The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-29
GOOD HANDS WASTED
AT ROYAL AUCTION
Overlooking a Common Fault
That Keeps Scores
Down.
LESSONS FROM DUPLICATE

some peculiarly interesting points
have developed from the Systematic in
vestigation of the results arrived at ny
various bids and plays in recent dupli-
cate matches at auction. and IL seems
not unlikely that the ultimate effect may
he precisely what II was NJ duphcate
whist. a gradual correcting of the minor
faults and the perfecting OF the more
important plays.
H. V. shepard author of Scientific
Auction Bridge" who has always been
partial to facts and figures. of which u"
gives q large number IN mis- book took
the trouble to 20 over the entire twenty
eight deals played in the last duplicate
match at the knckerboclS"r Whist club
with view to asccrtainirg just what
the hands should have been worth Win
normal bidding and play.
The result was the conclusion that tho
y and 5 end OF IL had things pretty
much their own way and that II they
bid their cards up 10 what they were
worth and refused to bid them beyond
that point. utilizing their strength 10
defend themselves against their onpo-
nents, their total score for the twenty
eight deals should have been lI3i plus.
on the other side OF the table. there
fore, the best any T. and w pair had
wight to MAKE would lie l.aSi minus. and
amy smaller loss would indicate that the
y and pairs opposed to them had been
too generous or had thrown away oppor'
| tunitics
The actual result WAS that the highest
/ score made by any pair sitting and :
was l.7i5 points. or just II below nor
| nal, and il IL worthy Of note that thu
pair who made il are known to I've con-
sentative bidders. Tho highest score
made by any l. and " pair was So
minus so that no pair on that slde 81
the table came within sc" points OF the
loss they should have sustained. one
pair was only l16 minus.
The natural Inference from this ANALYSIS
granting that 1t l. even fairly corrcc', =
that tho strong hards vase their strength
In some way and that the weaker hands
Get the best OF IT,
II such should rrove e. be the case ~ =
large number OF duplicate matches. ~
shall hear less from those unfortunate
| persons VINO always hold poor cards. nc'
cause II looks t. II 5hes" hands get uoH
out of the cards than they are worth Tn,
trouble Is th,.- when these poor card
holders ret the good hands they DO not
"a. out OF them a. much A. they should
\ critical analysis Of the hands or
which the y and : pairs failed to MAKE
what they should have made seems &
show that they overhid their hands. Tia
j.. they try 20 get the declaration an,
max. a few dozen points in pl,y when thcl
should make a few hundred points II
penalties. The result is that they some
times get peual.2ed themselves for COINS
just one sep too fdg.
Two faults stand out more prominently
than any others IN these duplicate
msecches one = making declaration!
that the card, o. nc positions Of th'
players do tot justify. and tn" othcr h
being too much afraid OF opposing bids.
II IL were only tho oriG.ual bidder tina
had anything To say. tho results mix
not be 80 disastrous. but there is alway'
the dcluded partner who j. m.slcd by rh'
bidding into carrying it too far TAX
this deal. No. in the las, match at th'
Enickerbocker