Evening star., 1930-12-14

way it changes it's nature from la
bihty to asset, or vice versa, a void
or blank suit is a regular JekyIl
and Hyde. Nothing is more important
to impress on the mind of the neophyte
than the changing value of these peculiar
elements cf bridge hand.
The worst advice on bidding that has
come to our attention in half a decade
is included in a little booklet ON the
game which is being distributed to thou
sands of bridge players beginners and
otherwise-by a respected manufacturer,
who, of course, means to be helping
rather than hurting them. His fine
motives, however, will net prevent the
. loss of thousands of games and rubbers,
limited only by the distribution of the
book. 1t is being spread about to such
an extent that some one should set the
miSadviSed bridgerS Alright.
In valuing his hand fo- bidding a suit
the player is urged to count two tricks
Tor any singleton and one trick for any
doubleton, granting that he has the nee
eSSary high card strength and that the
suit he bids is strong enough Oddly
enough, no mention is made of any value
Tor a void suit
The fact of the matter-one of the
Things on which absolutely every au-
ehorlty OF standing in every part Of the
world agreeS-iS that singleton double
6On or void suit cannot be counted as any
part OF trick in the original bidders
hand. 1t has great value in the hand
OF the partner when the latter is con-
Sidering raising the first bid-but that
y different proposition entirely.
Perhaps the matter can be made most
clear by giving a simple example. Sup
pose a dealer holds this hand:
q AKQJS3 - ~32 &5432
ANY player-good, bad, or Indifferent. be-
ginner or expert-will count those six
spades as being worth six tricks if the
hand is played with spades as the trumps.
If he also counts two tricks for his Single
ton heart and one more for his double
ton in diamonds, he will estimate nine
tricks in the hand, which 1t positively
Cannot take.
A worthless singleton or doubleton
never took trick and never viii in any,
bOdy's hand. 1t simply affords an op-
pOrtunity for the use of a trump which
technically is called "rufflng' a trick.
But the trick is taken by the trump, and
the trump is already counted by the
nrSt bidder as a trump trick ManifestIy
the same trump card-Say, for instance,
the of Spades-cannot take two tricks
Tor it can be played on only one trick.
Hence the singleton, doubleton or void
suit cannot be counted as a trick in the
original bidders hand
Over in the hand of the partner there
Is q situation regarding singletons,
doubletons and void suits as different as
day is different from night. There the
''short suit" as many call it, has a most
definite value. Suppose the partner of
the player with the hand just given
should hold these cards:
A762 Vs54s ~654 &s7s
His hand is absolutely worthless The
side will take no tricks at all except the
six Won by the f1rst bidder The three
fall on the big trumps of the other hand.
II, however, the partner has this hand:
q A7s2 vss4s s7sS4 As
The three little trumps become valuable.
The declarer-if his partner winds up as
the declarer-can use them separately,
trumping clubs with them, so that out
Of the same trump holding in the two
hands he gets some extra tricks-one
extra If he trumpS once, two extra if
ne trumpS twice, etc. Thus, the trumps
have a very real value in the hand of
the player who supports his partners
emit hflf V1nf In Of