THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 31, 5 August 1933, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Weekly Chat on Contract i

Specially Written for "The Evening Post" by 'Approach Bid.'

RAISES.

Example: Opening hand calls 1 spade, responding hand 3 spades holding:-r— Spades :.. .V/i Q.9.G.3.2. or 1 J. 10.7.6. Hea'its". ... IVi' AIQ.3. 1. 4.3. Diamonds '.I' X.10.8.8. 2. A.Q.5.3. Clubs .... 2 8. 1 K.J.5. . (i playing tricks 5 playing trick* with 2 ',■■ liono'ui wilh2%ho'n» trlcks. our tricks and a plus. • Eaise to G-aine.—The requirements fof a raise to game areadequate trump support, and from 6} to 7i playing tricks, including.2s ,to 3' -f honour tricks.- ■ Example: .: Opening hand '..bids ■ I spade, responding hand 4 spades, holding;—, . ■ .- ; ■ ..'■■ ' ~ Spades .1 J. 10.7. G.- .or 1 9.8.7.6.3. Hearts .2 .9. ,_ iy, K.Q.7.2. Diamonds £%- -A.K.9';3; ■■•■•• -2. ■ O.J-<" Clnbs ,1 . Q.J.6.2. 2 A.X.3. 1 0% playing tricks U% playing tricks with 21,4 hon- with 3 honour our tricks. . 'tricks. Raise to game in minor suit, after partner's opening bid of one in- the suit, requires about 7. playing, tricks, including 2J to 3 + honour tricks.' Example1: Opening hand bids one diamond, responding hand 5 diamonds, holding:— ■' . •Spades. Hearts. Diamonds.. Clubs, •\- 9:6.. ; ..K..r.3.7.2. ■ A.9.8.U3.', . 3- —~ .-,,-..2 , '~ 2 =.-7 i j)layinß " ■' tricks with 3 honour tricks ' .. A .Secondary Raise.—'With hands con* taming the required number- of playing tricks for a raise in the partner's suit, but: lacking* tli6 necessary honour trick support, the •■.responding hand should'pass if the' secondVhand intervenes with a bid. For example, if opening hand.bids 1 heart, and second hand oyerealls 'with 1' spade, the responding hand'will pass,.':. holding: Spades 10., Hearts #.8.7.0.3., Diamonds- K.9.8.G.3., Clubs 9.8. This hand Jias ~4J playing tricks, but no honour, trick support, il. there is any. further bidding, the responding hand can support his partner up. to the full value of, his playing tricks, having first shown by passing that his hand is lacking in. honour tricks. If he gives a free raise (on the first. round), his partner; must credit him with 1J honour tricks, and ma/| contract for a-slam if hi? hand is very; strong. Without c the honour tricks in the responding hand- there is very little chance of making a slam, as the op- ' ponents must then have the missing honour. tricks between them.' If the responding hand raises his partner's bid with a single raise after the second .hand has passed; his partner will realise that it may bo; only a shaded raise to keep the bidding'open, and'will, evea i on a V£ry.-strong.hand, bo'content to j call game. . '■ '■..;. j.' ■ i

Nc-tnimp Raises. —A r.yse from Ito I 2 no-trurirfs non-vuluei-auic, by t'hp'rpv sponding hand, shows lack of a. biddable,suit, and'about 2J. honour .-tricks in the liand; a' raise from 1 tO'3 n6trumps, about 3 J honour tricks. If the hand has good intermediates (knaves and tens) the raise may be given, in each caso, on slightly less. When vulnerable a raise from 1 to 2 no-trumps can be given on a hand containing 1-J to 2 honour tricks, and from 1 to 3 no-trumps on a hand containing from 2 to 3 honour tricks. As the opening hand when vulnerable is required to have 4 honour tricks to call 1 no-trump, it follows that the 'combined hands'inusfliold at least' 5| honour tricks on a single raise, and at least 6 honour trick's, on a double1 raise. If the responding hand holds more than 3 bare honour, tricks he will raise Do 4 no-trumps, and if holding 4 plus honour tricks, will raise to' 6 nortfumps, as in that case 8- honour tricks are accounted for, in, the combined hands. ■ Raises of a Suii;" Bid of , One. Shaded Raise.—Tlio; ; weakest raise of a partner's ; silit bid 'of one is on a hand containing from .Sj-J to 3 playing tricks, with adequate trump support, 3 to a Queen or 4 small trumps, This is .called, .a \. "shaded raise," and,, is only,, to : be ,>used : ...if: the player on the left of the opening hand passes. The sole 'object of this weak ■raise is to. keep-tho- bidding-open, in case the opening hand wishes to bid again. If the responding hand passes, there is a great danger of the., third hand passing alsoj and leaving the opening hand, who'hiay liavo,- anotheV bid, with a call of, one.. A minimum raise under these circumstances will not encourage the partner to bid further unless his hand is very strong. If the player on the left of the opening hand makes an overcall, the responding hand must pass, as his hand has. not the strength for a free raise. Example of a shaded raise after opening hand's bid of one heart: — Spades 9.7., Hearts Q. 8.7.2., Diamonds 6.5.3., Clubs K;9.6.4. This hand' has only 3 playing, tricks (I honour trick and" 2 playing tricks), and can only give a raise if necessary to keep the biddinj open. : Free Raise (single).—To raise partner's suit bid of one, the responding hand must have, in the first place,-, adequate trump support, and should contain *3i to 4i playing tricks, of which 1 to 2 should be honour triples. *: Example: Opening hand bids 1 spade, responding hand 2 spades, holding:—

Hands which; count' -up. to almost 5 playing tricks but • have- less than 2 honour tricks shpuld only give a single raise (on the first round), while hands which count up to \\ playing tricks, but have at least 2-J honour tricks, are worth a double raise. The opening hand will thus be able to determine the. number of honour tricks in his partner's hand, and this, as well as the fact that the partner has trump support, .may enable him to call game iii no-triimps, at a cheaper contract than the suit bid, especially if his opening bid was mado on a 4-card suit. If the responding hand's distribution .is more favourable to'the suit bid, he will call the game in that suit, after his partner's 3 nt>trump bid. A Double Raise (from 1 to 3).—The requirements for. a doable raise of partner's suit bit] of X are adequato trump • support, with 5 to 6 playing tricks, including 2 to 2-§ honour tricks.

When, after opening hand's bid of 1 in a minor' suit, the responding hand has a justifiable raise to 4 in'the suit it is advisable to call only up to 3, so that if the opening hand wishes to change his call to 3 no-trumps without increasing the contract, he may do so, as a game contract in a -minor suit means eleven tricks, as against nine tricks at no-trumps,. It frequently: happens that, the opening hand has called on a\ 4-card suit, and prefers the cheaper contract. If the responding hand is. more favourably distributed for his partner.! original suit call, he will overcall the 3 no-trump bid ivithi a call of 5 in that suit. In last week's notes an error was made in stating that a,forcing take-out cannot be made after an opponent's intervening bid; This is not the case. An opponent's intervening bid; d°es not *a" terfere with the opera'tibn of the fort* ing tak'e:6»t. > . • ,