THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Issue 28, 1 August 1936, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

WEEKLY CHAT ON CONTRACT

THE ASKING BID

Since the asking bid was introduced in February last by Mr. Culbertson, practical experience of the bid in actual play has shown the necessity for making an alteration in the existing response to a repeat asking bid, when partner has already responded to the first asking bid with four no-trumps. It will be remembered that the four no-trump response to an asking bid (or a three no-trump response if the asking bid was made at the level of three) shows either two Aces and second-round control in the asked suit, or two Aces, one of them being in the asked suit. When the asking player holds two Aces himself, the four no-trump response shows the other two Aces, but if he has only one Ace and a void, it may be vital to him to know exactly which Aces his partner holds. For example, the opening bid is one spade, with £ K.Q.9.8.5.3., <$ K.Q.9.6.4., o—. <2> A.Q., and partner has given a double raise. An asking bid of four hearts produces a four no-trump response.- If the response Includes the Aces of hearts and diamonds, a small slam is the limit of the bidding, but if the Aces are in spades and hearts, a grand slam can be bid. The question is, how can the opening bidder find rout just which two Aces the partner holds? Mr. Culbertson has recently solved this problem as follows:— "When the response to the'first asking bid is four no-trumps*,'a repeat asking bid requires partner to specify the exact-holding on which his four no-trump response is made. *It" is assumed that the first asking ' bid is made at the level of four, but if the asking bid is made at a lower level, the procedure is the same, though the level of the repeat' asking bid is correspondingly lower. :' The responses to the repeat asking bid under the above conditions are:— With the Ace of the asked suit, partner bids his side Ace. Without the side Ace he signs off. Taking the example above, where an opening spade bid with 0 K.Q.9.8.5.3., <3 K.Q.9.6.4., <^ —, <§> A.Q., has been raised to three spades by partner, an asking bid of four hearts brings a four no-trump response. A repeat ; asking bid—five hearts—is now made by the opening bidder. If partner responds with five spades, he holds a singleton heart and the Aces of spades' and diamonds (secondround control. in hearts in this case must be a singleton, as the opening bidder himself has the King). Six spades can now be bid, as the club Queen can •be discarded on the diamond Ace. The Ace of hearts is missing, so that a grand slam is out of the question. If partner responds with' six diamonds, he holds the Aces of diamonds

Specially Written for "The Post" by "Approach Bid"

A REPEAT ASKING BID AFTER A FOUR NO-TRUMP RESPONSE

and hearts. There is still a missing Ace, this time the Ace of spades, so that a small slam is still the limit of the bidding. If partner responds with six spades, he holds the Aces of spades and hearts. A grand slam can now be called with every hope of success. ~ A repeat asking bid (made in the same suit as the first asking bid) after a four no-trump- response by partner, must not be confused with a second asking bid made in a new suit after partner's four no-trump response. In the latter case the responder should understand that the asking player can. tell from his' own hand exactly what was meant by the four no-trump response. The responder therefore shows second-round control in the second asked suit by bidding no-trumps at the lowest level available, or denies second-round control by signing off in the agreed trump suit. The following hand is an example of the new meaning attached to a repeat asking bid after a four no-trump response. . y K.Q.10.5.C.3, 4 K.Q.J.6.3. North. S . k I South. 4 X.10.5. 9 3.9.5.4.2. 4u.;. 4> a.io. . , The bidding, East-West being silent all through:— Xortii. South.. V. 1 ¥3- ♦ 4 ? .4 X.T. '♦" ' * 6 ■.f 6 . " .. . After Souths four no-trump response, North's repeat asking' bid of five diamonds asks Squth to specify the exact holding on which his four no-trump response was made: South replies with six clubs, show, ing the Ace of the asked suit Ciliamonds) and the Ace of clubs. North now bids six hearts. A grand slam is impossible as the trump Ace is. missing. The Ace of clubs in Souths hand will provide a discard of North's losing spade. If South replied with five hearts, he would show the Aces of spades and hearts, and second-round control in diamonds. If South had.held the Ace of hearts instead of the Ace of clubs, his response to the five-diamond bid would be^ six hearts (a jump to distinguish it from the sign-off of, five hearts). After a six-heart response, North, knowing that his partner held the Aces of hearts and diamonds, would bid seven .hearts, as the fit in diamonds between the two hands would mean that in all probability Souths losing spades could be discarded on North's diamonds. , . :