The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-17
NBE CONVENTIONS IN BRIDGE
MORE GENERAL ACCORD ON THg
MATTER or nE0rARDs.

ten Opeains Agamsf . DecIAFed
Trump csnstantiy Grows m Fsvss,
Tia play OIths Last winter has dsveIopsd
number Of new convsntions which
bridge players seem 20 think win become
established.
The most important matter that seams
to have straIghteusd aself out last
nsaeon q the QUESTION of the discard. a
point over which mosA players have at last
ceased 10 wranGso. Th0ae who have In
sisted for years that they discarded frOul
weaAkneas have finally boen compelled 20
admit that they do not always do n. On
the other hand. thoss Who have both
preached and practiaad the discard from
ssTsngth have found that there are casss
In which Il VIII Ioss ,ricss. % that they
do not always discard their way.
Tho thing that both aides 10 the con-
troverw have been looking Cor b soms
way 10 cave their facs. They have found
q happy medium between the two sys-
tens. and what they want 10 q name Tor
". % that they may say they have tahsn
up somsthinG nsW and not simply changed
their opinion. Hers 10 an opportunity
for Rsnisas. who 70 there among the
Amerscan players that can suggest some
euphonious phrase which shall he 40
famous 40 Trtss's sfourth bess" or Penn
br'dge's 'sub-sneak'-a phrase which
shsll nttinehy express tho feellnGs Of thoss
who hate to pun down the old easp
The secret &C the bottom % the week
discard was selhshness Tho player
wanted 20 know what 70 lead when he
got In. and he did not want his partner
10 throw away any tricks. His idea was
always the directive part Of tho play. not
the defensive. n goes hard for one who
has hssn shousing the weak discard for
wears TO acknowledee that he no longer
plavs " except when Il suits his hand
and that u n therefore uRr~lisble. This
b IN admiration that he N driven to by
those who observe that he keeps three
10 a jack or ten aud tWo to n QUEEN or king
and will not blank an ace and will not
leave himself void of suit when he sses
that the dealer IL ~ strong that he will
probably 20 Enu,e unless he zen ne stopped
on . third round ~ his unplaved spit.
On the other side Il jars the s~nsibilitie@
Of the professsd strong discard-v IN Rnd
that there are many hands in which his
discard does not add anything To the
information that 10 alresdv Possessed ny
watchful partner hut which would lose
Q trick " that partner were 90 pes the
lead. But the Discard from strength
still has one great ADVANTAGE. which u
will nrobalv never loss. and that 10 that
u 10 the best for the player who h . little
below AVERAGE because u do>- not re-
auirs the exercise % any Judgment 20
intsrpree u.
The expert can hnd hIs wav through |
any ordinary hand without any conven-
lions. but the we1ker PLAYER n all AZ 80 |
without them.
The fundamental idea OF the new syp-
ism Of discardinR is that you must protect
vOursslf AGAINST the dsaIer. hut that when |
he dealer h not dsnesrous or when your
aartnSr IN in the had In = no trumper
ron should alwaya discard from weak
,sss. whon " 10 clsar that vour partner
must Set into the lad almost immediately
md thsr- 10 a fair chsn~~ Of making all
'onr good card IL 10 folly TO throw anv
q them swav but when the dealer 10
n the lead and the chance OF vour bring
ma In YOUR long or strong suit il IOO 20
shot. then 10 the time 20 keep what little
'rotsction YOU have In your weak G1its.
Three 70 a tsn o. lack or two 60 queen
NV stop q auit hut king that IL goinS |
D have dimmy's queen led through IL
! . minute or two is Of no mors value |,
nth a Riard II IL than without. The !
ame il tT,Ds of Eny honor that will in q
vitality have 10 ~ ussd In covering q
The stren~th discard Unfortunately :
pplied will frequently loss q single !
lick. sometimes two or three. The i
eak discard indiscriminatsly used will /
lose two or three tricks. aouss- a
lnss onlv ono. Anv good PLAYER will
,knowled0s that there 10 nothing %
vigorous ~ IN tell q strong adversary. 4
IpeciaIly the dealer a. no trumps where a
Ju are wsak. buf at the same time u i
ust not ~ forgotten that the ds9lsr
" not always declared on an invincibls n
, trumper. II IL looks a. 10 your partner /
light ret into tho lead once or twics .
-sry trick in your strong suit should be
mt ~ " NAV 10 valuable.
There Is one position In which the =
renGth di~carders frequently fall into .
Tor. and that IL in neglecting the chance o
discard from q weak suit and still keep q
me protection In IL To discard blIndiy Al
ON the strong suit just because you have :
'(tAINu NthaN 70 - Ny@tEatl ~ IOtty "
ss,ch Q case. yet u is done every dav.
abe this hand. whi~h vas rlaved &C the :,
~ York Bridge Whist Club last week
Ths dealer made u no trumps With the y
o Of hearts. A J small In clubs. A X o
Ave anadss and three diamonds 10 the
ek Third hand held ono heart. four =,
nhs 90 the king. Ave diarnonds 20 tho =
o 20 and thr~e small spades. Dummy (,
"a down hve hearts % the king. three =
Iibs TO the queen. one diamond and four ). !.
WALL spadss.
The opening vas Q heart. Won by the :.
aler with ths queen. Tho dealer thsn !.
n on Ave shade tricks. on which the =
lest hand shed his losing hearts. For !"
lrd hand to discard bis strong suit In -.
On q position would give his partner y
u cause for criticism. because one ~
ard 10 the club king n enough. and N "
. dealer has q hundred a~es NJ N game -
a FYIbi o.. no matter h0w the other cards -.
. Although third hand vas Q pro- =.
Hssd discarder from strength he very =.
Onsrlv let 90 two small clubs and kept y,
his diamonds.
The dealer led a small club 20 dummy ~
sen Third hard won tho tFick and AL ~
. diamond made. thu partner having A.
D aco and two small. saving tho game y
'0ao who like TO study out the poasi- ~
itiss Of hands viii probal,ly sec that the ~ :.
AlsI thFsW the game aHay BY NOT put ~.