The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-02-24
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! EASY LESSONS IN
! AUCTION BRIDGE
| By PAUL H. SEYMOUR
Author Of "aighlights on Auction Bridge"
Copyright BY Hoyle. Jr.
Article Twelve.
Fourth Hand Bidding

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"A requires from one to one and
half quick tricks more than for
dealer. Defensive and assisting bids
by fourth hand follow practically the
same rules as these bids made by sec
ond or third hands, but there is one
particular fourth hand bid which must
be given some attention; namely, that
made in response to an informatory
double
Reviewing the conditions of an In
formatory double: Any double Of one,
two or three of a suit or one no trump
made at the doubler's first opportu-
nifty and before his partner has bid,
is considered an informatory double,
and calls upon the partner for bid.
A double of one of a suit says, in
Auction Bridge language, Partner,
have a no-trump hand in all but the
suit doubled; if you have good four
card major suit, please bid it, even
in preference to a better five-card
minor suit or no trump; if you do
not have such major suit but have
the doubled suit stopped twice, bid no
trump; lacking both of these, please
bid the better, of your minor SUITS"
These instructions are explicit; and
II third hand passes, fourth hand
must never pass just because he has
poor hand. In fact, the poorer his
hand is the more imperative is the
necessity for a bid. The only situa-
ton which justifes a pass is when
fourth hand holds such a strong hand
in the suit doubled that he is certain
of defeating the dealers bid for
large penalty. A pass made under
these conditions is called business
pass. Examples of fourth hands re-
Spouse to partners informatOry dou-
BILE when one spade is doubled and
fourth hand holds:
% S-x x; H-A ] x; D
A K Q Xxx; C-x Two hearts.
(2) S-A x; H-x x; D-A
Xxx Y; C-K Jx. One no trump.
CD SIX x; H-10 x x; D
Xxx; C-xxx. Two hearts.
(4) SIX; H-x Xxx; D-A <;
C-x X. Two diamonds.
90 SIX x Xxx; H-x x; D.
xxx; C-xxx Two hearts or two
spades.
No. 5 is an extreme case and needs
drastic treatment. If you hold such
a hand when your partner is just an
ordinary player you should bid two
hearts and pray that the dealer will
bid over you, but if you have a real
live thinker for a partner, bid two
spades. He will at once scratch his
head and say to himself, whats this?
My partner certainly does not want
pass and let the original dealer play
one spade doubled. He cannot have
hand to help me or he would have
bid it; therefore, he must have a
bust hand with four worthless spades
and is making that bid so that 1 may
take myself out"
The doubler would therefore under
stand the situation and bid something
if the dealer passed or doubled.
Fourth hands response to partners
double Of one no trump should be gov
erned by these same rules. He must
bid CATER a pass by third hand) I'M
less holding very strong hand, and
should choose a four-card major in
preference to a much better five-card
minor.
If third hand bids after second hand
has doubled, fourth hand is relieved
No af hf1dino nd
should do so only when his hand fully
warrants an assist.
Pre-emptive Bids
A pre-emptive bid has been defined
as a bid which is higher than neces-
sary and made for the purpose of
shutting out bid from the opponents.
Unless desiring to pre-empt, every
original bid should be for one odd
trick. The former practice of making
an original bid of two to indicate a
long suit without top honors, a suit
with four honors, or no trump with
four aces, has been given up entirely
by the best players.
The occasions for pre-emptive bid
ding are when holding one very strong
suit with great weakness in one or
more of the other suits. Pre-empting
in one major usually is done only
when very weak in the other major
while great weakness in any suit may
make a pre-emptive bid in a minor
desirable.
A pre-emptive bid in spades should
be three or four, and in any other suit
four or five, as anything less frequent
iy is apt to stimulate bidding rather
than prevent it. To determine how
high to make such bid, it is well to
count the sure tricks and add one or
two to come from partner, but always
bid the full strength of the hand at
once Examples:
"a S-A K 10 xxx; xxx; d
A x; C-x. Four spades.
(2) SIX; H-A X Q ] xxx; D.
Xxx; CA x. Five hearts.
(3) S-A Q x; H-A X Q J K K;
DIX C-x K. One heart.
(4) SIX; H-x x; D-A X Q ]
Xxx; CA X K Five diamonds.
Always Did When She Wrote
Hewitt-Heard anything from your
wife this week?