The sun., 1916-03-05
PLAY OF ACE QUEEN
AT ROYAL AUCTION
Ignorance Of One Little Piece
Of Tactics Causes Loss Of
Many Tricks.
MODERN WAY OF BIDDING

the position that II most frequently
misplayed at the bridge table among the
many card situations that come up
II would probably he found n diff
fcult matter TO decide with any degree
Of certainty. The mind would run over
many situations and> would no sooner
settle on one than another would seem
even more common.
There are many standard positions
that every ono with a knowledge Of the
game is supposed to know how to play.
When to lead trumps. when to discard
losers, In which hand TO hold the re-
entries. where to unlock and which
suit to duck--all these matters are i'm
properly handled only by the untaught
player
But there Is one position that IA con-
stantly misplayed even by those who are
pretty well up in the tactics OF the game
and that Ia the combination Of queen
| in one hand aud ace In the other. with
or without the Jack or the ten. or both.
You constantly see n dummy's queen
led through when the declarer has the
ace and others. but you can seldom Hnd
a player who can give you the rule for
the management OF all such situations
so that you can remember II and Use
IL.
II always do SO and So one player
will tell you. while another will explain
that in this particular case he thinks
such "A play would he better. What you
! want Is rule that is based OH mathe-
| matical expectation Of results and that
Is bound to come out ahead in the long
run. even II 1t falls down badly now and
then.
II can he demonst rated that II the
queen is IN one hand. and only once
guarded. the best chance for two tricks
IL to put II right on. unless the ten ts
with the ace and others in the fourth
hand
II can also he shown that Il the ton
s with the ace the only possible way
to lose the certainty OF two tricks in
the suit is to play that queen second
hand Lay out the cards and try it,
placing the King Jack nine and others
where you please and letting the lead
! como from either side for the second
round.
This rule refers TO the separation Of
the ace and queen when the suit Is
led by the adycrsarics. Few know how
Ia play il. st'll fewer know the rule aud
| the reason for tn" play when i is the
derlarers suit, and hc leads II himself
With ace and queen both in the same
hand. evcty h.g.nncr knows thdt the
plan is IL lead from the weak nand TO
the strong. 50 As to fin,sse tn, queen.
III the hope that the King may be to
the right of the ace anl queen. This
hnessA Is governed by the rule that you
must play as II YOU knew the card were
there. because II IL ~ not there, IL does
not matter how you play.
so familiar Is the average player
with the merits OF this finesse that II
he queen Is In one hand and the
ace IN the other he will lead the queen
tu the ace. with the idea that he Is max
irg the sam. Illness. as when both ace
ami queen are in the one hand.
II Is difficult matter to convince
some persons that this l. simply throw
ing the queen away, If the alveIsarcs
know anything about TN. game. This
refers to situations In which the Jack
and ter are not back of the queen. which
L. quite another story AMI has rules
OF It's own. The difficult thing for the
beginner to understand IL that you hope
for the King to b. on one side when the
ace and queen are together. and for /;
To- u" on tho other side when the ace
ana queen are divided.
II YOU had the queen from one hand
tu the ace In the other. hoping 10 make
two tricks that way ny shutting out
IN. kiug. YOU viii hud that IL the second
hand has the King he will nj once put
Il on, and then you have wasted both
acc and queen t. get on. trick.
The adv,rsarys idea is To make some
subordinate card good In his partners
hand by forcing you to Use up your
high cards in this manner, two at a
time II the King is Ia the fourth hand
he will just wait until 1t is his turn to
play and tt!. that queen into camp
II you hold both ace and queen and
'he king il on your left. one trick is all
/ you can nah. Il you have TO lead the
suit. no matter how you manage it. Il
| the KING Is on your right you can make
TWO tricks by leading through the king
II you hold the ace and the queen
IL IN the dummy. one trick is all you
| can make II that king is stli on your
! that king Is on yols' left, you can
make two tricks. The position Of the
| king that il fatal in the one case If
| your only salvation in the other
This being so your play il not to lead
! from the queen to the ace but from the
ace TO the queen. II is tho ono curious
exception to the otherwise universal rule
Of leading from the weak hand to the
! strong
/ Ignorance Of this little piece Of tactics
1 lS probably responsible for the loss of
several hundred thousand tricks through
out the country every day. to say moth
/ ing II the games and ruhbers that go
! with them.
Here is a hand that went the rounds
/ ~ the duplicate tournament at the
knickerbocker on February ~, upon
| which only one pair in the room went
game. all the others missing II by their
n'smanagement Of this position, acc in
one hand and queen In tho other, with
out the Jack. II was No, 26. dealer
! III INC NIL