Evening star., 1938-05-29
Bv Frank B. Lord.

RRIDGE POINTER. Make penalty
~ double only when you have good
reason to believe that the penalty you
will score, If you set adversary's con-
tract, will be at least as big as you
would make If you continued the bid
ding and obtained the contract your
self. In this connection bear In mind
that a part score is generally figured
to be worth about 100 points plus the
trick score, and that game Is worth
400 to 900 points when you have either
won or lost the rubber. Be very care
full about doubling minor suit, or a
bid that will give declarer game IN
case he makes 1t. Avoid doubling an
expert player in slam contract unless
YOU are certain that you can set the
contract A double shows the de-
clarer where the probable adverse
strength lies and indicates to him
the direction in which he should make
a possibly necessary finesse.
THE American Contract Bridge
League, of which the Washington
Bridge is an affiliate. has promul-
gated a revised and complete rat
ing point schedule which will here
after govern its awards. The local
league was one of the first to install
the plan, and its players will receive
their national rating points upon the
following basis: Mitchell games, to
10 tables, awards to winners only. Each
member of winning pair or team Will
receive one national rating point for
each table in the game; 1012 tables
and up, winning pairs and teams will
receive one point for each table; sec
ond-place pairs and team will receive
one-half the winners award.
McKenney-B Baldwin Howell scram-
bled Mitchell games, four to seven
tables, awards to winning pairs only;
each member Of the winning pair will
receive one rating point for each pair
playing; seven and one-half tables up,
winning pair will receive one point for
each pair playing; second-place pair
will receive half Of winners award.
Team games. 2 to 10 tables, two
points for each table In the game for
each member of the winning team;
1Oa tables and up. same as above for
winners; half of this amount to each
member of the second-place team.
Individual games, winner to receive
two points for each table in the game;
runner up to receive half Of winners
award.
Series games, winner will receive
one-half point for every team playing
his direction for every game in which
winner plays; runner-up's points will
be figured the same as the above, ex-
cept one-quarter point is figured in
stead of one-half point.
Nearly all of the local duplicate clubs
have adopted the leagues plan and
their players will be awarded accord
ingly.
HERE is deal that required bit
Of unusual playing in order to
make the seven-heart contract. Mrs.
A. ]. Steinberg, sitting West, was the
declarer. The only adverse bidding
was done by North. the player on her
left, who called spades. having the
ace and long line of small cards of
that suit, not being vulnerable and
having void in clubs.
The East and West hands were:
West. East.
S-None SIX Q6
H-AK1064 H-QJ97
D-72 D-A j J53
KJ1073 Cos
When Mrs. Steinberg bid seven
hearts, North knew to certainty that
her hand was void in spades. Conse-
quently, he refrained from leading the
ace of that suit which he held. There
had been a club bid put in somewhere
along in the bidding, and having none
of that suit, North decided to lead the
only unbid suit, which was diamonds
and In which the declarer was weak
Her problem was to dispose of the los
ing diamond in her own hand, after
the ace in dummy had taken the first
trick.
Had North led the ace of spades il
would have been easy, as she would
have trumped it and had the good
spades in dummy left upon which tc
discard the little diamond. North
however, was too good player to al
low opportunity for such a contin-
gency. Mrs. Steinberg saw that the
only way to rid her hand of the losing
diamond was to drop it on trump
help by dummy after she had exhaust
ed the five trlmps in her own hand.