THE BRIDGE TABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 November 1929, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE BRIDGE TABLE.

BY MAJOR TENACE.

AN EVEN DISTRIBUTION,

Not long ago I was asked what the result should be under the best system of bidding when both sides hold equal strength ? I pointed out that the different values of the suits preclude any such thing as absolute equality of strength at auction. If one side at a lablo can just snako the odd trick at spades and the opponents can just make the odd tricL at hearts, the side with the spades has the greater strength for it can securo either (ho declaration or penalties. As to what the result should bo under tho best system of bidding, this depends entirely on the number of tricks each side can make and the stato of the score. Let us consider the following deal:

Z will, of course, open with one heart. A can bid two clubs, and Y two hearts. 13 must bid two spades, for though he holds strong support for his partner's clubs, the spades offer the better chance of game. Z can go to three hearts on the strength of his ace of diamonds. A has shown his full strength by his first club bid, and to bid again -would be bidding his hand twice over. He must, therefore, pass. Y, 100, must pass; and 13 can go to four spades. Z has now shown all his strength and must pass; but Y can safely overcall with four hearts and 13 can go to four spades. The responsibility for bidding up or leaving the opponents in, now rests with Y. Iteally, he should find no difficulty. His partner's initial bid showed two quick tricks; his raise on the second round showed one probable trick in addition; and his subsequent passes showed that this is the full extent of his strength. It is extremely problematical, therefore, whether five odd tricks can be won at hearts, and if Y bids again it must be for purely defensive reasons. If the opponents are left in with their bid of four spades and fulfil their contract they will go game, whatever the score. Y must decide whether it is safe to leave them in, and tho bidding should help him considerably. Keeping the Rubber Open.

It is fairly safe to assume that Z has been bidding on Ave hearts to the aceking, and as Y holds four hearts, it is certain that, against a spade declaration, the suit cannot go round more than twice. Z's probable trick, in addition to the ace and the king of hearts, may be the ace or the queen or diamonds, or it may be a guarded honour in spades. If it is any card but the ace of diamonds, then Y cannot expect to make, with his partner, more than three tricks in defence and three tricks are not enough tp defeat the contract. If Z's probable trick is the ace of diamonds, then there is a chance that two tricks may be won in the suit. Y's best hope of defeating the spade contract, therefore, lies in finding his partner with the ace of diamonds ; nd in winning two tricks in hearts and two in diamonds. But Y can count nine hearts between his own hand and his partner's, and he himself holds six diamonds. In these circumstances ifc would be too optimistic to expect both suits to break favourably. Y's'best course is to assume that he cannot defeat a contract of four spades and to overbid with five hearts. At the most it is not likely to cost more than 200 in penalties, and the sacrifice is not too much to keep the rubber open. Chances cf , finessing.

A small slam which could have been von by careful calculation -was lost recently because a player was tempted by tho alluring chance of a finesse. At love scoro Z dealt and bid one spade; A, two hcorts; Y, two spades; B, three hearts; Z, three spades; and all passed. A led the king of hearts, and when Y's hand went down Z could see tho following cards:

Z won the king of hearts, led by A, with his ace, and gave dummy two ruffs in the suit, recovering the lead after the first ruff with tho king of trumps. He then exhausted opponents' trumps by leading dummy's ace, put himself iu with tho ace of diamonds, and led the seven Of clubs, finessing the queen in dummy. B won with the king and led his last heart. Z ruffed, but ho was forced eventually to lead a diamond to the king which happened to be twice guarded with A, and he missed his slam. Z was entitled to say, as he did afterward, that ho could not know tlic location of the king of clubs, and had it been with A, tho play would have given him small slam. But even if the king of clubs had been with A, Z still could not have won a slam unless the king of diamonds was also with A. It is the king of diamonds, not the king of clubs, that is the vital card, and since this must lie with A if the slam is to be won, Z should have assumed that it lay there and should have placed the king of clubs with B. (It is clear from tho bidding that these two cards are not in tho same hand.) The best ehanco of slam, therefore, was for Z after making his aco of diamonds, to lead a small diamond, hoping to establish the suit in three rounds and to discard a losing club from his own hand on dummy's fourth diamond.