The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-04-20
EASY LESSONS IN
AUCTION BRIDGE
By PAUL H. SEYMOUR
Author of ''Highlights on Auction Bridge"

By PAUL II. SEYMOUR
Author of ''Highlights on Auction Bridge"
o.s-~-.-.-e-0-A -0-s-s--s-s-~o
Copyright by Hoyle. Jr)
Article Twenty.
Declarer's Play of Declared
Trump
(Continued.)
XXIHEN dealer obtains the lead IN
w a declared trump, the important
question to be decided at once Is re-
garding the exhausting of the adver-
saries' trumps.
This should be done when the
trumps in his two hands are such In
number and size that he thinks he can
exhaust the opponents trumps and re-
tain at least one himself, and when
he has good side suit cards In addi-
ton. If, however, he has but few
high cards and no long side suit and
has a very short suit in each hand,
it would be better to play these short
suits until he is void of one in each
hand, and then take advantage of
cross ruff by trumping one suit in each
hand. This enables him to make the
small trumps in each hand separately
and often increases his gains by sew
eral tricks.
Frequently dummy will be short OF
the adversaries' suit and then 1t is
usually wise for declarer to lead any
: remaining small cards of that suit
from his own hand and trump them
in dummy, and then exhaust trumps.
A good way to estimate the number
of tricks which will be taken is for
declarer to count the losing cards In
his own hand and then see il there is
any possible way to get rid OF any or
them. Small cards are not losers IL
there are any winning cards in dummy
upon which they may be played either
in following suit or in discardlng.
For instance, let us look at two
hands from this standpoint Declarer
is playing a heart declaration and
holds the following cards: Spades,
Ace and three small ones; hearts, Ace,
King. Jack, and two small ones; dia-
monds, three small ones; clubs, one
small one. Dummy has: Spades, King
and one; hearts, Queen and two; dia-
monds, King and two; clubs, Ace, King
and three.
Declarer's trumps should all win and
so should the Ace of spades; but this
leaves as apparent losers three small
spades, three diamonds and one club.
Dummy's King of spades and Ace and
King of clubs will take care of three
of these seven losers. If senior holds
the Ace of diamonds, dummy's King
will afford winner for one more; and
if declarer can trump two small spades
with dummy's trumps he will have
only one or possibly two final losers.
If in this deal declarer should ex-
tract trumps when he first obtains the
lead he would undoubtedly lose two
more tricks because he could do moth
ing with his two losing spades.
| If declarer has long suit in dunn
my he should as rule exhaust trumps
at once and then proceed to establish
it. If after two rounds one adversary
still holds the Queen while declarer
has no more in his own hand he should
lead it a third time from dummy and
trump in his own hand. Then If that
brings out the Queen dummy's remain
ing cards in the suit will be good. In
following this line of play, however,
declarer must be sure that he will be
able to throw the lead to dummy in
some other suit for if he cannot do
this, dummy's good cards will be use
less.
Suppose declarer is playing heart
, declaration and his dummy holds:
Spades. Ace and one small one hearts,
three small ones; diamonds, Ace, King,
and four small ones; clubs, two small
ones. Declarer has in his hand:
Spades, King and two small ones;
hearts, Ace, King, Queen and two small
ones; diamonds, two small ones, and
clubs, Queen and two small ones.
Senior opens with small spade,
and if declarer does not consider what
may be necessary to establish dunn
my's suit he might play the Ace on the
first trick. If he did this, then pro-
ceeded to exhaust trumps by three
leads, and finally started on the dia-
monds only to find one adversary hold
ing three to the Queen, he would lose
three tricks On the other hand, if he
foresees this situation and takes the
first trick in his own hand with the
King, he could trump the third round
of diamonds and then lead spade to
dummy's Ace and make his other three
diamonds.
In using one or two of dummy's
trumps for ruffing before exhausting
trumps it frequently is advisable for
declarer to hold up the commanding
card of that suit in his own hand to
be played after ruffing small card or
two. To illustrate: Hearts are trumps
and senior leads the Ace of spades,
dummy has a singleton, and declarer
has the King and two small ones. Sen
for would not continue spades, but
when declarer gets the lead he may
lead small spade and trump in dunn
my and then exhaust trumps taking
his King of spades afterwards.
If he led his King and then small
one to trump Junior would be more
likely to trump over him.