BRIDGE NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20274, 27 June 1931, Page 13

BRIDGE NOTES.

BIDDING TO THE SCORE. (SPECIALLY WRJTTJSS FOB THE PKEBS.) [By William Shackle.] Bidding; to the score is very oiten misinterpreted to mean to overbid, whereas it, of course, really means to cjverbid only if opponents will go game if they play the hand as the bidding stands. ' If by "overbidding, say, one trick, one goes down, one loses 50 points, or 100 if doubled, less> the points that would otherwise have been obtained by the opponents. Sup-, pose, however, the opponents would themselves have gone down, one loses the same number of points plus the number that would have been scored as penalty for opponents' loss of contract. Personally I overbid only if I am reasonably ' satisfied that opponents will get home unless I do so, otherwise I leave well alone. j The following hand, which I saw played a few nights ago will serve xo illustrate this point. A B were game up plus 10 in second game. Y Z no, score.

Y dealt and bid one no trump. ■ j T. B. 1. A. I INo Trump. No bid. 2 Hearts. 2 Spades. 3 Hearts. 4 Diamonds. 1 Hearts. 4 Spades. A having 7 spades was satisfied that at the most he could lose 4 tricks, 1 heart, 1 club, 2 spades, even though B had nothing, whereas he could not be sure'that Y Z would not make their contract and game. Now Y, with the lead, could be reasonably sure of defeating the 4 spade bid, and could see a good possible chance of making o hearts. Off-hand most players would "double," yet "Y" said "no bid,'' reasoning as follows: : —"Z" cannot be hoMing nnv high cards, yet if ""V" doubled "Z" might take "Y" out of the double into 5 hearts, not because he expected to make them, but because "Y' might be reckoning one trick in "Z's" hand. Now "Y" by saying no bid felt sure that "Z" would only bid if he was sure of game. In onher case"Y" was therefore sure, of either defeating A's 4 spades or "Y" going game in hearts. At the end of the . evening 100 points won, only equals - 100 points given away as penalties or bonus to opponents. ■' Call to the score, yes, but only when vou need to do so in order to save game or rubber. On the piav of the above hand "AB" were actually down two tricks as "Z" trumped .in on the first round of diamonds, returning a club. If he had played a trump back a further trick would have been possible, as ho could then have ruffed again on second I round of clubs-