Ellensburg Daily Record – 2 Ago 1956
Mr. Champion is the type of player who is always trying to teach the Mr Muzzy of the game all about the rule of eleven. Mr. Muzzy is the type who will never learn it. Of course Mr. Champion is wasting his time. But he is so good that it practically kills him to see a bad play made. He can’t help telling how the error could have a been avoided. This is not only boresome to the players in the game, it is also an expensive habit for Mr. Champion.
Today’s hand is a good example. Mr. Muzzy tried hard to remember what his partner had told him about the rule of eleven. If he had not been harangued on that subject during previous deats, it is probable that he would have made the winning play.
South dealer Both sides vulnerable
Here is what happened. Against, Miss Brash’s wildly optimistic no trump contract. Mr. Champion led the five of hearts. The trey went on from dummy and it was up to Mr. Muzzy. He recalled vaguely that something about the number of the card led, subtracted from some other number, would tell him, something about what Miss Brash held in hearts.
Plays Jack
The way he remembered it was that the rule told you not to go up, with your highest card the first time. So here he played the jack of hearts. Miss Brash won with the king and rattled off eleven tricks—six diamonds, four spades and the heart. As you can see, the defenders could have won the first 11 tricks too—if Mr. Muzzy had played the ace of hearts at trick one. They could have taken five hearts and six clubs. So Miss Brash made five odd and should have been down seven—a total swing of nine tricks.
Own Devices
Left to his own devices, Mr. Muzzy probably would have played the ace of hears first. He prides himself on always playing third, hand high. As Mr. Champion pointed out, the time to go up with your highest card is when the dummy has only inconsequencial cards in the suit led. The time to play a lower card, (like the jack from Mr. Muzzy’s heart suit) is when dummy has a card which is higher, than your second highest card.