Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-31


and sometimes an unsound declaration
VIII win, yet the player who adheres to
those rules which have been adopted
by standard authors must succeed in
the end.
1t is evident that at the beginning Of
game 1T is impossible to go game if
either spades or clubs are named as
Tumps, for if all IS tricks are taken
by one side the trick score will be IA
at spades and % at clubs.
Therefore at this stage of the game.
the dealer should confine his choice to-
naming no-trump hearts, diamonds or
requesting his partner to name the
trump. TO justify the dealer in nam,
Ing ,no-trump he should have at least
two aces, and in the other two suits q
guarded king or a guarded queen or
he should have three aces. A king is
said to be guarded when the hand con-
! ta1ns one other card Of the suit and q
queen when two other cards of the suit
are held.
Hearts or diamonds should be named
as trumpss if the hand contains five
cards Of the suit, including two honors.
or six including one honor.
II the dealers hand does not possess
the strength above named he should
say: Please name the trump, partner
the dealers partner, usually called
dummy, when so requested, MUST
name the trump. The considerations
which should determine the trump to
pc named by dummy are different
from those which influenced his part
ner, but they are included in the adj
vice, to be more conservative. AS a
general rule one additional trick-win-
ming card or one additional trump is
SUFFICIENT. The process of doubling will
be described in the next article.
Playing the Dummy
The trump having been named the
adversary at the dealers left hand plays
card, Whereupon dummy" lays his
hand upon the table face upward and
thereafter the dealer plays in it's turn
cards from the dummy hand as we'll
as those from his own. Each player
must play to each trick card of the
suit led, If he holds any of that suit in
ms hand. If he holds no card of the
suit led he has the option of playing a
trump or discarding card Of some
other suit. The highest card of the suit
| led which is played wins the trick, I'M
less it is trumped. The winner of a
| trick has the next lead.
| The limits of this article prevent an
| extended discussion of the proper OPEN
| ing lead or the subsequent play of the
hand The following general rules,
| however, will enable beginners to en-
gage in the game, thereby acquainting
| themselves with the technique of the
pastime and at the Same time become
more familiar with the rules as here
| tofore given.
When no trump is declared you
should lead that suit which is longest,
to wit, the one in your hand which
| contains more cards than any other
| suit. When either Of the suits is named
| as trump, try to take such tricks as
you can as soon as possible. In this
\ case lead your aces, and if you have
no aces, lead small cards in the suits
| n
the expectation that someone else will
| play the ace, thereby enabling you to
win tricks with your kings or queens.
After the hand is played it is scored
| as follows: A sheet of paper is ruled
INTO four columns which are headed:
rs-Tricks-Honors
Assuming that the players sit as with
the points of compass, the first two
| columns should be headed N and S.
and the others E. and W., or the names
Of the players may be substituted
The number of tricks taken over six
is multiplied by the value Of the trump
! and the result is placed in the column
| headed Tricks" For instance, if hearts
! be named trumpS and ten tricks be
taken the trick score is 80.
| If no-trump is named and tricks be
taken the trick score is "a.
! AS soon as 80 points are played in
! the trick score a line is drawn.
The Honor score will be described
| in the next article.
Each player deals in turn until the
rubber is finished.
The following problem is offered, to
which solutions are invited, with the
reasons therefor:
If you were the dealer of the first
hand and held the following cards:
Hearts, ace, queen ten, seven; dia-
monds, queen, jack, ten, nine, six;
clubs, king, four; spades, ace, jack,
nine, would you name the trump and
if so, what; or would you request your
partner to name the trump?
b Section 2
| The proper opening when there has
4 been a double is a subject upon which
there is great divergence of opinion
A large number Of good players insist
that the proper lead in response to
| double by your partner is the highest
heart in case of no-trump, and in other
cases the highest trump.
! In America the rule is practically
universal that if fourth hand doubles
trump the leader should open with
a heart, while in England and on the
continent the practice is to open the
weakest suit. Since the double is
based on known practice it will be as
sumed that the American rule is adopt
| ed. There are many who insist that
in all such cases the highest heart
| should be led, while others insist that
with four or more the low heart should
be opened to show number.
The same difference Of opinion exists
when a declared trump is doubled by
the fourth hand. 1t seems to resolve
| itself into the question: Is the strength
| indicated by the double such as to JUS
| tify the leader in opening for the bene-
| fit Of his partners hand rather than in
accordance with the cards held by
himself?
| Many very fine players invariably
consider that the fourth hand by dou-
bling assumes all responsibility for such
sacrifice, while others believe that such
action should not affect the opening
| other than to warrant the leader in at
| tempting to establish long suits, which
would ordinarily be considered i'm
practical in the face of adverse trump
| strength.
| The writer advises middle course
| between these two extremes, believing
| that this is not a case in which fixed
rules should apply, but that in each
! case the surrounding circumstances
should affect the decision.
| AS this is a question upon which ex-
perts disagree the editor would be glad
to have the views of those who, either
| by experience or study, have come to
a different conclusion.
Having devoted so much space in this
article to beginners, more extended dis
cussion will be postponed until next
week when the division of space will
be such as to afford section more
opportunity.