THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 90, 13 October 1934, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

A player who was sitting in the North position in the hand -illustrated below, asks the question, "How can I show my partner that I have a demand bid, when.the player on my right has already made an opening bid? We made eleven tricks on our bid, but had not called the, game. How could I have forced my; partner to keep the bidding open to game? My hand was so powerful that I wanted a suit call of any kind from my partner, but as there was an interposing bid from the opening bidder's partner, my partner, with a very poor hand, was not compelled to bid, and did not speak." The hand was as'follows:— 4 A.K.Q.9.5.4. 4 A.X.10. K.Q.J.6. 9 A.X.8.7.4. -g - 9 Q.J.5.3.2. . 4 9.7 > £ ♦ Q-6- 3Jf, A.5.7.4. South Jf, 9.5.12 4(k 7.6.3.2. , . ff 10.9. G. . J. 8.5.4.2. *«• " Dealer: West. North-South vulnerable. The actual bidding was as follows:— West. North. East. . South. 1 y Double 3 y No bid. No bid. 34k N° bla- Ko l?ia. No bid. Eesult.—ll tricks to. North-South, but they had not called game. The player in question said he' felt that there must be some way of bidding by which he could indicate to his partner the great strength of his hand, but he was at a loss to know how to proceed to compel his partner to keep the bidding open. The correct bid for North after West's opening bid of 1 heart, was 2 hearts (an immediate overcall in the opponent's suit), This bid is forcing tt, game (the only game forcing bid available to a defending bidder, with the exception of the forcing.no-trump overcall, made by a defending player after an opponent's pre-emptive bid of four in a suit, and denoting a hand very powerful in every suit but that one already bid). With either of these forcing bids the partner is bound to keep the bidding open until the game is reached or a penalty double made.

An immediate overcall in the opponent's suit is a very much stronger bid than a take-out double. While a takeout double may be made on a hand'with 3' honour-tricks and favourable distribution, an immediate overcall in the opponent's suit shows a hand containing 5 honour-tricks with a powerful trump suit, or at least 4 honour-trciks with freakish distribution, as for instance, a very strong two-suited hand. The bid also informs the partner that the forcing player holds either the. Ace, a void, or a singleton in the opponent's suit.

After 'a take-out double, an intervening bid by the opening bidder's partner releases the doubter's partner from the obligation of calling unless his hand warrants a bid. (The opening bidder's

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partner may, in this position only, raiss his partner's bid to the full playing trick value of his hand irrespective' of its honour-trick value).

In the hand given above, East had 4 playing tricks and a Queen of diamonds, and raised his partner at once to 3 hearts. South passed, and West, only too pleased to keep North from bidding game, also, passed, leaving the bid. at 3 spades.

This position could not have arisen had North, instead of doubling, made an immediate overcall of 2 hearts after the 1 heart bid. As his partner could not be expected to have a genuine suit bid on the calling (about 1\ honour tricks being already accounted for •by the first two hands), it is obvious that the forcing player is looking for the best fit with his partner's hand, and any four-card suit that is bid in _ response gives him valuable information. Many players, would be aghast when told that. they must bid on Souths hand, but that is because they do not realisethat they would never be forced to bid unless the forcing player had command of the situation. His partner has simply to" respond on the distribution of his hand, which is the only information required. He bids, not on his own hand, but simply as a compulsory response to the forcing-bid. Considered as a' hand, Souths is almost as "poor as can be imagined, but the distribution of even a very poor hand can be turned to account when combined with a powerful forcing bid bf t the partner. A further point of interest in this hand is the position of the rubber. North and South were vulnerable, therefore North is not likely to run any, risk of a heavy penalty double at this stage. The position usually is that, when making the forcing bid, he really has the game up his sleeve, and has hopes of a slam if the partner's hand fits. At the same time his hand is sa powerful in honour-tricks that he can collect a penalty double on 'any high contract the- opponents may venture upon, with the idea, of saving the} rubber. I suggest the following bidding ofl the hand:— West. North. East. South. i* 'a * s y * ♦ 4 y 4 4|k No bid. 5 £ . No'bid.: ■ 6 4>' Until North mentioned Ms surtj Souths hand appeared to be practi' cally trickless, but after North's bid of 4 spades, Souths hand was worth at least two tricks. At this stage he CyOuld give his partner one raise, and leave j.t to him to decide whether there was a chance of a slam. North could now account for every trick in spades, knowing his partner had four of the suit, and possibly the Queen of diamonds. ,The 6-spade bid was a ris^ worth taking. The small slam coulfl be made without any difficulty. Afcei a heart lead from East> North would draw the opposition trumps, and then lead a club to dummy's ten. Whatevei West next led, the small slam is safe. If a diamond, North plays Ace, King of that suit, then the three winning clubs, on which ho discards South'a remaining" diamonds, and leads his own losing diamond which he trumps iij dummy.