'^W: it.'.fi'W'^i ;r_C,- ;>S^^.^ -:i ^O *^^ <^ • < *- c ^ <$> o V ^^ ss--. -i- %' -*U.o^ ^ 9 / T »0 ^^-;^. ^. ^^^ -^•^ '^. 2 v: -P. ^o .^ -o V^ :m ^^ o * "W.- ^*"--^ oK 0' o V %. ^♦^"^. ^o ,-^ • ^ THE GAME OF BRIDGE THE GAME OF BRIDGE BY FISHER AMES Author of '•'' A Practical Guide to Whist, ''^ ** America Leads at Whist, ^^ etc. WITH THE LAWS OF BRIDGE BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 1906 itifcnHiiy otCUNehtSS! TwoCoDies Rcifiinfl MAY 1906 A^ Copyfiftht Entry , - /ftT; ■':■ No '^ A^^ v^d'V Copyright, 1906, By Little, Brown, and Company. All rights reserved Published May, 1906 THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. rpmS little book on the game of Bridge does not claim to present any new theories or rules. It is an attempt to present the subject in the simplest man- ner and yet in a systematic and natural order, and in such a way as to interest and instruct the reader in the principles and to familiarize him with the best prac- tice of the game, without burdening his memory with too many rules. The Game of Bridge THE FORM The Table Bridge is played by four persons, two as partners against the other two, with a full pack of cards. When there are more than four persons present, the right to play belongs to the four first in the room, or to the four cutting, or drawing, the lowest cards from the same pack. Partners are determined by cutting; the two who cut, or draw, the two low- est cards playing against the other two. The ace is low in cutting. 2 THE GAME OF BRIDGE The Deal The one who cuts the lowest card, deals. The dealer must distribute the cards in regular order, beginning on his left, one at a time to each player in turn. The last card must not be faced. If, in dealing, a card is exposed, the ad- versaries may claim a new deal. A misdeal does not forfeit the right to deal again. The Make After the cards have been dealt and the dealer has examined his hand, he declares the trump suit for the hand, selecting for that purpose any one of the four suits, although he very rarely selects a black suit. If he does not wish to name a suit for the trump, he may THE FORM ^ 3 declare ''no trump," — that is, that the deal shall be played without a trump suit. If he does not wish to do this, nor to declare a trump suit, he must pass, or leave the make to his partner (who is called the dummy), and dummy must make the declaration of a suit trump, or no trump, as he chooses. Partners cannot consult as to the decla- ration, and if they do, or if the wrong one makes it, the adversaries can require a new deal, and the dealer must deal again. Game Points The game consists of thirty points, — or more if more are made, — made by odd cards, — that is, tricks taken above six. Each card, or trick, taken in excess of six (six are called a " book ") has its value, depending on the suit which is the trump for the deal, or " no trump." 4 THE GAME OF BRIDGE With spades trumps, each odd card counts two on the game score ; with clubs trumps, four ; with diamonds, six ; with hearts, eight ; and when there is no trump, twelve. Doubling These values may be doubled by the adversaries, if they wish to do so, the elder hand — the player on the dealer's left — having the first right to double. If he does not wish to do so he must ask his partner (sometimes called pone), " May I lead," or " play ? " If pone does not wish to double, he must reply, " Yes," or " If you please," and then the elder hand leads for the first trick. If either the elder hand or pone wishes to double the trick value, he must say, " I double," or " go over." If either doubles. THE FORM 5 the other side — the one who named the trump, or no trump, having the first right — may double back again, that is, mul- tiply the trick value, as fixed by the previous double, by two, and so on, each side having the right to double the other's double, until one side or the other is sat- isfied to go no further, in which case he says so, or '' Content." Doubling increases the trick value in geometrical progression, thus : hearts are eight points for each odd trick ; doubled, 16 : 32 : 64 : 128 : and so on. It is cus- tomary to agree that the doubling shall not be carried beyond 100. Doubhng applies only to the game, not to the honor points. Partners may not consult about doub- hng ; if they do, the other side may refuse to accept the double. 6 THE GAME OF BRIDGE Honor Points Besides the game score, a score is kept of points made by honors held. There are five honors, — the ace, king, queen, knave, and ten of the trump suit. When there is no trump, the aces are counted as honors. Honors are reckoned as follows : — When the Trumps are Three honors ('* simple honors ") whether in the one hand, or the two, count equal to the value of two tricks, viz. : Four honors (in two hands) equal four tricks Five honors in two hands equal five tricks Four honors in one hand equal eight tricks Four honors in one hand, fifth in part- ner's, equal nine tricks Five honors in one hand equal ten tricks. ** Chicane," when a hand is without a trump, adds to holder's or diminishes adversaries' honor score, by value of two tricks Double '* chicane " deducts value of four tricks from adversaries' honor score 4 8 10 16 18 20 4 8 8 16 20 32 36 40 8 16 12 24 30 48 54 60 12 24 I 16 32 40 64 72 80 16 32 THE FORM 7 When no trump is declared, Three aces in either or both hands count .... 30 Four aces in two hands count . 40 Four aces in one hand count 100 With or without a trump, Little slam (taking twelve tricks) adds 20 Slam (thirteen tricks) adds 40 The score is most conveniently kept in two columns, one for each side, the scorer's points being put in the left-hand column. The game points are scored below and the honor points above a horizontal line across the perpendicular line which divides the two scores. Each game is also marked off by a horizontal line as shown in the illustration below. A rubber is always played, and the rubber score is the final one. If one side win the first two games the third game is not played. 8 THE GAME OF BRIDGE The winners of the rubber add 100 to their honor score. The following illustra- tion shows a common method of keeping the score. This score shows that six- teen hands were played to make the rubber, and that honors were scored by one side or the other on each deal. At the end of the rubber the 100 points for the winners are put at the head of their honor column, and the points made by each side, that is, each column, added up, the lesser number deducted from the greater, and the difference is the amount won, or lost, by each player. If a stake is played for it is usual for each We They 100 40 8 12 12 8 16 30 8 16 24 6 40 4 30 12 24 8 20 24 12 16 8 19 4 18 8 24 24 4 36 8 18 390 244 244 146 THE FORM 9 loser to settle with his right-hand ad- versary. Another method of keeping the score, and the one used in the printed score cards generally sold, is as follows : 1 Ai&B Y &Z Game Honors Game Honors 12 24 1 16 16 8 72 16 40 20 24 30 2 8 8 4 8 16 4 24 12 12 3 18 12 16 16 8 16 48 30 132 136 130 140 136 140 100 270 368 270 98 This method shows the honors scored on each deal. The figures on the side may 10 THE GAME OF BRIDGE ^ be used or not, as desired, to mark the game number. The above score shows that on the first deal A and B made two by card, 12, diamonds trumps, four by honors, 24. On the second deal, hearts trumps, Y and Z make one by card, 8, and simple honors, 16. Third deal, hearts trumps, A and B, two by card, 16, and simple honors, 16. Fourth deal, no trumps, Y and Z, six by card, 72, four aces, 40, little slam, 20 ; and so on. In the third deal of the second game, Y and Z score 4 for chicane. Where several rubbers are played by the same four players, they cut after each rubber for partners for the next rubber, and a total score may be kept as shown below. When more than four players are present they take turns at sitting out and a similar score can be THE FORM 11 kept. Suppose A, B, Y, and Z, are play- ing and A and B are partners against Y and Z for the first rubber. Value of Rubbers 12 3 114 196 212 A4- 114 + 310 + 98 B + 114- 82 +130 Y-114+ 82 +294 Z- 114 -310 -522 First rubber, value 114, won by A and B, lost by Y and Z. Second rubber, value 196, won by A and Y, lost by B and Z. Third rubber, value 212, won by B and Y, lost by A and Z. Two packs of cards are generally used, the one not in use being shuffled by the dealer's partner while the deal is going on. After the trump is declared and the doubling either declined or concluded, 12 THE GAME OF BRIDGE the elder hand must make the open- ing lead. Then and not until then dummy must lay his cards down face up on the table, properly sorted. The dealer plays the dummy hand as well as his own and dummy has no right to take any part in the play of the hand either by word or act, except that if the dealer fails to follow suit dummy may ask him if he has no card of that suit. All the formalities should be observed, all penalties strictly enforced and the laws complied with. In case of doubt or dispute reference should be had to the laws. A copy of them will be found in the Appendix. SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY The game of Bridge does not lend itself to a set of rules for all probable, or even a majority of cases. It has so many and different conditions and there are so many things to be considered, it would be useless to attempt to prescribe a definite set of rules for play. But there are certain principles underlying the game, some of them dependent on the nature of a pack of cards, as its division into four suits with their thirteen cards in their regular progression of rank, and the power of the trump suit, which are common to almost all games with cards. Then there are the recognized methods of play, or tactics, such as the 14 THE GAME OF BRIDGE trump attack, the utilization of long suit strength, either for offence or defence, the combination of partners' hands so as to make the most of the strength of both, unblocking, strengthening or sup- porting leads, forcing adverse trump strength, etc. These tactics are as valu- able at Bridge as at Whist, but the conditions of their use are very different at Bridge, and the game cannot be played under the same rules as Whist. The dealer has a very great advantage not only in naming the trump, but in his knowledge of the two hands which he plays in partnership, — for he can tell by a very brief inspection exactly what high cards are held by the adversaries in every suit, — and in playing both hands so as to take advantage of tenace and other situations. He of course does not SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 15 need to make use of any so-called infor- mation plays ; on the contrary, the more he can puzzle the adversaries by false cards, unusual plays, and otherwise, the better. He cannot deceive himself. He has the advantage of trump strength and carries on an aggressive campaign, while the adversaries are on the de- fensive. Informative play on their part, therefore, is apt to be more easily read by the dealer than by the partner, and will generally advantage the dealer more than the partner. Seeing the two hands which are to be played together, in- formative, number-showing leads and plays by the other side show him much plainer than they can the partner where and how many cards are held against him. Certain plays informative as to the combination of high cards held can- 16 THE GAME OF BRIDGE not be avoided with safety, — for it is important to show strength, — but plays to show number in the suit led from or held, such for instance as the original lead of the fourth best, will generally be found more advantageous to the dealer than to the other side. The theory of informative plays at Whist is that upon the whole the balance is slightly in their favor, because on the average the hands will be fairly equal, and at the outset of the play there is nothing to show superi- ority in trump strength on the part of either side. But at Whist it is usually considered better to avoid such plays when the other side has shown prepon- derating trump strength, and at Bridge, where the trump superiority is shown at the beginning there seems to be no advantage in number-showing plays. SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 17 The Trump Make The naming of the trump suit, or " no trump," by the dealer, is the first gi'eat opportunity in the game and is perhaps the most striking feature of Bridge. The selection of the trump re- quires good judgment and discretion. It may and often does have more influ- ence on the result than the play. The first object the dealer has in view is to win the game, and to win it on the first deal if he possibly can. He should sort his hand carefully and then make as accurate an estimate as he can of its trick-taking capacity. Having that esti- mate in mind he should note the state of the score and how many tricks are needed at the various makes to win the game. The average trick-taking capacity of 18 THE GAME OF BRIDGE each of the four hands is three and a quarter, or six and a half for the two hands in combination. Of course this exact proportion is impossible, and one side or the other must make at least seven tricks. He has no means of know- ing what dummy's hand may be worth, but he should assume that it is worth its fair average, or three tricks ; or if his own hand is very strong, that dummy's hand is worth one-third of the strength in the other hands. Adding these tricks to what he can reasonably expect from his own hand the dealer should declare no trump, or hearts, if he can see a rea- sonable chance to win the odd card. As the honors do not directly count on the game score, they are of secondary im- portance, but they usually help toward making the desired number of tricks, SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 19 and a good honor score helps materially in the final result. The first object is to win the game, and that must decide the trump declaration ; but if with either of the strong trump makes, or a no trump, the game can be won, the holding of such a combination of honors as would with the game score produce the largest number of aggregate points should de- termine in favor of naming the trump according to such an honor-holding. The game is thirty points, and to win it in one hand requires three odd tricks at no trumps, four at hearts, or five at diamonds. The game cannot be won on a club make, unless the adversaries should double, in which case they would probably win it. On a spade make it would require at least three odd cards to make even a respectable start upon 20 THE GAME OF BRIDGE the game score. If the dealer makes only two or four on the game score he has practically lost all the advantages of the deal, for it requires as many tricks ^t no trumps, hearts, or diamonds to make the game, starting with a score of 4, as with a score of 0. For these and other reasons the dealer should not declare a black suit as the trump. Even if he holds a very strong hand at clubs, he cannot win out with them, — a slam with clubs trumps only counts 28, — and if he is very weak in the red suits the chances are that dummy may be strong in one of them, and if left to him will declare it ; in which case the dealer's strong club suit will be worth from fifty to a hundred per cent more to him than if he had made it the trump suit ; and if dummy is weak SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 21 in the red suits and declares spades, the chances are that he will not make a bad loss. He probably cannot lose much and tnay gain a great deal by passing a club make. If you cannot declare no trump or a red-suit trump, leave the make to dummy. The state of the score has, or should have, a decided bearing upon the ques- tion of the trump or no-trump declara- tion, and it will be considered later. At present we will consider the make at the commencement of the game and the score " love-all," — no score on either side. As before stated the dealer must care- fully estimate the value of his own hand and count what tricks he can probably take, and in this estimate he should not 22 THE GAME OF BRIDGE rely only upon high cards ; a good long suit, if established, or capable of being established, may well be good for two or three tricks with low cards. Thus, supposing the dealer has this hand : spades, knave, ten, nine, six, four, three ; hearts, ace, king, ten, six, two ; clubs, ace ; diamonds, king. At no trump there would appear to be no more than three certain tricks and the hand is not well balanced for a no-trump make ; but with hearts trumps there is a fair chance of establishing the spade suit in two rounds and making three or four low spades. It is not a certainty, but there is so good a chance, especially counting on dummy for some help, as to warrant the risk. All elements of strength should be con- sidered, and any good chance taken. If the dealer is timid and passes the make SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 23 when he has a fair chance to make a good score, he deserves to lose. The No- Trump Make Each odd trick at no trump counts twelve on the game score, and three odd cards at no trump count 36, or game, and six points over. Two odd tricks count 24, and even one odd counts 12, and makes a fair start on the game, if better cannot be done. It is very desirable and important to make a good start, if game cannot be made. His best, and almost only chance is on his own deal, as he cannot reasonably expect to score on his adversary's deal. If he has a fair chance he should take it. As the no trump is the most profitable make, and more points can be made on the game score on a good no-trump declaration than on 24 THE GAME OF BRIDGE any other, other things being equal, he should make it no trump if he can. If he has a reasonable chance of taking the odd card, or more, with average assist- ance from dummy, he should make it no trump. The chance of dummy's being of assistance to him is better at no trump than at other makes, because if dummy has strength in any suit it is useful at no trump, whereas on a trump-suit make it might not be. At the score of love-all the following combinations of cards are recognized as regular " no trumpers " : 1. Four aces. 2. Three aces. 3. Two aces, and guarded kings in the other two suits. 4. One ace and low and one very long, established suit headed by ace, king, SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY m and queen, and a guarded king or queen in a third suit. 5. One ace and guarded kings or queens in all the other suits. 1. Holding four aces, he can get the lead at once and regain it immediately in either of the other suits. With this advantage he can generally clear and establish any long suit in either hand. This is not absolutely certain, and the game may be lost even though he holds four aces ; but the chances are against it, and should be availed of. Even if the other side v^ins an odd card or two, the holding four aces in one hand gives 100 points on the honor score, an advantage so great as to counterbal- ance any loss likely to result from the make. 2. Three aces. Here the chances are 26 THE GAME OF BRIDGE not nearly so good as when holding all four aces, but they are good enough to warrant the no-trump declaration. Dummy's hand must be relied upon to help out, and, as before remarked, the chances of its doing so are better at no trump than with a suit declaration. If with the three aces the dealer or dummy has a long suit, it can probably be established and brought in. The follow- ing is a no-trump hand : spades, ace, ten, three; hearts, ace, seven, four; clubs, ace, five, two ; diamonds, ten, eight, six, four. There is no long suit here, but dummy may have one, or — if not — three or four protected honors, that is, honors so guarded or accom- panied by low cards that after one or more rounds of the suit they are reasonably certain to take a trick. If SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 27 with three aces you have a very strong suit of hearts with four honors, hearts would be a preferable make, — as, for example, spades, ace ; hearts, king, queen, knave, ten, five, three, two ; clubs, ace, five, three ; diamonds, ace, eight. Here the four honors in hearts in one hand count sixty-four, as against thirty for the three aces, and the great strength in hearts makes the heart declaration preferable ; there is as good or a better chance to win game also. The game is the first object to aim at, but, if, with as reasonable a certainty of winning game with hearts trumps, as with no trump, four honors in hearts are held, there might be a gain in the total score by declaring hearts. 3. Two aces and guarded kings in the other two suits, or a guarded king 28 THE GAME OF BRIDGE in one suit and queen, knave, and low- in the other. Each suit is " stopped," as it is termed ; that is, cannot go round more than once or twice before the dealer is left with the command of the suit A '' guarded " honor is one which is accompanied by enough low cards to protect it from being captured by a higher card. Thus a king with one low card is a guarded king, but even with two guards the safety of the honor usually depends upon its situation. For instance, suppose the elder hand has a king and one or even two low cards of a suit, and dummy lays down the ace, queen, knave, and one low of the suit ; here it is evident that the king cannot be saved if the lead comes through it twice. But as the dealer is led up to, a king SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 29 with one guard to it is fairly safe in his hand, and the position under considera- tion is that of the dealer before he declares the trump suit; and with the holding above stated, — No. 3, — he should declare no trump. Here again if such a combination of honors is held in hearts as would, if counted on the honor score, increase the total score, it would be better to declare hearts. So, also, with diamonds if such honors are held ; but it would take a good many honors in diamonds to make up the difference of six points in the value of each odd card. 4. With one ace and a very long, established suit headed by tierce major (ace, king, queen), and a guarded king or queen in another suit, the chance of getting in — that is, winning a trick and 30 THE GAME OF BRIDGE getting the lead — soon is very good, and the long, established suit will be good for three and very possibly for five or six tricks. Dummy may also be good for a trick or two. 5. With one ace and guarded kings or queens in the other three suits the dealer will probably get in soon, — and then he must do the best he can with a long suit in his own or dummy's hand. The above are the usually accepted no-trump makes at the score of love- all. At other stages of the game score also it would generally be right to declare no trump with either of the first four of the above combinations. Some players use and advocate certain numerical tests or guides to determine the advisability of a no-trump make ; thus. SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 31 one method in common use is as follows : aces are counted seven, kings five, queens three, knaves two, and tens one. The average holding would be one of each, and would foot up eighteen. If the dealer holds as many as three above this average, or twenty-one in all, by this rule he should declare no trump ; if less than twenty-one, he should leave the make unless his hearts or diamonds are good enough to declare. The trouble with this method is that the hand might figure up twenty-one and yet the strength be so unevenly distributed as really to be worth considerably less. The rule is well enough if the strength be distributed and there are no singleton honors, especially aces and kings. If the score is much in the dealer's favor, as for instance, if he needs only 32 THE GAME OF BRIDGE six or eight points to win the game, and he holds such strength in hearts or diamonds as to ensure the odd card and the game, while at no trump there would be some risk of missing the odd^ he should declare so as to ensure the game. He must not forget that his first great object — or business — is to win the game, and nothing should be done which would unnecessarily imperil that result. If he sees that he cannot win the game, his next object is to make a substantial advance on the game score while he has the deal. To make two or four points only is practically to lose the advantage of the deal, for it requires as many odd cards to win out from either of those points as from 0. The dealer, therefore, must sometimes incur some risk for the sake of a possible gain ; SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 33 especially so, if the score is much against him and it is pretty certain that the adversaries will win the game on the next deal if he does not win it on his own deal. The following are speculative no-trump makes : 1. Ace, king, and two low hearts ; ace, queen, and two low diamonds ; and only very low cards in the black suits. 2. Two aces and a guarded queen or knave in a third suit. 3. Ace, king, in one red suit, and ace in the other. 4. One ace and two suits with guarded kings. 5. One long, established black suit headed by ace, king, and queen, and a guarded king in another suit. 34 THE GAME OF BRIDGE 6. An evenly divided hand with guarded kings or queens in every suit. 1. With ace, king, and two low hearts, and ace, queen, and two low diamonds, the chances are that if the dealer leaves the make to his partner, dummy will declare clubs or spades, and that the adversaries would have the superior trump strength. It would not be safe for the dealer to declare hearts, still less so diamonds, but at no trump he might find dummy with such strength in one of the black suits as to make it possible to establish and bring it in. Three suits would be stopped, and some chances must be taken if the score is adverse. 2-5. The same considerations apply to these combinations. The dealer must occasionally take some risk and make SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 35 a speculative declaration, and the com- binations above given are recognized as proper risks when the score is adverse. 6. With an evenly divided hand and every suit stopped, the no-trump make is more likely to result favorably than passing the make. Occasionally dummy might prove to hold great strength with honors in hearts, and would have declared hearts ; but even so, the two hands would ordinarily be worth more at no trump than at hearts. If dummy is strong in spades or clubs, the same is true in that case. If dummy is weak all round and would declare a spade for safety, no doubt the dealer will lose more on declaring no trump than on leaving it to dummy, but the chances are against such weakness, and with such moderate strength in his own 36 THE GAME OF BRIDGE hand the dealer may fairly rely on dum- my's holding his average strength. If the hand is void of one of the suits, or has but one or two cards in one suit, even though the other suits are strong, a no-trump declaration is risky and should not be made unless the state of the score makes it necessary to make a speculative declaration. The Heart Make If the dealer cannot call " no trump," his next best make is hearts. With hearts trumps four odd tricks count 32 and game ; three odd cards count 24, which is a substantial advance on the game score, and with but one odd card eight points are scored, and they consti- tute at least a fair start if nothing better can be got. SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 37 The following combinations are usual heart makes at the score of love-all : 1. Six hearts, including an honor, and some support in the other suits. 2. Six hearts, with good support in the other suits. 3. Five hearts, with two honors, and some support in the other suits. 4. Five hearts, with one honor and good support in the other suits. 5. Four honors in hearts, and some protection in the other suits. 6. Four hearts, including three hon- ors, with good protection in the other suits. The reasons for these heart makes hardly need to be stated. In almost all the cases there is such length and strength in hearts as to make it fairly probable that the adversaries' trumps 38 THE GAME OF BRIDGE can be drawn and something done with the other suits. With four honors three tricks are certain, and with a fair chance for one or two more tricks in the hand, dummy may make up enough more to land the odd card. Holding four, with three honors and good protection in the other suits, promises five tricks, and dummy may give the remainder needed. Hearts may also be declared when holding four with two honors and good protection in the other suits. But with such a holding it may be a question as to whether a no-trump make would not be preferable, and in some stages of the score it might be. A light, or too risky, heart make is more apt to be damaging than a light no-trump make. Five hearts, even with SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 39 an honor, for instance, without pretty good protection in the other suits, might prove insufficient strength to declare hearts upon. The Diamond Make Diamonds are the dealer's third choice for the trump, and there are two poorer makes. Diamonds therefore occupy the middle station between the good and the poor makes. To win the game with diamonds for trumps requires five odd cards, and five odd cards are a good many tricks to take, — more than is usual. To declare diamonds one should hold greater strength in them than is required for a heart make. It is usually safer to leave the make than to take risks with insufficient strength in dia- monds. Partner has two better choices. 40 THE GAME OF BRIDGE The following combinations warrant a diamond make at the score of love-all. 1. Six diamonds, including two honors. 2. Six diamonds with some protection in the other suits. 3. Five diamonds, including ace, king, or king, queen, and two honors above the ten in hearts. 4. Four honors in diamonds and some protection in the other suits. In cases 1 and 2, the strength in dia- monds is so great as to give a very good chance of exhausting the adversaries' trumps and utilizing the plain suit strength in the two hands. In case 4, four honors count forty-eight on the honor score, and ensure the taking of three tricks, while the protection in the other suits will probably be good for two tricks more. Without such pro- SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 41 tection the hand is not good enough to warrant the diamond make unless some risk must be taken to save the game. With five diamonds, including ace and king, and good strength in the other suits a no-trump make would generally be preferable ; without such strength in the other suits it would be very doubtful if the hand is worth more than three tricks, and the make should be left to partner. Other combinations of strength in diamonds and good protection in the other suits may be better suited to a no-trump make than to a diamond declaration. Blach'Suit Makes As has been previously stated, the game cannot be won on a black-suit 42 THE GAME OF BRIDGE trump make, and to make even a fair start on the game score would require two odd cards at clubs and three or four odd cards at spades. Dummy has open to him three or four better makes and only one or none worse, and it would seem as if the chances were in favor of doing no harm by passing the make in case the dealer cannot declare no trump, or a red suit. The only proper make for safety is spades, and a considerable degree of strength in clubs does not make clubs a safety make. In certain stages of the score, when only one or two tricks at clubs or spades are needed to win the game, and the dealer holds such strength in clubs or spades as to ensure him the game if the strength is declared upon, he should make the trump accordingly, and neither run any risk for SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 43 the sake of a possibly greater gain with some other trump, nor pass the make to dummy in the hopes of a better score. If the game is in sight the dealer should secure it at once, even if he declares spades only. When the dealer has not a trick in his hand some good players and authorities strongly advocate his declar- ing spades as a purely defensive measure, on the ground that to pass the make to dummy would probably result in a loss, as dummy would estimate the dealer's hand to be worth something at least, and might declare no trump or a red-suit trump and materially help the other side, while on a safety or defensive spade declaration no serious harm could result. This may be the best plan, but it certainly seems a very timid proceeding. Most players prefer to risk something and pass 44 THE GAME OF BRIDGE the make to dummy. If he happens to hold a strong hand (and the chances of that are somewhat improved by the dealer's weakness), something may be gained ; if dummy is weak and declares spades for safety, no greater loss is in- curred. The risk of loss is when dummy with only moderate strength makes a strong declaration, especially if the other side doubles. This will occasionally happen. The matter is in dispute and there is no settled rule. The Make as affected by the Score The suggestions made above as to the declaration of a suit trump, or no trump, are generally intended to apply more particularly when the score is at " love- all." But some few cases have been instanced to show the advisability of a SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 45 different make in different conditions of the score, and the reader cannot fail to perceive that the state of the score is a matter of the first importance in deter- mining the make. It cannot be too strongly impressed on the mind of the student that the first thing to be considered by the player is the state of the score and the number of tricks needed to win the game, or to save it, at different stages of its progress. Perfect familiarity with keeping the score is very important for each player, as it teaches more than anything else the bearing of the score on the situation, and the habit of keeping it in mind. Every student of the game should have a thorough drilling in keeping the score. At the different scores the number of odd cards needed to win the game 46 THE GAME OF BRIDGE on the different declarations are as follows : Score No Trump Hearts Diamonds Clubs Spades 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 7 4 3 4 5 7 6 2 3 4 6 8 2 3 4 6 10 2 3 4 5 12 2 3 3 5 14 2 2 3 4 16 2 2 3 4 7 18 2 2 3 6 20 2 2 3 5 22 1 2 2 4 24 1 1 2 3 26 1 I 1 2 28 1 1 1 1 It will be seen that six is the first point at which there is a diminution in the number of tricks required to win out at any trump make, except spades ; the next important change is at 14, the next at 18, the next at 22. On a diamond make the changes come at the scores of 6, 12, 18, 24. The most important SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 47 score points therefore are 6, 12, 14, 18, 24. Unless the dealer can make at least six on his deal he practically loses his deal. If the adversaries have the deal, and you can prevent their reaching six you have nullified their deal, and the next deal with all its advantages comes to you. The dealer should start out v^ith the ambition and the intention to win the game on his deal, and should make such no-trump or trump-suit declaration as would ac- complish this result if possible ; but if he is convinced that he cannot win out, then he should aim to make as good a score on the game as possible, and should strive to reach one of the impor- tant score points above mentioned. The state of the score on both sides must be considered, and may influence the make. 48 THE GAME OF BRIDGE Thus, supposing the dealer s game score is 16 and the adversaries' is 18. Here one trick at no trump would put the adversaries out, while two tricks at no trump or at hearts are needed by the dealer. If the chances for the odd card are a little doubtful, but there is some prospect either at no trump or at hearts, the hearts would be the safer make, be- cause if they win it the odd card would not put the adversaries out. On the other hand, if the scores were reversed and the dealer at 18 and adversaries at 16, the no-trump declaration would be preferable, other things being equal ; the odd card would give the dealer the game, while if the adversaries won it, it would make them 28. So with other points of the score. If a conservative make will put the dealer at a desirable posi- SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 49 tion, such as 18 or 24, while a more expensive make, which, although it would carry him out if successful, yet would incur the risk of putting the adversaries out, or in an advantageous position, and the chances are very doubtful, the con- servative make would be the wisest and best. On the other hand, if either of two possible declarations is somewhat speculative and one of them would, if successful, advantage the dealer's score, and the other, if unsuccessful, would help the adversaries more, he should declare the make which would, if successful, do him the most good, and, if unsuccessful, do the least good to the adversaries. Supposing the score to be 24 for each side at the beginning of the third game of the rubber, and the make to have been left to dummy; his best chance 50 THE GAME OF BRIDGE to win out, if he has a red suit of four or more cards, and no great strength in the other suits, is to declare the red suit. If he cannot win out in that deal, he is practically sure to lose the game. If he has no strength in red suits, he should declare spades for safety. If the adver- saries are at 28 to his 24, a moderate red-suit make would in general be better than a defensive spade, provided there is a chance to make the odd. It has been intimated above that a diamond make is not a very desirable one at love-all. But when the score is at twelve or more, diamonds become more valuable, because the number of odd cards needed to win out is diminished. The same is true of the black suits ; at the stage of 26, but one trick in clubs or two in spades are needed to SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 51 go out, and if such strength in spades or clubs is held as to ensure the game, the dealer should not hesitate to declare a black suit, especially if weak in the red suits. He should secure the game at once when the opportunity comes. Many other instances might be cited, but the student must learn to observe and estimate them for himself, and gov- ern his play accordingly. No rules can be prescribed for such cases. Dummy Makes AVhen the make is left to dummy he is obliged to name the trump. He starts with the knowledge that the dealer can- not be very strong as he has declined to name the trump. If the dealer has any considerable strength it is likely to be in a black suit. Still he may hold sorne 52 THE GAME OF BRIDGE fairly high cards in hearts or diamonds, although not enough in number to war- rant declaring the suit. Then dummy of course knows what he has in his own hand, and knows, or should know, the state of the score. Bearing these things in mind, and also that his hand must be laid down and exposed, he must make the best selection he can. Although the dealer did not name the trump, it does not necessarily follow that he has no strength at all, nor even that his hand is below the average in trick-taking capacity. Dummy ought to assume that the dealer's hand is good for two or three tricks, and he should not be frightened out of making an expensive declaration merely because the dealer left the make. If his hand warrants it he should declare no trump. SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 53 or hearts or diamonds, regardless of its having been passed over to him. Holding any of the combinations which have been given above for regu- lar no-trump, hearts or diamonds makes, he should declare accordingly. But the speculative makes should be avoided unless the state of the score makes it necessary to run some risk to save the game. Five hearts or diamonds, for in- stance, even with two honors, without good protection in the other suits, would ordinarily be unsafe to declare upon ; yet, if the score were so adverse as to make it almost certain that the game is lost unless it can be saved on this deal, and the only way to win or save it world be to make six or eight points on the hand, dummy would be justified in declaring the hearts or diamonds. An 54 THE GAME OF BRIDGE instance was given above where it was stated that if the make is left to dummy and he has only moderate strength in a red suit, and no other, and the score is 24 - 24 at the beginning of the third and decisive game of the rubber, it would be justifiable for him to declare the red suit, for his position is desperate. If he declares spades for safety the chances are that the other side will double and go out, or go out without the double, while if he wins the odd card, the ad- ditional score of two points will make no material difference in the total score, and the adversaries will win out on the next deal almost to a certainty. He might as well take the bull by the horns and declare the red suit, trusting in some help from the dealer. A club make would be justifiable only SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 55 when dummy holds such strength in clubs as to make the winning of the odd card reasonably certain. A specu- lative club make should never be in- dulged in unless the state of the score makes it necessary in order to save the game ; even considerable strength in clubs, without something in the other suits to back it up, does not warrant a club call. Very little can be gained in clubs over a spade make. Never declare clubs for safety ; spades is the only safety make. It is proper to de- clare spades with a very weak hand even though no spades are held ; for in- stance, with king and three low clubs, four low hearts, and five low diamonds, spades would be the proper trump make on a pass to dummy. If dummy has a strong hand he should declare to its best strength 56 THE GAME OF BRIDGE and do what he can to aid the dealer to win, or at least to save, the game on their deal. Doubling After the dealer, or dummy, has de- clared the trump suit or no trump, the adversaries — the elder hand having the first turn, whether the dealer or dummy made the trump — may double the value of each odd trick. If the elder hand does not wish to double, he asks his partner (pone), "May I lead?" and then pone has the right to double. If he doubles, or if either of them doubles, the other side has the right to double again and so on. If the one who had the first right to double, or to double back again did not do so, but his partner doubled when his turn came, the other partner SUGGESTIONS FOR PLAY 57 may continue the doubling in spite of his having at first decHned to do so. Doubhng should be very cautiously indulged in, especially by beginners, but if the player feels confident of winning the odd card on his own hand he should double. If, in order to win the odd card, he must rely on his partner for more than one trick, it is not safe to double, for with such considerable strength in two hands the other two are weak, and partner's may be very weak. The position of the player contemplat- ing doubling, whether on the left or the right of the player who made the trump, is of considerable importance, and would have a good deal of influence in deciding the question of doubling or not doubling. It is an advantage to play after the 68 THE GAME OF BRIDGE original trump declarer if considerable strength in the trump suit is held, espe- cially when holding the major tenace in it. Suppose the dealer declared hearts and the elder hand holds five hearts with ace, queen, and an established black suit, say five spades, headed by ace, king, queen, ace of clubs, and king of diamonds guarded, he should double ; and if not redoubled, he should lead the spades king. Bar trumping, he has six tricks practically certain, with a good chance for two more ; if the dealer trumps spades after one round, then his trump strength is so diminished as to help the doubling hand. On the other hand if pone holds the hand above given and the dealer de- clared hearts and the elder hand has declined to double, pone's position on b V " ° " ° ' ^^ o , >/ ^lib: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS I 020 237 417 7 i'^SRi