The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
THE WEAK PARTNER
ROYAL AUCTION
How a Good Player May Over.
come the Handicap Of
Poor Support.
SOUND TACTICS THE BEST

This is the season when one feels
called upon to play with all soyts OF
partners and to make up rubbers at
summer resorts that one would never
think Of cutting into at the club nj
homo. OF course 1t IL largely a guess
game, with little or none Of the pleasure
10 be derived from inference, and things
have a way OF turning up that are un-
dreamed of. some OF the plays being
beyond the inns gination to account FOR
Among the endless made by
the partner one of the most common Is
that the players he or she has been
accustomed to do not play that way
or that they do not know anything
about the Ave points," and consequently
no trouble has ever been taken TO pay
any attention to the cards as they fall
OF to attach any special meaning to the
bids.
But this IL assuming that II your
partner knows nothing Of the sound
principles OF play the less you know
about them the better. and that X both
Of you pay no attention to the bid or
the leads you will be better of han II
one Of you knew somethins. To say the
least, this is curious logic.
II IL quite true that the differences
from the bids and the distinction be-
tween major and minor suits are quite
lost upon the poor player. but that does
not max your bidding unsound. IL you
never bid a suit originally without the
tops, for instance. Il does not matter
whether your partner attaches sufficient
Importance to that fact or not neither
does Il matter whether your partner
makes the proper answer to your bids
or not. because he or she would not
make the proper answer TO anything.
IL IL is the good player hat has "a
answer the bids made by n partner Ina
does not know or care anything abou
the conventionalities the technical
knowledge possessed by the good player
and his ability 10 draw correct infer.
ences from sound bidding Is OF course
worthless for the time being. But that
is only half OF IT, He Is no worse on
than any others at the table in this re.
spect. who know no more about the bid
ding than he does,
II will be found a useful rule wher
cutting In with those who play only for
amusement" as they express 1t, to draw
no differences from any declarations ex'
cept that the bidder would like the
named suit for the trump, and that II
the bid is no trumps II Is probably pro-
tected in all four suits and about twice
as strong as you would bid no trumps
on yourself.
In answer TO the suit declarations OF
n poor partner II Is unwise TO bid upor
anything but sure tricks In your owr
hand. This conservatism will lead &c
the loss Of many opportunities. OF course,
through your failure to take your part
ner's bids at their face value: but these
losses will be compensated for many
times over by the penalties you save
through not supporting weak bids and
also by the penalties you score against
your opponents hen YOU let them play
the hand on their ridiculous declarations
1t IL impossible to lose anything In the
long run by sound bidding or good play
The thing that loses when the good
player has n poor partner Is the good
players failure to make allowance fol-
the fact that the partners bids are mo-
to be depended on. and this failure or
his part must be classed rs bad play be
cause he Is bas!ng his declarations or
facts that do not exist, except In hi!
Imagination.
Here Is a hand that has all kinds 81
bidding In 1t, the person who held "
cards being supposed TO ne the only gooC
player at the table. yet he falls into thu
common error OF biddins as IL the dec
larations OF the others were ~str!c,l,
conventional: