A BRIDGE CLINIC

Southland Times, Issue 22158, 28 October 1933, Page 11

A BRIDGE CLINIC

AUCTION AND CONTRACT SEEKING SLAMS.

(By

Horatius.)

The Four-Five No-Trump Convention has important negative inferences. After a revelation of strength the bid of Four No-Trump shows (a) two Aces and the King of a suit bid by the partnenship or (b) three Aces. It forces the partner to bid again. If the partner holds the other two Aces, or knowing that the Four No-Trump means three Aces, he has the fourth Ace, he will bid Five No-Trumps; but if he cannot satisfy this condition he will reply with a bid of Five in suit, or, if he has further strength to disclose Six in suit. A bid of Five No-Trumps forces a reply. A player who bids Four No-Trumps and after his partner’s response goes to Five No-Trumps, shows four Aces. A player who leaps to Five No-Trumps, cutting out the Four No-Trumps, shows three Aces and the King of a suit bid by the partnership. It follows that if this Convention is not used the player who declines the opportunity cannot satisfy the conditions.

Except in the case where the bidding was opened with a bid of two in suit (Forcing), these Conventional NoTrump bids do not concern themselves with Honour Tricks: They are used to disclose Aces. But an opening bid of two in suit has already shown 4) —5J Honour Tricks, and when the partner steps in with Four No-Trumps it will disclose 2£ —3 Honour ’Pricks, but not necessarily two Aces. This variation is due to the fact that the requirements for the Opening bid of Two in suit are so high that the presence of at least two Aces in the Opener’s hand is assured. This means that if the Opening bidder fails to use this convention the responding hand should not draw negative inferences.

One other point. Four No-Trumps bid over an opponent’s call of Four in suit is also Forcing; but it is not a Slam invitation. It has the effect of an Informatory Double, being an effort to find partner’s longest suit. And now for some further examples:

North with 4 Honour Tricks makes a Jump Bid and Forces. South can see Slam possibilities and bids Five No-Trumps showing three Aces and King of Spades. On the cards it would appear that South might jump to Six or Seven Hearts after North’s Forcing bid, but that might mean disaster. The No-Trump Convention is surer, and there is no need for haste. North having no Ace replies with Six Hearts and South, heeding this warning allows the bid to stand.

When South rebids Spades, the inference is that the suit is not solid, otherwise he would have used the Jump re-bid and gone to Four Spades. North contracts for game, the most he can do. Now South shows his strength

with Four No-Trumps which North knows must mean three Aces, because the Kings of the two bid suits are in his own hand. He can count 5 Spade tricks for certain, also 5 Club tricks, 1 Heart and 1 Diamond. But South’s Slam invitation could only mean a side King or longer Spades, and so the Grand Slam is sure.

Again North’s Forcing bid of Three Hearts, South’s Jump re-bid of his suit means possession of a 6-card suit with only one loser even on bad though not on freak, distribution. It is almost Forcing. Four No-Trumps shows two Aces and King of Hearts. South can regard his Queen as a fitter for the Heart suit and can see the chance to discard a losing Spade,’therefore Seven Spades is bid. If he had bid Five No Trumps, North would call Six Hearts and South Seven Spades, but for South this intervening step is unnecessary. Here is another hand from play:

North’s Jump Re-bid showing a 6card suit with not more than one informed South that it was a sequence from the King. Five No-Trump disclosed three Aces and King of Diamonds and hinted at slam. North’s Q-10-5 of Diamonds became valuable, but as South had shown the Ace of Spades, Seven Spades was practically a certainty. And now an example of risky bidding, a contract made only by extremely good play:

Neither side vulnerable and South is the dealer. The Bidding:

South had no indication of any agreement in suit with North, and his. Four No-Trumps was risky, and it will be agreed that North’s Forcing bid in Hearts, 3 Honour Tricks, was dangerous. He should hold 31 Honour Tricks (this requirement has been strengthened). North with two Aces and a fit in Spades bids Six Spades, which checks any move to Seven —a wise step in view of North’s general weakness. The play was interesting from the manner in which the Declarer made an extra entry in Dummy. West opened with the King of Diamonds which South won with the Ace. Two rounds of trumps showed him he must lose a trick to the Queen. If Hearts broke nicely 3—2 all would be well, but if not the suit could not be established owing to Dummy’s lack or re-entries. South therfore led one round of Hearts

winning with the king and then the small Club so that Ace and King made, giving Dummy a Diamond discard. Now a second Heart lead disclosing the awkward division. West did not ruff and so Dummy’s Ace was made followed by a small Heart, which South ruffed with the 6. West refused to be drawn. The Diamond was ruffed in Dummy and a fourth Heart was ruffed. West had to over-ruff and having only Clubs and Diamonds to lead gave Dummy a ruff to make the established Heart, and his contract. PROBLEM NO. 17.

Hearts are trumps, and South, who leads, must make seven tricks against any defence. LAST WEEK’S PROBLEM.

Hearts are trumps and South, who leads, must make six tricks. . In this problem, South’s only hope is to ruff out his losing cards at once. He leads the 3 of Clubs and ruffs it with the 5 of Hearts. A Diamond is returned to the Ace, and the 9 of Clubs is ruffed, after which the 10 of Diamonds is led. If East puts up his Ace he must lead a Spade or a trump. In either case N—S make all the remaining tricks. If the Ace of Diamonds is led first, followed by a Club for North to trump, East will put his Ace up and lead a small Club. Now if South puts m his King of'Clubs, he must follow with the Queen of Hearts and another Club, which will permit East to make his Jack ,of hearts. If instead of the trump at trick 3, North leads' the 10 of Diamonds East will discard his Club instead of trumping and must then make a trump because he ; can throw the lead into South, compelling him to lead Clubs.

THE SCHWAB TROPHY. BRITISH AND U.S. TEAMS. Tlie international bridge match in London ended early this morning in a victory for Mr Ely Culbertson’s American team by 10,000 points, the totals being: America, 104,080; England, 93,190. During the six days of Duplicate Contract Bridge over 300 boards were played between a team of four American players captained by Mr Ely Culbertson and a team of English players led by Lieut-Colonel H. M. Beasley, D. 5.0., the Secretary of Crockford’s Club, London. This match will decide the destination of the Schwab Trophy, which has been presented for competition between teams of different countries on the lines of the Davis Cup in lawn tennis, by Mr Charles M. Schwab, the American steel magnate. Colonel Beasley’s team consisted of four players chosen from the following: Lieut.-Colonel Beasley, Sir Guy Domville, Messrs George Morris, P. V. Tabbush, Graham Mathieson, and Lady Doris Rhodes. The American players were Mr and Mrs Culbertson, Messrs T. ’ Lightner and M. Gottlieb. | During the first three days of the match, Colonel Beasley’s team maintained the lead, which, while it certainly suffered many fluctuations —at one

moment it led by 3,390 points—was not upset until the fourth day at the 154th board, when a credit of 460 points was turned into a deficit of 190, (says a writer in The Observer). From that stage Mr Culbertson’s team forged ahead repidly, and though it was pulled back from time to time, it always regained with added advantage any temporary losses. To the discerning onlooker, it appeared as though the American players were biding their time, playing just well enough to keep within striking distance, and then, when they had measured their opponents’ weaknesses and degree of skill sufficiently, they attacked with all their strength and proved their superiority. The outstanding feature of their strength lies in their being a well combined team. Each pair—Mr Culbertson played with Mr Lightner and Mrs Culbertson partnered Mr Gottlieb—seemed to be in complete understanding in their bidding. Their game showed all the indications of long practice. On the other hand, the English players, while individually, at least, the equal of their opponents, seemed at times apprehensive and diffident, as shown by the number of occasions they failed -to bid games on hands which generally merited better and further bidding. Their judgment in slam bidding was, generally speaking, sadly at fault. Apart from it being apparent that his team suffered from insufficient combined practice, the fact that Colonel Beasley chose to rest one of his original four from time to time, consequently changing the partnerships, resulted in a lack of that cohesion which is essential in Contract Bridge—especially Duplicate—even as in all team games. Of course, both sides made mistakes. They are inevitable; some were excusable, some were only apparent by results, but the regrettable thing was that whereas those made by the visitors were relatively few and comparatively innocuous, some of the errors committed by their opponents were deplorable and inexplicable. Perhaps the defeat may have its lessons here, and on future occasions maybe a more representative team will be chosen by a recognized and approved national organization, determined to attain the highest standard of efficiency as far as possible.

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