THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 22, 25 July 1936, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

THE REPEATED ASKING BID

It sometimes happens that after having received a favourable response to ! an asking bid, the asking player wishes | ;to gather still further information j about the asked suit. The following hand is an interesting example of the possibilities of this bid. Second and third asking bids are made in the same suit in the effort to obtain specific j information about the partner's holding in that particular suit. To the first asking bid, the partner makes a favourable response, but to the second I asking bid he can only respond with a i sign-off. In spite of the sign-off, the j asking player, who is by this time j certain of a small slam, makes a third asking bid in the same suit, to see whether it is possible to bid a grand slam. To the third asking bid the partner is able to make the desired response and the grand slam is bid and made. 4ft J.D.7.4. I 4 Q.J.9.T. Jf, A.5.4. North. I ! £ B I South. A.K.Q.8.2. V X.9.6.4.2. 4 A.K. ; . *J- ; South dealer. The bidding:— South. Xorth. 1♦ 3 * 1 (1) I 4 X.T. (2) ■ 3 * (3) * . S 4 « V ? 6 X.T. 1. Four hearts is an asking bid. 2. Four no-trumps as a response to the asking bid shows South that he holds the heart and club Aces.. 3. South now indulges in a bit of strategy by making a second asking bid in hearts. First-round control having been shown, this bid asks for second-round' control (ability to win the second trick). North believes he is trying to find out about the heart King, and not having it, he signs off with five spades. 4. South now for the third time asks about hearts. North told him about the Ace, but also told him about the lack of the King; evidently South now wishes to know about the Queen or a doubleton. North therefore responds with the required number of no-trumps, which is six no-trumps. Had he held something like A.7.5. of hearts, he would have signed off with six spades. In that case, a grand slam was impossible, while a small slam was always safe. WHEN THE ASKING BID IS DOUBLED. It may happen that an opponent in a desperate attempt to interfere with the exchange of information sought by an asking player makes a penalty , double of the asking bid. In this event, the responses of the asking player's partner are amended to cope with the j double as follows:—

1. With second-round control, but no Ace—redouble.

2. With second-round control and the trump Ace—bid the trump suit at the lowest level.

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! 3. To sign off—simply pass. Ace-showing responses and no-trump I responses are exactly the same as though the double had not occurred. It should be noted that the penalty double by an opponent makes it easier if anything for the asking player's partner to give the correct response. Mr. Culbertson illustrates this penalty double in the following hand, and explains the bidding:— . + 8.2. 9 10.5.3.4. 4 10.5.4. £ X.8.5.2. ♦ 9' B- North. * '■=■ ¥ X.9. . ~ 5 * J.T.6.3.J. ♦ X.9. | £ .1.7.6.5.3.1. Jf, Q.J.10.9.7.4.3. South. — A.K.Q.J.10.6.4. V A.Q. ♦ A.Q. * A.6. South dealer. Neither side vulnefi able. The bidding:— South. West. North. , East 2 Pass. 2 X.T. Pass. 3 <jk Pass. 3 X.T. Pass. ♦ 5 Jf, (1) ? Double'(2) Redouble (3) Pass. 6jk Double. Pass. Pass. 1. If North has second-round coi*» trol of clubs, South is willing to play for a small slam. He might better have made the asking bid at his second opportunity by bidding four clubs over two no-trumps. (A jump asking bid, i.e., any unnecessary jump when a forcing bid already exists, can be made when no suit has been called by partner.) 2. Penalty to intimidate his adversaries and partly as a lead indicator should North play the hand at no trumps. 3. Showing the King. 4. A good gamble. If North has three to the Jack of one of the red suits, tha slam is "cold." Otherwise there is a choice of finesse. 5. An injudicious double, partly because it is too optimistic and partly because it is too revealing. The play of the hand.—West opened the Queen of clubs, dummy ducked, and East ruffed. South throwing tha Ace of clubs on the trick. East returned a diamond, and South won with, the Ace. Being convinced that both the red Kings were held by West, he drew the opposition trumps, played the Ace of hearts, and then the rest of the trumps, saving dummy's clubs. When the last trump was led, the position was:— ♦ - V io. ♦ - £ X.5.5. ♦ — North! 4 ~ » X- 4 -i ¥ — ♦ K. g £ J. 7.6.1. Jfc J.lO. I South. J^ ♦ *• ¥ Q. ♦ «• + 6 West had now to discard. A club discard would establish the entire dummy; a red discard would establish a winner for South, which he would forthwith cash, thus squeezing I West once more.