Evening star., 1936-05-24
Troubles.

and Fhen, to discuss their own
trials and tribulations. Each one
thinks he has particular worries. but
we believe that none of them have the
troubles of bridge columnist.
In the first place, the bridge
columnist must show a bridge hand
and it has been commonly accepted
practice to show all So cards Hence,
the really fine plays that come up all
the time and that involve card reading
and psychological inferences are
barred to them because their readers,
who see all So cards. will say to them
selves, 1T looks very fine, but actually
didn't Smith make lucky guess and
figure out his reasons for the guess
iater?"
Then we have that class of hands
where the declarer has his choice of
four or five lines of play and, after
careful study. figures out the one that
will succeed against practically every
possible distribution of the missing
cards However, the adverse cards
were distributed simply and the hand
in reality was an absolute laydown
1t doesn't really detract from the de-
clarer's play. but it spoils the hand for
an article.
Then we have deceptive plays, de-
signed to force your opponents to make
a mistake. They work in practice be-
cause we have yet to find the bridge
player that doesn't fall for something
or other. But they are no good for an
article because when you see all So
cards, the play just appears stupid,
and yet the player making the error
may well have been one of the best 10
players in the world.
Remember errors are an integral
part of all games. Bobby Jones has
been known to miss a 2-foot putt;
Tilden to serve a double fault; Babe
Ruth to strike out Why should not
bridge experts, by the same token
make plenty of misplays.
We are going to show only the de-
clarer's hand and dummy and let
them figure out the play. =
North, dealer
Both sides vulnerable.
A 10 5 2
~962
= A Q64
j. 10 5
N
WE
~K5
KJ1Os73
d AK O.
Mr.. Gottlieb.
The bidding:
North East South West
Pass Pass 1% Dbl.
80 Pass So Pass
Pass Pass
West opened the king of spades and
East dropped the jack. The ace of
spades was continued and East follow
ed with the three of spades. Michael
T. Gottlieb trumped in his own hand
with the king of diamonds and led
the jack of diamonds and overlook
with dummy's queen, both opponents
following suit.
The nine of spades was played from
dummy, East discarding a low heart,
and Mr.. Gottlieb rufing. Mr.. Gottlieb
now led second diamond and won
with dummy's ace, East dropping the
deuce of clubs. Mr.. Gottlieb now led
the ten of clubs, won with his ace, and
entered dummy with third diamond.
both opponents discarding low hearts.
He now led the five-spot of clubs East
again played low, and now Mr. Gott-
lieb had his choice of the following
plays:
He could 60 up with the king of
clubs and continue with the queen.
discarding one heart from dummy
Should the jack of clubs drop, he would
now be able to discard second heart
on the nine of clubs and eventually
run one of mis- two hearts in dummy.
thereby fulfilling his contract. Should
the jack of clubs fail to drop, he could
trump the nine of clubs and lead a
heart from dummy. and should East
hold the ace of hearts, he could still |
fulfill his contract.
His alternate play was to finesse the |
nine of clubs Should West hold the
jack, he would Immediately lose his |
contract, since the ace of hearts would |
be cashed, while should East hold the |
club jack, Mr.. Gottlieb would make |
the hand
Before reading what Mr.. Gottlieb |
did, we ask our readers to make up
their minds as to the correct play
Mr.. Gottlieb reasoned as follows.
Vests double had clearly marked him |
with the ace of hearts. Therefore, un- |
less he could finesse the jack of clubs |
or drop 1t, he would lose his contract. |
East had originally held two spades
and one diamond and hence ten cards |
In hearts and clubs Had East held as
many as six hearts, he undoubtedly |
would have bid three hearts over
North's three-diamond bid. Hence.
East held maximum of five hearts.
and either five or six clubs If his
original holding was six clubs. West
would have no more in that suit and
the hnesse would automatically sue
ceed, while if the original holding was
nVe clubs, West would have but one
club left.
Mr.. Gottlieb decided to play per-
centage and gamble that West would
now be void of clubs or that his one
remaining club would be a low one
not the jack. Accordingly, he finessed
the nine and made his contract. The
actual East and West hands we're:
A A K Q8 Ala