The Game of Bridge

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 41, 16 August 1941, Page 13

The Game of Bridge

THE 1941 CULBERTSON

SYSTEM

We continue the notes started last week, on changes in the Culbertson system, introduced in the 1941 Gold Book. Opening bids of one in a suit: A new combination for an opening bid of one in a suit, under the 1941 Culbertson system, is:— 2 + honour-tricks with a six-card major suit. (This bid may not be made in a minor suit, 2§ honour-tricks being required, however strong the minor suit may be.) Examples: Bid one spade, holding— 4 K.Q.9.5.7.5. 9 4.3. + A.9.6.5. Jf> 9. 4 A.Q.J.7.4.3. K.J.3. 9.6. Jf, 7.2. A 10.9.7.6.5.3. A.7.. 4 X.9. Jf, K.J.3. | (In the first example, a plus value] is added for the singleton.) ' Bidding a four-card suit: Due to the fact that now, when you are bidding a four-card suit, you may add a plus value to your honour-trick total if you hold six or more honour-cards, the following hands are examples of sound opening bids, though they fall slightly short of the 3 honour-tricks required for a bid in a four-card suit. With— £ K.Q.J.7. <y J. 9.5.4. A.Q.G. Jfr 6.3., bid one spade. 4 A.C. K.J.10.7. 4Q. 10.5.3. bid one heart. Exactly as extra trump strength can slightly reduce the minimum requirements for honour-tricks, extra honourtrick strength will permit the minxmum biddable trump suit to be revised somewhat downward. How to choose between two fourcard biddable suits: In the 1935 Gold Book, much space was given to the "principle of preparedness" in choosing between two four-card biddable suits— often quite a problem, to be decided by the make-up of the rest of the hand. It has been felt that some good general '. rule would be helpful, where a player would not have to figure out every possible response before making his bid on hands of this type. While pointing out that there is no single rule simple enough for players to°remeniber which will lead infallibly to the correct opening bid, Mr. Culbertson now gives a rule which will find the safe bid on practically every hand, and which will be simple enough to commit to memory. This rule reads as follows: — When your hand contains two four» card biddable suits, choose as follows: If one of your suits is a club suit, bid one club. If you have.no club suit, bid the higher ranking of the two suits. For example:— Holding—<Jk A.10.G.0. 9 K.CJ.J.4. + K.J.T. \ •!• 4.3., bid one spado. Holding—^ 9.8. 9 A.X.7.5. + Q.J.4.3. ' Jf, X.8.7., bid one heart. Holding—^ A.X.8.7. 9 J. 0.3. + 7.4. Jfr K.Q.4.3., bid one club. A more difficult problem arises when the two biddable four-card suits are spades and diamonds. In this case, the following exception to the generll rule given above is made: If you hr//e support for hearts, your best opening bid is one spade. If you have support for clubs, your best opening bid is a diamond, as then, if your partner responds with two clubs, you can raise him. Lacking support for either hearts or clubs, the safest opening bid .is ; usually the stronger of your two suits. J Examples:— Holding— 4fc K.J.10.5. yJ. 10.,1. + A.X.5.7. * 6.2., bid oue spade. You have adequate support- for 1 hearts. If partner responds with two clubs, a rebid of two diamonds will not promise more strength than you : have. If partner's response is two hearts, you may raise. Holding—4k K.Q.5.6. 10.2. + A.J.8.0. Jtt X.7.2.. bid one diamond. \ If partner responds with one heart,; a safe one-spade rebid is "available. If partner's response is two clubs, you j can raise him to three clubs. Holding— A.X.10.C. 9J. 2. + K.Q.5.6. | Jfa 7.6.3., bid one spade. j You have support for neither hearts nor clubs. In addition to being the higher-ranking suit and therefore conforming to the general rule, the spade suit is the stronger suit, and so follows the more specific rule designed solely to cover the case of spades and diamonds. A simple rule which has not been changed covers the position when holding three biddable four-card suits. Your first bid should be made in the suit next below the singleton. When the singleton is a club, the opening bid should- be made in the spade suit. (To be continued.)