The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-09
THE REVERSE BID
AT ROYAL AUCTION
Innovation Has All the NullO's
Advantages and None Of
Its Defects.
EXPERTS IN FAVOR OF TT

Now that things have begun to sim
mer down TO a point at which one can
skim of the forth, II looks a. II the
solid elements Of the game OF auction
that are going to turn up az the con-
stituents Of the stock for future con-
sumption WITH bring three things out
prominently.
ono thing IL a. good A. settled. Inc
spade suit at two q trick will have to
20. With II goes the compulsory bid.
Tho third thing will probably be a new
rule allowing any bid Of one more trick
to overcaii the previous declaration. e.
There seems to be a general demand
for some such method OF simplifying
the present system, which requires the
constant application OF mental arith-
metic. Women make 20 many mistakes
of this cha racter that tho errors con-
tinually pass unnoticed. and they have
long abandoned any attempt TO exact
penalty for an insufficient bid. Let the
suits retain their present playing value
but make any bid Of three cvercall any
bid OF two.
This would eiiminats AZ least two
long paragraphs In the present laws.
would expedite the bidding. and would
also give the players with the ability to
win the more tricks chance to play
the hand. why should a player vino
willing to bid II not be allowed TO do
so. just because another player 10 will
ing TO be set 100 on bid OF only hve
in the other black suit7
The nullo seems TO be left at the post,
in spite Of two years constant effort on
the part OF one writer to force " into
the game. Had that writer understood
the nullo better and presented a rational
system Of bidding II tho result might
- htst u,hA no
sists In advocating a system that 10 an
sound on the face of II, II IL only natural
that players of common sense should re-
ject Il and become prejudiced against
the whole thing.
What killed the nuilo wes unsound
bidding. When players are told that II
II used as defence against the high
cards held by the opponents and at the
same time are advised TO take their own
| partner out OF no trumper by bidding
a nullo (when he holds the high cards)
but 10 leave him In with spade, exper,
| players recognize the Inconsistency and
! laugh at II.
Tho trouble with the nullo Ia that
| there ts no escape for the declarer wher
/ he fnds he In ''in wrong with his part
| ner one may have an absolute nullc
and md the dummy with just enough
| intermediate cards TO kill the hand. &c
that the bidder IL never sure OF any
thing
The substitute for the nullo IL the re-
verse bid. in which the deuces and trey'
are the highes, OF the suits. kings ant
aces the lowest the bid ranking below
the straight bid. In some places the,
play nothing but no trumpers reversed
In others they reverse the trump declara
| lions also and OF course every card II
the plain suits reverses at the same time
The reverse Sld secures all the advan
tages OF the nullo without any OF It's de
fects. The idea OF the nullo II to Civ
the players with a run Of weak hands |
fighting chance against the players VIII
hold more high cards than they know
what to do with. But the nullo bidde
was at the mercy OF his partners cards
The reverse bidder has the tricks In hi
own hand and nothing that his partne
can hold will take them away from him
Just to show how these bids work gu
In practice. here are two hands. whicl
are probably the hrst ever published &
show the declaration In action: