New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-06
A Few Words for Those
Who Are Averse to
Sticking to Declaration
of Their Partners.


| in he still has four i'm nine chances 70
meet his contract. The chances that he
will be left I'm and defeated are only one
i'm nifty The system provides everything
needed Tor nearly every possible case that
can arise with two experienced bidders
and provides it IN clear cut, definite
way. with very small risk.
II is now proposed by means Of the
transfer spade bids" 10 provide means
OF showing the possession Of long, low
suits which the regular system holds are
suitable only on secondary bids. provided
even then that they consist Of at least
six cards i'm length and that partner has
shown his strength in his bid. The new
system also proposes to ask partner by
means OF single bid to- choose between
two available calls. II proposes 10 elimi-
nate the three spade bid outlined above
and substitute i'm its place bid which
violates the remainder of the system by
bidding in a suit which is particularly
barred to partners bids Briefly these
additional bids are as follows:
Three spades show long, weak heart
suits not suitable for directly bidding
Four-spade bids show long. weak spade
suits no, suitable for opening bids.
Five-spade bids ask partner TO choose
between playing the hand at hearts and
royals
Six spade bids ask partner 10 choose
between playing the hand at hearts and
no trump, but show that the bidder OBJ
jects TO royals.
Seven spades ask partner to choose be
tween royals and no trump, but not 10 Ind
on hearts.
Your article of Sunday has already
called attention to the general objections
To such bids The real test as TO their
fitness comes on the questions of average
gains OF losses from such bids. II is evil
dent that they can comparatively seldom
be legitimately employed. and that there
Is no real necessity for them.
The regular system already Outlined
provides what best be done with heart
hands capable Of winning either mini
mum Of four tricks at hearts and three
tricks on other calls or able to win five
tricks at hearts and less than three
tricks on other calls. This proposed bid
consequently can only refer To still
weaker hands which must depend almost
entirely upon partner for their success. IL
partner il forced 10 bid something other
than hearts he is unnecessarily Obliged 20
bid two instead of one. His chances 10
hold a genuine heart hand are only Y In
100 His chances 10 sustain a no-trump
bid. but not also heart bid, are . in
leo Both combined he has % I'm lW
chances TO be pleased AT the bid. ln All
OF which cases he would have either bid
one heart or one no-trump, without the
three spade bid being made. I'm the hrst
case he would have done just what was
desired I'm the second case he would
have been taken out with Il bid OF two
hearts. The only chance that the three
spade bid has To do any good Is where
partner has something i'm hearts. but not
sufficient for an undirected bid in that
suit. Sixty-one i'm 100 times a partner
has a hand warranting an informatory
bid and i'm cases whore partner mad an
opportunity 10 bid in this way the three
spade bid would be unnecessary, although
ar opening bid of one spade would PROB
ably prevent him from doing so.
Perhaps the fairest way TO put tho real
result OF the three spade bid Is 10 say
that % times in 100 1t has been unneces-
sary but has done no harm. Fourteen IN
100 times it authorizes partner 10 made
fairly safe heart bid which ne would not
have made except for the three spade
bid The particularly bad thing anoGt
these latter BIDS is the great danger that
later Overlooking will occur in the heart
suit There are about even chances OF
the final results meaning gain or eight
points per trick and Of loss meaning
tftv points per. trick, or lGD points per
trick if doubled. The bid discloses the
true situation to opponents, and gives
them chances to double both the three
spade bid and the one heart bid. with
better than ordinary chances of success,
although in most cases they Will choose
rather to disregard such bids and make
their own. But when a double does come
il will prove 10 be a very serious matter
The four spade bid is on par with
above. Except in the heart suit a part
ner must bid two, unless he ventures I"
bid the prohibited no-trump
Five-spade bids show the bidders Will
ingness 10 play at either hearts or royals
but reject no trump. This system was
given a short and unsuccessful trial on tho
old count. by making 1t show long low
suits OF hearts and diamonds. The expert
ences of those who tried il were very un-
pleasant in the majority of eases. Ige
results will be the same on the present
count If weak suits are thus shown II
strong suits are held the present system
fully takes care of the case. The ony
cases where il would pay To use the nNc-
shade bid are those in which the bidder IS
a very inferior player 10 his partner.
Even then the strong hand on the table
would average to be worth one less trick
than when held concealed. TWO in three
times partners help comes manly IN
high cards. which can about as wei sup
mort one call as another. There are 80 IN
100 chances that a forced bid Of two VIII
lose where a free bid of one would make
With five-trick hand your chances t.
go game are about ~ IN 100. Thirty
chances 10 go down on extra trick, costing
YOU AT least nifty points each time to WIN
game six times additional will not pay
player.
Logically. bids of six spades and ot
seven spades must show choice between
strong suit hands and strong no-tiump
hands. The chances are always twice a.
great that partner can better support no
trumps than that he can support par
tcular suit make on that account these
two transfer bids stand better chancesror
success than those previously given, But
m tho otber hand there is no real need