Penalties and Premiums.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 493, 30 June 1932, Page 10

Penalties and Premiums.

Contract Bridge

By Ely Culbertson. “ rpo PLAY FOR PENALTIES or to plaj' for premiums,” as Hamlet might have said, but did not, is one of the “ rubs ” of Contract bridge. It can be laid down as a safe general principle that it is generally better to accept the penalty equivalent of what you expect to make at your own bid, rather than attempt to squeeze an extra trick out of the hand. The reason for this is plain. Played at your own declaration, the opponents’ insignificant trumps may make pygmies of your giant Aces and Kings, and while the reward for making a certain game has been definitely determined, penalties may be even richer than you anticipate. It is, of course, foolish to accept a paltry penalty of 200 points, rather than a sure game. Such hunger for penalties is losing bridge, and there is no easier opponent to face at the Contract table than the player who doubles too early and too often. On the other hand, it is equally unwise to stretch the trick-taking possibilities of your hand too far and refuse to accept a sure and substantial, penalty rather than an uncertain game. The hand below, played in a rubber game, gave to the North and South players, both of whom were experts, a nice problem in choosing the preferable course—a sure penalty double or a try for a doubtful slam. Inexpert players should have chosen the safe double, as that reward was sure, and even experts could not have been criticised had they followed that course. North and South vulnerable. East and West not vulnerable. South, Dealer.

1— North’s forcing takeout is obvious. His hand contains three half-honour tricks and two long suits. 2 East has seven tricks with Diamonds as trump. Even in the face of the strength shown by North and South, his bid is justified as laying the foundation fo? a possible bidding defence against North and South’s almost certain game. 3 North completes the showing of his twosuited hand. 4 East decides that the penalty he suffers will not be as great as the probable loss if opponents make their slam, which from the bidding he feels certain they can do. He hopes, however, that West has length in Spades and that by bidding six Diamonds he had closed the only safe road to a slam. , 5 South has two losing Diamonds and only two Spades. North has never rebid the Spades, so South fears the loss of a Spade trick and probably one Diamond trick. The sure penalty appears more desirable to him than a questionable attempt at a slam in Spades. The bidding has shown that a grand slam is not possible, otherwise North would have disclosed that there were no losers in the Diamond suit. 6 North’s bid of six Spades is open to question. However, he feels reasonably sure that South holds the Spade King, and his extra length in the Spade suit would seem to make it reasonably certain that, if South holds that card, there is a good chance to make the slam contract. South’s rebid of the Heart suit would seem to place a high honour in Spades or Diamonds in his hand. 7 West’s double is bad, as it marks the location of the Spade honour. However, this would have been disclosed on the ! first play of the suit in any event. In the play, East opened with Diamond King and followed with the Knave which North trumped. North now led a Spade to South’s King, and when East failed to follow, the unfavourable distribution of the trump suit was disclosed. South’s last trump was led and the finesse taken, i The Ace of Spades was laid down in order to shorten West’s trump holding. Then North led the Ace and King of Clubs, after which he put the dummy ii\ with a Heart, and Hearts were continued, upon which North discarded his Clubs. West was helpless. He followed suit to Hearts three times, but his apparently safely-guarded Knave of trumps never made a trick. Thus, North and South scored the premium for a vulnerable small slam, together with 100 points for their contract and 180 additional points below the line as a result of West’s unsound double. North’s bid of the Spade slam was made after a close weighing of the respective probabilities of a worthwhile set of the adverse contract against the likelihood of the Spade slam. It was a close decision with a fortunate outcome.

S--A Q 10 9 8 7 IT--3 D--3 -A K 9 8 7 S—J 6 5 3 H—7 5 2 N H—10 9 6 4 D—9 6 5 W E D—A K Q J S 7 2 C—4 3 s C—6 2 S--K 4 II--A K Q [ s D--10 4 C--Q J 10 5 The Bidding. (F igures after bids in table refer to numbered explanatory paragraphs.) South West North East 1 II Pass 2 S 1) 3D (2) 3 II Pass 4 C 3) Pass 5 C Pass 0 C G D (4) Dbl. (5) Pass 6 S (6) Pass Pass Dbl. (7) Pass Pass Pass