the present the
question of declaring on honors, the
most important thing, as we have al
ready said is to get the score advanced
to some favorable position when you
cannot win the game on the deal.
It should be obvious that any position
is favorable which admits of any of
several declarations taking the player
to game at the next opportunity. There
are steps on the way to this final van
tage point which should be occupied
if possible, and upon which the player
should always have hiss eye. Many
good score is missed through not stop
ping to consider where it would land
the total.
six up is the first position to look out
for because from that score it is pos
sfble to go out with two tricks in no.
trumps three in hearts, or four in dia-
monds, without wasting any efforts in
getting more points than you require to
win the game. None of these scores are
difficult to make, and many player
must have remarked on the difference
there seems to be between four by
cards in diamonds and five.
Eight up is not much better than six,
because it will take just as many tricks
in anything to put you out from the
score of eight up as it will from the
score of six up.
Twelve up is a little better, because
three by cards in diamonds will take
you home, but it still requires just
as many in hearts or notrumps as if
you were only six up.
For this reason it is hardly worth
while to take any risks to get to the
score of twelve when you know that
you are certain of getting the score of
six, or at least do not risk anything,
Sucn as d UouDtIul HneSSe, III the play
of the hand, or a doubtful make on the
deal.
There is no use whatever in getting
to eight instead of six, but having got
to the score of six 1t is very important
to get from there TO eighteen, if il can
be DONE or.to fourteen. if eighteen can
not be reached. Almost any attacking
declaration will get to one or the other,
because no-trump will take you from
six to eighteen; so will two by cards in
diamonds; while the odd trick in hearts
will place you to fourteen.
You are not in as good a position at
fourteen as at eighteen, because at