Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-07
SECTION I
Honors

S STATED in the last article, the
~ tricks are valued as follows:
- Spades 2, clubs 4, diamonds 6,
hearts s, no-trump Il.
The honors, except at no-trump, are
the age, king, queen, jack and 10, and
the valued as follows:
Three honOrS, 2 tricks;
Four honors, tricks;
Five honors, tricks;
Four honors in one hand, tricks;
Five honors in one hand, 10 tricks;
If either player has no trump (called
chicane) it adds the value of simple
honors 60 to his score.
When no-trump is named, the four
aces are honors and are valued as fol-
lows:
Three aces, 80 points;
Four aces, 40 points;
Four aces in one hand, 100 points.
Bridge score cards can be obtained at
any stationer's which are headed by
the several values of tricks and hon
ors in convenient form for ready ref
erence.
In discussing the means by which the
best results may be obtained in play it
is convenient to first consider:
The Dealers Play
Most beginners find that playing two
hands is awkward and confusing, but
they may be comforted by the assur-
ance that others have had the same
overcome by a little practice.
After the leader has made the first
lead and the dummy hand is spread
upon the table the dealer should never
play a single card until he has thor
oughly considered both his own hand
and that of dummy, with view to de-
terminihg the general plan by which
hn chn 10 IN ND t0
achieve the best results.
Many hands have been ruined by ILL
considered play to the first trick. If it
is a suit declaration, the dealer should
decide If he should lead trumps and
play for long suits or if he shall en-
deavor to win tricks by trumping, or
if he shall play a combination of these
two. While it is true that he is not
always able to confine the play to the
lines which he prefers, still he can
largely influence its tendency and he
is certainly counting defeat when he
plays without plan and trusts to
chance.
The general rules are so different
when no trump is declared that 1t is
considered best to first discuss
Dealers Play No-Trump
At this declaration it may be as
sumed that the leader has opened his
longest suit; hence the dealer is at
once advised of the greatest danger
from that hand. His first considera-
ton, therefore, should be what protec-
ton is afforded against that suit by
his combined hands.
Should he have no protection he is of
course helpless, and can only wait un-
til the suit is exhausted. Should he
have two tricks in the opening suit he
can generally afford to win one as soon
as possible in order to begin his own
attack; but he should carefully avoid
winning the second trick at this point,
since to do so would be .to permit the
adversaries to win the remaining tricks
in the suit as soon as they get the
lead.
1t is when he can win one trick only
in the opening suit that the greatest
caution is necessary. This usually
arises when the dealer holds the ace
of the opening suit in his own hand or
dummy, and is of such frequent occur
renee and so often a source of error,
especially to beginners. that it will be
specially treated.
Holding Up the Ace at No=Trump
At no-trump the combined hands
usually possess a number Of high cards
which must win tricks, and the novice
is tempted to win the first trick and at
once proceed to take his certain tricks.
With rare exceptions this is error. The
one exception which the beginner
should consider is: 'Is there another
suit in which he has no protection to
which the adversaries may switch ?''
If such be the case he should generally
play his ace to the first trick and win
as many tricks as possible before this
weakness is discovered. In all other
cases he should hold his ace until salts
fed that the leaders partner has no
more of the suit. The advantage of
this course will appear by an example
Of a very ordinary hand. The beginner
is earnestly advised in this example, as
in all others when hands are given, to
lay the cards on the table face upward
and follow the play as given, as it is
thereby impressed upon the memory.
The dealer has made it no-trump
with the following cards: Hearts, ace,
u, 2; clubs, queen, jack, g; diamonds,
ace, 6; spades, ace, king, 109 Z, 5.
The leader holding six hearts to king.
queen, jack has opened the king and
dummy, lays down the following hand ::
Hearts, 5; diamonds, queen, 10, 2; clubs,
ace, TO- s, Z, 5, 2; spades. 9, 6.
1t is evident that the dealer by play
ing the ace of hearts to the first trick.
can surely win only five tricks, but if
he holds up the ace until the third
trick, when the leaders partner has no
more hearts, he can surely win nine
tricks, as follows:
After winning the third trick he leads
the queen of clubs. If the leader plays
the Kind then, of course, there are six
club tricks, but if he does not then
the dealer does not play his ace, for
even if the fourth hand holds the king