The Game of Bridge

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 89, 11 October 1941, Page 12

The Game of Bridge

CHANGES IN THE 1941 CULBERTSON SYSTEM

(Continued.) OPENING TWO-BIDS. In previous years the main required ment for opening two-bids was that the hand must contain more honour-tricks than losers. A new rule has been introduced, consequent mainly on the tightening up of the honour-trick .table. To value your hand for an opening two-bid today:— ■ First: You should hold five or more honour-tricks (exceptions to this rule are rare, occurring only with powSrful freak hands). Second: Count your winners. Third: Add your honour-tricks to your winners. If the total is thirteen or more, you have an opening two-bid. In order that full value may be given to such strong playing combinations as K.Q.J., A.K.J., and A.Q.J., and so that any hand that was a sound two-bid under the old honour-trick table will still be a sound two^bid under the new honour-trick table, the simpler and more accurate rule of thirteen replaces the previous rule. Example: Honour Honour Length • tricks, winners, winners. • ♦ 2 +0 1% 2% 2 ♦A.X 2 2 *A.Q.r.e i% i% % Total, 13% + 5+- 6 2& ' Holding 5+ honour-tricks and 8J winners, the total of 13J+ winners justifies an opening bid of two hearts. Note that the singleton, which under the new system counts as a plus value in the honour-trick count, has no value in the count of winners. The heart honours are counted at their full value in the honour-winner column. TRUMP STRENGTH REQUIRED FOR TWO-BIDS. When the total strength of the hand is great .enough, an opening, two-bid may be made in almost any biddable suit, but usually should not be made unless the suit is fairly strong in high cards. With a four- or five-card trump suit, it should usually be headed by at least A.K. or K.Q.J., or better. A.jQJ.x.x., or even K.Q.J.X, may be your two-bid suit, but rarely anything as weak as A.Q.x.x.x. or K.Q.10.X. A six-card or longer suit should seldom be headed by less than A.Q. or K.Q.10. With less trump strength than this, you should usually not make an opening two-bid unless you have well over the minimum requirements. For example, you hold: Honour Honour Length tricks, winners, winners. 4A.10.6.5.3 .1 1 1 9A.K.2 2 2 4A.K.Q.6 2+3 % ♦ 2 + 0 Total, 13 .... 5^ 6 1% This hand counts 13 and has 5$ honour tr,icks, but the proper opening bid is one spade. The spade suit is not strong enough for a two-bid, while to open with two diamonds would give a dangerously wrong picture of the relative suit lengths. If, however, the club singleton'were the. Ace,- giving "■ the hand 6J honour tricks, a two-spade opening bid would be proper, despite the weakness of the spade suit... Hands conforming to the requirements for an' opening' two no-trump bid (that is, 4-3-3-3 or 4-4-3-2 distribution, with every suit stopped, and with no more than six honour tricks) are usually- better opening two notrump bids than opening forcing twobids in a suit; nevertheless, a forcing suit two-bid may often be made on 4-4-3-2 distribution, as in the following' hand: — Honour Honour Length tricks, winners, winners. AA.K.Q.S. 2+ 3 % 9A.K.Q.S 2+- J % ♦ 5.2. £A.X.9 2 t Total. 13% ... ,'6%- 8 ' ■ 1. ' The proper opening bid on this hand is two spades. A one-bid would risk the possibility that'partner, with a'Yarborough, might pass; yet he might have support for one of the suits, and a game might be readily makeable. To bid no-trumps with the diamond suit wide open, and with the danger that the opponents might defeat the contract immediately by running 'diamonds, or that game might be missed because partner would be too weak to respond to a two no-trump bid, would be equally silly. (To be continued.)