The sun., 1916-10-08
ON SITTING TIGHT
AT ROYAL AUCTION
Don't Overcall an Original No
Trumper a Good Rule for
Second Hand.
Bv R. r. FOSTER.


Bv R. r. FOSTER.
One Of the more common mistakes
made by he beginner at bridge when
watching the play of experts Is to ex-
pect that every move Of the play ne sees
will be along strictly conventional and
mechanical lines and will be precisely
the same In every particular as In the
system he has been taught TO follow
while learning the game.
But one cannot play bridge BY ma
chinery. As Clay long ago remarked.
the real game begins where the authors
ties leave of. While certain conven-
tional principles hold true. while the
chances are always In favor of certain
distributions. there are times when any
rule may be departed from. the chief
reason for these departures being that
in the judgment Of the player the stand.
ard conventions would not ht the case.
Ons cannot teach judgment. To cite
a familiar situation. II IL conventional
to lead the fourth best against q no
trumpcr when you have not three honor
at the top Of our long suit. Every be-
ginner Is taught to do this. and follows
the rule with machinelike regularity.
no matter who sits opposite him or who
Is playing against him.
But what II the experienced player
has discovered that his partner Is not
observant Of details. while the declarer
on his right IL a. sharp A. a hawk and
notes instantly the difference between
the lead Of . six and . four? Against
such a player. with such . partner. the
lead Of a fourth best would be .
l%gratuitous present TO tho adversary of
information that would be entirely lost
on the partner.
Take another case. equally common
The dealer bids a spade and the second
player holds nothing except the Jack OF
that suit. but has q no trumper In the
three other suits. There are two con-
ventional ways to ask the partner 10
20 no trumps X he can stop The spades:
| one Ii to double. the other Is to declare
a minor suit.
The good player. sitting second hand.
realizes that his partner does not un-
derstand the doubling conventions. and
II not shrewd enough to see the invita-
| ton conveyed by the bid Of a minor suit
over a major suit. Among good players
| such n bid shows much moro than the
suit itself. Like all minor suit bids. II In
an invitation to the partner to do some
thing better.
The beginner. sitting behind the good
player, Is curious to know which OF
these conventional bids will be selected.
Instead of trying either Of them the
second bidder goes no trump himself.
stop the spades.
OF course such q bid is against all the
teaching that the interested spectator
has listened to. 1t Is simply a gamble
and II Il only a piece Of luck II the
fourth hand Is able to lay down three
spades to the queen ten. which wins the
game for the no trumper. For a week
afterward the spectator tells his friends
OF this shocking violation Of the funda-
mental principles OF the game.
But these departures from the usual
system OF bidding and play are usually
suggested by one OF two things-fear OF
the partners weakness or knowledge Of
the p%eculiarities OF the opponents.
There are some persons who take II
as q personal affront II you persist in
overcalling them and a shrewd player
will lead them on by taking advantage
Of this weakness until they are hope
lessly out OF their depth. There arc
others who can be frightened out Of a
declaration bv n double. however un-
sound the double may be In itself.
But one Of tho most frequent causes
OF complaint among beginners, which
often leads to criticism OF published
hands. Is that many OF the creek players
do not follow the rule about refusing to
bid against a no trumper when they
have the original lead and a chance 10
defeat II.
As an established principle Of play.
which will unauestionably pay In the
long run II rigidly adhered to, II Is bet
ter for the beginner to refuse absolutely
TO overcall a no runrpe bid by a dealer
on the light. There are times when the
second bidder could make his contract,
there. are also times when no could win
the game: but II the account Is bal
anced at the end of the month Il will
usually be found that money has been
lost steadily through failure to observe
this principle.
N theory Is that II the second hand
has a suit strong enough to justify his
bid II Is still inadvisabls TO make that
bid unless he can win the game with II,
anything short Of game not being worth
playing for unless II be to save the game.
II the second hand rs strong enough to
make his bid. but not the game, he
should be able to set the no trumper for
more than his own contract would be
worth. n wen II II turns out th,t he
had a game hand the penalties obtained
may be worth more than a game, espe-
cially in duplicate. where there are no
rubbere.
A close observer who Ia not carried
away by the argument OF the exceptional
case must admit that overcallinE no
trumpers second hand continually leads
10 n OF two results. The no trumper
sits tight n defeats the contract, when
Il could never hav gone game itself or.
the no trumper Is dropped In favor Of
some safer declaration.
In spite Of this II must he admitted
that many who are unquestionably nrst
class players continually violate this
principle M hid against no trumpers,
much to tho disbursement OF the be-
ginner who watches their play or the
student who sees II published. In the
third hand published in THE SUN on Sep
TENDER 10, for instance, the dealer bids
no trump. and the second player, who ID
ono OF the best In the country, starts "a
bid N two equal suits. hearts and spades.
But this IL only one Of several things
that those who rank az very good players
still continue 20 do. In spite Of the
mathematics against them. Many other.
wise fine players bid two on long suits
without tho tops. They will refuse "a
take out no trumpers with trickless
hands. They viii bid no trumps on hands
that cannot stand a takeout.
Tho reason for the more common de-