The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-19
FAULTS IN BIDDING
AT ROYAL AUCTION
A Tendency Among Beginners
tn Overrate the Value Of
Their Hands.
LUCK SEEN IN DUPLICATE

death Of ". d.. Sesur, chairman Of the
card tournament committee at the Cres-
cent Athletic Clu in Brooklyn. dupll-
ate auction has lost one OF it's most
devoted missionaries and the game has
los, one Of TIE best spoitsmen that ever
cut into u rubber.
Mr.. Segur was q member ~ every
prominent card club in Greater New
York and hoped some day TO see dupli-
cate auction become az great a popular
twenty Years ago. when Mr.. Segur him
self was we'll up in the championship
class as a player.
on account Of his death IL was neces-
sary to postpone the big tournament that
had been arranged for las. Thursday.
March 10. at the Crescent Athlete
Club. Ia which arrangements had been
made To secure for readers Of TIT SrN
a full analysis Of the results OF every
deal. similar 10 That published in TuE
, Sc II T. on January % last. whi' .
MAS widely copied throug nout the c"un-
try.
FOR u
The tendency Of most players when
they mrs, take W. auction j. to owe bid
their hands. and the curious part Of 3; il
that they overbid them on 9th sides Of
the table. The dealer bids on tricks tia.
he does not hold. and his partner assists
On the same thing.
One Of the things tina; are slowly
learned. more slowly perhaps than any
thinR else in tn. bidding line. is that
"a good bidder does not expert YOU 10
hold anything wonderful when he makes
the opening declaration. hut he does ex-
Nct you to hold a trick or two in the
suits in which he IL weak. and II you do
not hold them he cannot fulhl mis- CON
tract.
II he bids a heart. for instance. he il
strong IN hearts. but wants assistance
-ls.N here. II he had three or our sure
tricks in other suits as well he would
hAps four.
But when he bids one he has only an
average heart declaration and wants
help. He does not expect you to hold
three aces and three kings, but he does
xpect YOU 20 hold "a couple % tricks
somewhere In the plain suits and is nat
urally disappointed II he finds You with
nothing.
He does not raj trumps. He has that
suit himself and his strength IL usually
Tsssed In the one suit that he declares
, He will bid n heart with five TO the ace
king queen. one sure ard one probable
trick In plain suits. He calculates on
being strong enough 70 pull dow all the
adverse trumps and make any good cards
in the plain suits.
n he finds q trick or two In his
dummy in addition 10 his own ne will
have no difficulty whatever With his
contract n will probably go game oil
the hand,
Blu. while he IL pulling down the ad-
versaries' trurnps he IL also pulling
dummy's. which are Of no use whatever
unless dummy IL shOr In r suit and can
get in a run or two before the declarer
leads the trumps. Tit more trurnps
dummy has the less useful they are. be-
cause the plain suits are too short 10
give the declarer any chance to esiab-
lish a trick In them. but are not short
enough to ruff them AZ once.
II We consider this situation a moment
il will bs evident that what the declsr-r
wants IN the way of assistance from his
dummy is not trumps. but tricks In the
plain suits. The declarer has trumps
enough 10 cover that part OF the attack.
What he wants Is support elsewhere.
II il like the story OF the general in
the Criniean war who got thirty batter
les Of artillery into position TO cover an
attack ard on finding he had not in
fantrv enough to be sure OF success sent
post haste FOR reenforcements and they
sent him ten more batteries Of artillery.
Beginners are continually making this
mistake. They seem TO think that the