Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20

says Hearts" The adversaries have
nothing at all and realize that II they
play, the hand dummy will probably lay
down the makinES OF a no-trumper as an
answer to the dealers heart make, and the
combination will 60 game in a walk, al
though they are nothing up, while the ad-
verssries have managed to reach a. or
course the players who are "A up decline
to play the hand-by refusing to double
AMI tell the dealer to take eight and six
teen. on their own deal the players who
are "a up go out. Does this strike you as
a fair game or one that would be attrac-
tive as a variation Of bridge?
Look at the other side. The dealer makes
ii hearts and either adversary finds that he
can be reasonably certain of winning six
tricks against the declaration, perhaps
seven. even II his partner had not trick
in his hand. He doubles and the hand
must be played as the dealer has no
chance to surrender and say: Take eight
and sixteen and give me the deal"
Suppose that the hand goes even better
than the doubler thought. and that the
dealer loses two or three by cards. The
adversaries score them ALL and at double
value, winning the game on the deal Con-
trast these two cases in which hearts are
simply put under the same rule as that
which now governs spades.
Once establish such a condition of af-
fairs and the dealers advantage at the
game Of bridge disappears. The advsr.
Sc ries would have the final decision as TO
the play OF every hand and the whole
game would be completely spoiled and 1t
is precisely the spelling of onc-fifth OF the
game, the spade declarations. that has
prompted the Introduction of the royal
spG de.
why should a player be prevented from
getting out of his cards what they arc
worth?" asks the man on the street. Sim
ply because the suit he selects for the
trump happens to be black and not red?'
That is the whole thing in a nutshell. Why
should one player be allowed to declare
hearts on six of them to three honors and
to score four by cards game and rubber
on the play, while another person, holding
ten spades to five honors and cards enough
In his partners hand to make a grand
slam, is compelled to accept the odd trick
ard simple honors because the adversaries
will not commit suicide by doubling?
The remedy seems to be the royal spade
Under the new rule, wherever It Is adopted
II the dealer has wretched hand and
wishes to protect himself from a rash
partner, he can declare an original spade
and II the adversaries want to play the
hand they can double II they do not
double the dealer will take his little two
and four. II, on the other hand, the dealer
has hand on which he would gladly de-
clare spades for trumps and play them
against anybody. but for the fact that
spades are worth little and that there
are so many chances that his partner may
have a better make, he can declare a royal
spade, which Is as good as anything his
partner can do. and which means that each
trick above the book will be worth ten
points, and that the hand shall be played
whether the adversaries double or not. II
they double, each trick will be worth
twenty
When the dealer declares a plain ordi-
nary everyday spade, his partner has no
power to raise It TO a royal spade, but IL
the dealer passes the make and dummy has
a good spade hand good for nothing else
he can declare a plain spade or a royal
spade. according to his judgment II his
hand is pretty strong he may be sure that
II he makes 1t spades the adversaries will
decline to double and the hand will not be
played. Under the old rule, this considera-
ton often tempted dummy TO make rash
no trumpers, or weak red declarations Just
to avoid wasting the deal, and such makes
were very frequent cause of heavy loss.
Given the privilege of declaring a royal
spade and dummy need take no such
chances. II he is reasonably confident of
winning the odd trick with spades for
trumps, he can declare a royal spade on
the massed make and II the hand goes we'll
he will score ten trick whether the ad-
versaries like 1t or not.
According to the laws Of bridge, honors
are reckoned as multiples of trick values,
and 1t is stated that three honors between
partners shall be worth as much as two
tricks, four honors as much as four tricks,
five honors as much as five tricks and
that II there are four or five In one hand
these values shall be doubled so that four
honors in one hand are worth as much as
eight tricks
Applying this rule to the spade suit in
any common spade declaration the tricks
will be worth and simple honors points;
but in a royal spade as the tricks are
worth 10 points, simple honors will be
worth TO- four honors 40, and four in one
hand 50. This shows that five honors In
one hand in a royal spade will be worth
as much as four aces in one hand at no.
trumps.
While opinions still differ as to the in
terest of the new game the dissenting
voices seem to come entirely from those
who have not tried it. 1t may be very
wrong to prophesy unless you know, but
many Of the best bridge players in the
country are doing that very thing and are
insisting that there are some things which
are self-evident and one Of those things
is that the royal spade was a necessity,
called for by the anomalous position of the
spade make.