Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20
ROYAL SPADES IN BRIDGE
New Plan to Solve the Problem Of the
Spade Make.
CHANCE TO DOUBLE IT'S VALUE
Dealer or Partner May Make the
Black Trump worth Trick
and Force ~ TO he
Played.


the recently invented royal spade. Ex-
actly who first suggested this variation
or who hit upon the name It is difficult
TO say, as several widely separated indi-
viduals claim the honor.
A royal spade is a spade declaration
that must be played regardless OF the
score, and that every trick over the book
is worth ten points, instead OF two, so that
It takes rank between heart and a no
trumper and becomes the most valuable of
all the suit declaration, instead Of the low
est.
The royal spade is the result OF reac-
tion against a custom which was always
condemned by thinking players and which
never had any legitimate excuse except to
enable these who played bridge more for
money than for amusement to avoid any
waste of time.
Two or three years ago one OF these get
rich quick players suggested that as spades
were worth so little It would be a good
idea not to play spades unless the value
OF the tricks was boosted bit by doubling
II the make was not doubled the adversaT-
les who refused to double should be obliged
TO concede the odd trick to the dealer with
scored as held and shown and the next
deal hurried UP with all possible speed
This elementary suggestion did not work
very we'll and there who were most in
favor Of 1t found that there we're many
occasions upon which the dealer and his
partner could have won the game very
nicely with a spade make when they were
pretty well advanced In the score There
we're also occasions upon which the ad-
versaries did not feel justified in doubling,
although they would have liked very much
to have added two or four points to their
score.
This brought about the rule that IL
either side were 20 up or better the spade
declaration should be played even IL It
were not doubled. Every one thought this
settled the whole difficulty, but experience
proved that ten points to go, requiring five
by cards, was rather too much to expect
from such weak hands as spades are usu-
ally declared on, and that all the advant-
age of the position was with the stronger
hands that were opposed to the declaration
and could slaughter It, In order to give
the dealers side chance the limit was
advanced to twenty-four points instead of
twenty.
They found that this increased, instead
Of diminishing, the advantage of the ad-
Versaries because 1t was always their next
deal and they had a long way the best of
1t when they were ahead in the score hav-
ing reached the required limit, while the
dealers side had not, but had made 1t
spades through sheer inability to call any
thing else.
Being twenty-four up, for instance,
against the dealers twelve, it was very
safe to play the spade declaration on the
chance that the dealer could not make
more than one or two by cards, which
would still leave him two tricks away from
game in anything that might be declared
afterward II the dealer failed to make the
odd, the adversaries twenty-four up would
be changed to twenty-sx, at least, and
any old declaration would take them out
on the next deal.
To remedy this defect and also to make
the game a little more sporty, the Whist
club adopted the rule that an undoubed
spade should not be played unless the
dealers side was twenty-four or better, and
that no notice should be taken of the non
dealers score.
This rule put an end to a process which
Is known to the gambling fraternity as
sweating out" Before 1t was in force the
play OF an undoubled spade, 1t frequently
happened that the dealer would be about
sixteen up and his adversares twenty-six
or twenty-eight. Nothing could be nicer
than for those opposed to a spade declara-
tion at such a score to sit tight and try
to get the odd trick out of II by any sort
of risk There was nothing to lose, as the
dealer could not possibly go game, while
everything was to be gained by getting the
first deal on the next game.
The rule, which is still in force and has
been everywhere adopted, compels the nom
dealers, when they have the advantage
in the score, to double II they want to play
the hand.
The next step in the evolution Of the
spade declaration was with a view to the
further saving of time. This was to fix
the Dealers score for honors as we'll as
for tricks when the spade declaration was
not played. The modern practice is to take
two and four so that even II the dealer
holds five honors in one hand in spades
and coud have made a grand slam he can
not score more than the odd trick and
simple honors II the hand is not played.
From this rule there is no variation.
Every bridge player knows that there are
certain stages OF the score which IT is very
desirable TO reach and the aim OF every
fFst-class player is always to reach one
Of those stages when he cannot quite go
game.
One of the important stopping places
Is the score a. because the odd trick In
anything but a black make will win the
game next time. Even a black make may
take the players out from a. as two in
clubs or three in spades is not at all lm-
probable when such suits are named at
that particular score. SO we'll is this un-
derstood by good players that when dummy
Is asked to make It at "a or better he is
supposed to select his best suit no matter
what It Is, Under such circumstances a
black make is a very common selection,
although at any other score It would be
ridiculed.
II the dealers side happens TO be q
or % up and neither partner has any
thing better than a spade make there is
nothing for II but to declare spades al
though the importance OF such a make is
evident to both Of them. There are many
hands in which the distribution of the
trumps and plain suits is such that the
combination is good for two or three by
cards against the best possible defense
But II the suit that must be selected for
the trump happens TO be spades instead
Of hearts or diamonds or clubs the dealer
and his partner are not allowed to play
the hand and get those two or three by
cards unless their adversaries make a