CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 76, 31 March 1933, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

THE PENALTY PASS. (By ELY CULBERTSON.) ' In expert play, unquestionably the most severe penalties are meted out to low bids which are sound, judged by any standard, but which, are fated to ill fortune through the quirks and turns of distribution. T?he penalty pase—that is, the passing of partner's take-out double, and electing to play tho hand defensively when the contract doubled is a suit bid of ono or a bid of one no trump—is comparatively rare. In fact, I think it is rarer than it should be, because no matter how sound the opening bid, the perils of unfavourable- distribution cannot be charted in advance of the first declaration. Fortunately, in most instances, either the opening bidder himself or his partner can find a safe refuge, but this is not always true, as is shown in tho hand below: South dealer. North and South vulnerable. East and West not vulnerable. V—6 4 3 2 4—lo 9 6 4 #— J 8 7 5 A—Q 10 9 7 6 3 I in *—5 S-K J 7 WE V-« 10 9 8 I—2 I - *—A Q6 3 * A-AK J 42 V-α b ♦—8 3 10 9 4 The Bidding. (Figures after bids In table refer 'to numbered explanatory paragraphs.) South West North i East 1 A (1) Pass Pass Dbl. (2) Pass Pass (3) Pass I.—A perfectly sound opening bid containing three half honour tricks and a better than average suit. 2.—Tho first rumble of the approaching storm. 3.—A eound penalty pass. The hand contains four trump tricks as a minimum and two tricks in addition. East's take-out double could be as light as a feather and South must still be penalised. Against the contract of one Spade, West opened his Queen of trumps. This unusual play is fully justified by his partner's strengthehowing take-out double and his length and minor tenaee situation in trumps, which is calculated to lend itself to a later end play. South won the trump lead and led the Ace of Hearts, following that with hie. remaining Heart. This trick West won with the Knave, and continued with the ten of trumps. South now led a Diamond, and West won with the Knave and returned a trump, which South won. This was his last trick, as when he returned his last Diamond, West won with the King and picked up the remaining trumps. Thus South was defeated 1000 points. His opening bid was perfectly -sound, but both honour tricks and distribution favoured his adversaries.