Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-08-21
By Frank B. Lord.


partners bid, whether orig
~ inal or merely an overcall, IL
something that troubles many players,
and the action taken is frequently re-
sponsible either for set or for failure
to make game. Inexperienced players
sometimes do not understand that an
overcall is often made on q hand not
quite as strong as would be necessary
for an original bid. 1t indicates a lead
when opportunity is afforded, but II
the player making the overcsll is vul-
nerable, 1t shows strong hand.
Again, in making response the ques-
ton OF choice comes up, between a
raise or a suit takeout. between 4
no-trump takeout or q suit takeout
A simple raise to two Is to be preferred
rather than a weak two over one. A
two-over-one takeout is to be pre-
ferred to a strong single raise, that Is
with a hand that is too good for 4
single raise and too weak for a double
raise. Then If partner continues to
bid his own suit, responding hand may
raise him in that suit.
COME Of the Washington players who
attended the tournament at Har-
riSburg. Pa. returned home with in
teresting accounts OF one OF the most
unusual freak hands ever recorded in
duplicate play. Not infrequently pro-
fessional players devise freak hands
to illustrate the superiority of theiI
particular bidding or playing system
but here was q natural hand, regu-
larry dealt. which defied the skill OF
every participant in the tournament
because no pair reached the maximum
contract of seven hearts.
The deal, with both sides vulnera BILE,
was:
North.
QJlO64
as
4 Al087
West. East.
4 None AKQJs7
vs8537 vNone
1882 <lOs4
&QJ965 AK432
South.
A10965432
~
>AKQJ7
4 None
Here was a deal freakish in the frs
instance because each hand had ,
void in one suit and In addition Easl
and South each held four honors ir
one suit, one in spades and one ir
diamonds, while North held Ave honors
in hearts. The puzzling character Of
the hand is shown by the fact thai
in the IL times the deal was in play
there were eight different contracts
East was dealer and in each instance
opened with one spade. Two South
players doubled instead OF bidding
two diamonds In these cases where
North allowed the double to stand
East and West were set two tricks fol
loss of 200 points, but got top or
the board for their side, while North
and South took bottom when they
might have made q grand slam. Nc
North and South pair bid \ CRANE
slam in hearts. and top was made by
the pair bidding six hearts, which was
doubled and redoubled. Oddly enough
the same bid merely doubled gainec
the pair making it only fourth place
while second place went TO the North
and South pair bidding four hearts
doubled and redoubled, and third place
was won by the pair bidding five hearts
doubled and redoubled. The pair bid.
ding four hearts doubled and re.
doubled won over the pair bidding five
hearts doubled and redoubled because
they made three overtricks for 1,20C
points, whereas the other pair made
only two overtricks for 800 additional
points.
THE members of the summer colony
at Sherwood Forest, most Of
whom are residents Of Washington OF
Baltimore, are in a state of confusion
and perturbation. not to say indecision
over the contract bridge game that was
played there last Friday night The in
decision arises from the fact that at
the conclusion Of the game it was not
possible to say who had won, and the
matter went over until today, when
Paul E. Golden, expert mathematician
and statistician OF the Bureau OF
Standards and secretary of the Wash
ington Bridge League. has promised