| A Tribute to Joseph P. Wergin, Card Game Legend and Author
Joseph P. Wergin was born in 1910. It was an Age of Innocence, and two years before the sailing of the Titanic. His family loved card-playing, and young Joe quickly learned many card games. He soon became an expert at the game of Skat -- which was very popular in Wisconsin and the Midwest.
He also became a Cribbage devotee and promoter. After graduating from college, and serving in the military during World War II, he settled into a career with the Post Office, retiring as a Postmaster. Mr. Wergin's greatest contribution was the creation of The American Cribbage Congress in late 1979. This is the United States' governing body for Cribbage. For more information on the ACC and Cribbage, go the ACC Web Site.
Euchre was another of his passions. For many years, Mr. Wergin conducted local and regional Euchre Tournaments. In 1990 (at the age of 80), he published the first comprehensive work on this game (Euchre According to Wergin, Huron Press; Madison, WI). His book has stood the test of time, and is truly outstanding.
This deal was actually played in a recent "live" event (Ottawa, Canada). The theme of the hand (the "X-Ray" attack) is quite common. However, when a Loner is set, that is news. (Mr. Wergin's Book has a great section about defense and play of the hand.)
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| Upcard -- Jack of Spades. Three passes come to South, who pounces on the Right, declares a Loner, and drops a Singleton 9 of Hearts. Yes, the hand is a bit thin. However, this is live play, and the 4-point Premium for a Loner is hard to resist! (I would have declined the Loner call, and tried to find partner with a key value in Diamonds, or a ruffing value, and a shot at 2 points.)
West opened with the obvious Ace of Diamonds, which rode through. After a brief pause, West shifted to the 10 of Diamonds! East assumed that West did not have the King of Diamonds, and thus, he trumped with his only Spade -- the 9. South had to follow. Now, East was in perfect position to execute the "X-Ray" attack! The King of Hearts lead proved to be lethal! If South ruffed with a Bower, West would drop his last Diamond, and his trump holding established the third trick for the defense. If South tried to ruff with his ten-spot, West had an easy overruff with a high trump. In either case, the Loner was Euchred! If instead, West lazily tried the King of Diamonds lead on trick two, East might have backed off (rather than trump his partner's good trick). Now the lead is on the wrong side of the table. West is forced to play his last Diamond (a trump lead is futile). South can beat East's 9, and his Bowers save the one point for the hand. Only an alert East will trump his partner's second lead, no matter what it is.
Joe Wergin would have spotted this line of play in a flash!
If you have a question about Euchre, please send it in (heartsmoon@aol.com). I will select a different question every month.
Live Tournament Update
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