BRIDGE NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20488, 5 March 1932, Page 5

BRIDGE NOTES.

BIDDING TO THE SCORE. (SPICIALLT WKITTSN VOft THE PRESS.) [By William Shackle.] The more honest a bidder a player is the safer it is'for him to make a freak bid—and got away with it. It is, of course, the unexpectedness of this unusual flight on his part that helps | so much to deceive the opponents. A rash or uneven bidder would make a similar bid, and promptly be doubled and go down several hundred points, while the "safe" player would succeed in pushing the opponents into too high a bid themselves, and instead of being penalised himself he would score above the line. For this reason it is most useful to begin the evening by being most conservative in one's bidding, so that each partner will in turn feel confident that he can implicitly rely upon one's bid, and then later as an opponent he will be most loath to double, or, of he himself is doubled, to remain in the doubled suit, if he can possibly bid into any alternative irne. The following hands • were actually held and bid as stated, only a few evenings ago, and as the bidder was generally the "safe" one 'of the party, each met with its desired object. Score: Game all "AB" Nil, "YZ" 20 points. SQ x x "B" HQ Ji D J 10 x x CQ x x This hand was held as third bidder, and the two previous callers said No Bid. "B" made the "impossible" bid of 1 No Trump, as he, felt quite confident that "Z" must hold a sufficiently good hand to himself bid, even as fourth player. Actually, "Z" held quite a good No Trump hand, yet because he felt confident that "B's" bid was honest, he did not like to bid either 2 JSTo Trumps' or double as information; but he felt confident that "AB" could not make game, in vifew of his hand, so said No Bid. Thus the rubber was saved at least temporarily at a cost of only 100 points, AB going down 2 trucks. Sicore: Game all, No score. SQJIOxx " S xx "Li" H xx "Z" HKQxxxx DKxx D xx C x x C x x x Bidding::— A Y B Z No bid. INo Trump. 3 spades. No bid. 4 Spades. Double. Redouble. 5 Hearts. Double. No Bid. No Bid. No Bid. B's reasoning in the first instance was that he either had 'to get the bidding high enough to shut off opponents or leave it entirely alone. His Spades seemed impossible to establish, as thr,ee rounds would be necessary, and he could only hope for one re-entry trick, and that not a sure one, King of Diamonds. Next, when he was doubled he had no alternative but to attempt a huge bluff in the hope that "Z," who had not bid, might by being exceptionally short in Spades go into his longest suit. Naturally such bids must be very much, the exception, though it is surprisingly often possible to get excelteat seanlia ties*