Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-22
BRIDCE,TALKS
BY MRS. JOHN MUNCE. JR.

Continuing the discussion on bidding,
card, to win trick at no trump,
must be led or must be of the same
suit as the card led; at suit contract
cards can "break in and steal" Con-
sequently, long trump suit means
probable tricks regardless of what is
led, and small trumps have potential
trick-taking value which small plain
cards have not. The no trumper needs
shoppers in several suits. and shoppers
mean high cards. The suit bidder needs
plenty OF trumps and can get along
with comparatively little high-card
strength provided some of it is in the
suit he is bidding.
A no trumper tells his partner, "I
have general strength and you must
guess where my weakness lies" The
suit bidder says to his partner, my
strength may be concentrated in the
suit I am naming" With the latter
definite information, the bidders part
ner can jump, assist or deny intelli-
gently, and by this being able to show
the original bidder whether he is on the
right or wrong track, make 1t safe for
him to have started off with COM
paratively meager equipment OF high
cards. The no trumper's partner does
not have such clear indication of the
to leave him to his own devices. ConSe-
quently, his devices namely his high
cards. must be dependable in number
and distribution.
Not as pertaining to contrasted
strength Of no trumpers and suit-bids,
but as explaining the quick trick re-
qulrement OF the latter, 1t should be
mentioned that the original bidders
partner frequently wishes to shift to
no trump. To do so with confidence
he must know where he will be assisted
by strong suit, and that he can rely
on couple of sure quick shoppers.
AS stated before, added length in the
suit to be bid does not compensate for
the absence of one of the quick tricks.
1t may seem strange to the beginner
that one club may be bid on ace, king
and three small cards of the same suit,
but not on ace, queen and five small
cards OF the same suit. And such rule
would be strange beyond explaining if
nothing but club contract were un-
der contemplation, certainly seven
trumps headed by ace, queen will yield
more tricks than five cards headed by
the ace king But, an original suit bid
OF one always contemplateS a possible
no trump take out by partner, and a
partner who went to no trumps relying
upon strong club suit. and a mini
mum OF two quick tricks In his dummy,
might find himself in serious difficulty
when Dummy showed up with only one
quick trick. The long suit which looked
so good as prospective trumps might
never be established and brought in at
no trump.
Experts have wobbled bit over clas-
styling ace, queen, jack and two small
cards. That combination will not as
sure winning the first and second round
OF the suit, as ace, king would, and
therefore cannot be rated technically as
two quick tricks, but as ace, queen,
jack will surely win at least the first
ana third rounds, and may win three
tricks. 1t usually Is counted as equal
to ace, king. The practice now Is to bid
one OF a suit initially on ace, queen,
jack and two small cards, the same as
on ace, king and three small cards.
We have devoted considerable time
to discussing hands whose entire
strength lay in one suit, because we
were discussing minimum strength. You
| must not suppose that having only one
quick trick in the suit named bars the
bld, II at least one more quick trick
be found elsewhere in the hand; much
less is 1t a detriment to have extra
quick tricks, or additional strength of
| any kind, or more than five cards in
the suit.