BRIDGE NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18819, 6 March 1931, Page 3

BRIDGE NOTES.

(Written for “The Timaru Herald” by William Shackle.) To Raise or Double? After one’s partner has bid a no trump and the opponents have bid 2 of any suit, it is often left to declarer’s partner to make the next bid. It seems to be fairly generally understood that one only bids if one holds the suit in which one’s opponents have bid two. This is really elementary, but in practice one should not raise one’s partner but double the two bid. Now what is the position then? The original no trump bidder can still go into 2 No Trumps if he so desires, while if he elects not to bid, his team will probably score 400 points above the line. That is if he held a genuine No Trump bid of 21 points. As the idea of a bid is to give one’s partner information with as little raise as possible, surely it is ideal to give this information without even having to Eaise one’s partner at all. Suppose one held 5.10.9.6. H.K.J.9.3. D.J.2. C.Q.7.6.5. and bidding had been 1 No Trump, 2 Hearts, then the bid on the above should be “double 2 Hearts” not 2 No Trumps. Try a few hands for yourself, giving “A” a 21 point hand, divided among 3 suits, “Y” say H.A.Q.xxx plus 1 other trick, “B” as j above. The result will quite probably surprise you—do it say, four or five times and you will never wish to raise your partner on such a hand—but invariably double. One should only raise one's partner in the above bidding position if one holds 1, sure trick in suit bid by opponents, plus 2 other tricks outside. If one has any 5 or more card suit bid into it, never mind how low the cards are, bid 3 if a minor suit, or 2 spades as the case may be. Beginners. The following two hands require bidding. Next week I will give the correct bids as I would call. I would suggest writing your bids down and comparing them later, as thus one learns. No. i

5.K.4. H.K.3.2. D.Q.7.3. C. 5.Q.J.6.5.3. Y 5.A.7.2. H.Q.9.4. A B H.A.J.8.7.5. D.K.J.8.5. D. 10.2. C. Z C. 10.7.5. 5.10.9.8. K. 10.0. D. A. 9.6.4. C. NO. 2 S.K. H.K.9.7.6.3. D. C. 5.Q.J.9. Y 5.7.6.5. H.A.J.B. A B H.Q.10.5.4. D. D.A.J. C.J.9.5.2. • Z C. 10.7.6.3. 5.A.10.8.4.3.2. H.2. D. C.K.Q. No Score. —“Z” deals in each case.