A Discussion on Bridge

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 10 March 1934, Page 13

A Discussion on Bridge

(By “Two Aces”).

If, after a player has made a bid, ■his partner responds, then the first bidder re-values his hand for the purposes of a re-bid. A rc-bid by the opening hand indicates added .strength in trumps—a five-card suit, instead of a minimum four-card. If he re-bids in no trumps he indicates extra honour value, but bv not re-bidding his original suit suggests that the suit is only a four-carder. If -the re-bid is made in another suit without increasing the contract, the probability is the hand has no extra honour value, but a second possible suit, probably only a four-card, or the re-bid may show a two-card hand lacking sufficient honours for a forcing bid. Before a suit i can be Te-bid at all the hand must con-, tain more than four playing tricks i (that is, honour tricks and long suit tricks combined). After the partner! has supported with a single raise, the opening hand may re-bid once for | every playing trick in the hand. If j you take into consideration that the responding hand’s bid may be a shaded raise to keep the bidding open then Opening hand’s re-bid should be on. a conservative valuation. This need only occur if second player fails to bid. If, on the other hand, the partner gives a jump raise in the suit or a jiimp no trump response, the opening hand may re-bid on as little as an extra half trick, or even a plus value. If re- ! sponding hand passes an opening bid of one in a suit, without any- intervening bid, the opening hand must be very strong to re-bid. But. if the partner passes after an intervening bid has |. been made by the second hand the opening .hand may take a little more ! liberty in re-bidding his hand, as his partner, lacking trump support for a, ■raise on the first round, may be able to raise once the opening hand has j shown added trump strength. The responding hand may have one and! a-half honours, but not enough trumps for a raise and without a stopper in : the second bidder’s suit he can not call j no trumps. If the opening hand shows | added trump length, then respondingj hand may raise with one and a-half j honours and only three small trumps or j even with Q.X. or J.X. in trumps. The , three to the queen or four small requirement for a raise is in case opening hand is bidding on a four-card suit, 'and once the bidder has shown five trumps then responding hand’s require- ’ ments .as to trumps are reduced. If the opening bid was made on a four-card , suit and the hand holds more than two | and a-half honours then, after respond- . ing hand has given a single raise, show-1 ing adequate trump .support, the open- j ing hand may re-bid his suit, even : . though it- be only four cards. After; a minimum take-out by partner, the opening hand, as long as the bidding, is within the range of one bids, must re-bid if holding anything more than absolute minimum value for an opening bid. Even with a plus more but no support in partner’s take-out suit he must re-bid his hand with one no trumps. Holding three and a-half to four honour tricks and no support in partner’s suit he must bid no trumps, and holding from four and a-half to five honour tricks must bid three no trumps. If partner has responded with a lower ranking suit (this necessitating a bid of two in. a suit) the opening | hand must not re-bid his own suit, unless he has additional honour strength and a five-card suit. Tie must simply pass. With adequate trump support for his partner’s take-out bid he will raise once for each playing trick over four in his hand, in support of his partner’s take-out. bid. The first four playing tricks are included in his own opening bid and must on no account be used to support his partner, who has based his take-out on the assurance of those four playing tricks already shown by the opening bid. This is a most important point and one which players do not always realise. With a strong five-cafcl or a good six-card suit with four honour tricks in the hand and no support for partner’s take-out bid, the opening, hand can make a jump rc-bid in his own suit. With only two and a-half honour tricks, but a very strong almost solid suit, opening hand may make a double jump re-bid in his own suit and this is definitely forcing and the bidding must not stop short of game or a good penalty double. If the opening bidder, after partner’s simple take-out, makes a jump re-bid in a different suit, this is also a forcing bid, i

and partner must call again. But this jump re-bid in a different .suit, is generally only made after a strengthshowing bid by the partner. Here is a freak hand. How should it be bid?

*°. ci . 2 <s rt oi os S » I did -tH CG H-t ft O ici t> tt ci CO CO ©• G> Sw N ci <=* I’e | i—--1 < 1 «i, < d*«? I M I IJJJ CO **! -r •». io • 7j,*n ±a a o