The Coolidge examiner., 1932-07-08
Modern Contract
6ffQ9e BY Leila HsttersleY
Shifting Values

n sets your most careful calcula-
tions Of the trick-taking value of
your hand, is a bid from one OF
your opponents. If you wish to be-
come an absolutely reliable bidder
you must develop facility in shift
Ing the value Of your hand in rela-
tion TO the location Of adverse bids.
This facility is Indispensable In
making sound over-calls, assists, re-
bids and doubles, both take-out and
penalty.
Speaking generally, If you are
over the bidder (that is, if he must
play before you do) your position
is advantageous, while If you are un-
der the bidder Cf he plays after
you) you are at a disadvantage
When you are over an opponent
who has made a no trump bid, all
of your tenaces and guarded honors
take on an added value. Under
the opponent, who has made such
/ declaration, the same type of hold
ings greatly depreclates in value.
The fact of sitting over or under
trump declaration does not cause
such a general shift in your values,
but a revaluation of ungarded hon
ors and tenaces in the opponents
suit is required. Also, a certain
appreciation or depreciation in your
original estimate Of your hand
should take place. Honors, other
than aces and solid sequences, held
in the suit which your opponent has
bid, are always worth more than
their original value when over the
bidder and coTespondingly less
when the bidder is over you. For
example:
K X of opponents suit OVER
the bidder=1 trick; UNDER the
bidder=1 trick.
40 OF opponents suit OVER the
bidder=2 tricks; UNDER the bid
der Il trick.
X ] Y of opponents suit OVER
the bidder % tricks; UNDER the
| bidder=0 tricks.
X Q Y OF opponents suit OVER
the bidder tricks; UNDER the
bidder=1 trick.
Holdings Of the same type are
valued in much the same way when
over or under no trump bids.
Rebidding a Suit of One Bid
When the issue is one of rebid-
ding an initial declaration which
your partner has raised, there are
two important considerations; first,
how good an assisting hand has
your partner shown by his raise, and
second, what strength have you in
addition to that declared originally?
According to the strength OF your
partners raise, coupled with the ad-
ditional strength Of your own cards,
you may rebid.
II your initial bid has been made
on the minimum requirement Of four
playing-tricks, do not be tempted
into rebid even though partner
gives you an enticing double raise.
IBID your cards for all they are
worth" yes, but don't bid the same
values twice.
When, however, you find you have
rebid value, you may follow this
rule:
Rebid once for every playing
trick over the minimum of four in
dicated by your original declara-
ton.
In such hebids, your full strength
should be shown Immediately, stop
ping, of course, at a game contract
unless you are justified by your
honor-tricks in giving a slam indi-
cation.
While a full trick, either playing
or honor-trick, is your quota for
each rebid, after your partner has
given q double raise Of your major
suit, If not vulnerable you are usu-
ally justified in rebid for game on
Az playing tricks plus. For ex-
ample, assuming that you have dealt
yourself this hand:
SIX Q964 H-AJ9 DAP C-K105
and opened the bid at one spade
which your partner has jumped to
three spades. Your exact value is
Al playing-tricks, II trick below
sound rebid, but since the gamble is
for the much-prized game and your
intermediate cards are very strong,
q rebid could be chanced.
On really uncertain strength II is
particularly hazardous to bid for
game contract, because here you
enter the danger zone of a free
double from the opposition. With
contract Of less than game, even
when quite unsound, you will usu-
ally escape severe penalty, be-
cause the opponents fear to double
you out. But the attempt to force
game bid on really deficient
strength will frequently cost not
only a double penalty, but the sacri-
fee Of an advantageous partial
score. 1t must be realized that
there is not a game in every hand,