CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 98, 28 April 1933, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

FORCING BIDS WITH PART-SCORES. (By ELY CULBERTSON.) This is the third of a series of articles by Mr. Culbertson, dealing with the additions and refinements made necessary in Contract bidding by the new scoring. A situation which frequently recurs at the Contract is the great difficulty of reaching a slam in the bidding when the side holding the potential slam has a part-score. Paradoxical as it may appear, slam bidding with part-scores has always been much more difficult than when the players start at scratch. The reason for this is that there is not the opportunity to exchange information as to honour strength and suit lengths before the "stop" signal of a game contract is reached. In order to obviate this difficulty in the Culbertson system of 1933 there has been provided a forcing bid of two in a suit, which requires one response from partner, even in the cases where the bid of two is sufficient to contract for game. The response to such a forcing bid is identical with the response to a forcing bid with a love score—that is, if the partner holds a bust and there is no intervening adverse bid, he must respond with the minimum answer of two no trump. If, exceptionally, he holds strength, he must show it. In' case, even after a bust response at no trump, the opening hand then makes another jump bid in a new suit, the responding hand again must answer, as the bonuses for slams are too great not to explore the possibility of making them so long as the game is not "in danger. Naturally, in order to make a bid of two in a suit, which, with a partscore, produces game, forcing, the hand must be replete not only with honour tricks but with playing tricks sufficient to guarantee making a contract of at least one more than game. Therefore, forcing bids with a part-score must be made with full realisation that a sure game should not be endangered by greediness. An example of correct bidding on a strong hand with a part-score is given below:

South dealer. North and South vulnerable; part-score 40.

The Bidding. (Figures after bids in table refer to numbered explanatory paragraphs.) South North 2*o) 2 N.T. (2) 4 * (3) Pass (4)

I.—The hand, it will be noted, measures up to tho requirements of a bid of two in a suit, whether or not there is a part-score. 2.—North has a practically blank hand. However, he must respond. It is conceivable that South may have twelve tricks laid down and is only awaiting his partner's answer to decide whether to contract for twelve or thirteen. 3.—South has no other suit to show, but, keeping in mind his partner's minimum response, he contracts to take tho tricks he can see in his own hand. The game is in rto wise endangered by this bid, and there is a bare chance that there may still be a slam in the hand. 4.—Obviously, North must pass. You have opened the bidding with one Heart, to which partner has responded with two Hearts. What should be the subsequent bidding on the hand shown below ? South dealer. Neither side vulnerable.

The answer will be given next week.