BERGHOLT, ERNEST.--Double Dummy Bridge: [an exhaustive collection of card-problems by living composers]. (Thos. De la Rue & Co., Ld.)

DALTON, WILLIAM.--Bridge at a Glance: an Alphabetical Synopsis. (Thos.

De la Rue & Co., Ld.)

---- Bridge Abridged; or, Practical Bridge. (Do.)

---- "Sat.u.r.day" Bridge. (The West Strand Publishing Co., Ld.)

DOE, JOHN.--The Bridge Manual. (Frederick Warne and Co.)

HOFFMANN, Professor.--Bridge. (Chas. Goodall & Son, Ld.)

_For American Views on the Game._

ELWELL, J. B.--Bridge.--Advanced Bridge.--Practical Bridge. (Chas.

Scribner's Sons, New York; and George Newnes, Ld., London.)

STREET, C. S.--Bridge Up to Date. Dodd, Mead & Co., New York.

_For Anglo-Indian Views._

h.e.l.lESPONT.--The Laws and Principles of Bridge. (De la Rue, London)

ACE OF SPADES.--The Theory and Practice of Bridge. (_Times of India_ Press, Bombay.)

LYNX.--Bridge Topics. (W. Newman & Co., Calcutta.)

ROBERTSON and WOLLASTON.--The Robertson Rule and other Bridge Axioms.

(Calcutta.)

{247}

AUCTION BRIDGE.

A lively offshoot from the preceding game, which has recently become very popular in some of the London Clubs. So highly is it ranked in many quarters, that a well-known player has given it as his opinion that "in a year or two we shall only remember Bridge as the son of Whist and the father of Auction." Having in view the strong element of gambling which the latter game contains, and the expectedly heavy losses which may be incurred by the unwary player, the writer opines that a good many impecunious folk are likely to remember it only as being connected with their "uncle."

It is, in fact, a combination of Bridge and Poker. In all that takes place after the declaration has been finally determined, it is pure Bridge, with an extra infusion of "double dummy," due to inferences from the course of the bidding. In the bidding itself, which leads up to the final declaration, the qualities of the Poker-player are pre-eminent--cool but rapid judgment, shrewd reading of character, a happy instinct when to "lie low" and when to "bluff"; when to make a spurt forward for game, and when to egg the opponents on beyond the limits of discretion, and to leave them in the lurch!

By the adherents of the new game--who are head {248} over ears in love with it, and are consequently blind to all its weak points--it is contended that the "gambling" argument brought against it is as fallacious as it was when urged against Bridge proper, and that, to redress the balance, it is only necessary to readjust the value of the points. This is not true. Poker is an excellent game, but no readjustment of values will ever place it on the same plane as games of science, because the qualities of brain and temperament upon which it is based are essentially distinct from the qualities of a.n.a.lysis and combination such as go to the making of (say) a first-cla.s.s Chess-player. There is, undoubtedly, a greater difference in kind between Auction Bridge and Bridge than there is between Bridge and Whist; whether that difference renders Auction "inferior" or "superior,"

however, is a moot question which every card-player must decide for himself. There are many who regard the additional spice of hazard, not as a defect, but as a merit.

The Laws of the game, which for some time were in a state of flux, have now been settled as authoritatively as those of Bridge or Whist. It will only be necessary to set out _verbatim_ those Laws which differ from the Laws of Bridge. As regards the remainder, the reader is referred to the preceding Bridge Code.

THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE.

(Framed by a Joint Committee of the Portland and Bath Clubs, 1908; and reprinted, by permission, so far as they differ from the Laws of Bridge.)

1. _As in Bridge._

2. A game consists of thirty points obtained by {249} tricks alone, when the declarer fulfils his contract, which are scored below the line, exclusive of any points counted for Honours, Chicane, Slam, or under-tricks, which are scored above the line.

3. _As in Bridge._

4. When the declarer fulfils his contract, each trick above six counts, &c.

(_as in Bridge_).

5 to 10. _As in Bridge._

11. At the end of the rubber, the total scores for tricks, Honours, Chicane, and Slam obtained by each player and his partner are added up, 250 points are added to the score of the winners of the rubber, and the difference between the two scores is the number of points won, or lost, by the winners of the rubber.

12 to 46. _As in Bridge._

47. The dealer, having examined his hand, must declare to win at least one odd trick, either with a trump suit, or at "no trumps."

48. After the dealer has made his declaration, each player in turn, commencing with the player on the dealer's left, has the right to pa.s.s the previous declaration, or to double, or re-double, or to overcall the previous declaration by making a call of higher value. A call of a greater number of tricks in a suit of lower value, which equals the previous call in value of points, shall be considered a call of higher value--_e.g._ a call of two tricks in Spades overcalls one trick in Clubs, or "Two Diamonds" overcalls "One No Trump."

49. A player may overbid the previous call any number of times, and may also overbid his partner. The play of the two combined hands shall rest with the partners who make the final call. Where two partners have both made calls in the same suit, the {250} one who made the first such call shall play the hand, his partner becoming Dummy.

50. When the player of the two hands (hereafter termed the declarer) wins the number of tricks which were declared, or a greater number, he scores below the line the full value of the tricks won (see Laws 2 and 4). When he fails, his adversaries score, above the line, 50 points for each under-trick, _i.e._ each trick short of the number declared; or, if the declaration was doubled or re-doubled, 100 or 200 points respectively for each such trick. Neither the declarer nor the adversaries score anything below the line for that hand.

51. The loss on the declaration of "One Spade" shall be limited to 100 points in respect of tricks, whether doubled or not.

52. If a player makes a trump declaration out of turn, the adversary on his left may demand a new deal, or may allow the declaration so made to stand, when the bidding shall continue as if the declaration had been in order.

53. If a player, in bidding, fails to call a sufficient number of tricks to overbid the previous declaration, he shall be considered to have declared the requisite number of tricks in the call which he has made, and his partner shall be debarred from making any further declaration, unless either of his adversaries overcall, or double.

54. After the final declaration has been accepted, a player is not ent.i.tled to give his partner any information as to a previous call, whether made by himself or by either adversary; but a player is ent.i.tled to inquire, at any time during the play of the hand, what was the value of the final declaration. {251}

55. Doubling and re-doubling affect the score only, and not the value in declaring--_e.g._ "Two Diamonds" will still overcall "One No Trump,"

although the "no trump" declaration has been doubled.

56. Any declaration can be doubled, and re-doubled once, but not more. A player cannot double his partner's call, or re-double his partner's double, but he may re-double a call of his partner's which has been doubled by an adversary.

57. The act of doubling re-opens the bidding. When a declaration has been doubled, any player, including the declarer or his partner, can in his proper turn make a further declaration of higher value.

58. When a player, whose declaration has been doubled, fulfils his contract by winning the declared number of tricks, he scores a bonus of 50 points above the line, and a further 50 points for every additional trick which he may make. If he, or his partner, have re-doubled, the bonus is doubled.

59. If a player doubles out of turn, the adversary on his left may demand a new deal.

60. When all the players have expressed themselves satisfied, the play shall begin, and the player on the left of the declarer shall lead.

61. A declaration once made cannot be altered, unless it has been overcalled or doubled.