The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-31
CODE BIDS AN EVIL
AT ROYAL AUCTION
Real Reason for Abolishing the
Value of Spades at Two
q Trick.
STRATEGY OF THE GAME

spade suit Many seem to imagine that
the only change contemplated is to abol
sh the double value. making spades al
ways royals. at nine a trick, but leaving
other things as they are. A few seem to
have the idea that II the dealer does not
bid at all he cannot lose more than 100
on the hand, no matter what happens af-
terward. Those who understand tho true
reason for making a change seem to be
In the minority.
The reason at the bottom OF the change,
which has now been officially adopted In
all the English clubs and in a few on
this side, II that the better class OF play
ers realized that something had to be
done to stamp out the growing tendency
toward private conventions in the way
of bids that did not mean what they said.
This Is what killed whist, and those who
have the interests OF the game OF auction
at heart are determined that the moth
shall not lay its eggs in the new game.
Whist players will recall that when II
got down to leading the lowest OF
suit TO show accompanying trump
strength, interior cards 10 show weak
trumps. spade discards 90 show high
cards in clubs, and all that sort Of thing.
IL was impossible to play against such
system OF wigwag signals unless the
other side had code OF their own or
understood the opponents. This led the
Whist League TO require players using
| such systems to tabulate them and hand
! the key TO their opponents, Joke which
could have only one result. Each side
said TO the other. play what you like.
Well do the same" There was no time
to study wlgwag signals that differed
| every two deals. SIGNALS that changed
with each change OF opponents.
The conventions that threatened TO In
/ wade the game OF auction were all In the
4 bidding and Il was always the spade suit
/ that was used There were seven dis
tinct wiggles in this suit, and not one OF
/ them meant spades pure and simple. Even
| the most elementary OF them. the two
! spade bid, had a double meaning. Some
used II to show tricks In a short spade
| suit. others to show subsidiary no
! trumper. as II was called.
| All these bids were made popular by the
! fact that the low value OF the spade suit,
two a trick made II possible for the
partner to take any OF them out with
not more than two tricks In any winning
declaration. Even the highest of them.
| a bid of seven spades, was worth only
fourteen popts, easily taken out with two
hearts, two royals or two no trumps.
The point in all these spade bids was
that not one OF them contemplated for
a moment that the hand would be played
with spades for trumps at two trick
| The partner was compelled to declare
something else. The number OF spades
bid was wigwag to tell him which OF
two or msre declarations, otner than
spades, would hest suit the dealers hand
When second hand bid five spades, 70,
instance. IL had nothing TO do with spades
II wlgwagged. IF you can stop the
dealers suit, 20 no trumps.'
The root of the matter being the cheap.
ness OF the spade suit. the simplest way
to stop all these questionable conventions
was 10 cut the suit out altogether and
make royal spades the only value nine
a trick This left the lowest declaration
open to the dealer the club suit. at six a
trick. which Is too extensive to build a
system Of signals upon.
But there was another point. The mo-
ment the dealer or any other player bid
more than one spade he placed himscl
beyond the pale of protection offered by
the limit of 100 in penalties. If there II
no such thing as one spade bid there I,
no such thing as a limit OF pealties
therefore the number OF points which q
player may be set Ii unlimited, no matter
what bid he makes.
In order to give the player some pro
|
teCtioh rom losses winch would be inevi
taole ne held very pad cards II be
rali.e necessary as part OF the system
aoai, 'i'il the SPADE SUIT 10 abandon
~. oi nI! pIu py .he oeaIer ana u
81" nm 70 pass without piu' eaci
49, W 'u,h 10 ms Ielt having the SAM
nc rns'ish Jaw no" reaas
< -, e ueaIeI haNIhs examined nj
e an", may e"ner pass OF may declare u
WI AZ .e'st lhe ouu trIck' out ne ma!
srhn W VII HoIe'
49," trt S Jaw READS
-, ine ueuIer, having examined nj
Ia ueo"Ie 10 win AZ ieast on
. - . e'e,e' WIN speciheu suit o
! - tu nv "u'"p. anu again; 50 IN
y 90 n Wv ueale' orls'hai ueciarato
, D'ha,ie sp"uy ~ united 10 IoV points
" +, W. "'uo'eu VI "ot' uh'ess reuoupIed'
= ,,,ari"aS -, ne "U - III PASSING tnat III
, H. T,..,,, 70 -. n"Ne "oaIoo'eu chicahe
y ,Sis ,am9 nave not
: srado 80, -. 'ne aa'ue OF IN
" adont.a n,a,,a"a I'll, IoSaI;
" eour thi,na WI nave w fe'hoihoe
- ,rhare A.. No ao,,.,. ,,.,
: anti ~ ' '"'uo Tut All
p I'll. LANAI. ~ 4. -. .
10 stx trJo,, ''N 30 '"o "iuo' "ort
Thar" 4. ,o ,,o,,,,,,,,.,.., A.. ,,s -,
rhars a. ~ ILL. -. ~ w oIu az al