The Coolidge examiner., 1932-09-09
Modern Contract
DTEGSC By Leila Hs.ters!eY
No 16.
Responding to No Trump
Bids

NO 10.
Responding to No Trump
Bids
TT THE next opponent passes
l. after your partner has opened
with one or two no trump, and you
have from IL to 21a hOnOr-tricks,
look first for a regulation take-out
in biddable five-card suit. Failing
a suit bid, you may raise one no
trump bid once on two hOnor-tricks
plus. Your yardstick measurement
tells you that a partnership holding
Of five hOnOr-trickS is sufficient for
contract of two no trumps. Being
assured that your partnership has
at least PA plus, it is good policy,
even at slight risk, to keep the
blding open, rather than to chance
pass which might leave your part
ner high and dry with a holding far
| stronger than the minimum.
AS a matter of fact, few orig
inal no trump bids actually occur
on the absolute 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 part
ner's one no trump bid to game. If
you have biddable five-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 de-
clared or three no trumps if weak
in your suit. Even though he has
opened on a minimum count he must
keep the flag flying after you have
signaled him so emphatically 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 K-54 D-J108 C-K-J-3 2
Raise to Four No Trumps
S-AQ4 HKJ42 D-J 10S CA X 5
Take Out With Two Spades
S-AQ643 HOGS Dab C-843
Take Out With Three Spades
S-AQ643 H-AQ5 DAB C-843
Take Out With Two Diamonds
S-87 H-6542 D-QJ1043 CA 5
Take Out With Three Diamonds
SAC H-6542 D-QJ1O43 CA 5
The Forcing Bid of Two
When you find yourself the happy
possessor of 51s 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.
In other words, to make the most
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
arriving at the best final contract {;
third, keep the bidding low until
you are sure that the most advanta-
geOus choice has been made.
To serve all Of these purposes
an unconditional forcing bid is re-
quired, and a forcing bid of two
in your best suit is ideal. A two
bid is high enough to serve definite
notice on your partner that there
after he is forced to keep the bid
ding open until a game contract Cor
its penalty equivalent) is reached.
while it is low enough to leave
ample room for as full an exchange
of informative bids as may be neces-
sary.
| INCQu1L LOL lOLSIA3 LHO Dluo
are:
With 51a HONOR-TRICKS in
three suits-you may make an open
ing two-bid in any biddable four
card, or longer, suit.
With s HONOR-TRICKS In three
suits-yOu may make an opening
two-bid with a powerful five-card
suit with additional outside play
ing-tricks; with a strong six-card
suit; with a twO-suiter; or with q
practically solid five-card suit.
With Az HONOR-TRICKS in
three suits--yOu may make an open
ing two-bid with long, solid trump
suit or a freak two-suiter.
Examples Of regulation twO-bids
with 5h honor-tricks are:
Two Spades
S-AQ92 H-AK D-AK4 C-6543
Two Diamonds
S-AJ54 H-A X DIX 10964 CA K
Examples of two-bids with hon
or-tricks:
| Two Hearts
| CK n T HA n Te51 n ARR n :