CONTRACT BRIDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21909, 19 September 1934, Page 16

CONTRACT BRIDGE

INFORMATORY DOUBLES v * . . BIDDING OF THIRD HAND BY FINESSE Previous Articles have shown the requirements arid functions of informatory, or take-out, doubles, and also responses by the partner of the doublcr. This article deals with the bidding of the third hand, the partner of the opening bidder, who is sitting immediately over the doubler. The proper course to pursue has long been a source of uncertainty to a great many players. Let us' see if we can throw any light on it.

A number of players seem to think that an opposing take-out double-gives the responding hand an immediate opportunity to indulge in violent bidding acrobatics. With strong hands, the best weapon that the responding hand has at his command is the redouble. Practically without exception, > and no matter what your distribution, a redouble should be made on all hands containing two or more honour-tricks, and very frequently with as little as one and : one-half honour tricks. Fallacious Ideas Many people have the fallacious idea that a passive policy should be adopted to trap the opponents—in other words, that they should be given plenty of rope with which to hang themselves. This reasoning is entirely wrong. If your partner opens the bidding and the next hand indulges in a take-out double, and you have a "rock-crusher" of your own, the opponents are automatically caught, and your redouble will not give them any chance to get off the hook. In other words, let your partner know immediately that you are prepared to handle the situation, and that, unless his hand is particularly freakish in pattern, he should let the bidding come round to you again, and you will guarantee to take some sort of action. If the take-out double has been ill-advisedly made, the opponents arc already in trouble, and any redouble you make will increase their difficulties rather than give them an opportunity to extricate themselves Jump Bids Since the redouble should be used whenever possible, it naturally follows that any jump bid over a take-out double, even though it be in another suit, is not a strength-showing bid, since in choosing any other call you are automatically denying the ability to redouble. Therefore, if your partner opens with one spade, the next hand doubles, and your bid, for instance, is three diamonds, your partner must recognise this three-diamond bid not as a force, but as a pre-empt. Similarly, if over the double you bid three spades, your partner should not count on vou for two plus honour tricks, which usually are held when a double raise is given, but he should instantly realise that your double raise is chiefly distributional, and made in an attempt to shut out your opponents. After all, if you have the playing strength necessarv for a double raise, and your hand contains over two honour tricks, there is no reason why you should not redouble first, and then later show your support for your partner's suit. The redouble is permissible without a fit in your partner s suit provider! the hand contains sufficient outside strength in honours. Thus, if your partner bids one spade, second band doubles, and you hold

4k x; <?K.Q.x.x; <> A.x.x.x; #QIO

do not be afraid to redouble. Firstly, the chances are very strongly against the opponents having the nerve to permit you to play one spade redoubled, as your honour strength plus that which your partner has guaranteed on his opening bid must make their hands too weak, despite any amount of defence they may have in the spade suit. In addition, even though you hold only one card of your partner's suit, your outside honour strength is bo great that a contract of one spade redoubled, » left in, should be makable; and, of course, if the opponents take out (as is most likely) you will now be in a position to double them for penalties. Kormal Bidding Outside, of the above exceptions — that is, the redouble and jump shutout bids-—your other bidding, on medium hands, should be normal, that is to say, the take-out double should be more or less ignored. In other words, do not rescue your partner on a weak hand beeause you fear the take-out double will be left in, unless the suit with which you do the rescuing is strong enough to rebid and sign off with on the next round. Similarly, do not trap yourself by passing on a medium hand containing approximately honour-tricks and a biddable suit, expecting to be able to enter the bidding later, as you may then find that the bidding has got too high for you to risk showing your strength. The pass is permissable occasionally with about 1J honour-tricks and a balanced band on which you are willjng to conceal your strength indefinitely, and in which you know there is no game unless your partner can rebid. Also, a pass is occasionally permissable if the little strength 3*oll have is massed in a suit which you feel fairly certain is the one that the partner of the take-out doubler will respond in, and you are still a shade too weak to redouble. Thug, if your partner bids a heart and the next hand doubles, and you hold A.Q. 10.x; V j.5; 0 J.x.x.x; 4» x.x.x a psychological pass is excusable, as it is conceivable that the partner of the doubler will bid spades, and you pi ay eventually be able to make a penalty double of a contract that suit. Furthermore, a redouble by you immediately might mislead your partner as to the strength of your h#nd. An understanding of the principles, particularly those in the first paragraphs, should aid your bidding partnerships, provided these principles are intelligently applied and occasionally, in exceptional eases, deviated from. Remember that every rule has its exceptions.

ANSWERS TO OORRESPONDEHTB "Interested," Hamilton, asks.—-In & recent game the contract was "Six Spades," doublod. Playing to the I2th trick a heart was led from dummy and trumped by declarer, who then led a heart from his own hand and trumped in dummy, gaining his contract of . six spades. Declarer by revoking (unintentionally) in the 12th trick ultimately gained his contract. Now the law says: "A revoke to the 12th trk-k never becomes established." Surely declarer was not entitled to his six spades?, Would you kindly give a ruling. Answer: A revoke is officially established when the offender' or his partner leads or plays to the next trick if the revoke was made in playing. If a revoke is made in the lath trick arid discovered on the play of the last card or cards, the matter is readjusted and the wrong card taken out of the preceding trick and the right card substituted. There is no penalty to the offending side, but they cannot make capital out of it by .making an extra trick in the way you suggest. If the declarer could not make his own contract when the cards were readjusted then he is one down.