Class b !^. /. " ,- - Book "^ Gopyiight)^". COPYRIGHT DEPOMT AUCTION 1916 MANUAL Price by mail, 50 cents 5 paper, 25 cents. THE TUFTS COLLEGE PRESS AUCTION 1916 MANUAL THE LAWS, CONVENTIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF BIDDING AND PLAY CONDENSED AND ARRANGED BY THE BRIDGE CLUB BOSTON 20 Boylston Street GVi2?a Copyrighted, 191 6 By T. W. White, Secretary 41 6 1916 i)Gl.A427167 7t^ . / • DEFINITIONS AND INDEX Adversaries. — The partners opposed to the Declarer. pp. 12, 37, etc. Average Hand. — One including an Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack and a Ten spot, or equiva- lent strength. A hand that counts up to ten, using the scale: Ace = 4, King = 3, Queen = 2, Jack = 1 . p. 20. Convention. — An agreement on a definite meaning attached to a specified declaration or play, which is interpreted through the previous imderstanding, but not through ordinary card- intelligence. Any group of players may ar- range Conventions, provided all the players understand them. In this manual are given only such Conventions as are generally used by all American players. pp. 20, 35, etc. Cutting.— See pp. 15, 16. Dealing.— See p. 16. Declaration. — A proposal to take, with Partner, a certain number of odd tricks provided that a specified suit is trumps or that the hand is played without tnmips; particularly, the final Declaration, which held the contract. pp. 11, 18, etc. 6 AUCTION Declarer.— The player whose bid held the contract. He plays his own hand and Dummy's hand; he only can score points by tricks. pp. 11, 18, 33, 39, 44, etc. Discard. — A card, not trump, played when the player has none of the suit led. pp. 36, etc. Doubling. — A Declaration, which doubles the points credited for each trick above six taken by the Declarer provided he fulfills his contract, and also gives the Declarer a bonus of 50 for fulfilling his contract, with 50 more for each trick taken above the contract; but gives the Adversaries a bonus of 100 instead of 50 for each trick that the Declarer falls short of fulfilling his contract. pp. 11, 19, 23, 30. Dummy. — Declarer's partner, who spreads his cards on the table; also the cards thus spread. pp. 18, 33, 34, etc. Established Suit. — Cards that will take all of the tricks in that suit. p. 21, etc. Etiquette. — See p. 41. Exposed Card. — One whose face has been improperly shown. A card exposed in play is left on the table, face up, and is subject to call, i. e., must be played when called for by the Declarer, provided its play would not cause a revoke. pp. 16, 19, 34. DEFINITIONS AND INDEX 7 Finessing. — See p. 40. Fulfilling Contract. — Taking as many tricks as the final Declaration specified, p. 11, etc. Honors.— The score "above the line," in- cluding all the score excepting points by tricks; more particularly, the score given for holding Honor cards. Honor cards, — Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of Trumps, or the four Aces at No Trump — are also called Honors. p. 12, etc. Initial Bid. — A Declaration, made before the situation has been complicated by previous Declarations, and restricted by Conventional significance. pp. 20, 25, etc. Insufficient Declaration.— A bid that is not larger, either in number of tricks or in denomination, than the preceding bid. p. 19. Laws. — The code adopted in June, 1915 by the Whist Club of New York, and accepted by the leading clubs of the country. pp. 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 33, 41. Major Suit. — Spades or Hearts, p. 29, etc. Minor Suit.— Diamonds or Clubs, p. 29, etc. NuLLO. — See p. 43. No Trump.— a Declaration, which provides that the hand shall be played without any trump. pp. 11, 20, 26, 38, etc. Odd Trick.— The seventh trick taken by one side. p. 20. 8 AUCTION OvERCALL. — To make a Declaration, larger, in denomination or in number of tricks, than the previous Declaration. pp. 22, 28. Pre-emptive Bid — ^See p. 21 Progressive Auction. — See p. 45. Re-doubling. — A Declaration, which again doubles the points and bonus connected with a doubled Declaration. pp. 19, 31. Revoke. — See pp. 13, 34, etc. Ruffing. — Trumping, having none of the suit led. p. 36, etc. Rule of Eleven. — See p. 39. Scoring. — See pp. 11, 46, etc. Set. — To prevent the Declarer from fulfilling his contract. p. 12, etc. Simple Honors. — Three Trump Honor cards in partners' hands. p. 12. Slam. — Taking all thirteen tricks. p. 12. Small Slam.— Taking twelve tricks p. 12. Supporting Partner's Bid.— See pp. 21, 29, etc. Table. — The four players; or the four players and two candidates for places. p. 15. Three-handed Auction.— See p. 44. Trick. — Four cards, played one from each hand in turn. It is gathered in and turned, face down; when the fingers are removed, the trick is "quitted." pp. 11, 37, etc. INTRODUCTION Auction Bridge is deservedly considered the greatest of card games. It seems to combine opportunities for all the purely intellectual skill of Whist, the chances and the psychological intuitions of Poker, and the effective team- work of Football. Its character and associa- tions make it, eminently, a "gentleman's game" — and a lady's. Unfortunately, almost annual changes in the rules have necessitated substantial changes in the play, and rendered practically valueless the several exhaustive books published since 1908. It is reasonably hoped that the code of 108 laws adopted by the New York Whist Club in 1915 will remain unchanged. The principal changes in these laws to be noted by players accustomed to the older customs, are as follows: Low Spades have been eliminated; "Spade" now means "Royal" or "Lily," and the latter terms are not used. The Dealer may pass. In Bidding, a larger number of tricks over- calls a smaller, even if the trick value is less. 10 AUCTION The Slam bonus has been increased. New Penalties have been prescribed — for doubling or re-doubling improperly, for lifting cards during the deal, and for examining cards in quitted tricks. In the following pages are presented, briefly, the more essential laws and such principles of play as are now accepted by practically all of the best players. Much has been omitted, but no statement is given that is not supported by the authority of more than one recognized lead- ing expert. SCORING LAWS Each side has two scores: the Trick Score, commonly called Points, or "Below the line;" and the Honor Score, commonly called Honors, or "Above the line." Game consists of 30 or more Points, and is not affected by Honors. Rubber consists of two consecutive games, or of two games out of three. POINTS by tricks are scored only by the Declarer, and only when he fulfills his contract, for each trick taken above six, as follows: If Clubs are trumps, 6 " Diamonds are trumps 7 " Hearts are trumps, 8 " Spades are trumps, 9 " No Trump is played, 10 If the Declaration was "doubled," the number of points is doubled; if "re-doubled," the num- ber of points is quadrupled. 11 12 AUCTION HONORS are scored: (a) By either side originally holding Honor cards of the trump suit: 3 in partners' hands, value of 2 tricks A ** *' " " " 4 5 " " " 5 4 " one hand " " 8 5 " " " " 10 4 - and fifth in partner's hand. " " 9 If No Trump is played, 3 Aces in partners' hands score 30 4 " - " " " 40 4 " " one hand " 100 (b) By the Declarer as a bonus for fulfilling his contract when doubled, 50, and 50 more for each trick taken above the contract; if redoubled, twice as many. (c) By the Adversaries as a bonus when they "set" the Declarer, 50 honors for each trick less than the contract; if doubled, 100, and if re- doubled, 200, for each trick less than the con- tract. (d) By either side as a bonus for making a Slam (taking every trick), 100; or a Small Slam (taking 12 tricks), 50 honors. SCORING — LAWS 13 (e) By the side winning two games of a rubber, a bonus of 250 honors; or for winning a game without time to finish the rubber, if pre- viously agreed on, 125 honors. (f) By either side as penalties for certain faults of opponents: viz. "Revoke," 100 honors; lifting and looking at any card when turned on the table, either during the deal or in a quitted trick, 25; Doubling partner's Declaration or double, 50; Re-doubling a re-double, 100. The Total Score of each side is found by adding all of its "points" and "honors." The difference of the two totals is the Net Score of the Winners of the rubber. 14 AUCTION SUGGESTIONS The Laws are the outgrowth of some eight years of experimenting by the closest students of the Game. The present code was adopted after consultation with hundreds of leading ex- perts in all parts of the country, and has been accepted by most of the leading clubs, even though some would have chosen various modi- fications. As Amateurs, we do well to accept the decision of experts. By adhering to the Laws, it is fair to assume that we shall get more pleasure from the game. Furthermore, we shall be in better state when meeting players from other circles. Still further, it may be considered that we owe something to the cause of general uniformity. To ignore the generally accepted Rules or to make new ones for ourselves, would be just about as sensible at Auction as it would be at Baseball. The Laws as promulgated are one hundred eight in number, with numerous sub-divisions and additions. This book states them in ab- breviated form. A few have been omitted, with little loss. The busy reader will save time and patience; the student who goes further will have nothing to unlearn. FORMATION OF TABLES LAWS If more than four desire to play, candidates first in the room have the prior right. Those of equal standing decide their order by cutting. The two lower are partners against the two higher. The lowest is dealer and he has choice of cards and seats. In cutting, Ace is low, and of the suits Spades are low, with Hearts next, Diamonds next, and Clubs high. At the end of a rubber, and before a new rub- ber has been started, if admission has been claimed by one or two candidates, the player or players who have played most consecutive rub- bers withdraw; when all have played the same number, they cut, the highest going out. 15 DEALING LAWS The first dealer is determined by cutting; low\ deals. The player at Dealer's left is the nextt dealer. The cards must be shuffled above the table. Immediately before the deal the player at the Dealer's right cuts, so that each packet has at least four cards. The cards must be dealt singly, in order, beginning at Dealer's left, and must come out even, with thirteen cards in each of the four packets. If any direction above given is violated, or if any card has been exposed, , there must be a new deal by the same dealer; ; but no player may claim a new deal after look- ing at any of his cards. During the deal, the Dealer's partner collects and shuffles the other pack and places it at the left of the next dealer, where it must remain un- til time to be cut for the next deal. A player may not lift and look at any card un-: til the end of the deal. Violation of this law^ gives the opponents 25 in their Honor Score. 16 DEALING 17 SUGGESTIONS Under the Laws, each player has the right to shuffle, the Dealer last; but it is not customary to use that right. The Dealer should hold the cards horizontally, so that his partner or opponents can not recog- nize any — or may not be forced to avoid doing so. Many players thoughtlessly move the pack to their right before the prescribed time. This often causes confusion as to which pack should be used. Two packs are generally used in playing Auction. They should be of different colors, to avoid danger of mixing. THE DECLARATION LAWS » Bidding is begun by the dealer. He must simply declare his bid; as, "One Club," "Two Hearts," "One No Trump," or, "No Bid," mean- ing that he offers to contract to take, with his partner, the stated number of tricks above six provided the stated suit is trumps, or that he refuses to bid at present. Any comment, oral or otherwise, is an offense against etiquette. Each player, in order to the left, must then de- clare, — to pass, to make a bid, larger in number of tricks or as large in number and larger in denomi- nation, or to double the last bid or to re-double. Every bid or double re-opens the bidding; when three in succession have passed a declaration, the bidding is closed. If no one bids on the first round, the next dealer deals. The final "De- clarer," who made the final bid (or who first bid the suit on which his partner made the final bid) must play both hands, his own and that of his partner, who becomes "Dummy." Any DECLARATION (not passing) made out of TURN calls for a new deal, stands, or is ignored, as 18 DECLARATION — LAWS 19 either opponent may elect before either opponent shall have declared or passed. An INSUFFICIENT DECLARATION must be made sufficient in the same suit if required by either op- ponent, and the offender's partner may not re- open the bidding. If a player expose a card his partner may not thereafter bid nor double, nor make the initial lead of that suit if prohibited by Declarer. Doubling an opponent's declaration doubles the points for each trick above six when the con- tract is fulfilled, but does not affect the bidding value of the declaration; e. g., "One Spade" is a higher declaration than "One Heart," and "Three Clubs" is higher than "Two No Trumps," doubled or not. Doubling or re-doubling re- opens the bidding. A doubled declaration may be re-doubled once only by the declarer or his partner; the penalty for re-doubling more than once, is 100 for opponents' Honor Score. A player may not double his partner's declara- tion or re-double his partner's double; the penalty is 50 for opponents' Honor Score. 20 AUCTION CONVENTIONS ONE at a SUIT, as an Initial Bid, carries a Conventional meaning, aside from the obvious indication of length in that suit. The message is this: "Partner, at this suit I hold five or more cards, including at least two high Honors, cer- tainly the Ace or King, and also at least one tak- ing card in another suit. At this trump I can with practical certainty take four, probably five, tricks; these, with one from your hand and one from the advantage of playing the combined hands, should give us the odd trick, while if you have moderate support I ought to make Game; but if you prefer to bid No Trump, you can de- pend on me for three or four tricks, especially in the suit named. On my word as a gentleman, I will not fail you." Four Honors, or sometimes a second taking card in another suit may be reckoned as equivalent to the small fifth trump; but no possible number of trumps would justify an Initial Bid of one, without the conventional high cards. ONE NO TRUMP, as an Initial Bid, has a rather loose Conventional meaning. The gener- al understanding is that it is justified by, (a) Three Aces; (b) Anything above an Average Hand, with every suit protected; DECLARATION — CONVENTIONS 21 (c) Considerably above an Average Hand, with three suits protected; (d) One long, established Minor suit, and another Ace. A PRE-EMPTIVE BID is an Initial bid, or at least an unforced one, of two or more Spades or Hearts or three or more Diamonds or Clubs. It is not limited by the conventional significance of a one bid, and it is not an invitation to No Trumps. The message is: "Keep off! I want to prevent other bids. At this suit I probably can make game, perhaps I have four Honors, or per- haps it is the only suit at which my hand is worth much. If you bid No Trumps or any other suit, it is at your own risk." SUPPORTING PARTNER'S BID, i.e., bid- ding one more at his Declaration when it has been overcalled, should carry a definite meaning, which is often overlooked even by players of considerable experience. The Conventional message is: "Partner, at your suit my hand is good for two tricks, and very likely more." Failure to support Partner when occasion arises, or to make a stronger Declaration, carries an equally definite message, — that the hand will not take more than two tricks, or perhaps not even two. In estimating the value of a hand as support to Partner's bid, it is not a question merely of 22 AUCTION trumps. A King of trumps, even alone, should be coimted as a trick, or a Queen with two small ones, or a Jack and Ten. An Ace, or a King with Queen, of any suit means a trick, while a King, or a Queen with Jack, may be counted as half a trick. Holding none of any suit is worth two tricks and holding only one of a suit is usually worth one trick, provided there are two or three small trumps in the hand. Supporting Partner's Bid of No Trump means that the Opponent's suit is well stopped, and at least one sure trick in another suit. OVERCALLING PARTNER (when the opponent has not done so) does not carry a con- ventional meaning, but only the obvious: "Partner, I dislike to take away from you the satisfaction of playing the hands; but from the looks of my hand and from what you have in- dicated of yours, I believe that we are more likely to make Game, or else more safe, in play- ing my Declaration." It is considered quite natural that a lower Declaration should be over- called with a higher (i. e., one that would make game by taking fewer tricks) ; also, perhaps, that No Trump should be over-called by two Hearts or two Spades; but it is unusual to overcall a higher Declaration with a lower, as a Heart by two Diamonds. "Rescuing" Partner from a No Trump Declaration by bidding two Clubs or DECLARATION — CONVENTIONS 23 two Diamonds, is a rather obvious Conventional warning of extreme weakness. The expediency of the "Rescue" is warmly urged by some good players and warmly denied by probably a larger number. DOUBLING indicates a belief that the op- ponents can be set, and that further bidding would be unsafe. The following two exceptions are valuable new Conventions, sometimes called the "McCampbell Doubles." DOUBLING a ONE SUIT BID has a strictly conventional meaning, which should be mutu- ally understood: "Partner, I have a strong hand, excepting in that suit. If you are long in that suit, we will set him; if you are protected in that suit, bid No Trump; if you are weak in that suit, bid your longest suit. Fail not!" DOUBLING a ONE NO TRUMP BID, is a similar strict Convention: "Partner, I am very strong and could bid two No Trumps except that I am afraid of one suit. Unless you are very strong, bid two of your longest or best suit." 24 AUCTION SUGGESTIONS THE OBJECT in Auction Bridge is to make the largest possible net score. To this end the most direct way is by scoring Game and Rubber with the large bonus of 250; the points and card honors are comparatively insignificant, although four Honors in one hand, a Slam, or many points when doubled and re-doubled, may be consider- able. Often a more effective way to a big score is by betraying or forcing our opponents into an ill-advised bid from which they cannot escape, and then doubling. Our defense is equally im- portant, — to avoid getting set heavily, and to keep our opponents from making game. Do all your bidding with these four considerations con- stantly in mind. As to which should be the first consideration, players disagree; it depends on the state of the score, personality, and the temper of the players at the moment. In general, it is safe to aim first at the Rubber. Winning or losing the Rubber makes a difference of 500, in addition to the points by tricks and the probable honors by cards. Some one has figured that winning the first or second game of the rubber is better on an average than setting our opponents for 185, and that winning the third game is better than 310. The mathematics appear to be correct. Of course this would mean that, defensively, we can af- DECLARATION — SUGGESTIONS 25 ford to be set 185, and in the rubber game 310, if it prevents losing the game. BIDDING is the most interesting, and prob- ably the most effective part of Auction Bridge. It has often been remarked that a good player would rather have as partner one who bids con- sistently but plays the cards poorly, than one who plays the cards well but is an erratic bidder. Team-work wins bigger scores than individual brilliancy ; and the satisfaction is more real. You receive a Conventional message from your partner, accept it with implicit confidence, add your hand to his and compute the number of tricks that you jointly can take, and make your bid accordingly. What satisfaction can be greater than to find that he has just the cards that you expected, and you achieve just the esti- mated score? What more exasperating than to find that he lacks one of the high cards that his bid indicated, with the result that you fail to control the suit, and are set? Observe the Con- ventions. Watch closely. Know each bid and what cards it signifies. Try to know the purpose of each bidder. Remember, until the hand has been played; it will help in your play, as well as in bidding. An INITIAL BID is one made in the first round, by the dealer, or, if he passes, by the 26 AUCTION second hand; if both pass, the third and fourth hands are, with some modifications, bound by the same principles. An Initial Bid is restricted as subsequent bids are not, because it carries a definite and positive message to the partner. His subsequent bidding is based on absolute con- fidence that the information given in the Initial Bid is true. In fact, it may be said that an Initial Bid is primarily informatory. It ordi- narily is made more as a suggestion to your partner, than with the expectation that it will secure the contract. THE DEALER makes the first Declaration. If you have dealt, sort your hand into alternate red and black suits, arranging the cards of each suit in order of their value. Consider what pos- sible conventional initial bids are open to you. Of them, which is safest and most likely to re- sult in game? Recall the score. Is a Pre- emptive bid necessary? Can you afford to conceal some of your strength? If the score is love all, the most desirable bids would be, in order. Spade, Heart, No Trump, Diamond, Club. A pre-emptive bid is advisable when you have, for instance, a very strong Heart hand, with practically no Spades. Of course it is unnecessary when you are strong in all suits. A No Trump bid is really one of the safer bids; it puts the opponents immediately on the de- DECLARATION — SUGGESTIONS 27 fensive, is seldom doubled, and leaves a prob- able way of escape for your partner by bidding two of his longest suit. If so fortunate as to have a choice between two suits equally long and strong, bid the higher first, so that if necessary you can bid two of the other, leaving your partner the chance to change back. Concealed Strength. While an Initial Bidder must have all that the conventions call for, he may have much more. A beginner does well to bid soundly to the limit that his hand justifies, so as to lose no opportunity of winning the Rubber. The skilful bidder may profitably vary his tactics, occasionally holding strength under cover with a view to turning savagely on his opponents later for a heavy honor score. If the hand is too strong, there is danger in this of wasting your hand by being left without another opportunity to bid. Pass unhesitatingly if you cannot bid with- out violating the conventions. Remember that this is a game of high cards. Numbers cannot take the place of Aces and Kings. If you have eight Spades with Jack or Queen high, you must not bid one Spade. You might bid two Spades, but better, wait; there will be a chance later. SECOND HAND, if Dealer has passed, is an Initial Bidder; otherwise you are not bound by 28 AUCTION the strict conventions, but may bid with a view to making game or to driving up your opponents. If Dealer has bid one suit, you may over-call, having either a conventional Initial Bid hand, or a long suit even without Ace or King, especially if short in the Dealer's suit. We do not usually bid No Trump unless protected in the Dealer's suit. If Dealer has bid No Trump, you may over- call with a really long suit; but better leave it to Fourth Hand, who will thus advise you what to lead. With an established Minor suit and noth- ing else, or a strong Minor suit and a re-entry card, you should pass, as you can prevent his making Game at No Trump and probably can not if you drive them to Spades or Hearts. If Dealer has made a pre-emptive bid, the in- ference is that he is weak in one of the Major Suits, and you may defeat his purpose by over- bidding; but he may be strong, and deliberately leading you on. THIRD HAND, if both have passed, may assume that strength is massed in Fourth Hand. Having one good suit, even without full conven- tional strength, it may be of great value to bid it, so that your partner will know what to lead in case Fourth Hand bids No Trump. Otherwise you should be conservative. If Dealer has passed and Second Hand bid. DECLARATION — SUGGESTIONS 29 Third Hand is in position similar to that of Second Hand when Dealer has bid, except that you must assume your partner to be weak. If Dealer has bid one of a suit and Second Hand passed, Third Hand should bid No Trump when having strength in all the suits except Partner's, or a strong Major suit over a Minor one, or a Major suit with four honors, or any suit that appears decidedly more likely to make Game. If long in Partner's suit and short in others, you may well make the bid in that suit pre-emptive. If Dealer has bid No Trump and Second Hand passed, you should bid two or more of a Major suit if very long; but two of a Minor suit would indicate weakness. If Dealer has bid and been over-called, you have a typical problem, requiring all your judg- ment and ''card-sense." Ordinarily, perhaps, it is better to support your partner's bid; and a careful application of the conventional rules stated heretofore will enable you to decide with considerable certainty whether your hand re- quires you to do so or not. It may be more profitable to make a new declaration. Short- ness in your opponent's suit is, of course, a con- sideration in favor of bidding, while length in opponent's suit, with general lack of high cards, suggests the advisability of passing. Do not fail to consider the positions of cards. e. g., A King and Deuce of Clubs in your hand 30 AUCTION means a reasonably sure trick if your right-hand opponent has declared Clubs. If your left-hand opponent has bid Clubs, your guarded King means very little, unless he leads Clubs, as he probably will do if you bid No Trump. Short Suits mean tricks (provided you have small trumps,) when it is your partner's trump, but usually not when it is your own or your op- ponent's trump. Doubling (except of a one bid) is advisable when there is more than even chance of setting, ij you can not make Game yourselves, and if you cannot first drive them higher, and if they have no escape by changing their declaration, and if it would not cause Declarer to make Game in case he should fulfill his contract. When any of these conditions are not satisfied, don't double unless practically sure of setting for several tricks. When all the conditions are satisfied, it is sometimes worth while for the weaker hand to double on an even chance, in the hope of de- ceiving the Declarer as to the location of the high cards, or as a warning to Partner to cease bidding. The Bluff Double, an attempt to frighten the bidder or his partner into a declaration more advantageous to yourself, is used semi-occa- sionally by a "sporty" player — with brilliant profit or ignoble loss. DECLARATION — SUGGESTIONS 31 Re-Doubling is advisable when there is de- cidedly more than even chance of winning, if they can not make a new declaration without great loss; or, semi-occasionally, as a Bluff. Rescuing a doubled partner by changing the declaration, is sometimes effective; but more often it either makes a bad matter worse, or spoils just the situation that your partner most desired. FOURTH HAND, like subsequent bidders, must decide on the best course, giving due re- gard to all that has gone before. TRUST your PARTNER— and give him reason to trust you. Tell him nothing but the truth, even if not the whole truth. Having in- dicated your strength, give him a chance. For instance: Supposing you have a strong hand and bid one Spade, Fourth Hand bids two Diamonds, you bid two Hearts, and Fourth Hand bids three Diamonds; it is time for you to pass, which practically says, "Partner, you decide whether to support my Spades or Hearts, or to double their three Diamonds, or, if you are very weak, to let it go." Bidding one, two, three, without giving Partner a chance, is rarely wise. Deceive your Opponents — and don't let them deceive you. Vary your tactics, and keep them guessing. The Bluff, Concealed 32 AUCTION Strength, and the Deceiving Double, are com- mon weapons of legitimate attack and defence. Deceiving by unusually long study, comments, gestures or facial expression, or giving informa- tion to Partner by such means or by any secret understanding, would be things that "are not done." PLAYING THE CARDS LAWS Play is begun by the player at the Declarer's left, and is in order, toward the left, one card at a time. DUMMY, as soon as one card has been played, lays his hand on the table, face up, and there- after must take no part in the play of the hand except to guard the Declarer from making a re- voke, or to call the Declarer's attention to an im- perfect trick or one erroneously taken or to any improper claim by an adversary; or, provided he has not looked at any player's hand, to an ad- verse revoke or an exposed card. If Dummy calls attention to any other error of an adversary, no penalty may be exacted for that error; if he suggest the play of a card, either Adversary may require or forbid the play; if he suggest that Declarer is about to lead from the wrong hand, either Adversary may require or forbid Declarer to do so. When Declarer touches one of Dum- my 's cards, except to arrange, that card is played; although a card of Declarer is not played until quitted. 34 AUCTION A card is "Exposed" by an Adversary of the Declarer if played out of turn or dropped on the table face up, or exposed to Partner's sight, or named improperly. It must be left on the table, and is subject to call by the Declarer. When an adversary leads out of turn the Declarer may, at his option, call the suit to be led, provided he has refused to accept the lead before playing to it. If an Adversary play fourth hand before the second, or call his partner's attention to the trick as being already taken or not taken, the De- clarer may at his option require the offender's partner to play his highest or lowest card or to win or lose the trick. A REVOKE is established when a player, other than Dummy, holding a card of the suit called for, plays a card of a different suit, and the trick has been turned and quitted or either the offender or his partner has played to the next trick. The penalty is 100 Honors for the other side, and disability to score except for Honor cards; if an Adversary revokes, the Declarer has the option to add three tricks to his own, which shall coimt toward his score of points, but not toward any Honor bonus. Any player may ask his partner, "Have you no Partner?" (nam- ing the suit that he has renounced) before the revoke is established, so that the error may be corrected, leaving merely an exposed card. PLAYING THE CARDS — LAWS 35 Should Dummy leave the table, he may properly request his Adversaries to protect his partner from a revoke. A player may not lift and examine a trick that has been turned and quitted, except to prove a Revoke. Penalty, 25 in opponents' Honor score. CONVENTIONS CONVENTIONAL LEADS, showing the exact holdings, are less important than in old- fashioned Whist. Elaborate tables of leads are used by some experts. An amateur should re- member that: (a) Of Ace and King, or King and Queen, the King should be led first. An original lead of an Ace against No Trump commands Partner to play his highest, although this Convention is sometimes ignored. (b) Of a sequence, between King and Nine, the highest card must be led. The convention in playing from a sequence led up to, is just the opposite. (c) An original lead of a small card against No Trump should be the fourth best. 36 AUCTION THE SHORT SUIT SIGNAL is the lead of a higher, followed by a lower card, and indicates a desire to have that suit returned in order to ruff. The encouraging signal resembles the short suit signal. It is the play of a needlessly high card and is completed by the play of a lower card. It indicates a desire for Partner to con- tinue that suit. Frequently Partner can guess whether or not the first card is the beginning of a signal. The FIRST DISCARD is from wealaiess, and is a signal for Partner not to lead that suit. A minority of players discard first from strength, asking Partner to lead that suit. Whichever system is followed, the first discard is not a sig- nal if the desired lead was obviously known al- ready. PLAYING THE CARDS 37 SUGGESTIONS Playing the Cards, it goes without saying, is the solid substance of this, as of every card game. After the preliminary skirmishing, we come to a game of old-fashioned Whist — with complications. The bidding and the exposure of Dummy's hand have given so much informa- tion that a skilful player, seeing one half of the cards, frequently knows or can confidently guess the location of the other important ones. This makes the play easier — or more difficult — than Whist. Examine your hand and Dummy, recall all the bids and passes, and try to locate as many of the cards as possible; deliberately plan your attack or defense. Play confidently, without undue hesitation. The Declarer takes in his (and Dummy's) tricks; the Adversary who fiist wins a trick usually allows his Partner to take in the tricks for their side. Tricks should be left in plain sight, so arranged as to be easily cotmted by all the players. THE ADVERSARIES have two objects •' First, to save the game, and second, to defeat the declaration. Great risks may be taken to ac- complish these objects. Additional tricks won or lost are comparatively unimportant. 38 AUCTION The Lead, against a No Trump Declaration, when Partner has sho\\Ti his suit, should be your highest card of that suit, followed by your next highest. If your partner has not shown his suit your lead should be from your longest suit unless the Declarer has bid it. The Lead against a Trump Declaration, must be determined by considering all the informa- tion at hand, remembering that the Declarer is long in Trumps and probably short in other suits and likely to trump-in early. An Ace, the top of a sequence, the higher of only two in a suit, or a singleton, would look attractive. It is well to avoid leading from a Tenace, as Ace and Queen, or King and Jack. As a general rule, plan to get in your tricks quickly, imless confident of sav- ing the game. In Playing against a No Trump declaration, care should be taken: To keep a re-entry for your long suit; to unblock for your partner's long suit; to block Dummy's long suit if possible; to post- pone discarding your last card of a suit, which would enable the Declarer to locate all the others. Against a suit declaration, it usually is well to force the Declarer to trump, but very bad to allow Dummy to do so. Watch for an encourag- ing signal, which would direct you to continue that suit; and remember that if your partner refuses to give the signal it is, by inference, a suggestion to try another suit. PLAYING THE CARDS — SUGGESTIONS 39 THE RLXE OF ELEVEN is an inheritance from WTiist. When skilfully used it saves a good many tricks; but it applies only when your part- ner leads his fourth best card of the suit. Rule: "The number of spots on the fourth highest card, subtracted from eleven, shows the number of higher cards in the other three hands." To illustrate: Partner leads an eight spot. There must be just three higher cards out. Dummy shows Queen and two small ones. You hold Ace, Nine, and six spot. The Declarer can not take the eight. You play the six, and your Ace and Partner's King will catch Dummy's Queen. If Partner had led the seven you would know that Declarer could take it, and should play your Ace. THE DECLARER, seeing his own and Dimimy's hand, first counts the sure tricks, and compares them ^^ith the number needed for Game. Then he considers the doubtful tricks, and plans the best way to take enough of them to make Game. If this is absolutely hopeless, he aims at fulfilling his contract. His original plan may need to be modified by the fall of the cards, but his attention should never be diverted from the sure critical trick by the lure of ad- ditional tricks not needed for Game or the Con- tract. When playing No Trumps, he plans for the long-suited hand to have the needed lead or re- 40 AUCTION entry. He frequently allows the Adversaries to take two or three tricks, until one of them has no more of the suit. He plays false cards when practicable, hoping to deceive the Adversaries. "SATien playing with a trump, the Declarer should understand that ruffing ^^-ith one of Dummy's few trumps usually means an extra trick, but that one of his many trumps is prob- ably good at any time, or that he may need them all to exhaust the Adversaries' trumps and re- gain the lead. Finessing, is playing a lower card than your best, in the hope that the intermediate card is at your right. For example: Holding Ace and Queen, you lead to them from Dimimy, and play the Queen; there is an even chance that King is at your right, in which case the finesse gains a trick. Another example of finesse arises when you hold Ace with others, and Dummy holds Queen, Jack and Ten. Play from E>ummy and finesse; you will gain a trick if the King is at your right, and lose nothing if it is at your left. If the Jack and Ten were against you, leading the Queen would be suicide; lead to the Queen, and there is an even chance that it v>ill take. Inferences from the bidding, the importance of keeping the lead, or the fact that an unsuc- cessful finesse would lose your contract or the Game, frequently makes it inadvisable to finesse. ETIQUETTE LAWS An offence against Etiquette is more serious than one for which a penalty is prescribed. Slight intimations convey much information. Declarations should be made orally, in the sim- plest manner. Pleasure or displeasure should not be shown by word or gesture. Any inquiry should be made for one's own information, not as a suggestion to Partner. A card should not be played with marked emphasis, nor before the preceding trick has been quitted. A player hav- ing played a winning card should not draw another from his hand before Partner has played; nor, having drawn a card, should he play a dif- ferent one. A player should not incur a penalty deliberately. Dummy should not leave his seat to watch his partner's play. Conversation dur- ing play should be avoided. 41 42 AUCTION SUGGESTIONS The Penalty for violation of the Laws of Etiquette may be said to be the severest in Auction Bridge; namely, offence to the ladies or gentlemen who are playing. Any Comments following the play of a hand or a session should graciously recognize the poor hands, hard luck, or skill, of Partner and op- ponents, rather than of one's self. Criticise your partner's judgment (or your opponent's) only after the hand has been played, only when invited, and only with great dis- cretion. Good-fellowship is, after all, worth more than winning even the hardest rubber. NULLO This is a variation in Auction, experimented with in some sections. It is discouraged by the leading Auction writers, on the ground that it is too compHcated, injures the standard game, and is unnecessary. In bidding "Nullo," the player declares not to take tricks, each trick taken less than seven coimting a specified number of points, commonly ten. It is usually played without trumps. 43 THREE-HANDED AUCTION This is an interesting game, affording good sport in the absence of a fourth player. An Auction player's game is hardly improved by playing Three Handed. The Laws are the same in general, excepting that: Each one plays for himself. The final Declarer plays the Dummy hand, with his own, against the other two, who are partners for that hand only. Honor cards count for the player holding them: the trick value for each Honor, ten for each Ace at No Trumps, and the regular double value for four or five Honors in one hand. The Declarer has the Honors in the Dummy hand, and his own. Each game gives the winner 125 Honors, and the Rubber gives 250. When a declarer is set, each of his adversaries scores in the honor column as in Auction. At the end of the play, the highest total wins from each of the others, and the lowest loses to each of the others. Bidding is largely a matter of taking chances on the Dummy. Free of all obligations to Partner, a player usually bids more recklessly than in the regular game. The net score is likely to be very large. 44 PROGRESSIVE AUCTION This is a social pastime, conducted in various ways. The plan adopted should be announced distinctly before play begins. The following is suggested as reasonable, but not as authorita- tive: Each table may play four hands. Rules and Scoring will be as in regular Auction except that instead of Rubbers each Game will give 150 Honors to the winners. After playing four hands, at a signal the pair at each table who have made the larger net score will pass up to the next higher table, the winners at the head table re- maining and the losers passing down to the foot table. At the newly formed tables all will change partners. It is advisable to have an official score-keeper, who will verify the scores at each table before each moving, and record each player's net score at that table, on the gener- al score-card. The player having the highest net score at the time announced for ending play, is the final winner. 45 SCORE CARD Simple Style Honors are written "above the line;" Points, "below the line." In the first Rubber scored opposite, "We" played the first hand with Spades as trumps, and scored three tricks. This gave us 27 points be- low the line. We held simple Honors, which gave us 18 above the line. Eventually We won the Rubber by 521 to 92; Net Score, 429. In the second Rubber, We (A and B) won two games and the bonus of 250, but We were set so heavily that They were the winners of the Rubber. The second Rubber might have been scored with the first, before adding, making room for four Rubbers on the page. 46 SPECIMEN SCORE We They A&B Y&Z 250 36 32 300 40 18 30 14 250 80 18 24 16 30 27 50 30 30 16 40 32 328 27 24 14 505 18 328 521 92 177 92 429 47 SCORER'S TABLE Points, for each trick above six: Clubs 6 Diamonds 7 Hearts 8 Spades 9 No Trump 10 Honors, for holding Honor Cards: 3 in Partners' hands 12 4 in Partners' hands 24 5 in Partners' hands 30 4 in one hand 48 5 in one hand 60 4 in one hand and fifth inPartner's 54 D H S 14 16 18 28 32 36 35 40 45 56 64 72 70 80 90 63 72 81 NT 30 40 100 Bonuses: Slam, 100. Small Slam, 50. Rub- ber, 250. Setting Declarer, 50 per trick; if doubled, 100; if re-doubled, 200. Fulfilling con- tract when doubled, 50, and 50 per extra trick; when re-doubled, 100, and 100 per extra trick. Penalties: Revoke, 100, or 3 tricks. Lift- ing card during deal, 25. Examining quitted trick, 25. Doubling Partner, 50. Re-doubling more than once, 100. 48 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 223 711 6