CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1936, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

CONCEALING HAND PATTERN

(By ELY CULBERTSON.)

Generally speaking, there must be a full and free exchange of information between the partnership in a bridge game if the best con tract is to be reached in the bidding. However, there are hands in which a good bridge player early decides to conceal some important feature of his hand' - because he has already determined the suit in which it will be played if his side is to plav the contract and does not wish to disclose to the opponents information which might cause them to defend by further bidding. It was a realisation of this principle that "•ave to a North-South pair in a team-of-four contest held in New York recently a swing of more than 1000 points on ths hand below:— North dealer. North and South vulnerable. A-J 8 4 3 V—A 7 ♦—9 7 2 •(a —K 8 5 4 4k—K 9 6 5 j ST — i A—A QlO 7 2 5-10 65 4 w N E | 5 4 —A 4 q I — „ . . —10 7 3 J 5 * — A QJ 9 A—None V—K QJ 32 + —K Q J 10 8 3 *—6 2 The Bidding. (Figures after bids refer to numbered explanatory paragraphs.) North East South West Pass 1 A ♦ (1) 2 Pass 3 A (2) 4 ♦ (3) Pass _ Pass 4 A (4) 5 ♦ Dbl. (5) Pass Pass Pass •j—Correctly showing the six-card length, as if South should become declarer with Hearts as trump, the immediate shortening of the Heart holding might prove very disastrous. 2.—As it later developed, East would have been much wiser to" have shown his fourcard Club suit rather than rebid Spades, as this bid would have pointed out the correct line of defence,, but it would also have shown a stronger hand than was held.

3. —This is a very good bid. South lcnew that if he disclosed his two-suiter he would not be permitted to play the hand at four Hearts, whether he could „make that contmt" or not. There was a strong probability that East and West had a game in. Spades and South had already decided to play five Diamonds as a sacrifice, the honour score in Diamonds reducing the probable loss. There was also a chance that lie might be doubled in four Diamonds, and a bid of four Hearts would simply disclose the pattern of liis hand. 4.—East felt that the chance of making four Spades was better than the prospect of defeating four Diamonds two tricks. 5. —West was right in doubling. From his partner's bidding and his own sure trick in Diamonds it appeared tf> him that South had bid too much, whereas the making of five Spades was problematic. It is, of course, apparent in studying all the hands that South can be defeated one trick by a Club lead through the King in dummy. However, West opened his fourthbest Spade, and South ruffed and led the Knave of Diamonds, which was allowed to liokl. Another Diamond was led and West won with the Ace, but, knowing nothing of South's concealed Heart suit, West returned another round of Spades. South ruffed and was able to discard three of the Clubs in dummy on his Hearts, thus making his doubled contract, losing only one Club and the Ace of trumps. The hand, played in a team-of-four match, resulted in the same final contract at the other table, but as South there had bid both his suits* West switched to the Clubs as soon as lie took the Diamond Ace, and thus South was set one trick. South dealer. Both sides vulnerable. 4b—K Q 8 V—K QJ 8 2 ♦—10 7 A K Q A-« 7 6 i rj r*—A J1043 2 V-7 6 w E *~ A 9 ♦—Q 6 S ♦— 9 Jft —J 10 854 3 J 5 ! 97 6 2 A—s 5 4 3 4—AKJB 5 4 3 2 Jf, —None The hand will be discussed in next week's article.