The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-01-08
Four Famed Ca1tOOnists
Collide at Radio Bridge

would then be sure of taking g.
Club trick.
Webster, when Declarer did not
cover the honor led with Dummy's
higher honor, put on his thinking
cap. Was this unexpected Dummy
play a slip or did it indicate deep
and sinister motives on the Declar-
er's part?
Webster could think of two causes
that might have produced the I'M
expected play. Perhaps Declarer
knew that North had no more Dla-
monds and was forcing a shift to
some other suit; or possibly Declarer
had a vulnerable Club suit that he
did not wish South to lead through.
In either case it seemed wiser to
Webster to overtake his partners
Jack of Diamonds with his own
King. even in face Of the Queen-10
in Dummy. >Declarer played the 3.
DECIDING that Declarer's was
~ a singleton, Webster shifted to
the Queen of Clubs for his lead. De-
clarer did not think it probable that
South was leading from the Ace
Queen, as with that much strength
in addition to Diamonds headed by
Ace-King, South would have been
likely to rebid his Diamonds
Therefore Declarer placed the Ace
of Clubs in the North hand. There
was only one division of the adverse
Clubs that seemed at all probable
to the Declarer that would let him
out of the hole in which the Club
lead had placed him.
There was a slim chance that
South had Queen-Jack of Clubs, a
doubleton; in that case a cover by
Declarer would force South to block
the suit on the second round. So
West played his King; North the
Ace, and Dummy the Deuce.
North won the. next two tricks
with the Jack and Of Clubs, South
discarding the Deuce of Spades on
the Club 9. To trick five, North led
the of Diamonds, in the hope that
Declarer had one more of the suit.
Dummy played the 10; South the
Ace, and Declarer ruffed with the
Trey of Hearts. Declarer then led
the of Hearts, to which North fol-
lowed with the Deuce, Dummy with
the Queen, and South with the 6.
Declarer then placed his hand
face up on the table to show that
he could win the rest of the tricks,
which the adverSarieS conceded. De-
clarer scored three-odd, with "a for
tricks, and SO above the line for his
five honorS divided.
VXTORK then had a word to say
w about the bidding of the hand
Webster's opening bid was sound
and would have been so had he
held only five Diamonds to the Ace
King, instead of six.
His bid told his partner that he
had the requisite two quick tricks
for AN original bid; and had he
not bid the Diamonds Sarg would
not have known which suit to open
against the adverse bid. Unless Sarg
had started with a Diamond, the
game could not have been saved.
If Cooper, East, had taken out
his partners Heart with a No
Trump, and had the bid held, which
is unlikely, considering Vests six
card major and singleton Diamond).
Cooper would have made game (siX
Hearts, four Spades, and one Dia-
mond, if South had led his fourth
best Diamond. But had Webster'S
artistic temperament induced him
to lead the Queen of Clubs, his side
would have won the first seven
tricks.
But Cooper. in not bidding the No
Trump, made the bid that will be
winner in the majority of cases.
With King and Queen and one
other of partners suit, and a de-
fenseleSs suit. many more games
will be made at partners suit than
at No Trump, because of the de-
fenSeleSS suit.
At Contract. South would open
the contracting with a Diamond,
West would bid the Heart, and
North would pass. just as in Auc-
ton: but East, with his strength,
must bid.
For the same reasons as given in
Auction for preferring Heart call,
4 Heart jump would seem to be the
wiseSt bid. East should say three
Hearts, which West would surely
jump to four. The play would be
the same as in Auction.