The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-12-08
BY VIM. E. MCKINNEY

two no trump, not only because il
held a strong five-card suit, but due
to the fact that it held many tenact
positions.
The holding of intermediate cards
or tenace positions-is usually the
most important factor in governing
when hand should be bid at or
trump. However, you will occasion
ally find hand that holds no tenace
positions but that nevertheless calls
for an opening declaration of no
trump. For example, take the fol-
lowing hand:
Spades-A-4
| HcartS-A-K-4
Diamonds-A-K-Q-7-2
Clubs-K-Q-6
| You have the strong five-card suit
necessary for an original two nc
trump bid. In addition, you have
every suit stopped.
What is partners most likely re-
spouse if we open the hand with a
diamond In all probability he will
bid spades, which will practically
force you into no trump and all that
you have accomplished is to disclose
to the enemy where your strength
| lies.
BY opening with an original bid of
two no trump. you conceal from your
| opponents just where your strength
lies and at the same time give your
partner a fairly complete picture of
the strength of your hand.
| In order to 60 game at diamonds
you would have to find almost
enough strength in partners hand to
make small slam at no trump
However, because you open the bid
ding at two no trump, it does not
necessarily mean that you are going
to play the hand at no trump. For
example, supposing partner held the
following hand:
S-J-10-7-6-5-3-2
Hearts-8-2
Diamonds-4-3
Clubs-5-2
II you were to open with a bid Of
| two no trump, and partner held this
hand, his proper response would be
three spades. Of course this is your
weak suit and naturally you will go
OH 10 unTee no trump.
Partner will then bid four spades
| and this bid Immediately informs
you that, while he has a long spade
suit. it is not established at no trump
and even if it were. there is no
chance to get into his hand.
Remember, partner is absolutely
safe in going to four spades, because
you have told him that you had
strength in every suit, strong five
card suit, and he knows that you
| must have at least one honor in
spades
If partner were to bid four spades,
, you should pass because you can
now definitely count up your losers.
You are going to lose spade, a
heart. at least one club trick, and if
the diamond suit does not break, a
diamond. In other words, you would
need the most favorable of breaks in
order to make even three no trump
with this hand with partner an
nouncing dead hand.
You are undoubtedly familiar with
an expression used in the play of the
| hand, which is. lead throug
| strength and UP to weakness"
In other words, let us say that the
exposed dummy has two small dia-
| mondS and the ace, queen and a
small club. If you are on the left
of the dummy and must select a
lead, you would certainly not wish
to lead clubs as you would be lead
ing directly into the ace-queen.
Your best lead would be up to the
diamond suit in dummy, which is
weak, because you would be leading
through the declareris hand, which
would undoubtedly assist in estab-
fishing cards in your partners hand.
However, if you were in the lead
and were sitting to the right of the
diamonds, as that would be leading
through your partners strength and
would allow the declarer, who was
sitting over that hand, to kill off his
good cards.
Your best lead would then be
through the ace-queen of clubs in
dummy, hoping thereby to establish
king or jack in your partners
hand.
This is the principle which is en-
ployed in the one over one system
of contract bidding. in original no
trump bids
In my last article I showed you
that, with blank $50 aces. you
| should not open with no trump but
| should endeavor to have your part
ner play the hand at no trump. How
ever, this was because there was no
advantage in the lead coming up to
you.
Let us take the following hand:
Spades-K-J-3
HeartsNA-l0-5
Diamonds-A-K-J-2
Clubs-Q-1O-6
This hand has a biddable dia-
mond suit, but what are it's most
| important advantages? They are its
tenace positions.
You can force your left hand op-
ponent to do just the contrary of the
principle outlined above-you can
force him to lead up to your strength
because you hold tenace positions in
every suit.
II this hand were to become the
dummy, your right-hand >opponent
would be in the lead and he would be
Leading through strength, which
!