A BRIDGE CLINIC

Southland Times, Issue 21662, 26 March 1932, Page 11

A BRIDGE CLINIC

(By

Horatius.)

CONTRACT DISTRIBUTIONAL COUNT. I There are three conditions in which a hand is counted: (a) As Declarer; (b) as Responder to partner’s bid; (c) as Defender in the suit bid by the opponents. This method of counting applied to suit bids only: (a) Aii Declarer count (1) Honour Tricks, but giving full value to honours in sequence (see Playing points table) (2) Length: In Trumps, 1 for the 4th and each succeeding card; in side suit, 4 for the 4th and each succeeding card. (b) Ab Responder count: (1) Honour Tricks, giving full value to honours in sequence (see Playing Points table), where there is adequate trump support or other reentries. (2) Length: Side suits, J for 4th and each succeeding card. (3) Trumps: j for x-x-x-x or Q-x-x. lor sth trump add J and for each additional 1. Add 1 for Ace, and i for King if holding 3 cards in trump suit, but 1 if holding more. Add 4 for Queen if holding 4 cards, but this may be increased to 1 to complete the count for a raise. (4) Ruffing: With 3 trumps. With more trumps.

Count only one short suit (the shortest). Ruffing tricks are not counted in the Declarer’s hand because full value has already been given for the trumps. Beyond 4 the extra support for partner's bid does not increase the ruffing value. (c) As Defender count: (1) Honour Tricks (strictly) in side suits and no low cards. (2) Trump tricks. To count ruffing tricks is risky and should be done only when the trump holding suggests that opponents cannot, exhaust your trumps before you can use them. Count conservatively (omitting-doubleton values) as J of the 3-card scale; 4 for singleton, 1 for void; but if your partner has bid a suit count as on the 3-card scale. Here are examples of counting a hand in the three ways mentioned (assuming

clarer would have a re-bid if his partner raised his suit. As Responder (2), he could count the Queen as 1 if he needed an extra 4 to justify a raise. The location of honours disclosed by the bidding may increase K-x from 4 to 1 and so forth. No-Trump counting depends on Honour Tricks and plus values alone. 1 OPENING BIDS. For an Opening Bid of Ono (the first bid other than a pass) it is necessary to hold when Not Vulnerable: Ist or 2nd Hand 3rd or 4th Hand. 2J 3 Honour Tricks Honour Tricks When Vulnerable the hand should bo a Queen stronger than the minimum or the trump suit should be longer. When opponents arc part score and not Vulnerable 4th Hand should avoid opening- on the bare 3 Honour Tricks, and pass if his hand does not give promise of a score for his sidegame, part game or penalties. Holding the Honour Trick requirement the bid of Ono is made in a Biddable Suit as shown in the table. If there is no biddable suit in the hand the bid is made in No-Trumps. This is never varied: A suit bid is preferred to No-Trumps. A bid of No-Trumps denies the existence of a biddable suit. BIDDING TWO SUITS. Where biddable suits are of equal length, bid the senior suit first, and bid the other op the second. As between 4-card and 5-eard biddable suits choose the 5-card, irrespective of honours or seniority. As between 4-card and 6-card suits bid the longer twice before showing the shorter. As between 5-card and 6-card suits show the senior ranking suit. OVERCALLING OPPONENTS. When an opponent has opened the bidding, the minimum for an Overcall is a hand with 1} Honour Tricks and a Biddable suit. But if the overcall requires a bid of Two, • the trump suit should be 5-cards long. t RESPONDER’S BIDS. When partner has opened the bidding, he has shown 24 Honour Tricks as a minimum. The Responder may: (a) Pass; (b) Raise; (c) Take-out.

Holding Responder Less than Passes 1 Raises (if holding reHonour Trick. quired trump support and at least 3} playing points). About Raise a major suit 14 Take out in biddable suit. Honour Tricks Take out in One NoTrump. Raise a major suit. 2 plus Show biddable suit. Honour Tricks Bid Two No-Trumps. 3 Make Forcing Take out Honour Tricks Raise Three No-Trumps. Over Force and 4 try for Slam Honour Tricks If Distribution is bad avoid the Two NoTrumps on the 2 plus holding. In all responses prefer suit play to NoTrumps. A No-Trump Take-out denies the existence of a Biddable suit. It will be seen that up to 2 plus, the raise in a major suit has preference over a Take-out suit bid. But prefer the Taka out over a minor suit, even if the Takeout suit is junior.

AUCTION The other day there came under my notice an instance of the weakness of those who do not interpret bidding. In this case the bidding went as follows: S. W. N. E. 1. 1H No 3D 40 2.4 NT No No Dble 3. No No No Tho inferences from this bidding were--that South had a good Heart bid, but North's hand was useless for Hearts, and he had a long Diamond suit. Ho wanted to play in Diamonds and nothing else. East had strength. The Four No-Trumps could mean only strength, but North having no re-en-tries outside his Diamonds was in an awkward fix. However, as soon as East doubled, North’s plain duty was to go to Five Diamonds, since he knew more than South. As it happened North had eight Diamonds to ( the K—Q, and South had no Diamonds at all, so that North’s hand was virtually of no use. South went down by three or four tricks, whereas North in Diamonds would have escaped with one down. Now here the jump bid in Diamonds could mean only one thing. It took the contract out of a senior suit, and that was a warning against Hearts. If North had held a long suit to A-K or A-Q he would have called Two Diamonds, so the Three meant length without tops. South looking at a hand bereft of Diamonds should have realized that in No-Trumps the task of putting North in might be difficult.

Tile astute Auction player follows tho bidding closely and realizes that every unusual bid means something. A double of One in a suit is extraordinary and, therefore, it has a special meaning. If you! partner doubled One Heart bid by the opponent, he would be foolish thus to warn the enemy of his strength in that suit, while they have time to fly to another suit, but you have no right to assume that your partner bids foolishly. Therefore, he has some special reason. Obviously he is not strong in Hearts, because he doubled a bid of One. Why did he not bid a suit over the Hearts? He has no suit to bid. But he must have a strong hand to wish to use the double, and it is fairly clear he wants a bid. If we have the Hearts how can we show him? By bidding Hearts? By Passing and trying to defeat One Heart? Or by bidding No Trumps? Obviously the last way since it leaves the bid at One and guarantees projection in Hearts. But failing sufficient protection in Hearts, you must bid a suit, and clearly it must be your best though a major suit should be preferred. The knowledge that you will give preference to a major suit influences your partner when he doubles, but I assure you that the fine of reasoning I have laid out would be followed by a good Auction player, who heard for the first time the Informatory Double, and he would understand the Convention.

One of the answers to the Informatory Double is the Redouble by the Original Bidder’s partner to disclose strength. If South bids One Spade, he holds 24 Honour Tricks. When West doubles he shows 3 Honour Tricks, and if North holds 2 Honour Tricks, 74 are accounted for, leaving East i—l only. The Redouble informs South of the position and if East or West attempt to rescue themselves heavy penalties may be caught. On the other hand the Redouble by South of West’s Double means something else. If South wishes to play the doubled Spade' bid, he has opened the door for West’s escape by this Redouble and that would be foolish. Why then does he Redouble? To give North a chance to bid again. Why? For a rescue, of course. Therefore, the Redouble in low bidding by the person doubled is a call for help—give me your best suit whatever it is. In America the Informatory double is used when partner has not bid a suit. What is the use of asking your, partner for his suit if he has mentioned it? The Informatory Double is used on bids of One or Two in suit and of One in No-Trumps, though a few advanced players take it a bid further in both suit and No-Trumps.

Doubleton i 1 Singleton 1 2 Void 2 3

Spades bid in each case) : (1) (2) 2 (3) S: A-Q-x-x 2 If: K-x-x-x 1 1 i D: A-x-x-x 14 14 1 C: x -— 2 i —— ... _ 4J 6} 4i S: K-x-x-x-x 24 9 li II: A-Q-x li li li D: K-x-x-x 1 1 4 C: x — 2 i — - — — 5 6i 4 In the first of the above hands a De-