A BRIDGE CLINIC

Southland Times, Issue 21732, 18 June 1932, Page 11

A BRIDGE CLINIC

,(By

AUCTION Some queer ideas about Auction persist, in spite of ail that has been written about the game. There is an idea, for instance, that it is possible to bid a Dealer’s No-Trump, which can be changed to something else if no one else bids. Another error related to this one is the Dealer’s Pass,, giving him the right to bid again if ho one opens the auction. These special privileges for the dealer, which have never been a part of Bridge, may have come from some other game, but certainly they are common and they, are to be found going their mistaken way in Britain. I In a letter from a correspondent I jfind reference to another very common error, also concerned with the bidding: jthe idea that a bid which has not been challenged by another bid can be changed or that any player may alter his bid after the other players have passed. This comes from a stupid but long prevalent notion that this could be done in 500. That idea was introduced in the first place, I suspect, by a cheat who had to get himself out of a corner into which a bad bid had led him and in which passes had left him. There is no reason why anyone should have such an advantage. The right of a player to bid over his own bid if the others have passed is not recognized in .any card game where bidding of any sort occurs. The reason for this non-recognition is that it would render all auctions and bidding absurd, and lay the foundation for trickery. Bidding in Bridge can be simply defined. All players have the same rights, but the dealer has the first opportunity to make a bid, and he is followed by the player on his left. Bidding proceeds in clockwise fashion, until three passes follow a bid: that closes the auction. In Auction under the British rules, which apply in New Zealand, the bids rank according to the number of points represented by the tricks and suit. Thus Three Clubs equals 18. and Three Diamonds, 21, so that Three Diamonds is the senior bid, but Two Spades equals 18, and ranks with Three Clubs on points, but does not equal it in the number of tricks, so that Three Clubs outranks Two Spades. On the other hand Two No-Trumps equals 20, and it outbids Three Clubs. There are other important outrankings on points which should be remembered: Three No-Trumps .. beats... Four Clubs Four Diamonds Four No-Trumps beats... Six Clubs Five No-Trumps... beats .. Six Hearts Three Spadesbeats ...Four Clubs Four Spadesbeats... Five Clubs Five Diamonds Five Spadesbeats...Six Clubs Six Diamonds Doubles and Redoubles do not affect the ranking of the bids, but they have all the effect of bids. The English form of bidding leads to confusion and those who are bidding the minor suits frequently make insufficient bids, and so give their opponents advantages. The American system is much better. There the suits follow the same order in rank, but a bid takes seniority if, though in a lower rank, it claims a larger number of tricks. Thus: Four in a minor suit will outrank any bid of Three. Under this system there is no confusion and only the absurd conservatism of the British has stood in the way of this desired change. In Contract, of course, the American system was adopted. To-day, in New Zealand, if all players agree, the American system can be applied; but if there is no agreement the British rules govern the play. No player can Double a bid of his own side, nor can he Redouble a Double made by his side. He does, of course, Redouble the Double made by the other side. The Double and Redouble re-open the auction. This means that a Double or a Redouble can be overcalled by a bid outranking the one made before the Double or Redouble was made. A pass does not deprive a player of the right to bid, Double or Redouble at a later stage if the bidding continues. At any stage in the bidding, a player may ask that all bids in their proper order be repeated, but once the auction is closed he may be told only the final declaration—say, Three Spades doubled. The auction is closed as soon as three passes follow a bid, and when the fourth player passes on the first round. The bidding cannot then be re-opened nor can any bid be changed. There is a difference in the penalties for Insufficient and Impossible bids. If a player make a bid insufficient to overcall the previous bid, and does not correct it in the same breath or before attention is called to the irregularity, the player on his left may (a) Let the bid stand, and it then Tanks sufficient; or (b) Ask that the number of tricks bid be raised sufficiently to make it outrank the preceding bid, and in this case the partner of the bidder who committed the fault may not bid unless an opponent overcalls or doubles; or (c) Declare the auction closed, and in this case the last bid preceding the insufficient bid becomes the declaration, doubles and redoubles of it up to the insufficient bid remaining effective. But where an impossible call is made, such as Doubling a partner’s bid, Redoubling partner’s Double, names a wrong suit when Doubling or Redoubling, makes a call other than a pass after the auction is closed, the player on the offender’s left may call for a new deal, treat such call as not made, or let the bid stand, but if an impossible number of tricks has been bid it shall be reduced to seven. If a player mention the wrong number of tricks in the bid when he is Doubling or Redoubling it, he is deemed to have Doubled or Redoubled the correct number of tricks.

H tics.)

CONTRACT Grand Slams and “psychics” have a fatal attraction for players, but the masters resist their seductions unless they have clear indications of overwhelming chances or an inexpensive escape. Culbertson has said that a Grand Slam should not be bid unless the chances in its favour are three to one at least, because the cost of defeat is so great. A Grand Slam defeated one trick means a sure Little Slam thrown away. But there are times when the cards appear to be tremendously powerful and the opportunity too good to miss. Such a one, for instance, as this:

West was dealer and both sides were vulnerable. Three passes put the issue up to South, who argued that a forcing bid must be replied to with Two NoTrumps, and this meant that the powerful hand would be on the table. So he bid Seven No-Trumps, and though West opened with the 9 of Spades, the Clubs refused to break for him: one light. The loss was 210 for tricks, 750 for Little Slam and 500 for rubber, a total of 1460; and for the Grand Slam he stood to win 2245.

Here is another case, but the trouble was caused by an unsound bid:

The Three Heart bid by North was unsound, because it meant a biddable suit, or K-Q at least. North argued that his first Two No-Trump bid should have told South he had no biddable suit, but if that were so, why show the Hearts at all unless it is to disclose honours? Three No-Trumps was the correct bid. On top of that Heart bid, the Seven Clubs looked like a lay down. West opened boldly and properly with the Heart king, and it was all over. South played out his clubs, hoping for a blunder, but West could not do anything but hold to the Queen of Hearts. Here the loss was: Little Slam, 750, tricks 120, rubber 700; total 1570. Here is a happier hand:

N—S vulnerable, E—W not vulnerable. The bidding was

West’s Jump Overcall is a strong invitation. North only shows one raise in view of his distribution pulling all his tricks in one suit. East regards his capacity to ruff the Diamonds as an excuse for his one raise. South is entitled to look for Six Diamonds and West’s Six Spades’ has good expectations. South’s Seven Diamonds is risky but he can stop the enemy’s apparent Small Slam at slight cost. West’s double is based on his Aces in the unbid suits, but East, knowing that his bid was made on ruffing powers, goes for a sacrifice with Seven Spades which South doubled with pardonable confidence. North opened a heart, South trumped and returned a club. The result was that West was defeated by five tricks, a total of 1000 points, less 100 for the honours, a most rmusual and apparently unsatisfactory result. However, when the hands were examined and reassembled in the postmortem, it was seen that South would have made his Grand Slam in Diamonds, thus scoring 1,500 points for the Grand Slam, 100 points for honours, 100 for making the doubled contract, 280 for the doubled value of the tricks and 700 points for the rubber, a total of 2680 points. It is in accord with the eternal fitness of things that East and West were rewarded by the Gods of Chance through overcoming the handicap which fate had placed upon them and eventually won a seven-point rubber, both honours and mass formation turning around to serve them after having held the cup of promise to their lips only to dash it down before it could be quaffed.

When these disasters have overtaken you once or twice you begin to doubt the wisdom of bidding the Grand Slam until you have fully examined the ground with a reliable partner. Unsound bids are the source of many disasters in Contract. Once made they are difficult to overtake, and the partner may ruin a good hand before he can be warned. This happens, too.

where Takeout Doubles are unsoundly made. Take this hand:

Neither side was vulnerable and the bidding went thus:

West’s Honour Trick holding was sufficient for a Takeout Double, and providing his partner called one of the major suits with fairly good holding the chances were good; but there was no escape if East’s hand was weak. In using the Takeout Double, have 2J-3 Honour Tricks, but be ready to accept a weak call in a major suit and have an escape ready. North holds 2J Honour Tricks and he signals the fact. East’s pass is inevitable. Now South knows that with North he holds 4J-5 Honour Tricks and West is between them. West goes to Two No-Trumps, but Two Hearts would have been a better bid in the circumstances: his chances in suit must be better than in No-Trumps in view of the bidding. In play West made his Ace of Diamonds and conceded a penalty of 1800 points. He argued that N—S held a small Slam in No-Trumps and could have scored 500, plus 60 for tricks and, say, 400 for the first game, so that the loss vas not so great. But if West had not intervened with an unsound double North and South, would not have reached a Slam because they lacked Honour strength. Their bidding would have been: S. N. INT 3D 3NT 4C 5C That is the limit, but in many cases it would cease at Three No-Trumps. SUMMARIES AVAILABLE. The Complete Summary of Contract bidding on Approach-Forcing principles will be sent to anyone sending name and address, accompanied by 6d in stamps, to “Horatius,” Bridge Editor, Southland Times. The Auction System on the same system for 3d in stamps.

AN INTERESTING HAND.

The result, of course, was a grand slam scoring 252 for game 72 for honours 100 for contract 300 for overtricks 100 for slam

824 plus 250 for rubber, a total of 1074 being scored as the result of one hand. This game was played in a local tournament. E unfortunately overlooked that Ws bid meant 5 and probably 6D’s as also that N’s bid of 2H’s meant a similar number and that with normal hands otherwise, he in all probability could make only 2 tricks. The freak hands and especially S’s, he could hardly conceive from his own. Was S’s bid of IS correct? Certainly it paid. Answer: South’s bidding was quite correct, West’s Two Diamonds was not sound and he should have considered Five Diamonds over the redouble. He would have been set two tricks doubled (200), but East’s double would have been saved. Six trumps to the Q with no outside strength is not enough for an overcall unless East is strong, and , if he is strwjg will bid.

E. S. W. N. 1st Rd. No 2C No 2NT 2nd Rd. No 3C No 3H 3rd Rd. No 7C No No 4th Rd No

S. W. N. E. 1st Rd. ID 3S 4D 4S 2nd Rd. 6D 6S No No 3rd Rd. 7D Dbl No 7S 4th Rd. Dbl No No No

S. W. N. E. 1st Rd. 1NT Dbl. Rdbl. No 2nd Rd. No 2NT Dbl. No 3rd Rd. No No

Bidding:— S W N E' IS 2D 2H 3D 3S No No 4D 4S No No dble r’dble No No No