BRIDGE NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20612, 30 July 1932, Page 6

BRIDGE NOTES.

BIDDING WITHOUT TOP HONOURS. (SPECIALLT WRITTEN" FOB THE PR2SB.) [By William Shack 15.3 There are exceptions to all rules, even those which' are recognised to be founded upon general practice. Many a good player has looked askance at another who bids an intial call without top honours, and even though such a bid "gets home" he is satisfied in his. own mind that such a bid was unjustifiable. Now let us look into the matter a little further and take a hand or two for examples. Suppose one is dealt S., 9, 8, 7, 5, 4; 11., A, 10, 6; D., A,.K, 6, 5; C., 8.; surely such a, hand is too good to pass yet an informative bid of a minor suit, one Diamond, inorder to show two quick tricks, would probably only result in partner bidding two Clubs, when one would haye to go into either two Spades or two notrumps. Probably most players would bid the latter. Yet this hand played in Spaces would quite likely go far towards game. By calling as above this player considers he has given all the possible information he was able to give partner. His excuse, though of course he doesn't think one necessary, is that by bidding a spade on the first round he would be deceiving his partner. Superficially this might be so, but provided it does not cause partner to make a fake bid or to play the hand, such does not matter in the least.

Now suppose partner has a sufficiently good hand to raise oije, of what could that hand consist? Certainly not top Diamonds and probably not Hearts, therefore his strength must be in either Clubs or Spades. Suppose it is Clubs, and he" bids them. One is no worse off than if one had bid Diamonds, as one will still have the choice, as originally mentioned, of going into no-trumps or back into two Spades. On the other hand, partner may himself hold the top Spades, in which case he will at once assume that partner actually holds a hand very similar to the one given above. On his bid, and being a reliable partner, as all partners must be considered, the hand must consist of five Spades, plus at least two or three tricks, sure tricks too, -in outside suits. Knowing this, partner is justified in putting the bidding well up, and he should not fear any double which the opponents may be foolish enough to make, for such hands will be found to "fit." Naturally it is most important that the original declarer does hold quick tricks outside the suit named, otherwise disaster is only waiting round the corner. For .instance, suppose one held:—S., 9, 8, 7, 5, 4; H., K, J, 6; D., K, Q, 6, 5; C. 8 and stil bid qnc Spade. His partner may be holding' A, Q of Hearts and ace of Diamonds, with only .two or three small Spades. Naturally in such a case partner would put one up once, and if pressed twice, and he would be quite justified, too. Yet what a disaster this might possibly prove! Perhaps opponents could play four rounds of trumps, then their Clubs, thus giving declarer only one trick in trumps, and three each in Hearts and Diamonds—even less if one - opponent held five trumps and was short in either Hearts or Diamonds. Such hands are likely, and therefore one must be sure to hold tricks before attempting to bid a suit without top honours. A further note of warning, if partner goes into no-trumps one must take him back into one's original suit, as partner will rightly be expecting tricks in the suit named, and one's outside strength may not be nearly so useful, to him as one would suppose. Opponents would rightly interpret the no-trump bid as denial of strength in Spades, and therefore lead them, thus spoiling the hand before declarer was able to make his long suit of Clubs, on which he. probably made his no-trump declaration.