The Game Of Bridge

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 3, 4 January 1941, Page 10

The Game Of Bridge

By "Approach Bid."

A high opening pre-emptive bid, an-1 nouncing as it does one long and powerful suit in a hand with no defensive values, gives to the opponents information which, if they can overcall the pre-emptive bid, is of great value, should they secure the final declaration. The hand given below is an interesting example of this point. 6 10.3. . y 10.6.3. 4 A.J.4. £ Q.J.10.6.3. .JQJ.8.8.4. , NMt&-Js— Q-J . J 8.5.4.2. I Souta- I ♦ p 10.6.5.2. 4 A.X.9.7.5.2. ¥ 7. + Q. 8.8. Jf, A.X.7. East, dealor. East-West vulnerable. The bidding went:— East. South. West. North. 4 y 4<Jk Dble. Fass Pass Pass West led his singleton heart. East won the trick and continued the suit. South ruffed and West over-ruffed. His next lead was a diamond, which South allowed to run up to his Queen. On the bidding he had placed East with a void in spades. His next lead was the Ace of spades, and his estimate of the trump distribution was verified when East discarded on the trick. South next led the Ace of Clubs. East's nine dropping on this trick suggested four losing clubs in West's hand. Continuing the club suit, on the fourth round South discarded a diamond and then led the Ace of diamonds from dummy. Another diamond was led and was ruffed by South. Ten tricks had now been played and the position was:— * 10. * 10. 4 Q-J-8. North. 1 M . •£ •£ Imimi'.i T - .2 «* + • & H jl . I South. I * X.9.7. 4* • 1 South now led a small spade to I dummy's ten. West won the trick and was forced to lead away from his Q.B. up to Souths X.9. South made his contract of fpur spades doubled. The result would have been the same if at the third trick West had led a club instead of a diamond. South' would have won the trick and then taken a finesse in diamonds through West. Three further rounds of clubs would have set up exactly the same position as a diamond lead at the third' trick.

This hand is a good illustration of the drawing of inferences. East's preemptive bid of four hearts indicates a long and powerful trump suit with no outside trick, but, when vulnerable, eight winners in the hand. West, at the second trick, was marked with a singleton heart, and on the first round

A PROBLEM FOR THE DECLARER

[of spades, with five cards in that suit. He therefore held seven cards divided between clubs and diamonds. The •second lead of clubs, showing East's singleton, definitely placed West with four losing clubs and three diamonds. These deductions enabled South to make a contract which at first glance seemed a hopeless proposition. A BIDDING PROPOSITION. The following question was one of a series set as a test in bidding: "The bidding has proceeded: North. South. 1' y 2 N.T. ? You, North, hold: £ A.X.5, 9 A.K.Q.J.6, 9.4.3, Jf, 9.2. "What bid do you expect to make on this hand, and what further bid or bids do you anticipate making, if any?" Answer: "The best way to bid this hand is to bid three hearts first, then, after your partner has bid three no-trumps or four hearts, you will bid four no-trumps as a slam try, but at the same time keeping the bidding in a playable contract at a reasonably low level in case partner has a minimum two no-trump response. When he responds with two no-trumps, there can easily be a slam. On the other i hand, if he has just a minimum two no-trump with a bare 2| honour-tricks, the hand might conceivably produce only ten tricks if the finesses are wrong. Thus we cannot be content to just bid three no-trumps. We furthermore cannot jump to six by ourselves. We bid three hearts first, showing partner a five-card suit, then over three no-trumps or four hearts we bid four no-trumps as a mild slam try, but by no means a force. It is a simple raise of partner's no-trump, telling him that we can stand a slam and that we believe four no-trumps is safe."