CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 114, 15 May 1936, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

STRUGGLE FOR TOP SCORES. (By ELY CULBERTSON.) Duplicate bridge with its unnatural scoring system where the match point basis is used has a strong tendency to force unnatural contracts on many hands, as, for instance, the tendency to piny a hand in no trump rather than in a major suit because no trump counts more, provided the same number of tricks are made. In a recent duplicate game at Crockford's Club, New York, Mr. Samuel Fry, jun., playing the North hand, contracted to take all 13 tri-cks at no trump in preference to Spades, which was made laid down, because he felt the other players holding the same cards would contract for the Spade grand slam and thus share his glory and the match points. In order to fulfil his contract at no trump it was necessary to resort to the squeeze. North dealer. North and South vulnerable. • A—K Q9 5 V—A K ♦—A K 10 dfi —K Q 8 5 A —7 3 j I (& —J 6 2 V—s 4 3 w E ' 9 6 2 J 87 5 W ♦—Q 64 3 J9 7 6 1 5 I *—10 2 —A 10 8 4 V—Q 10 8 7 o—9 2 A 4 a The Bidding. North East South West 2 A, Pass 4 £ Pass 4 N.T. Pass 5 N.T. Pass 7 N.T. Pass Pass Pass The bidding, as explained in the opening paragraph, was somewhat unusual. North, with six honour tricks, should certainly open with a forcing bi<l of two, and South's response of four Spades is clearly indicated. The bids of four and five no trump followed as a matter of course and the fine choice of the no trump was bnse<l on the scoring situation and to a certain extent upon the balanced nature of the North hand. The opening lead was a small Heart, and Mr. Fry then took three rounds of Clubs, a second round of Hearts and four rounds of Spades, the last Spade trick being won in the dummy. East, during this process, had been forced to find two discards, hi* last four cards being the Heart Knavenine and the Diamond Queen-six. At this point West held the high Club and three Diamonds, but when the Heart Queen was led from dummy, West, forced to retain the Club, was compelled to unguard the Diamond suit. When West discarded a Diamond, the remaining Club in the closed hand was discarded and the last three tricks won with the Diamond Ace-King-ten in the declarer's hand. * * * • West dealer. Both sides vulnerable. A —J V—K Q 8 7 6 J 8 Jft —A K Q 9 4 A—A 8 6 , rj , —K QlO 5 4 V—None w " _ V—J 95 4 3 ♦—KQ 10 65 4 w E ♦—9 3 2 J 10 5 2 1 H ! «?,—None 1 97 3 2 V—A 10 2 ♦ —A 7 *—8 7 6 3 The hand will be discussed in next week's article.