The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-12-08
COMPACT LIB -
EXPERTS PLAY IT - 81

you as declarer, the advantage
yours, therefore this b the ideal typ
OF hand to open with one no trump.
It does not necessarily follow tina
4. the hand must be played at a n,
trump contract. Your original n,
trump bid simply says to partner. ".
have very fine hand and, in addi
ton, believe that I can gain de.
| cided advantage by having the leae
come up to my hand, therefore I an
opening with one no trump
If partner should show concen.
trated strength in hearts or spade.
there is no reason why you cannot
play for a game in either Of those
suits, if the bidding on the part Of
your partner clearly indicates that
his hand will not fit with a no TRUMP
contract.
What I wish you to gather from
this is that bridge is a partnership
game and you should not try to play
it alone. Reason out what your part
ner is attempting to tell you when
he makes bid, and don't make a
bid yourself from which it would be
impossible for your partner to make
the proper deductions.
The bidding in contract is an ex-
change of differences. therefore make
this exchange of information as in
telligent and clear as possible.
What should govern an original no
trump bid-high card tricks, distribu-
ton or count?
Many players add their hand up
mechanically, counting so much for
an ace and so much for a king. While
I have no serious objection to that
method I don't believe that bridge is
a mechanical game.
I believe that every bridge hand
presents a new problem and you must
analyze it from many different angles
not from just one.
If you base your bids entirely on
high card tricks, then you are not
getting the greatest thrill out of every
contract hand.
Contracts great popularity is due
to the fact that it can utterly absorb
one within its interests. The more
you try to get out of the game the
more you will enjoy it.
Spades-A-K-Q-4-3
Hearts-A-K-J
Diam0nds-A-Q-2
Clubs-K-6
Let us take the above hand. It has
a lot of high card tricks. If we gave
each card in the hand a count, it
would add up into telephone num-
bers.
Not only does the hand contain a
biddable suit, but that suit is five
cards lin length-it has top cards
and is major.
I presume that if school teacher
were now to ask you what you would
bid on the hand, a large majority
would answer Spades" However, I
would differ with you.
Let us add the hand up from an
other angle. If the spades break, we
can make five spade tricks, and we
are sure of two heart tricks and the
ace of diamonds, which is eight. II
we can get another trick out Of the
hand, we know that there is game in
no trump.
What is the big advantage to this
hand? Its tenace positions-the fact
that you can force your left hand
opponent to lead up to your strength
rather than through it.
The danger of the hand lies in the
king of clubs. If the left-hand op-
ponent opens a club, you are bound
to make your king of clubs and in the
majority of cases you will now be able
to run off five spades, two hearts and
one diamond for nine cold tricks, and
game, in no trump.
This bid Of two no trump gives
your partner a good picture of your
hand. He knows that you have a
tive-card suit and plenty of high card
tricks.
1t does not discourage a try for
slam-it shows hand so powerful
that you are afraid to bid one no
trump as he might pass, even though
a one no trump bid shows q good
hand.
Therefore, you will appreciate that
an original bid of two no trump is a
forcing bid and demands that partner
make at least one bid.
Don't make your bids in a merely
mechanical manner-figure them out
from all angles and assure you that
you will get lot more enjoyment out
of the game of contract bridge and
will find it very thrilling.
Copyright, 1882, NEA Service, Inc.)