THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 23, 27 January 1940, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

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

Four possible holdings as respondor to a forcing-to-game two-bid are illustrated below. The responding hand in each case contains trump support, I but the response will be controlled in each case by the holding in outside suits. These examples, prepared by the Culbertgon National Studios in the form of questions and answers, will be -found most instructive. With both sides vulnerable, the bidding has proceeded:— North. East. South. West. 2 9 Pass 1 On each of the following hands you are South. How do you respond? wi ~,,...1 im . £ Q. 7.5. ! y Q. 10.6.4.2. 4 q.iq.2. ♦ 8.4. Answer. —Four hearts. A . double raise Cfrom two to four) after partner's opening two-bid in a suit has a special meaning in the Culbertson sys-, tern. It is a conventional response in-1 dicating five trumps or four trumps 'to t the Queen, in a hand containing' 0.0 singleton and no honour higher than a Queen. This information enables the opener to either close the bidding at game, or, if he is strong enough to proceed further, to make an asking bid, which, after a conventional double raise, asks immediately about thirdround control. ' __2.—— , 4 Q. 8.6.3. y q.10.6.4.2. 4 Q. 10.2. Answer. —Two no-trumps. The folding of a singleton club takes this hand out of the Class of the first example. With this type of hand the rewponder must not take the' risk that the Opener will visualise a hand with vno singleton or honour higher than a Queen. Conversely, South must not mislead North into expecting at least one honour-trick in his hand (which a raise on the first round would guarantee), therefore he-must not raise the hearts until he has first made the conventional negative response of two no-trumps, to show lack of the honourtrick value which a single raise as a first" response must include. Later, South, having warned his partner as to the honour-trick position in his hand, should raise hearts strongly oni his playing-trick values, as he has an' excellent supporting hand for an opening two-heart bid. 4 X.6.3. 9 Q. 10.6.4.2. 4 6 3.2. ' i q-4. Answer.—Three hearts. This is a very easy response, indicated by the excellent trump support and"a holding of one plus honour-trick in the hand. It is important that the opening twobidder should know "that there is at least one honour-trick included in his partner's raise. Thifr information will assist him in the further bidding of the hand. ' f * 7-4. 9 Q. 10.6.2. 4 5. JL A.Q.10.8.7.5. Answer. —Three clubs. With a club

Weekly Chat on Contract

■ ' ■ •• ■-.-■.,■■■...■■. ■'-"- ■ : ..-, ..-..,■■■,■.-■-.■. "-"r-"'.. ,■. ' .^.-— CONCERNING RESPONSES TO AiFORCINGTWO^Bib

suit as strong as this, South should temporarily suspend the inforihatioa about his good heart support, jn the interest of exchanging the fullest irlformation regarding the/ partnership hands. By first bidding clubs and later strongly raising hearts, "Sourh will make it easier for North to reach the proper slam contract. When tha responder holds such an excellent suit of his own, as well as good support for partner's suit, he should usually show his own suit first. This is especially true when his own suit is lower-ranking ! than the opening bidder's SLHi. AN INTERESTING SLAIU BID; ' It is not often that a slam is bid against an opening bid, but this happened recently in a local rubber bridge * game, when the following hand was dealt:— 4 J 8 7.3 t 9 X.7 3 ♦ 8 ♦ A h.8.3 1. ♦ A96">- Nmh 1 4>KQIQ V J-6- - A fAQ.B.S 42. £ % 6 v jL v i south. IAT 5. ~ " / ♦ « 9 10.9.4 i J 5.3. £ Q.J.10.8.6 4 , North, dealer. East-West vulaeribta. Score: East-West 60, North-South, lor* The bidding:— ' • North. East. SouthJ i Wwt. ,~ 1* Dble. 3*' 3 4 I 4* 44 5* ,{■ -s;4 -• Pass- 6 + Pass', Pass J I , Pass * " - "^^ J After a take-out double, the partner . of the opening bidder may raise^o the full playing-tfick value of his' hand on distributional values \ without- any honour-tricks. There is no risk of deceiving his partner as 4 th.e double shows where "* the honourftricks, ara held. South had five 'playing* tricks at a club contract and raised this part-'. ner to three clubs. vV West^made a free response of, three ,spades£>ver the „ intervening three-club * bfdj definitely showing a strong hand., - , ( An' interesting situation had' irow „ developed, all four players hacf bi'yjS- ' an opening bid, ,a take-out, doubled "a jump raise by the, opening * bidder's partner, and a free response at a hi'gjh level by the doubler's 'partner., . . _ North now bid four,clubs, reasoning that such a contract, even''if doubled, * was not likely to prove, as expensive l as a seven hundred rubber,, td^the'Tppponents would be. He and'i'h'is plar^ner were not vulnerable, 'and ft' tufai plear to him. that their',conibined"X^fing value's^ must be strong, ,- 'I *v '$'$ East ipreferred a vulnerable- ganie.to a penalty double, but South, bent oa saving the rubber, bid five clubs. West, with a strong second suit, now bid five diamonds and East raised him to six.

In bidding the small slam East reasoned that West, having bid a twosuit hand so strongly against the open, ing bid, was void in clubs,- and was ' prepared to play the hand at a "contract of either five spades-'of*Bve-dia-monds, t East, therefore, "with'^ety good support for the latter suit/ arid the hearts well placed on the opening bid, raised the contract' ""to a small slam, against which there was ' [up defence. . ,** * 1 *'*»"*