Initial Two No Trumpers.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19107, 27 June 1930, Page 8

Initial Two No Trumpers .

Auction Bridge.

By

A. E. Manning Foster.

YIfHILE I have a great objection to art initial bid of two of a suit at love score on account of its ambiguity, an original bid of two No Trumps is quite another matter. This in certain circumstances is a very useful bid and a great game winner. It is a formidable method of attack, and is particularly effective in the third game of a rubber when you do not want to play for doubles but for game. But you should not make an opening bid of two No Trumps unless you have a strong hand worth at least six tricks and a possible seventh. It is essential that you should have every suit guarded. The best type of two No Trumps is a long solid minor suit with guards in the majors. Here are examples:— s.—K 4. H.—Q J 2. D—A 3. C.—A K Q J 7 6. S.—K J. H.—K 3 2. D.—K Q J 10. C.—A KQ 7. The object of bidding two No Trumps instead of one on both these hands is to prevent if possible the opponents showing a suit. Of course, if there is great strength with the adversaries you may not succeed in shutting out a call, or you may be left in and not make your contract. But in either case your bid will have done no harm. Your partner has thirteen cards. By your bid you tell him that with less than average support from him you can go game in No Trumps. At the same time if he has a suit of six in a major suit he can bid three of it safely, as he knows you have some support in it. It is, in fact, safer to take out a bid of two No Trumps than a bid of one No Trump. Many players bid two No Trumps when they hold iOO aces and nothing of value outside. There is something to be said for it, but. personally, it does not appeal to me. With four aces I should always be content to start off with one No Trump and consider it unnecessary to bid two. Four aces are so valuable for defence that with your opponents at love score you do not want to shut them out from bidding. With the major suits strongly held it is unnecessary to bid two No Trumps. Take this hand: S.—A Q; H.—-K O J: D.—A QJ 4; C.—A KlO 2. Although it fulfils the reouirements for a two No Trumper, I should prefer to start with one No Trump, because it is a hand on which vou do not want to shut out any possible bidding by opponents, and, if they bid. it will help you to locate the cards. A bid of three of a suit against such a hand could be doubled effectively. I would restrict, therefore, the initial bid of two No Trumps to hands of a particular tvpe. especially hands with single guards in m'a’nr suits in which the shutting out of a lead-diacting bid by fourth hand is the factor which mav determine the success or failure of the No Trumper. With the majority of hands a bid of one No Trump is better than two. Remember the bridge paradox that a band may be too strong to pre-empt.