White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-12-01
Modern Contract
brldge BY Leila Ha,tersley
No. 16.
Responding to No Trump Bids
No. 16.

rs THE next opponent passes after
your partner has opened with one
or two no trump, and you have from
IN to 21k honor-tricks, look first for
regulation take-out in biddable
five-card suit. Failing suit bid, you
may raise q one no trump bid once
on two honor-tricks plus. Your yard
stick measurement tells you that a
partnership holding of five honor
tricks is sufficient for a contract Of
two no trump. Being assured that
your partnership has at least AZ
plus, it is good policy, even at a
slight risk, to keep the bidding open,
rather than to chance pass which
might leave your partner high ard
dry with holding far stronger than
the minimum.
AS matter of fact few original no
trump bids actually occur on the alb
solute minimum of 21a honor-tricks,
but are almost always reinforced with
extra tricks or plus values.
To raise a partners original two
no trump bid to game requires only
about one honor-trick plus.
Holding three honor-tricks with no
biddable suit, jump your partners one
no trump bid to game. If you have a
biddable 6ve-card suit, major or
minor, make a forcing take-out of
three in the suit. This jump take-out
forces your partner to rebid either
four in the trump declared or three
no trumps if weak in your suit. Even
though he has opened Oh minimum
count he must keep the flag flying
after you have signalled him so en-
phatically that your partnership is in
the game zone.
Examples where partner has opened
with one no trump which has not
been overcalled:
Raise to Two No Trumps
s-AQ4 H-K54 D-J108 C-6432
Raise to Three No Trumps
S-AQ4 H-K54 D-J 1O8 C-KJ32
Raise to Four No Trumps
s-AQ4 H-KJ42 D-J1O8 Oaks
Take Out With Two Spades
s-AQ643 HOGS DAB C-S43
Take Out With Three Spades
s-AQ643 H-AQ5 DAB C-s43
Take Out With Two Diamonds
s-s7 H-6542 D-QJ1O43 CAS-
Take Out With Three Diamonds
SAC H-6542 D-QJ1043 CAS-
The Forcing Bid of Two
When you find yourself the happy
possessor Of SIX honor-tricks, which
by the yardstick measurement tell
you that there are no more than three
defensive tricks outstanding, you are
practically assured Of game if you
can be certain of playing at the best
possible contract for your partnership
hands,
of your valuable hand, you must do
three things first, notify your part
ner that there is a game in sight;
second, force him to cooperate in ar
irving at the best final contract;
third, keep the bidding low until you
are sure that the most advantageous
choice has been made.
To serve all of these purposes an
unconditional forcing bid is required,
and forcing bid of two in your best
suit is ideal. A two-bd is high enough
to serve definite notice on your part
ner that thereafter he is forced to
keep the bidding open until game
contract Cor it's penalty equivalent) is
reached, while it is low enough to
leave ample room for as full an ex-
change of informative bids as may
be necessary.
Requirements for forcing two bids
are:
With 51a HONOR-TRICKS in three
suits-you may make an opening two
bid in any biddable four-card, or long
er, suit.
With 5 HONOR-TRICKS in three
suits-you may make an opening two
bid with a powerful fve-card suit
with additional outside playing-tricks;
with a strong six-card suit; with
two-suiter; or with a practically solid
five-card suit.
With AZ HONOR-TRICKS in three
suits-you may make an opening two
bid with a long, solid trump suit or
a freak two-suiter.
Examples of regulation two-bids
with 51a honor-tricks are:
Two Spades
S-AQ92 H-AK D-A K4 C-6543
Two Diamonds
S-AJ54 H-AK DIX 1O964 CA K
Examples of two-bids with 5 hon
or-tricks:
Two Hearts
S-KQJ H-AQJ654 D-AK6 C-5
Two Clubs
SAX H-AKQ9 DAB C-KQ9S7
Examples of exceptional two-bids
with AZ honor-tricks:
Two Spades
S-AKQJ97 H-AQ DIX Q43 C-o
Two Diamonds
SAC H-none D-A o. "a CA % lo4
10. 1892 by Leila attersey.)-WNU Service
Pain
A lot of trash is talked about pain
,.o 49, %boco who have never had