Evening star., 1932-04-24
Not a OuarterAbiece

Not a QnarterAbiece
Most pessimists feel that when fun is desired
They always must think of the money required,
And if it is scarce they gloomy and bored,
Lamenting the things that they cannot Afford
But those who play bridge do not worry and
brood;
They all have the means to keep out of that
mood;
just two decks of cards plus pencil and pad
Equips them to show you the way to be glad
So all of evening and sometimes for more,
Less than dollar buys pleasure for four.
E-HE old question of when to pass q
partners informatory double is now
a dead issue, and has been for some
time. Probably every fine player in
Il the country now sees the subject in
the same light. This is one of the
many problems of contract in which lot of
conflicting theories have been tested and proved
improbable. The most effective way to deal
with informatory doubles has been clearly es-
tabliShed by actual experience, and the player
who persists in going counter to the accumu-
lated knowledge of all is merely penalizing him.
self and his partner.
No player of balanced expertness ever passes
his partners informatory double nowadays
simply because his hand is weak All are agreed
that the weaker his hand the more important
any more except with hand powerful in
the doubled declaration that the side probably
can take more on the defensive playing against
it than could be scored at any declaration of
the doubers own side.
The amount of strength shown by an attack
ing double is about the same under any sys-
tenn in use today. Dependent upon the high
card count used, it is variously described as
'three honor tricks three and half high
card tricks" three and a half quick tricks"
IAN ace above average" etc, but in each case
denoting approximately the same high card
power. Not every hand with these mnimums
should be shown by a double after an opposing
bid; other considerations enter, and these
amounts must be greater less with different
sorts of distributions. In some kinds of hands
with plenty of brute power different tactics are
advisable
The most important requirement for an at
tacking double is the ability to convey to part
ner this general message: My hand contains
such high card strength and such distri-
butional characteristics that the best thing you
can do for our side is to make bid showing
primarily your distribution, even if you have a
worthless hand. In other words you furnish
the distribution and I'll furnish the high-card
strength necessary to make your response on a
bust perfectly safe"
The partner must accept that message as
trustworthy; if partners cannot believe each
OtileI GIlty might as well merely pay Lnelr Op-
ponentS without going through the tedious for
mality Of playing at all, for partnership doubt
alone can wreck any pair.
There is only one situation in which the part
ner is justified in going counter to those in
structions from the doubler. That is when he
is able to answer: You have asked me to bid
without knowing what a tremendous licking
can give to these opponents of ours at their
declaration. With my hand SO strong at their
declaration, and your high-card strength, we
can pile up corking score beating their con-
tract, more points than we can possibly make
playing the hand ourselves"
In such case the player make "busi-
ness penalty pass
Unless partner can be depended upon to
respond to double if his hand is weak, any
player is at loss regarding what to do when
a powerhouSe like this comes along:
AAK64 0AQJ4 u75 %KQJ
There is almost certain game in the cards
if the partner be depended upon to re-
Spond to double after the opponent started
with one diamond But when the particular
partners turn arrived, he passed because he
considered this hand too weak:
As5 V1o763 H832 %1o652