AUCTION MADE EASY BY THE SAME AUTHOR PIRATE BRIDGE FOSTER ON AUCTION FOSTER'S RUSSIAN BANK E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY FOSTER'S iy,y AUCTION MADE EASY A Text Book for the Beginner, the Average Player and the Expert BY R. F. FOSTER Author of "Foster on Auction," "Foster's Pirate Bridge," "Foster's Russian Bank," Inventor of The Eleven Rule. AND THE SbLF-PLAYINQ CaRDS. Card Editor of The New York Tribune NEW YORK E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY 68i Fifth Avenue Copyright 1920 By E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States oj America ©CI.A571343 JUN2I 1920 A WORD TO THE READER In the following pages there are no theories advanced, no reasons assigned for the system of bidding and play, no explanations given. You are simply told to do certain things with certain combinations of cards, and the author guaran- tees that if you will follow these directions con- scientiously and consistently, no one will be more astonished than yourself at the improvement in your game. Auction is not the complicated game that some persons imagine. As the name implies, it is a bidding game, and the bidding is the principal part of it. As all bids must be made on the cards held, and as there are only a few possible combinations that are worth a bid, it should be a simple matter to classify them, and state the bids that should be made upon them. This part of the game is purely mechanical, based on the mathe- matical expectation of averages, just like an insurance policy. Any person of ordinary in- telligence should be able to learn it. Wlay these bids should be made on the cards indicated, it is not the purpose of this work to vi A WORD TO THE READER state. That is for the more elaborate treatises on the game, such as " Foster on Auction." The pupil in school is not told why a pint of liquid is equal to a pound of weight, and the reader of these pages is not told why five hearts to the ace king should be good for the odd trick if hearts are trumps, and you play the hand. All one has to do to become a first-class player is to read the directions in these pages and follow them at the card table. The mathematical per- centage of the game will do the rest. The best test of your improvement is not how many rub- bers you win, but their value. If the average value of the rubber you win is anywhere from ten to fifty points greater than the average value of the rubbers you lose, you are a fine player. The following table of contents is so arranged that the reader may turn at once to any part of the tactics of bidding or play upon which he wishes to refresh his memory, or improve his game. If you cut into a rubber with persons who do not know these principles, or who do not apply them, you will have as much the best of it as if you were playing backgammon with loaded dice, because there is no game in the w^orld in which the percentage in favor of sound bidding and play is greater than in auction bridge. R. F. Foster. The Savage Club, London, 1920. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Classes of Hands 1 Theee Kinds op Bids 3 Classes op Suits 4 One-suit Hands 5 Two-suit Hands 8 Rebidding Two-suiters 13 Two Equal Suits 16 Three-suit Hands 18 Inviting No-tbumpeks 21 Some Exercises 22 When the Dealer Passes 24 After Two Passes 24 After Three Passes 27 The Partner 28 Denying and Overcalling 28 Taking out No-trumpers 31 Taking out Major Suits 34 Taking out Minor Suits 36 Exercises 38 The Assist 39 Assisting No-trumpers 39 Assisting Suit Bids 42 Trump Values in Assisting 43 Suit Values in Assisting 44 Rebidding after an Assist 46 Assisting after Rebids 49 Forced Bids 51 vii viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGO Secondaet Beds 55 AssisTiKQ Secondaet Bids 66 Doubling 57 Doubling after an Assist 60 Dei^nse to the Double 61 The Business Double 63 Saving the Game 65 The Plat 67 Against Teump Declarations 67 The Suit to Lead 67 The Card to Lead 69 Leading Small Caeds 71 Some Exercises 72 V Leading to Secondaet Bids 73 The Leader's Partner, with a Trump 75 Asking for a Ruff 76 Encouraging Cards 77 Returning Suits 77 Shifting Suits 78 Leading against No-trumpers 79 The Leader's Partner, at No-trump 82 The Eleven Rule 83 Second Hand Plat 85 The Discards 86 The Declarer's Plat 88 Finessing 89 Declarer's Trump Management 92 Declarer's Plat, Second Hand 94 Declarer's Plat, at No-trumps 97 Ket to the Exercises 102 Glossart of Technical Terms 109 The Laws of Auction 119 AUCTION MADE EASY AUCTION MADE EASY CLASSES OF HANDS It is taken for granted that the reader knows all about the preliminaries of cutting, dealing, the order of bidding, and the ranks of the suits. We shall therefore start on the supposition that he is the dealer, and holds in his hand thirteen cards, with the privilege of making the first declara- tion, no score. The thirteen cards that he holds must belong to one of six classes of hands : 1. Hands in which there is no strength. 2. Hands in which the strength is all in one suit. 3. Hands in which the strength is divided un- equally between two suits. 4. Hands in which the strength is divided about equally between two suits. 5. Hands in which the strength is distributed among three suits. 6. Hands in which there is some strength in every suit. By " strength " is meant cards that will prob- ably win the first or second round of a suit if 2 AUCTION MADE EASY that suit is led. They are usually referred to as " quick tricks," or " tops," such as aces, king- queen suits, or guarded kings. Suits surely stopped later, such as queen-jack-ten, are not quick tricks. Queens, jacks and ten have no quick- trick value except in combination with higher cards. It is highly important that a player should be able to recognize at a glance the class to which any hand belongs, and a beginner should deal out some actual hands and run over them for practice. Here are examples of each class; any card below the 10 being indicated by " x," its exact value being immaterial : No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 7 XX V AKJxx ^ X XX •* KJxxx ^ XX ^ X X Qxx XXX A X X ♦ XXX ♦ XXX ♦ AQJxx NO STRENGTH ONE SUIT TWO SUITS No. 4 No. 5. No. 6 7 KQJx 7 X X ^ KQx <^ X x * A X X * KJlOx XXX KQxx A X X ♦ AKxx ♦ KJlOx ♦ Kxx TWO EQUAL SUITS THREE SUITS FOUR SUITS Each of these, except the first, is worth a bid of some kind. What that bid should be depends on CLASSES OF HANDS 3 the number of cards in the various suits, and the liigh cards at the head of those suits. There are five classes of bids, which are sometimes referred to as "calls"; clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, and no-trumps. These are made under one or other of three conditions, each forming a class. Three Kinds of Bids Free bids. When a player makes a bid which he is not required to make (in order to overcall a previous bid, for instance), it is called a free bid. The dealer's bids are all free bids; or the first bid made to his left if he passes. Forced Bids. After the bidding has been started, any bid that overcalls a previous bid must be regarded as a forced bid. It mg^y be that the hand is quite strong enough for a free bid, such as one spade over one heart, but that must not be assumed, because once the bidding for the contract is started, the players must put up some kind of a fight and bid what they have, even if it is not up to the standard required for a free bid. Secondary Bids. Any bid which is made at the second opportunity, after having refused to make a free bid on the first round, is called a secondary bid. When two bids are made by the same player, each in a different suit, the second one is a secondary bid; and both of them may be second- ary upon occasion. 4 AUCTION MADE EASY All bids have one of two objects, and free bids should have both, or they are unsound. They show the declaration that you would like to have for the play of the hand; or they show where you can win some tricks, either in assisting your partner with a better call, or in defense, if the adversaries get the contract. The suit bids being more numerous and more often played than no-trumpers, we shall con- sider them first. Classes of Suits The four suits are divided into two classes, major and minor. The major suits are hearts and spades, sometimes called " game-going suits," the minor are clubs and diamonds. In no-trump- ers, the suits have no rank. The distinction be- tween major and minor suits is very important, length being requisite in the major suits; high cards in the minor. The distinction may be impressed on the mem- ory by the axiom: Major-suit bids ask for assist- ance; minor-suit bids offer it. The majority of the hands played are with hearts or spades for trumps, and these suits are invariably declared in the hope that they will eventually be the trump for that deal. As numeri- cal strength in trumps is essential, in order to exhaust or outlast the adversaries, length is one of the fundamentals for major-suit bids, and five CLASSES OF HANDS 5 cards is generally regarded as the minimum. With only four, there should be three or four top honors. The minor suits are usually declared for the purpose of showing where the partner may find assistance for a better contract of his own choos- ing, or where he may look for help in case the adversaries get the contract, and the game is in danger. The minor suits, clubs and diamonds, do not require the length that is demanded of the major suits, because they are not declared in the hope of their being the trump; but in the hope that they will win tricks apart from the trump suit, or at no-trumps. Four cards are enough, or even three, if they are very strong, such as three top honors. There are cases, of course, in which a minor suit may be very desirable for the trump, especially at an advanced score, when five by cards is not necessary to win the game. There are other cases in which minor suits may be called to show that the hand is worthless for any other contract; but these are invariably either forced or secondary bids. We shall now see how these different classes of bids and suits apply to the various classes of hands. One-suit Hands Beginning with the strongest combinations pos- sible, such as the following, the original call or AUCTION MADE EASY free bid is limited by the number of cards in the suit. @ These are so strong that they justify a free bid of one, even with only four cards in suit. With five cards, they are still only one-trick bids; but with six in suit the first bid should be two tricks; with seven in suit, three, and with eight in suit four. Proceeding to the next lower combinations, we find only three that justify a free bid on the suit itself, apart from any tricks in other suits. These aiie: O <> <> CLASSES OP HANDS 7 All cards below the ten are immaterial. If these are major suits, there must be at least five cards. If they are minor suits, four, or even three, may be enough. The shorter a plain suit, the more likely it is to go round several times without being trumped. These three combinations are the key to all sound bidding, and should be thoroughly memo- rized. They are the standard minimum, as any weaker combination is not worth a free bid unless there are tricks in other suits to support it. Some players will not call a suit headed by K Q J, unless there is another trick in the hand somewhere. This is too timid a game, and is losing opportunities to indicate assisting or defen- sive strength while it is cheap to do so. These three standard combinations are free bids of one with five cards in suit. With six cards in either of the major suits, bid two. With seven cards bid three. With eight cards, bid four. Never call more than one in a minor suit, clubs or diamonds, unless you are long and strong enough to call four or five. There is no such bid as two clubs or diamonds, except as a convention, which will come later. ' One of the most important rules about calling one-suit hands, is to bid all the suit is worth the first time, and say no more about it. One of the worst faults in bidding is going to the bargain counter with a long suit, such as seven hearts to the A K J, starting with a bid of one and then 8 AUCTION MADE EASY advancing it to two or three if it is overcalled. We shall see the reason for this when we come to two-suit hands. A player may advance his partner's take-out, or help the partner's call, a trick at a time; but that is quite a different matter from advancing his own suit, when he has nothing in his hand out- side that suit. Two-suit Hands We come next to the combinations that are not strong enough to justify a free bid, as they fall slightly below the standard. These are of two kinds; those in which there are three honors, one of which is always the ten, and those in which there are only two honors. The first three are: *** 4. 4. 4. ^ 0^0 ^ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 4. 4- 4. .J. O O o These require at least as good as a guarded king, preferably an ace, in some other suit, to CLASSES OF HANDS 9 justify a free bid. As forced bids they may serve on occasion; but we must learn the free bids first. A king is guarded when accompanied by two or more small cards. A blank ace is not very strong. For a free bid of two in a major suit, there should be seven cards, with the outside help indicated. Never bid more than one in a minor suit. There are three combinations in the major suits which may be called with only four cards, pro- vided there is at least an ace, or a guarded king outside. These are: In the minor suits, clubs and diamonds, the out- side trick is not necessary. The strength in high cards is enough when the suit is not called with the idea of having it the trump for that deal. We come next to the three combinations of two honors only, which are these: 10 AUCTION MADE EASY >l [F~?l * * 9? '7 9 c? 9 9 l^bJ * 4. * 4- •!• l^M + 4* + l^ffil 4. 4. 4. 4. 4- To justify a free bid on any of these, in either major or minor suits, there must be at least an ace and small cards in another suit, or a king-queen suit, or two guarded kings. This last condition brings the hand as a whole pretty close to a three- suiter. There are three combinations of only four cards that are what might be called border-line bids in the major suits, but are always good minor suit calls. In the major suits they must have the same outside support as the three five-card com- binations just given. These are: n o o @ 1 M * 1 AKxxx ^ XX (^ X CLASSES OF HANDS 17 In No. 16 call the spades first, even if the hearts are longer, because the spade suit is of higher rank, and is a legitimate free bid in itself. Then take the first opportunity to bid the hearts, and let your partner take his choice. In No. 17 the heart is the higher ranking suit, and must be called first. Unless the partner denies the suit, or there is some good reason for abandoning it, there is no necessity to bid the clubs at all. In No. 18 although the clubs are stronger, the diamonds should be called first. If this bid does not awaken any response from the partner, call the clubs next time. There are some hands that require an apparent reversal of this rule of calling the higher ranking suit first, which are those in which the higher ranking suit is not a legitimate free bid, even with the outside support. Take these hands: No. 19 No. 20 No. 21 7 XX 7 XX 7 A K 10 x x *x cS^ AQJx ♦ x AKxx QJlOxxxx XX ^ KlOxxxx ♦ (^ KJxxx In No. 19 the spade is not a legitimate bid, so the diamonds are called first. When the hand is rebid, the spade suit must be shown, and then the partner is not deceived as to its strength in high cards. 18 AUCTION MADE EASY In No. 20 call the clubs. In rebidding it may- be worth while to show the diamonds. In No. 21 the spades are not a legitimate bid. Call the hearts first and show the spades later, if expedient to do so. Three-suit Hands We come now to the most interesting hands that one can hold at the bridge table, the three-suiters. These are hands in which there is some strength in three or even four suits, so that original free bid may be either in suit or no-trumps. The decision usually depends on the length of the major suit, or the honor score. No-trumpers may be roughly defined as hands in which there are three sure tricks in three different suits, or two or three tricks in two suits and a third suit surely '' stopped." A suit is said to be stopped, or " protected," when the adversaries cannot run down four or five tricks in it before you get the lead away from them. The following are examples of three different classes of three-suit hands: No. 22 No. 23 No. 24 7 AKJxx 7 AQ 7 AKx <^ AKx ^ XXX ^ Ax Axx Axxxx XXX ♦ XX ♦ AQJ ♦ K J 10 X X These are all strong enough in three suits for no-trumpers, but it is invariably a mistake to CLASSES OF HANDS 19 call no-trumps on a hand that has a major suit strong enough for a free bid, such as No. 22. The correct bid is a heart; subject to revision later. In No. 23 both the major suits are too short to call, and the hand is too strong to waste on a diamond contract. That is a no-trumper. In No. 24, which is an example of a very common type of hand, the spade is really a secondary bid; but if the hand is passed up no one else at the table may have a bid, and the deal will be thrown out. No criticism can be made of a player who picks the spade suit or the no-trumper. Either is a fair bid on such cards. Many prefer to call no-trumps first and then make the spades a second- ary bid, if the situation seems favorable. The limit of weakness upon which no-trumpers may be called as free bids largely depends on the ability to support a take-out by the partner in a major suit. Any shift by the partner to another call must be classed as a " take-out." He does it either because he thinks there is a better chance for game in his call, or because he cannot support the original declaration. Here are some examples of hands in which the possibility of a take-out must be considered. No. 25 No. 26 No. 27 7 AJx S? x 7 AQxx cSb QJxx ^ Kxx <2> AKxx XXX AKQxx AKJx d^ KlOx ♦ Axxx ♦ X 20 AUCTION MADE EASY No. 25 is rather weak in itself, but it is strong in being able to stand a take-out in either major suit, and should be able to save the game against any such contract. No. 26 is a better no-trumper than a diamond, and is strong in providing against the possibility of having to deny the partner's take-out in hearts, the diamonds being a sound secondary bid. No. 27 is a good example of a hand that is strong enough to go back to no-trumps, in case the partner calls spades, trusting him for nothing more than a stopper in that suit. The following are examples of hands which should be classed as very risky no-trumpers, be- cause they cannot stand a major-suit take-out and have no sound secondary bid. No. 28 No. 29 No. 30 7 X ^ Axx x ^ X <^ KlOxx c^ Axxx c?) KQxx QJxx KlOxx Axxx ♦ Axxx ♦ X (^ QlOxx It is on hands like these that no-trump bidders get set for three or four tricks, and sometimes lose a little slam. If the partner happens to call the major suit in which there are four cards, all goes well; but if he calls the other, or the adversaries hold and lead it, there will be trouble. No. 28 should be passed up. It cannot stand a heart take-out, and has no bid with which to deny that suit. CLASSES OF HANDS 21 No. 29 and No. 30 are not bad club bids. This will show that the hand has a couple of tricks in it somewhere, one of them in clubs. Then, if the partner calls the suit in which these hands are short, he must be fairly strong in it, and the shift to no-trumps would probably work out very well. Inviting No-trumpers Some players take advantage of the fact that there is no such free bid as two in a minor suit to use this call as a conventional ask if the partner is strong enough in that suit to go no-trumps. The two-bid does not show strength in the suit called, but strength in each of the other suits. Hands like Nos. 23, 24 and 25 are examples. In each of these the original bid might be two in the weak minor suit. The bid is never made in major suits. If the partner is strong in the suit he goes to no-trumps. Otherwise he calls his longest suit, which he knows the original declarer can support. An extension of this convention is to prevent the partner from going to no-trumps by calling two in clubs or diamonds when the suit is very strong, and there is also strength enough to support a major-suit bid, but not length enough. Nos. 26 and 27 are good examples of this tjrpe of hand. If the original call on these hands is two dia- monds, it is impossible for the partner to have the two tricks in that suit which are necessary for him 22 AUCTION MADE EASY to bid no-trumps, so he must call a suit. If this is the suit in which the diamond hand is weak, he goes to no-trumps himself. It is a very common mistake among untaught players to regard any bid of one in a minor suit as an " invitation " to the partner to go no-trumps. This leads them into two errors, which are often expensive. They are either afraid to bid no- trumps themselves, although they are so strong that the probability of their partner's having a no-trumper is very slim, or their partners get to going no-trumps on hopes. All these " invitations " and conventions are dangerous, except in the hands of the most expert players. Some Exercises Before proceeding further, the reader is advised to take a pack of cards and sort out the following examples, holding the actual cards in the hand, so as to accustom the eye to the various com- binations, just as if he were seated at the card table and had dealt the hand. By making a note on a slip of paper as to what he would call on each of these hands, and why, he may consider that his bid. Having gone through all the hands in this way he may check up his bids by the key at the end of this book, comparing his reasons with those there given, if there is a difference. CLASSES OF HANDS 23 It is also excellent practice to deal out hands at random, and get the eye accustomed to classify- ing hands as to the number of suits, and then as to the bids. No. 31 No. 32 No. 33 s? X 7 A J 10 7 K Jxxx ♦ Kxxx <^ Qxx <^ XX KJlOx xxxx AKxx ♦ Axxx ♦ KQJ ♦ XX No. 34 No. 35 No. 36 s? AKlOx, 7 QJlOxx 7 XX <^ XX <^ KJlOx <5> AKx AQ X Axx ♦ XXXXX ♦ Kxx ♦ AKQxx No. 37 No. 38 No. 39 s? AKQxx s? AQlOxx s? X * XX ♦ XXX ♦ XXX X Qxx KJlOxxx ♦ AQlOxx ♦ XX ♦ AKx No. 40 'No. 41 No. 42 s? X ^ KQJxxx: V XXX <^ AKQxx * Ax <^ AKQxx XX x AQJxx 4^ AJlOxx ♦ AKQx ♦ All cards indicated by an " x " are indifferently small; that is, below the ten. WHEN THE DEALER PASSES When the dealer passes, the second player should declare himself on precisely the same prin- ciples as if he had dealt the hand. He may perhaps take a little more liberty with no-trumpers, as he has apparently at least one weak adversary, and a partner that has still to speak. After Two Passes This is strictly a defensive position, and the third hand (dealer and second hand both passing without a bid), must be at once bold and cautious, according to the character of his hand. It is extremely dangerous to bid no-trumps in this position, unless strong enough to make the odd trick without any assistance from the partner. Many players will not risk this call with less than six tricks. Then, if the dealer turns out to have anything, it may mean game. Major-suit calls should be avoided unless the hand is at least a trick stronger than would be required by the dealer or the second hand for a 24 WHEN THE DEALER PASSES 25 free bid. T]\is is to allow for the possible weak- ness of the partner. It is a waste of time to struggle along for a few points with a contract that has no hope of going game. Minor-suit calls, on the other hand, may be freely made after two passes, on any combination of cards that would be a free bid, especially if there is nothing else in the hand. Four cards to the A K, or A Q J, or K Q J are very valuable in this position, for two reasons. If the adversaries are strong, the bid will be overcalled, and your partner knows what to lead. If your partner has a good secondary bid, you have given him an opportunity to make it, by reopening the bidding; often an important point. Timid bidders miss many opportunities to show a minor suit while it is cheap, and are then afraid to bid two, three, or four tricks on it, when the adversaries have de- clared themselves. With a timid player for a partner, these third hand calls are frequently the one thing he wants to get his courage up to the bidding point. Noth- ing is ever lost by bold bidding on the minor suits. Here are some examples of third hand bids, after two passes : No. 43 No. 44 No. 45 V AQxx ^ KQJxx 7 K Jxxx <^ AJlOx <^ AKxx c^ X KJx Axx AKQx ♦ XX ♦ X ♦ XXX 26 AUTCION MADE EASY No. 46 No. 47 No. 48 s? Qxx S? Axx S? AQx ^ XXX ^ Axx c?. KJx XXX xxxx AQ ♦ AQJx ♦ Axx (^ Jxxxx In No. 43 the chief object is to ask a lead, in case the fourth hand gets the contract. It is also valuable as a hand that can support the dealer if he has a secondary bid. No. 44 is a heart, promising game if the dealer has anything at all. It is a dangerous no-trumper. No. 45, being able to support anything but clubs, should bid the diamonds; not the hearts, to reopen the bidding as cheaply as possible. It is often important to make it easy for the partner to overcall. No. 46 is a spade, it is not strong, but the lead must be indicated, and the bidding reopened. Someone has all those aces and kings. No. 47 is a pass. There is no reason to pick a suit, and no danger of losing the game if the adversaries pick one. This is a typical defensive band. No. 48 is one of those border-line hands that one may pass up or call no-trumps. Its strength is in its position, not for the partner to lead through it to the fourth hand, but for the fourth hand to lead up to it, if he gets the contract. Much depends on the player who sits to the left. If he never overcalls no-tnunpers, pass. It is a very WHEN THE DEALER PASSES 27 strong defensive hand, and good for the game if the partner has anything at all. After Three Passes This is the most dangerous position at the table for no-trmnpers. Unless the hand is unusually- strong for a suit bid, the high cards are probably so distributed among the three other players that one of them has a good secondary bid, and wants only the opening to make it. It is two to one against this being the second player. Unless there is a very good chance for game, the bidding will usually be opened by the fourth hand, after three passes, for the benefit of his opponents. To bid no-trumps fourth hand, four suits should be stopped, and there should be at least seven tricks in hand. To bid a suit, the hand should be at least three tricks stronger than would be necessary for a free bid as dealer or second hand. This may be considered rather cautious bidding by some persons, but when in doubt there is nothing better than a new deal. A fourth hand bid indicates unusual strength, and frequently encourages the partner to support it beyond its capacity. If the hand is not something unusual it will invariably come to grief, or a great deal of time and worry will be expended on scoring a few points, with no hope of going game, and game is the only thing worth bidding for after three passes. THE PARTNER The most important position at the bridge table is the partner of the first bidder, whether that bid is made by the dealer, or by the second hand after the dealer has passed. This position must be considered first, because the partner of a forcedobid has not the same grounds to form his judgments upon as the partner of a free bidder. There are two principal positions; those in which the intervening player passed without a declaration of any kind, and those in which he interposes a bid or double. Taking the simpler position first, ttiree alternatives are presented to the bidder's partner. To pass, indicating that he has nothing to say. To shift, indicating that he thinks he has a better call on his own cards. To deny any support for the original bid. In order to simplify the terminology in what follows, we shall always call the first bidder the dealer, and the third hand the partner, as the position is precisely the same if the second hand is the first bidder and the fourth hand the partner. Denying and Overcalling The distinction must be clearly made between denials and take-outs. 28 THE PARTNER 29 If the dealer bids no-trump, and his partner says two hearts or spades, he does not deny any assistance for the no-trumper, but he suggests that the major suit would probably be safer, and just as likely to win the game. If the dealer bids one in a major suit, and his partner simply overcalls it with another suit, that is a distinct denial of any assistance for the dealer's suit; but if the partner overbids his hand, as by calling two spades over one heart, or three of anything over one spade, he is not denying the dealer's suit, but indicating very unusual strength in another suit, and greater probability of game. This is known as '^overcalling" and is intended to distinguish strength from weakness; to separate the denial from the take-out. It is colloquially known as a ''shout." Three varieties of the position continually present themselves, according to the dealer's original call being no-trump, major suit, or minor suit. If the dealer starts with no-trump, and the partner bids two in a minor suit, he is denying any assistance for the no-trumper and indicates that unless the suit he names is the trump, he cannot take a trick. If the dealer starts with a major suit and his partner overcalls with the other major suit, he denies assistance for the dealer's suit. If the dealer starts with a minor suit, and the partner shifts to the other minor suit, without 30 AUCTION MADE EASY overcalling his hand, he is denying the dealer's suit. If he shifts to a major suit or to no-trumps, he is taking advantage of the dealer's show of strength in a minor suit to make a call that has a much better chance of going game. As these three divisions of the subject are governed by different considerations and are among the most important elements of good bidding, we shall examine them separately. TAKING OUT NO-TRUMPERS Starting with the first division of our subject, here are three typical examples of the partner's taking the dealer out of a no-trumper. It must not be forgotten that in what follows there is no intervening bid or double by the second hand. No. 49 No. 50 No. 51 ^ KJxxx 7 XXX 7 XXX * XXX * Qxxxx XX Ax XXX XX ♦ XXX ♦ XX ♦ AKQJxx When the dealer starts with a no-trumper, and his partner holds five cards of either major suit, hearts or spades, no matter what they are, or what the rest of the hand, he should invariably and consistently call the five-card major suit. With a good player, who restricts his no-trumpers to the conditions already laid down for free bids, as in examples No. 25 to 30, this take-out is one of the biggest winners in the game. With a dealer that does not know anything about the principles that should underlie no-triunp calls, all take-outs are a gamble; but it is just as well to follow some uniform system and avoid guessing. 31 32 AUCTION MADE EASY There are players who will inform you with the greatest assurance that they do not want to be taken out of their no-trumpers with five-card major suits, unless they are very strong. By what right they dictate to you I do not know, but the best answer to such persons is to inform them that you do not want them to bid no-trumps unless they have a game hand. Your judgment of what to bid should be as good as theirs. The real reason with such people usually is that they want to play every hand. No. 49 is a two-heart take-out. If the dealer does not like the hearts, he can go back to no- trumps or call a suit. No. 50 is a two-club take-out, showing that there is not a trick in the hand above a queen, but that there are five cards of a minor suit. Such hands are worthless as part of a no-trumper; but should be good for two tricks with five trumps. You increase the contract one trick to save two. No. 51 is a three-spade bid. To call two spades gives the dealer no idea of the strength of the suit, and may lead him to deny, then you will have to go to three, so it is better to bid the three at once. This is a typical " shout." Weak take-outs, like No. 50, are restricted to suits of at least five cards. If there is no five- card suit in the hand, and not a trick in it either, the no-trumper must be abandoned to its fate. It often happens that in answer to the partner's take-out of a no-trumper with two in a major TAKING OUT NO-TRUMPERS 33 suit, the dealer will have to deny that suit by bidding three in something else. This is tanta- mount to asking the partner if his take-out is strong enough in high cards to support a no- trumper. If it is, he should go back to no-trumps, as the dealer must have the three other suits safe. That is, if the take-out is headed by A K, A Q J, K Q J, or even K Q 10, the partner should return to no-trumps, rather than play the hand in a minor suit. If, on the other hand, the take-out suit is weak, such as five to the king, the dealer must be left in. No-trumpers are more or less of a gamble, as the suits have no rank, and those held by the oppo- nents are just as good as those held by the declarer. TAKING OUT MAJOR SUITS If the dealer's bid is two tricks in a major suit, he is strong enough to handle that suit without any help from his partner, and the suit need not be denied. There is therefore no excuse for taking him out unless it be some phenomenal holding, such as five honors in one hand in the other major suit, or 100 aces at no-trump. Even then the take-out is doubtful policy, especially with two cards of the dealer's suit, however small. When the dealer starts with a bid of one in a major suit, and his partner holds less than three cards of it, neither as good as the queen or jack, the partner should take him out with any five- card suit, or with any suit of four that is strong enough for a free bid. Failing either of these, he must let the dealer take his chances. In case the partner holds the other major suit, that is no excuse for taking the dealer out, unless the suit is so strong that game is probable without any assistance in that suit from the dealer. Here are some examples of take-outs, the dealer's bid being one heart in each case. 34 TAKING OUT MAJOR SUITS 35 No. 52 No. 53 No. 54 7 XX ^ XX s? <^ XXX <^ AQxx <^ Axxx XXX Axxx AKQxxx ♦ A Q 10 XX ♦ KQx ♦ XXX In No. 52 the heart is simply overcalled to deny it. In No. 53 it is both denied and accepted as valuable as part of a better contract, the partner going to no-trumps. In No. 54 the partner overcalls his hand, bid- ding three diamonds, which not only denies the hearts, but shows the unusual strength of the dia- monds. But for the fact that hearts cannot be led from this hand, it would be an excellent no- trumper. If the dealer has a sure trick outside his hearts and they are strong, he may go to no- trumps. It is most important to take bids of this character out of the defensive class by overcalling. Such take-outs invariably show that a no-trumper either is too risky, or that it is not wanted. Here are two examples, the dealer bidding a heart in each case: No. 55 No. 56 7 X 7 Axx c§) AKQxxx c?) Kxx xxx () X ♦ xxx 4^AKQ10xx 36 AUCTION MADE EASY In No. 55, to bid two clubs would simply deny the hearts, but to bid three clubs shows not only the strength of the suit, but the partner's inability to go no-trumps, while both the diamonds and spades may be against them. In No. 56 to bid a spade would simply deny the hearts, but a bid of two spades indicates that the suit is so much better than any one-heart bid that it does not matter whether the dealer has any spades or not. Neither does it matter whether the partner has any hearts or not. He knows that the spade is the better contract. Taking Out Minor Suits When the dealer starts with a bid of one in a minor suit it is not necessary to deny that suit by bidding the other minor suit unless the take-out suit is good enough for an original free bid, and there are not more than two small cards of the deal- er's suit in the hand. If the two tricks shown by the dealer's bid are useful in filling out a possible no-trumper in the partner's hand, or a major-suit bid, there should be no hesitation about the take-out, no matter how strong the partner may be in the dealer's suit. Absolute dependence on the sound- ness of the dealer's minor-suit bids is essential, however, especially in shifting to no-trumps. It will occasionally happen that the dealer will call a minor suit, and that the partner is strong TAKING OUT MINOR SUITS 37 enough to win two or three tricks in other suits, but dare not risk no-trump. The best pohcy in such cases is to increase the partner's contract, so as to reopen the bidding, in case he may have a good secondary major-suit bid, as in No. 19. He may even be able to go to no-trumps. This neces- sary increase of the dealer's contract in a minor suit always shows that the partner holds the missing high cards of his suit, and a couple of tricks elsewhere, perhaps in two suits. Here are some examples, the dealer bidding a club in each case. No. 57 [No. 58 No. 59 s? AQx 7 xxxx 7 Axx <^ XX * X <^ KlOxx AKxxx AKxx X ^ Jxx ♦ XXXX (^ AKxxx In No. 57 the partner takes advantage of the dealer's clubs to go no-trumps, taking a chance on the spades. In No. 58, he denies the clubs with the diamonds, at the same time reopening the bidding. In No. 59 he does not deny the clubs, but has a better call, spades. In case the dealer denies spades, the partner can either return to the clubs, or support the dealer's secondary bid if it is hearts. There are some hands in which it is better to take the partner out for the sake of getting certain suits 38 AUCTION MADE EASY led up to, or concealing them; but this is usually only in no-trumpers. Exercises Here are a few exercises on the partner's re- sponses to the dealer's bids, the original call in each case "being indicated, and the second hand always passing. As before, it is recommended that the reader sort out the actual cards and hold them in the hand, as if at the card table, making notes of the bid, if any, and comparing it later with the key. No. 60 No. 61 No. 62 s? Kxxx 7 Jxx 7 AJlOxx * A Jxx cS> AKQJxx <^ x AQx XX Kxxxx ♦ XX ♦ XX ♦ Ax SPADE CALL HEART CALL DIAMOND CALL No. 63 No. 64 No. 65 ^ Qxx V XXX s? X «> Jxxx <^ Axxx <^ XX KJxxxx AKxx Axxx ♦ ♦ XX ♦ AKQxxx NO-TRUMP CALL CLUB CALL TWO-HEART CALL No. 66 No. 67 No. 68 ^ AJ S? Axxxx 7 Ax ♦ AQJxx * Ax Qxxxxx Kxx A AJ ♦ AKx ♦ Axxxx ♦ KQx ] HEART CALL SPADE CALL CLUB CALL THE ASSIST We came next to situations in which the dealer's bid is overcalled by the second hand. To sim- phfy matters, we shall suppose that this second player bids only just enough to overcall. That is, if the dealer bids a heart, second hand bids one spade; not two or three. It then becomes the duty of the dealer's partner to decide on one of three courses; to assist the dealer's bid; to shift; or to pass. There are three classes of original bids which the partner may be called on to assist; no- trumpers, major suits, and minor suits. We shall continue, for the sake of clearness, to consider the original bid as made by the dealer, and to speak of the third hand as the partner. Assisting No-trumpers As a general principle, unless the partner has a no-trumper himself, all four suits stopped, he should never increase the dealer's no-trump con- tract. If he holds the ace of the suit called by the second hand and at least four tricks besides, which can be made before the opponents can 40 AUCTION MADE EASY recover the lead at no-trump, he might go two no-trumps; but in view of the fact that so many of the dealer's no-trumpers are nothing but an ace and two hopes, any increase in that declara- tion is dangerous. Failing a single stopper in the adversary's suit, the partner should call any good suit of his own if it is good enough for an original free bid; other- wise he would do better to pass. If he can stop the adverse suit twice but is not strong enough to go to two no-trumps, he should double provided he has a trick or two outside the two stoppers. This leaves it to the dealer to decide whether or not to go back to the no-trumper, which he can do without increasing the contract any more than his partner would have done, or to play for penalties. Here are some examples of the partner's holding when the dealer bids no-trump and is overcalled; the suit named by second hand being indicated : No. 69 No. 70 No. 71 7 AlOxx 7 Kxx 7 Axx C?3 XX c^b AKQx ^ KJxx xxxx xxxx XX (^ AJx 4b Jx 4> Kxxx TWO HEAKT8 TWO SPADES TWO DIAMONDS In No. 69, even if the KQJ are against this hand, the suit is stopped twice. With an outside ace double. THE ASSIST 41 In No. 70 the dealer's missing suit must be clubs. By bidding three clubs, the absolute command of that suit is shown, but the power to stop the spades is denied; because with the spades stopped and such club strength, the bid would be two no-trumps. No. 71 is nothing but a pass. The opponents have gone into a minor suit, in which game is hardly possible, unless they have such phenomenal hands that they will overcall any bid the dealer or his partner may make. As a general principle, there is no such thing as assisting a no-trumper. The only correct calls are to double, name a good suit of your own, or pass. Many of the adverse bids are designed to force the no-trumper out of its depth, or into a minor suit, more than to get the contract. ASSISTING SUIT BIDS The most important thing for the partner to keep in view is that the dealer's bid, which is to win seven tricks, does not mean that he holds seven tricks in his own cards, but that he should be, able to make seven tricks if his partner has average assistance. This assistance is therefore included in the dealer's bid, or " discounted," and to borrow any part of it for an assist is to bid the same cards twice over. The first thing, therefore, is to deter- mine just what is average assistance, so as to de- duct it from the hand. What is left is all there is to assist on. The failure to make this deduc- tion is the weak spot in the game of some of our best players. There are two divisions of this subject, accord- ing to whether it is a major- or a minor-suit bid of the dealer's that is overcalled by the second hand. It should be noticed that if the partner assists at once, he should do so on the same cards that would justify him in assisting if it was the fourth hand that overcalled, instead of the second, and the dealer passed. 42 ASSISTING SUIT BIDS 43 Trump Values in Assisting The partner's first consideration is the value of his trump holding, as he may have to deny the suit, or refuse to assist it. The normal distribution is for the partner to hold three small trumps; or two, one as good as the queen. As these are in- cluded in the dealer's bid, they are worth nothing in themselves; but if they can be used for ruffing the first or second round of a suit, they have a certain value, which we shall come to presently. • Any stronger holding, such as queen, king, or ace and two small trumps, are worth a trick about half the time, so we call them worth half a trick all the time. Four trumps to two honors, the jack, and one higher, are worth a trick. These values are intrinsic, and apart from the value of these cards for ruffing purposes. In order to impress this upon the memory, as it is very im- portant, the several combinations are here illus- trated : i<7 "7 4» 4 These are worth nothing in themselves. 9 9 * * * + * 4. 4. t A TRICK WORTH 1 TRICK 44 AUCTION MADE EASY No matter how many more trumps the partner may hold, or how high the honors, they are never worth more than one trick in themselves. One of the greatest mistakes made in assisting bids is in attaching a fictitious value to numerical strength in trumps. If they cannot be used for ruffing, they must fall uselessly on the dealer's trumps at the end of the hand, or ruff his good cards. But if there is a missing suit in the hand, the ability to ruff that suit must be equal to an ace, and the ability to ruff the second round equal to a king. One may even count on ruffing both first and second rounds, but only with four trumps, because with three or less, the adversaries may lead trumps before the second ruff comes off, and ex- haust the dummy. This ability to ruff may be added to the intrinsic value of the trump holdings already given. Some persons, in sorting their cards, put one or two of their trumps in the place of a missing suit or singleton, to help them in their estimate of assisting strength. Suit Values in Assisting The next consideration for the partner is the tricks he holds in plain suits. These are easily counted, the ace being a sure trick, and a king- queen suit is as good as an ace; so are two kings. As a guarded king will take a trick about half the ASSISTING SUIT BIDS 45 time, it is worth about | a trick all the time. If it is the king of the suit bid on the right, it may- be worth a full trick. The dealer expects his partner to lay down a dummy at least as good as ace king, in addition to the average trumps. If that is all the partner holds, they must not be counted on for an assist, as they have been discounted in the dealer's bid. That is, they are of no value. The foUov/ing are examples of hands that are not worth an assist, the dealer's bid being one heart, overcalled by one spade, second hand : No. 72 No. 73 No. 74 7 10 X X X X ^ xxxx 7 Qxxx ^ QJx <^ Kxx <^ Jxxx Kxx Kxx Qx ♦ QJ ♦ Jxx ♦ Kxx Count these up, and none of them is worth an assist on the first opportunity, but they might be if the dealer rebids his hand himself, which we shall come to presently. It is only when the partner has at least as good as an ace better than is expected of him that he should assist; but the moment he does assist, the dealer should be certain that he must be doing so on one of two things; high cards in plain suits, or the ability to ruff. Here are three ex- amples of legitimate assists, the dealer bidding a heart, overcalled by one spade: 46 AUCTION MADE EASY No. 75 No. 76 No. 77 ^ xxxx 7 Qxxx 7 Kx <^ Axxxx * X ^ xxxx Kxxx AKxx Axxx ♦ ♦ XXXX ♦ Axx In No. 75 both the first and second rounds of spades can be trumped, and the partner has four trumps (hearts) . This is equal to the ace and king of spades, so that his hand is really ace king above average, at least. In No. 76 one of the trumps can be used for rufiing the second round of clubs, which is as good as a king. If a small heart (trump) were put. with the club, it would stand for the king of clubs, and still leave the player with average trump holding, or better, three to the queen, and ace king of diamonds besides. This hand is good for two assists. No. 77 is obviously a good assist. Rebidding after an Assist We shall now return to the dealer's hand, after his suit has been overcalled by an adversary, and his partner has assisted. We have already con- sidered the holdings on which the dealer would rebid his own hand, either without waiting to hear from his partner, or in spite of his partner's refusal to assist him. If the dealer has bid upon any normal hand, ASSISTING SUIT BIDS 47 and has bid all there is in it at the start, of course he has nothing more to say, no matter what his partner does. No amount of assisting can make the dealer's hand worth any more unless he himself holds something more than enough to cover his first bid. He may bid more, to push the adversaries up, or to postpone the loss of the game, or for any reason of that kind; but he has not got it in his hand. There is no law against overbidding the hand, but one should know when one is doing it, and should also be able to count up just how much beyond the limit one is going. The first consideration is the probable trump holding of his partner. If his partner has passed the bid, and it is overcalled by the player on the dealer's right, it is a fair inference that the partner has at least the normal trump holding, as he made no attempt to deny the suit. But if the partner has refused to assist, after the second hand has overcalled, the trump holding is as much in doubt as the rest of the hand. If the partner holds only average in both trumps and plain suits, perhaps less than average, and cannot assist, the dealer must hold enough extra tricks in his own hand to provide against that possible shortage in his prospective dummy. Examples of rebidding under such circumstances have been given in examples Nos. 10 to 15. The outside strength necessary to justify the dealer in rebidding without having been assisted, 48 AUCTION MADE EASY or without waiting for it, may be roughly stated as an ace, or a king-queen suit, or two guarded kings. After the partner has assisted, showing more than average, the dealer may rebid with half the strength which would be necessary to rebid without this assist, or in spite of its absence. Here are a few examples. In each case the dealer, whose hand is given, has started with a heart, overcalled by one spade, partner going to two hearts, and the player on the right to two spades. No. 78 No. 79 No. 80 ^ A Q 10 XX 7 AKJxx 7 KQxxxx * Kxx * XX ^ XXX Kxx XXX Axx ♦ XX ♦ Kxx ♦ X In No. 78 only one of the kings is necessary to justify the free bid in hearts, the other is extra. If the partner's assist is sound, the dealer can rebid this extra king, but he should not rebid without the assist. In No. 79 we have the same situation. The king is not wanted to help out the heart bid, but is not enough to justify a rebid without the part- ner's assistance. After that assist, especially the king of the adversaries' suit, is a fair rebid. In No. 80 there is an extra trump, which may be called the king of spades, as that still leaves five trumps intact, and an outside ace. After an assist ASSISTING SUIT BIDS 49 this is a good rebid. All these are border-line rebids. Anything stronger is so much the better. Assists after Rebids Returning to the other side of the table we must consider the cases in which the partner was not strong enough to assist on the first opportunity, but should assist after the dealer has rebid his hand, because the dealer shows by his independent rebid that he has enough to make up for any possible shortage in his partner's hand. If there is no such shortage, the partner can assist. Here are some examples, the dealer starting with one heart, second hand one spade, third and fourth hands passing, and the dealer going to two hearts: No. 81 No. 82 No. 83 s? XXX S? Qxx 7 JlOx * Axxx ^ KQxx d^ xxxx Kxxx xxxxx Kxxx ♦ XX ♦ X d^ Ax None of these is more than the average holding expected by the dealer, and discounted in his first bid. Being fully up to average, however, they are worth an assist after he rebids his hand. It is probably hardly necessary to point out that if the dealer or his partner is strong enough, the hand may be rebid or assisted more than once. We have had some examples of the dealer's ability 50 AUCTION MADE EASY to rebid his own cards two or three times. Here are some examples of assisting more than once, even if the dealer has no rebid, hearts trumps: No. 84 No. 85 No. 86 ^ xxxx 7 Qxxx ^ XXXXX ^ Axxxx <^ AKx <^ Ax AKJx Kxxx AKxxx ♦ ♦ XX ♦ X In No. 84 the potential ace and king of spades may be comited. There are three assists in this hand. In No. 85 there are no ruffs, but the hand is worth two assists, being a trump and a king above average. In No. 86 there are trumps enough to ruff two suits, after disarming the opponents. The hand is worth three assists. FORCED BIDS Any bid that is made to overcall a previous bid by the opponents must be classed as a forced bid and must not be credited with the same strength in high cards as a free bid. As soon as the bidding is started by either side, the other side must put up some kind of a fight if they have anything at all. This may compel them to take a chance on a bid that is not up to the standard of a free bid; but it should not be more than a full trick below it. It is often advisable to indicate a lead when it looks as if the contract mighG go to the player on the left. Such a result may often be anticipated, especially when the fii-ct bid is in a minor suit. If the indication of a lead is postponed, it may be too expensive by the time the opportunity comes round again. Here are some examples of forced bids by the second hand, the dealer's bid being indicated: No. 87 No. 88 s? JlOxxx V XX ^ AKxx * AKxxx XX XXX ^ XX ♦ XXX ONE SPADE ONE HEAKT 51 52 AUCTION MADE EASY No. 89 No. 90] S? Axx s? xxx KJlOxxxx ' <^ XX Kxx ♦ Axx ♦ Axx In No. 93 there is no free bid, but the hearts e a fair secondary bid. ' 55 56 AUCTION MADE EASY In No. 94 you having started with a club, must try the spades as a secondary bid. In No. 95, having passed the first time, bid just enough clubs to overcall anything but your part- ner's bid, unless he bids diamonds over hearts. No. 96 might be an original no-trumper, but if it is passed, or the no-trumper overcalled, bid the hearts. It frequently happens that if hands like this are passed, an opponent will bid the hearts. Then you are in a fine position. It is important to observe that the difference between secondary bids and legitimate two- suiters lies in the reversed rank of the suits bid. In two-suiters the higher ranking suit is called first; in secondary bids the lower ranking suit is called first, if any bid is made on the first round. Take No. 94 as an example. When two bids are made, the first, or free bid, shows the defensive strength; the secondary bid shows length, and indicates that the suit is useful only as a trump. Assisting Secondaky Bids Just as in forced bids, the partner must always make allowance for the weakness in high cards shown by a secondary bid, unless it is a two-suiter. It is never necessaryjto deny a secondary bid in a minor suit, as it is usually well able to take care of itself, as in No. 95. In assisting secondary bids in major suits, count them a full trick weaker than free bids. DOUBLING There are four doubles in common use, three of them purely conventional. Many players do not approve of them, and think they spoil the game; but every bridge player owes it to himself to understand the weapons that he may find are being used against him. Some think these doubles offer an enormous advantage. Perhaps they might, if they were more judiciously used. Like all powerful weapons they need careful handling. They may be described as follows: 1. Doubling a suit bid. This asks the partner to go no-trumps if he can stop that suit twice; otherwise to bid his own longest suit, even if it is only four to the nine. 2. Doubling a no-trumper. This asks the partner to bid his longest suit, no matter what it is. With equal suits, to bid the one of higher rank. In some cases the partner may consider himself strong enough to defeat the no-trumper, and will let the double stand. 3. The double after having assisted or denied the partner's suit. This shows a sure trick in the opponent's suit. It is also used to show sure tricks in a suit that overcalls the partner's no-trumper. 67 58 AUCTION MADE EASY 4. The business double, to defeat the con- tract. This never comes until after two or three rounds of bids, or it would be confused with the conventional doubles, which are based on the assumption that it is a waste of time to double one-trick bids in order to get penalties. There are too many ways out. The conventional double should be restricted to players whose partner has still to speak; such as second hand, doubling the dealer. For third hand to double the second hand, after the dealer has passed without a bid, is asking the dealer to develop a strength which he has already denied (by passing). The same is true of fourth hand doubling third hand, after two passes. A double may be conventional on the second round of bids. The dealer bids no-trump, second and third hands pass. Fourth hand calls a suit, probably asking for a lead. If the dealer doubles, he has everything but that suit, and is calling on his partner to name his longest suit, no matter what it is. In this connection one must keep constantly in view the fact that one is plajdng to win the game, or to save it; not to score a few points above or below the line. To double a suit, the player should have a no-trumper, except for the suit called against him, and must be prepared to have his partner answer the double with an extremely weak suit, perhaps only four to a nine. Here are a few examples of opportunities to DOUBLING 59 double second hand, the dealer calling a spade in each instance : No. 97 No. 98 s? Axxx 7 AKxx ^ KQxx C$3 AKxx Axxx AQx ♦ X ^ X X p No. 99 No. 100 7 A Jxx 7 AQxx <^ KlOxxx c^ XX AKlOx KQJxx (^ 4) XX No. 97 is a poor double, because it is two to one that your partner will take you into a minor suit, and fail to go game. No. 98 is a good double. If third hand puts in a bid, and your partner does not say anything, you are strong enough to double again, and force your partner to show what he has. No. 99 is a good double, as you can support any- thing, or defeat the spade contract, if it is pushed. 1 No. 100 is a very poor double, because your partner will inevitably pick the clubs, and you will have to struggle along with a minor suit to make a few points. If your partner has anything at all, you should defeat the spade contract. To double a no-trumper, there should be at least two high honors in three suits, so that if the part- 60 AUCTION MADE EASY ner has to call a very weak four-card suit, it can be supported. With the lead, it is invariably better to say nothing. The fourth hand might take the same advice, as he does not care what his partner leads, he can probably save the game. If he can- not, he is wasting his breath doubling, and accom- plishing nothing beyond showing the declarer which hand to finesse against. A double fourth hand may find the partner with a big suit, but even then it might have been better to let him lead it. Doubling after an Assist This conventional double never comes until after the second round of the bids. Its object is to indicate to the partner where at least part of the assisting strength lies. This may either encourage him to persist with his suit, or perhaps shift to no-trumps. Here are some examples: No. 101 No. 102 No. 103 7 AlOx S? Qxx S? Axxx ^ Kxxx <^ XX cSb AKxx X AKxxx xxxx ♦ Axxxx ♦ KQx ♦ X In No. 101 the dealer bidding a spade, doubled second hand, you assist. In spite of this, fourth hand bids three hearts. If the dealer passes, you should double three hearts, instead of bidding DOUBLING 61 three spades. The dealer can do that without increasing the contract. In No. 102 the dealer has bid a heart, second hand a spade. You assist, but the fourth hand goes to two spades, the dealer passing. Instead of showing the diamonds, which would be the ordinary way of coaxing the dealer to continue, double the two-spade bid. In No. 103 the dealer having bid a spade, passed by second hand, you bid two clubs to deny the spades, no-trump being a little risky. Fourth hand bids two hearts, the dealer and second hand passing. Now double two hearts. If the dealer has a diamond trick, he will perhaps go no-trumps. It should be observed that the dealer will know in each of these cases that there must be something else in the hand besides one trick in the opponents' suit, as that alone is not enough to justify an assist on the first round. The Defense to the Double When the second hand doubles the dealer's no-trumper, the best defense for the third hand is to pass, and wait to see what the fourth hand has to say, and what the dealer will do with it. But if the third hand holds pretty good cards, no suit long or strong enough to call, the best defense is to redouble. The second hand doubles a no-trumper because he thinks he is strong enough to support any suit 62 AUCTION MADE EASY selected by his partner; the third hand redoubles for precisely the same reason. This puts the screws on the fourth hand, who must be pretty weak. When the second hand doubles the dealer's suit bid, that should not prevent the third hand from assisting, if he has an assist. If he waits until the fourth hand declares himself and then assists, his bid will not have the same meaning, but will look like a forlorn hope. If he cannot assist, he must let the fourth hand bid. On the other hand, let us suppose the third hand has three or four tricks in other suits, such as would have suggested a no-trumper to deny the dealer's suit, biit for the second hand double. The best defense is to redouble. Here again, the reason for the redouble is precisely the same as the reason for the double. The second hand is strong, except in the suit called by the dealer. So is the third hand. Now the fourth hand is in a tight place, because the odd trick, at redoubled value, goes game, if he leaves it in. Here are some examples: No. 104 No. 105 ^ Qxx 7 Qxxx c^ KQxx <^ KlOxx Qxx KQxx (^ KJx ♦ X In No. 104 the dealer has bid no-trump, doubled by the second hand. Third hand redoubles. DOUBLING 63 That is infinitely better than bidding clubs, or passing. In No. 105 the dealer has bid a spade, doubled by- second hand. It looks as if all the spades were in the fourth hand, but third hand redoubles. This gives the dealer a line on the location of the spades, and he can shift if he likes, but the first shift will inevitably be made by the fourth hand who will either follow orders, and bid no-trump, if he can stop the spades twice, or he may take a chance at two spades. The danger of the conventional doubles lies in not making full allowance for the possibility of great weakness in the partner's hand. The Business Double This is the double to get penalties, when the opposing bidders have evidently gone beyond their depth. It does not usually come until the third round of bids. It may be said to be governed by three considerations. If it is apparent that neither side can win the game, either because it is not in the cards, or be- cause both sides have undertaken a contract they cannot make, it is better to double, so that the tricks may be worth 100 each, provided you are sure the adversaries can be set. If the double promises to be worth more than the game, even if you are pretty sure of winning the game, it is often good policy to take advantage 64 AUCTION MADE EASY of it, because the game is not lost, and your chance of winning it eventually is as good as theirs. It is bad policy to double when the opponents have a shift that will take them out of the double, unless you are ready to double that also. This opportunity frequently arises w^hen each of the opposing partners has made a different call. In conclusion the " bluff " double might be mentioned. This is a weapon that is sometimes very effective in the hands of a bold and adven- turous player. Its object is usually to drive one of the opponents back into a contract that has been abandoned, when you have overbid your own hand. Suppose the player on your left has bid no-trumps, the one on your right hearts, and you have bid clubs until the player on your left doubles. A redouble may frighten the player on your right back into the hearts. SAVING THE GAME Before turning our attention to the play of the hands, after the bidding is finished, there is one point to which attention should be called, a proper understanding of which is vital to the success of every player. This is deliberately overbidding the hands and taking '' stings " to save the game or rubber. There are many persons who have a perfect mania for saving games, and who apparently think nothing of being " downed" for several hundred points with that laudable object in view. Granted that it is always worth while to overcall a hand one trick, even in the face of a sure double, especially if there are honors to score, in order to prevent the other side from scoring both tricks and honors, perhaps game; but to risk being set two or three tricks, even if the game is in danger, shows unfamiharity with the doctrine of chances. The game or rubber is not " saved" ; it is simply postponed. There is no guarantee that you will ultimately win it, either on the next, or any suc- ceeding deal. You may be called on to "save" it again, which is the same thing as throwing good money after bad. 65 66 AUCTION MADE EASY Let the other people do the saving, if they are willing to pay three or four hundred points for the luxury. Let that game or rubber go, and the good cards with which you hoped to win it, after postponing it, will give you the first game on the new rubber, which is equal to a 3 to 1 bet that you win it. Most games and rubbers are won or lost in the play of the cards, which we are now about to consider. THE PLAY The bidding finished, our consideration of the play of the hands may be divided into four parts; the declarer's play and the adversaries'; with a trump and at no-trumps. As the declarer's play depends largely upon a thorough understanding of the methods of the defense, we shall take up that part of the subject first, as the declarer cannot start his attack, nor plan the play of the hand, until he gets into the lead, and Ms adversaries always open the hand. Against Trump Declaeations Against any trump declaration, length in suit is not important to the defense, unless they have sufl&cient length in trumps to support it, which is unusual. High cards are everything, and the chief care should be not to carry home any aces. The Suit to Lead The selection of the suit for the opening lead depends on whether or not your partner has made a bid. There are four varieties of the situation. 67 68 AUCTION MADE EASY If you have any suit, not the trump, headed by both ace and king, lead the king of that suit, regardless of the bidding. Then, if your partner has bid a suit, you may follow with the best card you hold in his suit, regardless of number. If he has called a suit, and you have no ace-king suit, lead the best you have of his suit. If he has not shown a suit, lead your own suit. If either of you has called a suit, and you do not lead it, and you do not lead an ace-king suit, the card you do lead should be accepted by your part- ner as absolutely a singleton, asking for a ruff. Singletons are risky leads unless you can stop the declarer from taking out all your trumps, so as to try to get your partner in on some other suit, and allow him to give you the desired ruff. It is also bad policy to lead singletons if you have four triunps, and much better to lead your long suit, with a view to getting an early force on the declarer. In choosing a suit for the opening lead, always prefer those that have two or more " touching " honors at the top, such as A K, K Q, Q J, or J 10. Suits of only three or four cards should be avoided if headed by honors that do not touch, such as A Q, K J, or Q 10. If all the plain suits are of that character, it is usually better to lead the trump. Then your partner will understand that he can lead up to dummy's weak suits with con- fidence. THE PLAY The Card to Lead The opening lead of any card above the nine marks the suit as containing one or other of a certain group of combinations of high cards. The second lead usually marks the exact holding. Correct leading is one of the first requirements when you have a good player for a partner. If you bid right and lead right, no one can find much fault with your game. There are five high-card leads, and the class of hand from which each is led should be care- fully committed to memory, as this part of the game is purely mechanical. The King. This card is led more often than any other of the high cards in the pack. It should always be led if accom- panied by the ace or queen, or both. The com- bination must be one of the following, from all of which the correct opening lead is the king: 1. AKQJ 2. AKQx 3. AKJx 4. AKxx 5. KQJx 6. KQxx After leading the king from No. 1 or 2, follow with the queen in each case. Your partner knows you have the ace; show him the card he does not know. In No. 3, if the queen is not in dummy, it may be better to shift. That depends on what falls on your king. In No. 4 follow with the ace 70 AUCTION MADE EASY to deny the queen. In No. 5 follow with the jack to deny the ace. (Compare this with the two leads from No. 1.) In No. 6 follow the king with a small card, to deny both ace and jack. The Ace. This card is led to deny the king. It is not a good opening lead unless the suit is five cards or more, or there are three honors. The following are all ace leads: 7. AQJx 8. AQlOx 9. AJlOx 10. Axxx In No. 7 follow with the queen to show the jack. In No. 8 follow with the ten to show the queen and deny the jack. In No. 9 follow with the jack to deny the queen and show the ten. In No. 10 follow with a small card. The Queen. This card is led from three combinations: 11. QJlOx 12. QJ9x 13.QJXX With No. 11, if you hold the lead, or get in again, follow with the jack to show the ten. In No. 12 follow with a small card, unless the J 9 have become equals through the ace or king and the ten having fallen. In No. 13 follow with a small card unless both ace and king have fallen. The Jack. The jack is led from jack ten and others. It is useless to lead a jack unsupported by the ten, unless it is the partner's indicated suit. THE PLAY 71 ±1± The Ten. The ten is led from only one combination, K J 10, if that suit must be led. If the cards that fall leave you at any time with the second- and third-best of a suit, such as the jack and ten, after the ace and queen have fallen, lead one of your equals, so as to force out the best and leave you with the command. Cards as small as the nine and six sometimes become equals. Leading Small Cards When there is no combination of high cards at the head of a suit that you wish to open, begin with the fourth-best, counting from the top, such as the 7 from K 9 8 7 4. This is called the card of uniformity, and is frequently of use to the part- ner, especially in playing against no-trumpers. It may also afford useful information to the declarer, who should mark the size of all original small-card leads very carefully. It is frequently necessary to lead very weak suits, or to open suits of three cards only. Two- card suits should be avoided, unless they are Q J, or J 10. When you open any other weak suits, your partner should know that you hold two more or no more. To make matters clear to him, always play weak suits down, beginning with the highest card. From 8 6 2, for instance, lead the 8, and play or discard the 6 on the next round. 72 AUCTION MADE EASY He can miss the deuce, as it does not fall, but if you play that card on the second round, he will be mystified about the six. Some Exercises Sort out the following hands, and suppose your- self to be the leader on the first trick. They have all resulted in spade contracts, the player on yoxu* right being the declarer. In No. 106 your part- ner has bid a heart. In the others neither of you have made a bid: No. 106 No. 107 No. 108 7 Jxxx s? QlOxx S? xxx ♦ AKxx <^ Kxx ^ AKxx J AKJ AQJxx ♦ xxxx ♦ XXX X No. 109 No. 110 No. Ill s? AQxx 7 KlOxxx 7 AJxx ♦ QlOx * A Jxx * J 10 KJxx X KJxx ♦ XX ♦ Axx ♦ KJx Determine on your opening lead and the reasons for it, before consulting the key. LEADING TO SECONDARY BIDS There is one refinement in the matter of leading which many players do not pay sufficient attention to, and that is the necessity of distinguishing between free bids and secondary bids, when selecting the opening lead. We have seen that the partner does not usually support a secondary bid, unless he has two honors in the suit, neither should he lead it, unless he has at least one high honor, if he has any suit of his own that is headed by two honors. With two honors of any size in the secondary bid, he will lead that suit, whether he has supported it or not, if his partner fails to get the contract. This distinction is frequently important, but it belongs rather to the department of advanced play. The following exercises are given to illus- trate the difference it may make in certain hands. In each of these your partner was the dealer and made the first declaration; but in every case the player on your right eventually got the con- tract, so that it is your lead. The two rounds of bids are given, your partner making a secondary bid in each case, the final declaration being underlined, and the declarer 73 74 AUCTION MADE EASY being on your right. In the notation, N, or NT stands for no-trump, and p for pass. No. 112 No. 113 No. 114 p H p p p NT p p D H 2C 2H S p p 2H 2D 2N p p 3D 3H p p 7 Jxxx ^ lOxxx ^ X d^ AKx (^ Jxx cSb AKJxxx Kxx X 2 4) XXX 4i KJxxx (^ lOxxxx No. 115 No. 116 No. 117 C 3H p p p D H 2D S 2D p p as p p 4H 2S 3D 3S 4D 2H 2N p p S? lOxxx ^ A'Qxxx S? XX <^ Qxx c^ 10 x X X cSb KQxxx xxxx X xxxx ^ XX (^ AJx ♦ Qx Taking into consideration the principles laid down for the management of secondary bids, and the nature of the bids made against them, pick out your lead in each of these, and the reason for it, before consulting the key. THE LEADER'S PARTNER WITH A TRUMP In describing the positions for the play of the hand, the terminology differs slightly from that used in connection with the bidding. In the bidding, the dealer is always first, the player to his left second hand, and so on. In the play the terms shift with the position of the lead on each trick. Starting with the first trick, the player to the left of the declarer is called the leader. The dummy is second hand, the leader's partner third hand, the declarer becoming fourth hand. In all succeeding tricks, no matter which of the four hands leads, we call the player to his left second hand, his partner third hand, and the player to the leader's right fourth hand. It is therefore evident who is second hand on one trick may be third, fourth or leader on the next. This ter- minology should be kept in mind in reading what follows. When a small card is led, the third hand tries to win the trick as cheaply as possible with equal cards. Holding both ace and king, for instance, he should play the king; holding king and queen, 75 76 AUCTION MADE EASY he should play the queen, holding king queen jack, the Jack. To play any of the higher cards would be to deny the next in value below and would deceive no one but his partner. The declarer knows neither he nor dununy has the denied card. With high cards not in sequence, the inter- mediate being in the dummy, the same rule must be followed. Holding king queen ten, the jack being in the dummy but not played, the ten is as good as the king. It looks like a cheap trick. To play the king would make a dear trick of it. It is just the same as if you said to your partner. "I had to pay a dollar for this trick, because I could not get it for fifty cents." Never finesse against your own partner. A finesse is an attempt to win a trick with a card which is neither the best you hold in that suit, nor in sequence with it. With the ace queen of your partner's suit, to play the queen is a finesse, if the king is not in dummy. Put on the ace. Asking for a Ruff When you make no attempt to win your part- ner's lead, either because you have no higher card, or because dummy shuts you out, play the smallest card you have of the suit, unless you have only two, neither as good as the jack, and want to get in a little trump. In that case play the higher of the two cards first, and when the lower falls THE LEADER'S PARTNER 77 on the next round of the suit, or you discard it, your partner will know you can trump the third round. This is usually called the "down-and- out echo." It is not necessary to do this when one of the cards is as high as the jack, because when that card falls, your partner will know you have the queen or no more. If you play the jack to the first trick, he will read you for the queen or no more for the second round. Encouraging Cards It is sometimes doubtful whether or^'not your partner will continue a suit, and if you are anxious that he should do so, you may encourage him by playing any card higher than the six, although you have smaller ones. Suppose he starts with the ace of a suit, and that you happen to hold king and queen of that suit, together with smaller cards, let us say KQ84. He has no reason to think you have such strength in that suit, but by playing the eight, instead of the four, you encourage him to go right ahead with the same suit. Returning Suits The simplest rule is to return the best card you hold of your partner's suit (unless you have a card that will kill a good card in dummy), if you 78 AUCTION MADE EASY get into the lead before he does. The fact that you may be leading up to the best card of that suit in dummy should not deter you, because your partner's suit is of no value until that card is out of his way. It is not wise, however, to lead up to a tenace, such as ace and queen, if your partner has the king. Shifting Suits When the player who has dummy on his left shifts suits for any reason, he should lead through dummy's strong suits, in preference to the weak ones, unless he knows just what his partner wants led. It is better to pick suits headed by honors not touching, going through ace-queen suits, or king-jack, if there is a chance that your partner holds the other high cards. When in doubt, it is sometimes just as well to give dummy any tricks that he must make eventually, no matter what you do, and it is always good play to take out his re-entry cards for his established suits. If the declarer has been in the lead, and has not led trumps, it is often good policy to lead them immediately on getting in, especially up to dum- my's weakness. A trump lead through the de- clarer may sometimes be suggested as advisable when it looks as if dummy were getting ready to ruff your good cards in some suit. LEADING AGAINST NO-TRUMPERS When there are no trumps to interfere with you, your suits are just as good as the declarer's, but owing to his having the preponderance of high cards he has more chances of re-entry for his suits, and also has the immense advantage of seeing two hands, and knowing exactly what can be done with them. The principles of selecting the suit to open are practically the same as those given for leading against trump declarations; but there are some slight differences in the selection of the high cards. Against a trump suit, the object is to make the high cards at the first opportunity, before the suit is discarded and trumped. In no-trumpers this danger does not exist, and the play must be to make some tricks with the smaller cards, after getting the higher out of the way. Looking toward this end, it is highly important so to arrange matters that no matter which of you gets into the lead later, you or your partner, the dregs of the suit may be made. This depends on two factors; correct leading on your part, so as to inform him exactly what you can accomplish, and unblocking on his part, so as to get out of the way of suits in which you are longer than he is. 79 80 AUCTION MADE EASY Against no-tmmpers, the high cards are not led except with three honors, or six or more cards in the suit. With as many as seven in suit, headed by ace and king, it is a common practice to lead the ace first, asking the partner to give up his highest card at once, and get out of your way. Holding only two honors at the top of a suit, with the average length of five cards, such as A K, K Q, or Q J, the fourth-best is the lead against no-trumpers; not the high card. With three honors, such as A Q J, the opening depends on whether or not there is any re-entry in another suit in the hand; such as an ace, a king- queen-suit, or a well-guarded king. If there is no such re-entry, lead the queen, so as to get the king out of the way at once, and stUl leave your part- ner with one of the suit to lead, in case he has only two. He may be able to get into the lead, even if you cannot. With A J 10, start with the jack for the same reason. If you have a re-entry, lead just as you would against a trump contract, the ace first in both cases. With three honors, such as K Q 10, and small cards, lead the king. In leading against no-trumpers it is never necessary to show an ace-king suit unless your partner has called a suit. Begin with the longest suit in your hand, and keep the high cards in the shorter suits for re- entries. In example No. 108, for instance, against a no-trumper, begin with the ace of diamonds. The following are some additional examples of LEADING AGAINST NO-TRUMPERS 81 the difference between opening a hand against a trump or no-trumps: No. 118 No. 119 No. 120 7 XX s? XX ^ XXX ^ AKx ^ XXX cj) AKx Jxxxx AQJxxx AKxxx ♦ XXX ♦ XX ^ XX In No. 118, either major suit being the trump, lead the king and ace of clubs immediately. Against a no-trumper lead the fourth-best dia- mond. In No. 119, either major suit being the trump, lead the ace and queen of diamonds. Against a no-trumper begin with the queen. In No. 120, either major suit being the trump, lead out the two kings, one after the other, and continue according to developments. Against a no-trumper, lead the fourth-best diamond. THE LEADER'S PARTNER AT NO-TRUMP When the third hand makes no attempt to win his partner's lead, which may happen if he has no higher card, or if dummy heads him off, he should play the second-best he holds in the suit, regardless of number or value. This is called the Foster echo, and it has the advantage over all other echoes, in being more useful to the leader than to the declarer. With three or more of the suit, always keep the smallest card to the last, whether in returning the lead, following suit, or discarding. Holding J 10 3, for instance, a higher card already on the trick, play the ten the first time and the jack the next. Holding four in suit, such as J 10 8 3, play the ten the first time and the eight the next, as that is now the second-best. This marks you with one higher and one lower than the first card played. The object of this echo is twofold; to avoid all possibility of blocking the partner's long suit, and to expose any false cards played by the declarer. 82 THE LEADER'S PARTNER 83 The Eleven Rule When your partner starts with a small card, the fourth-best of his long suit, there is no way of telling whether he has any high cards or not, or what they are; but you can always tell how many high cards he does not hold among those higher than the card he leads, by applying the eleven rule. I invented this rule in the old whist days, but it has been found even more useful in bridge, on account of the exposed hand, and every person with any pretensions to being an expert should be thor- oughly familiar with the rule, and the manner of its application. The rule is this: Deduct the spots on the card led from eleven. The remainder is the number of cards, higher than the one led, that are not in the leader's hand. By deducting from the re- mainder thus found the number of such cards in the dummy and your own hand, the difference must be in the hand of the declarer. To illustrate : Your partner leads; dummy's cards are laid down before you play, and you are third hand: 7 led; Dummy's, Q 5 2; Yours, A J 9 3. Deducting 7 from 11, the remainder is 4. There are four cards in sight, all higher than the 7, of which you have three, dummy one. Therefore there is no second remainder, and if dununy does not put on the queen the seven will hold the trick 84 AUCTION MADE EASY if you play the trey. If you doubt this, take any suit of thirteen cards, lay out those indicated and give your partner any three you like, higher than the seven, so that it shall be his fourth-best. Again : 6 led; Dummy's, Q 10 3; Yours, A 9 7. Deducting 6 from 11 leaves 5, all in sight. If dummy does not play the ten, your seven will win the trick. The appHcation of this rule in connection with the bids requires a little closer attention. For example: Your partner has dealt and passed without a bid, but he leads a minor suit, let us say clubs, and this is the situation: 7 led; Dummy, J 6 3; Yours, Q 8 4. The seven is clearly a fourth-best, unless the declarer holds six of the suit, in which case your play does not matter. Deducting 7 from 11, you get 4. There are only 3 in sight, so the declarer must have one of the suit which is higher than the seven. If you think of the bidding a moment, it is clear that this must be ace or king, because if your partner held both those cards he would have bid a club as dealer. It is therefore needless to play the queen, which would free the jack in dummy, as the dealer will have to play the ace or king to beat the seven. The declarer should be alert to apply this rule in order to protect himself against these deep plays by the third hand. He will also find it useful on many occasions in putting up one of dummy's THE LEADER'S PARTNER 85 medium cards on the first trick that will hold the lead. For example: 7 led; Dummy's K 9 2; Declarer's, J lO^S 4. Dummy's nine will hold the first trick, as third hand cannot have anything as good as the seven. Second-hand Play The play of the second hand, when led through, is alike at trumps and no-trumps. With the dummy exposed on the left, the usual rule is to cover an honor with an honor, so as to force the declarer to play two high cards to win one trick. With four in suit it is not necessary to cover, nor when your honor cannot be caught. It is also useless to cover if all the high cards are shown against you, such as a queen led through your king to ace jack ten in the dummy. With the dummy on your right, cover an honor with an honor, except with four in suit, or all the high cards marked against you. A good general rule for second-hand is to play a high card second hand, on a small card led, when you hold any combination of high cards from which you would lead a high card; but win the trick as cheaply as possible. With ace king, play the king second hand. With king queen, play the queen. With queen jack, it is not necessary to play the jack if you have more than three in the suit, no higher card in dummy on your right. 86 AUCTION MADE EASY Holding honors not touching, such as ace queen, or king jack, it is better to play a small card on a small card led through you; but if a jack is led through ace queen, put on the ace. This is the only chance to make both ace and queen. The Discards Against any declaration, the simplest rule is to keep guard on the suits you are afraid of, which will of course be your weak suits. If you hold three to the jack in one suit and four to the ace king jack in another, it is not the suit that has three honors in it which the declarer is going to lead when he switches. Discard from that and hold the three to the jack. Jack in one hand, queen in the other, either twice guarded, will stop any suit, if you do not lead it yourself. Encouraging cards are frequently used in dis- cards, and they serve two purposes. By showing protection in one suit, from which you discard a seven or better, you give your partner an oppor- tunity to protect some other suit, nothing being so annoying as to find at the end of a hand that you have both been protecting the same suit, when each of you might have kept guard on a different one, stopping them both. Holding AK8 3, for instance, and having to discard, 4)lay the eight, instead of the three. If THE LEADER'S PARTNER 87 you afterwards drop the trey, it indicates a sure trick in that suit. Many make a distinction be- tween completing an echo in the discard in this manner, and simply playing one encouraging card. With K 10 7 2, for instance, if you discard the seven, do not follow it with the deuce. If you must discard from that suit again, let go the ten. This shows protection only; not a sure trick, like the eight-trey discard. These discards are used indiscriminately at trumps or no-trumps. THE DECLAKER'S PLAY The play of the declarer falls naturally into two divisions — with a trump and without. These are managed so differently that they might almost be considered as two distinct games, but one leading principle runs through both, and until a player has thoroughly mastered that principle he can never hope to become an expert. It is this : When the dummy's cards are laid down, there are always a certain number of sure tricks in sight, which are easily counted up. They seldom equal the nimiber contracted for. The first question to decide, therefore, is where the remain- ing tricks are to come from that will bring the result up to the contract, or the game, or a slam. With a trump suit, the first consideration is the management of the trump suit itself. The plain suits are handled in about the same way at trumps or no-trumps, so far as winning cards are concerned. As the management of the trump suit is very much like the management of any strong suit at no-trumps, the first matter to demand attention is the manner in which certain tricks may be secured that are not in plain sight when the dummy is laid down. • 88 THE DECLARER'S PLAY 89 The first of these, and the most obvious, is to take tricks with cards which are not sure winners, if possible. This is called finessing. The second is to make the small cards of a long suit good for tricks by getting all the high cards out of the way. This is called estabHshing a suit. The whole art of getting the extra tricks that are required to fulfill the contract, win the game, or make a slam, is a combination of these two simple elements. The chief difference between the play of the declarer and that of his adversaries, is that they never finesse. The declarer, therefore, has always what might be called an extra weapon, which they cannot use. As this is constantly used in every hand the declarer plays, we shall consider it first. Finessing As already explained, a finesse is any attempt to win a trick with a card which is not the best you hold in that suit, nor in sequence with it. The type, familiar to every player, is ace queen in one hand, small cards in the other. If the king is on the right of the ace-queen, two tricks can be made by leading from the weak hand and finessing the queen. In the same way, holding king and jack, the finesse of the jack will "drive" the ace, if the queen is on the right. A larger element is with ace queen and jack in one hand. If the finesse Jpf the jack wins the first time, the weaker hand should be put in the lead again to finesse 90 AUCTION MADE EASY the queen on the second round. So with king jack ten; if the finesse of the ten drives the ace, another lead from the weaker hand allows the finesse of the jack on the second round. These finesses are carrying out the first principle of play; trying to win tricks with cards which are not the best you hold, and therefore not sure winners. They fail about as often as they suc- ceed, but if these finesses are not made it is im- possible to get any more out of the cards than shows on the surface. A hundred finesses will net fifty tricks more than a hundred refusals to finesse, and frequently bring additional tricks in their train by retaining command of certain suits. In addition to the simple finesses already described, there are finesses against two cards, the play being based on the probability that these two cards are not in the same hand. The typical case is the ace jack ten in one hand, small cards in the other. There are three possible positions for the king and queen; both in one hand to the right, both to the left, or, divided. If they are both to the left of the ace, they both win. In any other position, by finessing the ten the first time, in case a higher card is not played second hand, and finessing the jack next time, two tricks can be made in the suit. All these double finesses depend for their success on the abiUty of the weaker hand to get into the lead often enough to make them. THE DECLARER'S PLAY 91 ^ The adversaries of the declarer never finesse. li the dummy is on your left, all you have to do is to look at it to see if you can win a trick with a card which is not the best you hold in that suit when you are second or third hand. If the dummy is on your right, any finesse against the declarer is also against your own partner. If your partner leads a small card and you finesse the queen from ace-queen, the king not being in dummy, the queen is thrown away if the king is with the declarer. If your partner has the king it does not matter which card you play, so you should play the ace. In addition to the finesses made by the declarer in suits that he leads himself, there are second-hand finesses in suits led through him. A small card led, dummy being second hand with ace queen, might finesse the queen, hoping the leader had the king of that suit. When a finesse can be taken in either hand, such as when one hand holds ace jack, the other king ten, the decision as to which side to take it on usually depends on some outside consideration, such as keeping a certain adversary out of the lead, or retaining the conmiand in a certain hand. In many cases it is not wise to finesse until the second round, if at all. To lead the queen from one hand to the ace in the other is not a finesse. If those two cards are divided, and the suit must be led, lead a small card from the ace to the queen. The hope is that the king is on the left of the ace. It is 92 AUCTION MADE EASY equally bad play to lead the jack to the ace queen, without the ten in either hand. Lead a small card and finesse the queen, or lead a small card from the ace-queen hand to the jack. Establishing the small cards of a suit being more important at no-trumps than with a trump, we shall leave that part of the subject until we come to playing no-trumpers, and turn our atten- tion first to the management of the trump suit in itself. Declarer's Trump Management The majority of the mistakes made in trump management are in leading trumps too soon. The natural tendency of the beginner is to get out the adversaries' trumps at the first opportunity, but there are six distinct situations in which this would be bad play. They are as follow: 1. With no good suit to protect, to exhaust the trumps would only clear the field for the free play of the high cards in plain suits in the hands of the opponents. 2. When dummy can ruff your losing cards with his small trumps, which you would exhaust if you led trumps. 3. When there are losing cards in either hand that can be discarded to advantage, it is often bet- ter to get rid of them before leading trumps, especially if the adversaries can stop the trump lead and lead the suit you wish to discard. THE DECLARER'S PLAY 93 4. When there is a sure cross-ruff between the two hands, it is usually better to make the trumps separately. 5. When the lead is in the wrong hand for a finesse in the trump suit, it may be necessary to arrange first to get the other hand in the lead in some one of several ways. 6. When it is necessary to establish a suit by ruffing it out; that is, by leading one or two winning cards and then trumping the adversaries' commanding cards in that suit, this must often be done before trumps are led. Keeping these principles in view, lay out the following hands, the upper of which is dummy's, the lower your own, and hearts are trumps, there having been no other bid. The opening lead is indicated under each hand. No. 121 No. 122 No. 123 s? xxxx V XXX V XXX ♦ xxxx * X ^ XX AJxx AQxxx lOxxx 4> X ♦ ^ xxxx Kxxx V AQJxx AKQxxx AKQxx «> Kx * Axx * AQJxx 10 x XX X ♦ A 10 XX ♦ XX ♦ XX Kled <^ Kled ^ A-Q LED 94 AUCTION MADE EASY Make a note of the manner in which you would manage the trump suit in each of these, before consulting the key. Then lay out the following: No. 124 No. 125 No. 126 ^ XXX ^ AJ9 ^ XXX c?> AKQx <^ AQxxx * Kxxx XXX Kxxxx 0- XX ♦ KQx A K 10 XX ♦ ^ ♦ 7 Kxxx ^ KQ108XX AQJx * X c2> XXX * Jx Axx Axxx ^ xxxx ♦ xxxx ♦ XX K LED d^ 10 LED K LED A careful study of these examples will give one a very good idea of the various ways in which trumps must be handled in connection with the plain suit. Declarer's Play Second Hand Before taking up the no-trumpers, there are a few points about the declarer's play when he or dummy is second hand that apply equally to trump contracts and no-trumpers. The differ- ence between the declarer's second-hand play and that of his adversaries is that he sees both hands. The following situations should be carefully THE DECLARER'S PLAY 95 studied. Which hand holds the combination given does not matter, dunamy or declarer. With Q X in one hand, A x x in the other, if the ace is led through, let it go up to the queen; but if the queen is led through, the better chance for two tricks in the suit is to play the singly-guarded queen, which must fall to the king on the second round. The same is true of Q x in one hand and K X X in the other; but if the ten is with the ace or the king, never play the singly-guarded queen second hand, as two tricks are a certainty by letting the lead come up to the A 10 x, or K 10 x. The same holds with J x in one hand, K x x in the other. The only chance for two tricks is to put on the jack second hand. In playing no-trumpers, allowance must be made for the fact that small cards are led from suits which would be high-card leads if there were a trump. With Q x in the dummy, nothing above the nine in yom* hand, the only chance is to put up the queen second hand, hoping the adversary is leading away from an ace-king suit. As a general rule, do not play a high card second hand if you have an equally high card fourth hand, and have three of the suit in each. For instance, with Qxx in one hand; Kxx in the other, play small second hand. When both cards are winners, such as ace in one hand, king in the other, the decision depends on which hand needs the high card for some purpose later on, such as re-entry for a suit. 96 AUCTION M^DE EASY Although the eleven rule is used chiefly by the adversaries, the declarer must be on the alert to avail himself of the information it conveys, and protect himself by putting on high or intermediate cards from dummy. Suppose the seven is led and dummy lays down J 9 5 3, you holding 6 2 only. If dummy plays a small card, the third hand will duck the seven, as he can count, by the eleven rule, that you cannot beat it. By putting ' on the nine from dummy, you are sure to make the jack, as there are only three of the suit on your right, two of which are higher than the seven. DECLARER'S PLAY AT NO-TRUMP The success of all no-trump play depends on a preliminary siu-vey of the two hands, and the laying out of a definite plan upon which they shall be played. The importance of comiting up the sure tricks and seeing how many more will have to be won by the skillful use of finessing, and estabhshing small cards, or making re-entries, has already been pointed out. The next, and probably the most important thing in the game, is to eliminate from consideration all suits in which nothing can be accomplished, no matter how you play them. Beginners waste a great deal of time and thought on things over which they have no control, instead of concentrating their attention on that part of the hand which they can manipu- late to advantage. • Here are two examples of this principle of elimin- ation: ^ No. 127 No. 128 S? AK 7 AJx cJvAKQxx c?)KQxx AJxx AJlOx (^' XX <:^ Kx ■ Both these are no-trumpers. In No. 127 the king of diamonds is the opening, evidently from K Q 10 and others. Dummy has nothing at all. There is nothing to think about in hearts, clubs, 98 AUCTION MADE EASY or spades. Those suits must be left to play themselves; but if the diamond king is allowed to win, and another diamond is led, you make two tricks in that suit, this is called the Bath coup. Then, if the clubs drop, it is a game hand. If they do not drop, nothing wiU win the game. This saves a great deal of thinking, and enables one to play the hand with confidence and dispatch. In No. 128 the opening is the eight of hearts. Dummy has nothing but the A J x in clubs, and four diamonds to the nine eight. You win the queen, played fourth hand, with the ace of hearts. There is nothing to think about in this hand except to prevent the player on your right from leading through your jack of hearts, or king of spades. Unless you see this danger, he might do either or both. • To prevent such a play, in so far as possible, put dunrniy in with a club, and lead the nine of diamonds, passing it up if it is not covered. It does not matter how often the player on your left gets into the lead, unless he tries a spade, and the ace is on your right; but that is something over which you have no control. Attend to the part of the hand that you can control. A very useful rule in selecting a suit to go for at no-trump, is to count up the cards in each, and to play for the suit in which you have the greatest number of cards, taking both dummy's and your own altogether. If they are equal, take the one that has the greater number in one hand, a . DECLARER'S PLAY AT NO-TRUMP 99 suit that lies five and three being better than one that hes four and four. • In playing such suits, be careful to play the high cards from the hand that is shorter in the suit, if there are equals, so as to get out of the way of the longer holding. This is called " unblocking." With A Q X in one hand, K J x x x in the other, for instance, lead ace and then queen and then small. In bringing long suits into play, re-entry cards are very important, and if there is a choice of suits it is better to go for the one that has re- entries in the same hand, to get the lead with, after the last of the adversaries' high cards is gone. Re-entry cards have often to be played for from the first trick, if the necessity for them is foreseen. Holding ace and king of a suit in dif- ferent hands, which to play first may depend on which is wanted later for a re-entry. If the only re-entry is in the suit itself, it may be necessary to "duck" the first round. Leading from the weak hand to the strong is very important. Never lead away from a king when you have nothing in the other hand unless you can- not avoid it. If you foresee that you will have to lead that suit sometime, lead it to the king while you have the opportunity. All finessing is done by leading from the weak hand to the strong. It is usually well to hold up the command of suits you are afraid of until the adversary who is shorter in that suit is exhausted, especially if you can finesse against his partner in other suits. 100 AUCTION MADE EASY If you give up the command too soon, no matter which adversary gets in, they make their suit. • As nothing better impresses principles on the memory than practice, the reader is advised to lay out the following hands and study their characteristics, with a view to determining how they should be played. They are all no-trumpers, the upper hand being dummy's, the lower hand yours, and the lead indicated. No. 129 No. 130 No. 131 s? Qxxx S? XX S? Qxx <^ Kxx 10 X X x X <^ X XXX 109x KJxxxx ♦ Kxx Qxx 7 KQJ 7 10 X AQ Jxxx * AQxx c?^ AKx <^ A Jxxx Q J 10 X X KQxxxx Ax ♦ Ax ♦ Jx ♦ Ax BPADE LED HEART LED SPADE LED No. 132 No. 133 No. 134 ^ XX ^ Qxx ^ XX <^ AKxxxx * KlOx ^ A Jxxxx XXX QJxx XX ♦ XX AQx ♦ ^ Kxx XXX 7 Jxxx AKxx <^ XX <^ Ax * Qx AQxx A 10 XX Axx ♦ AKxx ♦ Axx ♦ KQxx I HEART LED . . CLUB 8 LED DIAMOND K LED ' DECLARER'S PLAY AT NO-TRUMP 101 No. 135 No. 136 No. 137 ^ KQxx ^ Qxx s? XXXX c?> Axx ^ AQxx <^ 10 XX Kxx XXX AQJ ♦ XXX ♦ s? Axx ♦ s? XXX s? AJ Axx A J 10 <^ KQJx * K J X X * Axxx XXXX AKx XXX ♦ Axx ♦ Qxx ♦ AQx SPADE K LED DIAMOND LED SPADE LED No. 138 No. 139 No. 140 7 QJ 7 KJx ^ XXXX * Ax * XXX <> A AJlOxxx Jxx XX XXXX ♦ XXX ♦ XXXX ♦ XX S? AKx ^ The penalty is determined by the declarer (see Law 67). 130 AUCTION MADE EASY (d) To participate in the discussion of any disputed question of fact after it has arisen between the declarer and either adversary. (e) To correct an erroneous score. (/) To consult with and advise the declarer as to which penalty to exact for a revoke. (g) To ask the declarer whether he have any of a suit he has renounced. The dummy, if he have not intentionally looked at any card in the hand of a player, has also the following additional rights: (h) To call the attention of the declarer to an established adverse revoke, (i) To call the attention of the declarer to a card exposed by an adversary or to an adverse lead out of turn. (j) To call the attention of the declarer to any right which he may have imder any law. (fc) To direct the declarer who would concede a trick or tricks to the adversaries to play out the hand.^ 61. Should the dummy call attention to any other incident in the play in consequence of which any penalty might have been exacted, the declarer may not exact such penalty. Should the dummy avail himself of rights (A), (i), (J) or (k), after inten- tionally looking at a card in the hand of a player, the declarer may not benefit thereby. 62. If the dummy, by touching a card or otherwise, suggest the play of one of his cards, either adversary may require the declarer to play or not to play such card. 62a. If the dummy call to the attention of the declarer that he is about to lead from the wrong hand, either adversary may require that the lead be made from that hand. 63. Dxmmiy is not subject to the revoke penalty; if he revoke and the error be not discovered until the trick be turned and quitted, whether by the rightful winners or not, the revoke may not be corrected. 64. A card from the declarer's hand is not played until actually quitted, but should he name or touch a card in the dummy, such THE LAWS OP AUCTION 131 card is played unless he say, "I arrange," or words to that effect. If he simultaneously touch two or more such cards, he may elect which to play. Exposed Cabds 65. The following are exposed cards: (1) Two or more cards played simultaneously. (2) Card dropped face upward on the table even though snatched up so quickly that it cannot be named. (3) Card so held by a player that his partner sees any por- tion of its face. (4) Card mentioned by either adversary as being held in his or his partner's hand. A card dropped on the floor or elsewhere below the table, and not seen by the partner, ^ or so held that it is seen by an adversary but not by the partner, is not an exposed card. Cards Exposed befgee Plat 66. After the deal and before the declaration has been finally determined, if any player lead or expose a card, his partner may not thereafter bid or double during that declaration, ^ and the card, if it belong' to an adversary of the eventual declarer, be- comes an exposed card.' When the partner of the offending player is the original leader, the declarer, may also prohibit the initial lead of the suit of the exposed card. 67. After the final declaration has been accepted and before the lead, if the partner of the proper leader expose or lead a card, the declarer may treat it as exposed or may call a suit from the proper leader. A card exposed by the leader, after the final declaration and before the lead, is subject to call.* Cards Exposed during Plat 68. An exposed card must be left face upward on the table. Until it is played the declarer has the right to call it at any time when it is the turn of its owner to play or lead, but the owner may play or lead it whenever he has the opportunity. > If seen by the partner it is an exposed oard. i « See Law 50a. a See Law 68. • See Law 68. 132 AUCTION MADE EASY 69. A player cannot be compelled to play a card which would oblige him to revoke. 70. Should an exposed card be called, and the player be imable to obey the call because he is obhged to follow suit, the card is still exposed, and the call may be repeated any number of times imtil the card is played. 71. Two or more cards played simultaneously by either of the declarer's adversaries give the declarer the right to call any one of such cards to the current trick and to treat the other card or cards as exposed. 72. Should an adversary of the declarer expose his last card before his partner play to the 12th trick, the two cards in his partner's hand become exposed, must be laid face upward on the table, and are subject to call. 73. If, without waiting for his partner to play, either of the declarer's adversaries play or lead a winning card, as against the declarer and dummy and continue (without waiting for his partner to play) to lead several such cards, the declarer may demand that the partner of the player in fault win, if he can, the first or any other of these tricks. The other cards thus improp- erly played are exposed. 74. If either or both of the declarer's adversaries throw his or their cards face upward on the table, such cards are exposed and liable to be called; but if either adversary retain his hand, he cannot be forced to abandon it. Cards exposed by the declarer are not liable to be called. If the declarer say "I have the rest," or any words indicating the remaining tricks or any number thereof are his, he may be required to place his cards face upward on the table. He is not then allowed to call any cards his adver- saries may have exposed, nor to take any finesse not previously proven a winner imless he announce it when making his claim. 75. If a player who has rendered himself liable to have the high- est or lowest of a suit called (Laws 80, 86 and 92) fail to play as directed, or if, when called on to lead one suit, he lead another, having in his hand one or more cards of the suit demanded (Laws 66, 76 and 93), or if, when called upon to win or lose a trick, he fail to do so when he can (Laws 73, 80 and 92), or if, THE LAWS OF AUCTION 133 when called upon not to play a suit, he fail to play as directed (Laws 66 and 67), he is liable to the penalty for revoke (Law 84) unless such play be corrected before the trick be turned and quitted. Leads Out op Turn 76. If an adversary of the declarer lead out of turn, the declarer may treat the card so led as exposed or may call a suit as soon as it is the turn of either adversary to lead. Should they lead simultaneously, the lead from the proper hand stands, and the other card is exposed. 77. If the declarer lead out of turn, either from his own hand or dummy, he incurs no penalty, but he may not rectify the error unless directed to do so by an adversary.^ If the second hand play, the lead is accepted. 78. If an adversary of the declarer lead out of turn, and the declarer follow either from his own hand or dummy, the lead is accepted. If the declarer before playing refuse to accept the lead, the leader may be penalized as provided in Law 76. 79. If a player called on to lead a suit have none of it, the penalty is paid. ^ Caeds Plated in Error 80. Should the foiU"th hand, not being dummy or declarer, play before the second, the latter may be required to play his highest or lowest card of the suit led, or to win or lose the trick. In such case, if the second hand be void of the suit led, the declarer in lieu of any other penalty may call upon the second hand to play the highest card of any designated suit. If he name a suit of which the second hand is void, the penalty is paid.2 81. When any one, except dummy, omits playing to a trick, and such error is not corrected until he has played to the next, the declarer or either of his adversaries, as the case may be, may 1 The rule in Law 50c, as to consultations, governs the right of adversaries to consult as to whether such direction be given. 2 Should the declarer play third hand before the second hand, the fourth hand may, without penalty, play before his partner. 134 AUCTION MADE EASY claim a new deal; should either decide that the deal stand, the surplus card (at the end of the hand) is considered played to the imperfect trick, but does not constitute a revoke therein.^ 82. When any one, except dummy, plays two or more cards to the same trick and the mistake is not corrected he is answer- able for any consequent revokes he may make. When the error is detected during the play the tricks may be counted face down- ward, to see if any contain more than four cards; should this be the case, the trick which contains a surplus card or cards may be examined and such card or cards restored to the original holder.* The Revoke ' 83. A revoke occurs when a player, other than dummy, hold- ing one or more cards of the suit led, plays a card of a different suit. It becomes an established revoke when the trick in which it occurs is turned and quitted by the rightful winner * (i.e., the hand removed from the trick after it has been turned face down- ward on the table), or when either the revoking player or his partner, whether in turn or otherwise, leads or plays t© the fol- lowing trick. 84. The penalty for each established revoke is: (a) When the declarer revokes, he cannot score for tricks and his adversaries add 100 points to their score in the honor column for each revoke, in addition to any penalty to which they may be entitled for his failure to make good his declaration. (&) When either of the adversaries revokes, the declarer for the first revoke may either score 100 points in hia honor column or take three tricks from his opponents and add them to his own.* Such tricks may assist the t As to the right of adversaries to consult, see Law 50c. » Either adversary may decide which card shall be considered played to the trick which contains more than four cards, but such decision shall not affect the winning or losing of the trick. » See Law 76. * Except aa provided in Law 85. ' The dammy may advise the declarer which penalty to exact. THE LAWS OF AUCTION 135 declarer to make good his declaration,^ but shall not entitle him to any further bonus in the honor column, by reason of the declaration having been doubled or redoubled, nor to a slam or little slam not otherwise obtained.2 (See Law 7, 8 and 58.) For each subse- quent revoke he adds 100 points to his honor score. The value of their honors is the only score that can be made by a revoking side. 85. A player may ask his partner if he have a card of the suit which he has renoimced; should the question be asked before the trick be turned and quitted, subsequent turning and quitting does not establish a revoke, and the error may be corrected unless the question be answered in the negative, or imless the revoking player or his partner have led or played to the foUoi^'ing trick. 85a. Should the dummy leave the table during the play, he may ask his adversaries to protect him from revokes during his absence; such protection is generally called "the courtesies of the table" or "the courtesies due an absentee." If he make such request, the penalty for a revoke made by the declarer during the dummy's absence, may not be enforced, unless in due season an adversary have asked the declarer whether he have a card of the suit he has renounced. 86. If a player correct his mistake in time to save a revoke, any player or players who have followed him may withdraw hia or their cards and substitute others, and the cards so withdrawn are not exposed. If the player in fault be one of the declarer's adversaries, the card played in error is exposed, and the declarer may call it whenever he pleases, or he may require the offender to play his highest or lowest card of the suit to the trick. 86o. If the player in fault be the declarer, either adversary may require him to play the highest or lowest card of the suit in which he has renounced, provided both his adversaries have played to the ctirrent trick; but this penalty may not be exacted »They may enable him to win a game, and if that game conclude the rubber, give him the 250 points bonus. » The value of the 3 tricks, doubled or redoubled, as the case may be, ia counted in the trick score. 136 AUCTION MADE EASY from the declarer when he is fourth in hand, nor can it be en- forced at all from the dummy. 87. At the end of the play the claimants of a revoke may search all the tricks. If the cards have been mixed, the claim may be urged and proved if possible; but no proof is necessary and the claim is established if, after it is made, the accused player or his partner mix the cards before they have been suf- ficiently examined by the adversaries. 88. A claim that a revoke has been made cannot be allowed after the cards have been cut for the following deal, or when the deal concludes the rubber, after the score has been made up and agreed upon or after the cards have been cut for any purpose connected with the next rubber. 89. Should both sides revoke, the only score permitted is for honors. In such case, if one side revoke more than once, the penalty of 100 points for each extra revoke is scored by the other , General Laws 90. A trick turned and quitted may not be looked at (except under Law 82) until the end of the play. The penalty for the violation of this law is 25 points in the adverse honor score. 91. Any player during the play of a trick or after the four cards are played, and before the trick is turned and quitted, may demand that the cards be placed before their respective players. 92. When an adversary of the declarer, before his partner plays, calls attention to the trick, either by saying it is his, or, without being requested to do so, by naming his card or drawing it toward him, the declarer may require such partner to play his highest or lowest card of the suit led, or to win or lose the trick. 93. An adversary of the declarer may call his partner's atten- tion to the fact that he is about to play or lead out of turn; but if, during the play, he make any unauthorized reference to any incident of the play, the declarer may call a suit from the adversary whose next turn it is to lead. If the dummy similarly THE LAWS OF AUCTION 137 ofifend, either adversary may call a lead when it is the next turn of the declarer to lead from either hand. 94. In all cases where a penalty has been incurred, the offender is bo\ind to give reasonable time for the decision of his adversaries. 95. If the declarer concede one or more tricks and the con- cession be accepted, such trick or tricks belong to the adver- saries even if it would have been impossible for the declarer to lose such trick or tricks had the hand been played out.^ If an adversary of the declarer concede a trick or tricks, such concession is binding if agreed to at the time by the partner of the conceding player. Silence shall be regarded as consent. New Cards 96. Unless a pack be imperfect, no player has the right to call for one new pack. When fresh cards are demanded, two' packs must be furnished. When they are produced during a rubber, the adversaries of the player demanding them have the choice of the new cards. If it be the beginning of a new rubber, the dealer, whether he or one of his adversaries call for the new cards, has the choice. New cards cannot be substituted after the pack has been cut for a new deal. 97. A card or cards torn or marked must be replaced by agree- ment or new cards furnished. Bystanders 98. While a bystander, by agreement among the players, may, decide any question, he should not say anything unless appealed to; and if he make any remark which calls attention to an over-! sight affecting the score, or to the exaction of a penalty, he is liable to be called upon by the players to pay the stakes (not extras) lost. Etiquette op Auction In the game of Auction slight intimations convey much infor-, mation. The laws fix penalties for an offense. To offend * Unless before the acceptance of the concession, the dummy, who has not looked at any cards in the hand of an adversary, demand that the deal be played out. (See Law 60k,) 138 AUCTION MADE EASY against etiquette is more serious than to offend against a law; for in the latter case the offender is subject to the prescribed penalties; in the former his adversaries are without redress. 1. Declarations should be made in a simple manner, thus: "one heart," "one no-trump," "pass," "double"; they should be made orally and not by gesture. 2. Aside from his legitimate declaration, a player should not indicate by word or gesture the nature of his hand, or his approval or disapproval of a play, bid, or double. 3. If a player demand that the cards be placed, he should do so for his own information and not to call his partner's atten- tion to any card or play. 4. An opponent of the declarer should not lead until the pre- ceding trick has been turned and quitted, nor, after having led a winning card, should he draw another from his hand before his partner has played to the current trick, 5. A card should not be played with such emphasis as to draw attention to it, nor should a player detach one card from his hand and subsequently play another. 6. A player should not purposely incur a penalty because he is willing to pay it, nor should he make a second revoke to conceal d%t. 7. Conversation during the play should be avoided, as it may annoy players at the table or at other tables in the room. 8. The dummy should not leave his seat to watch his partner play. He should not call attention to the score nor to any card or cards that he or the other players hold. 9. If a player say, "I have the rest," or any words indicating that the remaining tricks, or any number thereof, are his, and one or both of the other players expose his or their cards, or request him to play out the hand, he should not allow any infor- mation so obtained to influence his play. 10. A player having been cut out of one table should not seek admission in another unless willing to cut for the privilege of entry. There are at present no oflBcial laws for any of the varieties of Auction, although the following were part of the oflficial code THE LAWS OF AUCTION 139 issued by The Whist Club of New York in 1913; they have now been dropped, but in the absence of anything better they are here reproduced. Three-hand Auction The Laws of Auction govern the three-hand game except as follows : (1) Three players take part in a game and four consti- tute a complete table. Each plays for himself; there are no partners, except as provided in Law 7. (2) The player who cuts lowest selects his seat and the cards with which he deals first. The player who cuts next lowest sits on the dealer's left. (3) The cards are dealt in four packets, one for each of the three players and one for the dummy. ^ The dummy hand is not touched until after the final declaration has been made. (4) The dealer declares, and the bidding continues as in Auction, except that each player bids exclusively on his own account. (5) The penalty for a declaration out of turn is that each of the other players receives 50 points in his honor score, A declaration out of turn does not affect the right of the player whose turn it is to declare, unless both he and the other player, either by passing or declaring, accept the improper declaration. (6) If a player declare out of turn, and the succeeding player either pass or declare, the third player may demand that the mistake be corrected as is provided in Law 5. In such case the player who first declared out of turn is the only one penalized. (7) The player making the final declaration, i.e., a declara- tion that has been passed by both of the others, plays his own hand and that of the dummy against the two others, who then, and for that particular hand, assume the relationship of partners. > This hand is generally dealt opposite to the dealer. 140 AUCTION MADE EASY (8) It is advisable that the game be played at a round table so that the hand of the dummy can be placed in front of the declarer without obliging any player to move; but in the event of a square table being used, the two players who become the adversaries of the declarer should sit opposite each other, the dummy being opposite the declarer. (9) If, after the deal has been completed and before the conclusion of the declaration, any player expose a card, each of his adversaries coxmts 50 points in his honor score, and the declarer, if he be not the offender, may call upon the player on his left to lead or not to lead the suit of the exposed card. If a card be exposed by the declarer after the final declaration, there is no penalty, but if exposed by an adversary of the declarer, it is subject to the same penalty as in Auction. (10) Jf a player double out of turn, each of his adversaries counts 100 points in his respective honor score, and the player whose declaration has been doubled may elect whether the double shall stand. The bidding is then resumed, but if the double shall be disallowed, the declaration may not be doubled by the other player. (11) The rubber continues until two games have been won by the same player; it may consist of two, three, or four games. (12) When the declarer fulfills his contract, he scores as in Auction. When he fails to do so, both of his adver- saries score as in Auction, for penalties in the honor column. (13) Honors are scored by each player separately, i.e., each player who holds one honor scores the value of a trick; each player who holds two honors scores twice the value of a trick; a player who holds three honors scores three times the value of a trick; a player who holds four honors scores eight times the THE LAWS OF AUCTION 141 value of a trick; and a player who holds five honors f scores ten times the value of a trick. In a no-trump declaration, each ace counts 10, and four held by one player counts 100. The declarer counts sepa- rately both his own honors and those held by the dummy. (14) A player scores 125 points for winning a game, a further 125 points for winning a second game, and 250 points for winning a rubber. The 250 is in addition to the 125 for the rubber game. (15) At the end of the rubber, all scores of each player are added and his total obtained. Each one wins from or loses to each other the difiference between their respective totals. A player may win from both the others, lose to one and win from the other, or lose to both. LAWS OF DUPLICATE AUCTION BRIDGE AUTHOR- IZED BY THE KNICKERBOCKER WHIST CLUB, OF NEW YORK The Laws of Auction Bridge govern the play except as modi- fied by the following special laws: 1. The arrow on the board in play must point north before a card is removed therefrom. The boards must be played in regular order at each table beginning with the lowest number. Irrequlaeities in the Hands 2. Count the cards in each hand, both before and after playing each board. If, at any time, any hand contains more or less than thirteen cards, the course to be pursued is as follows: (a) When the irregularity is discovered during the original deal, the hand must be redealt. (6) When the irregularity is discovered subsequent to the first round and before the dummy hand is laid on the table, the hand must be sent back to the preceding table and there rectified under the direction of the 142 AUCTION MADE EASY card committee. Each pair at the preceding table whose hands contain an incorrect number of cards shall be penalized fifty (50) points. (c) When the irregularity is discovered subsequent to the first round and after or during the play of the hand, the hands must be rectified as provided above and passed to the next table without further play at the table where the error was discovered. In such case, if both pairs held hands that contained an incorrect number of cards, they shall take average score for that round; if, however, the incorrect hands were held by one pair only, that pair shall take the lowest score and their opponents the highest score for that round. Plating the Cards 3. Each player, when it is his turn to play, must place his card face upward on the table before him. The cards must be allowed to remain face upward on the table until all have played to the trick; if he or his partner win the trick, the cards should be trnmed over and point to his partner; otherwise they should point toward the adversaries. 4. A trick is turned and quitted when all four players have turned and quitted their respective cards. 5. The cards must be left in the order in which they are played until the score of the particular deal has been recorded. 6. Check each score with your opponents at the comple- tion of each round and if correct, initial same. Scores so initialed as correct cannot be changed thereafter except with the consent of both pairs. In case an incorrect score of any round is recorded and initialed both pairs shall be penalized one hundred (100) points. Bidding 7. A penalty for a bid out of turn, other than passing, shall be fifty (50) points in the adverse honor score. This includes a double or redouble out of turn. A bid out of tmrn, however, is void and does not affect the correct order of bidding. THE LAWS OF AUCTION 143 The Revoke 8. A revoke may be claimed at any time before the first bid of the following board is made, or if there is no other board, before the score of the deal in which the revoke occm-red has been made up and agreed upon. Only one revoke may be claimed in any one hand. Scoring 9. No rubbers shall be played. Any pair making 30 or more trick points on a single deal shall add one hundred and twenty-five (125) points to their honor score, as for a game won; but nothing shall be added for partial scores, or games by the aid of a previous score. 10. No pair shall score over three hundred (300) points penalty on any one board. Any excess over three hundred (300) points shall be placed by the winning pair in their excess column. The losing pair, however, must bear their total loss. This limitation does not include the penalty for a revoke. 11. At the completion of each round, the scores of each pair shall be added and the difference between them obtained. The pair having the higher score shall take "plus" the difference so obtained, and the other pair "minus" that amount. At the end of the game, each pair shall add up their scores of each roimd, and record the net total. A mistake of addition or subtraction in recording the net total shall be penalized fifty (50) points. 12. The score of any pair is compared only with that of the other pairs who have played the same hands. A pair obtains a "plus" score for the contest when their net total is more than the average; a "minus" score for the contest when their net total is less than the average. The pairs having the largest net "plus" win the contest each way of the table. 13. Any dispute arising as to the interpretation of these rules shall be referred to the card committee and their decision shall be final. Paim's Trays are the best for Duplicate Avdion and aU Duplicate Games 3477-3