THE GAME OF BRIDGE Weekly Ch at on Contract Specially Written for "The Post" by "Approach Bid"

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 36, 12 February 1938, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE Weekly Ch at on Contract Specially Written for "The Post" by "Approach Bid"

SIMPLIFICATIONS IN THE CULBERTSON SYSTEM

Mr. Culbertson, in an editorial in the December "Bridge World," announces that the dominant notes for contract bridge for 1938 will be simplifications and intermediate bidding. There will be no changes or additions in the system. For the past two years—it is admitted—very advanced bidding, some of it decidedly involved, has received a great deal of attention, while some of the more simple, yet equally important, forms of bidding have been to a certain extent neglected. This year, the Culbertson teaching will concentrate on intermediate bidding, the weakest point in the game of most players. In the name of simplification, all complicated and artificial methods of slambidding are no longer to be considered a basic part of the Culbertson system; they should be used only in advanced or championship play, and then only between players who thoroughly understand them (and these will be few indeed). After testing out the asking bids for two years—they were first introduced in February, 1936—it has been definitely realised that they are over the K«f=lT| They approach perfection. But the good players are afraid to use them, and the weak players do not use them correctly." -' The grand-slam force (the free bid -of five no-trumps) is now placed in the -same category as the asking bids. In spite of its technical excellence it has proved to be arbitrary, difficult to learn and to remember, as the opportunity for using it arises so very seldom. Expert partnerships, however, will continue to use the grand-slam force, but only when they have previously announced its meaning to their op[hfaskin? Ss^T^ Partly to the name of the bid, which Lade it appear to be complicated, and partly to the close connection between the two-way three-bid and the asking bids. (It will be remembered that an opening three-bid automatically set the bid suit as trumps, and any bid in a new suit by the opening bidder was an asking bid; any bid in a new suit by the responding hand after his first response was also an asking bid.) The twolway three-bid now takes its place with the asking bids and the grand-slam force as a bid reserved for experts, instead of being part of the regular system.

Asking bids being no longer part of the regular system, it follows that they ™™f™ °^°t£lul i nstea d, the four-five no-trump convention and the direct slam try are now to be used exactly as they are, when the bidding has been opened with a one-bid. The four-five no-trump convention remains unchanged. It is a valuable aid in slam-bidding, straightforward, and easily understood. It takes care of slam possibilities without risking the tragedies that arise when asking bids are used by players who do not realise the full meaning of these difftcult bids, Admittedly, there are hands in which tne as ki ng bid is the only channel through which a grand or even a small s i am can De arrived at, but these are nands whose combined strength lies in distributional rather than in honourtrick values. Such hands, however, are very f ew an s f ar between. It is pleasing to note that fuller explanations will be given regarding bidding situations which have their difficulties anc i wnc h are met with in the course o f eve ry day's play, a & subj j s«t;S 253&S S same ln both rooms- '• 4 A.X.9.3.2. V k.q.6. ♦ 10---4> K-J-10-5- --. .... A n-r- --♦ _41 North. • *Jj BJ,.,,,.,, 1 3 T^tti ♦ fQ- 9-8-6-4-3-2- 5 « ♦ *;,"•*• * '' ' =—' * " ' ■ 4|k 8.5. y A.J.8.5.3.2. + — . Jf, a.q.7.6.3. East—Dealer. North-South vulnerable. 1^ ""***» i 3™^ yvhich did not prevent Morth from makln§ .his *?rclnS ****<»* oi th£ cc .fPj^es' P|^g the w^ for a dam. S°utjlth^ bid four clubs North responded'with Elx hearts- and South bm sevenIn room 2 West overcalled Souths one-heart bid with four diamonds. This bid completely upset North's calculations. However, he thought the matter out carefully and decided that as he held four honour-tricks with a powerful hand, and his partner had opened the bidding, there must be a slam in the hand. He therefore jumped straight to six .hearts, .and South bid seven.