Evening star., 1933-10-02
Conquering Contract
P. HAL SIMS

ly with hand Of extremely aggressive
type Above all, never make an open
ing bid of more than one unless you
would make exactly the same bid II
there were no part score to your credit.
Some of your slam hands will be dealt
to you when you have partial score.
Would it not be absurd to let that
score interfere with or becloud the pre-
cision of your slam bidding?
Partial Score and Responding Hand.
For the same reason, the responding
hand must never allow partial score
to affect his bidding as regards more
than minimum responses. Forcing DIGS
other than the one-over-one are never
affected by partial score except that II
you are signing of, you reach game
earlier. When making a minimum re-
sponse of any kind, either partner may
have good reason to bid minor suit
with a partial score when, with no
score, he would be speaking in terms OF
no trumpS That is reasonable and
easy to handle effectively.
The LeeWay Principle should and
need never interfere with slam tries.
For instance, if you bid heart, hav-
ing 80 on the score, and your partner
bids three hearts, you may trust him
for just as good hand Is II he had
made that same response without any
partial score. However. If you cannot
encourage a slam in view OF that re-
sponse. you should pass since game has
been contracted. You know that your
combined hands are good for four-odd
which would have been your bid had
that amount been needed for game.
Should you have a hand with which,
were there no score, you would have
made some rebid other than four
hearts, make that same bid in the hope
that your partner can develop slam
from it. If it does not please him, the
sign-off will be in four hearts by him,
a contract which you know to be per-
fectly safe.
Leeway and Partial Scores.
The Leeway Principle comes in
earlier only with substantial part
score. If contract for two-odd will
complete your game. then any response
to an opening bid brings in the Lee
way Principle, so that bidding must
not be dropped short of game. How
ever, it does not apply if three-odd are
required, though if the response shows
that the hands are not a rhisft, there
will almost always be rebid leading
to a game contract.
In the next few articles I am going
to explain why draw sharp dividing
line after the contract reaches two-odd.
To pass beyond this to three involves
breaking new ground the Leeway
Principle cannot override this funda-
mental distinction when the bidding is
In minimum terms and the possibility
Of a misf1t has not been ruled out by
the bidding up to that point. will
take this up again in later article.
One-Over-One and Partial Score.
Do not forget that If your one-over-
one response gives you game, its forc-
try, you must then bid two over one.
Only If you have a score Of 80 toward
game, or 70 If you respond in major
suit. Is a two-over-one response in a
higher ranking suit permissible in my
system.
Remember also that if you make
one-over-one response which gives you
game, the fact that your partner makes
another bid does not necessarily mean
that he is making a slam try. He Is
probably only seeking a safer, easier
declaration because your suit does not
fit his hand. However. If he should
raise your suit or make some other
than minimum rebid. that would be an
clIlp1ldIlC oldLl u 4Ou oA4OdIA 3AosS
no difficulty thereafter in developing
your slam or signing of in safety, as
the case might be.
Snag Has Been Eradicated.
To resume, partial score creates no
new problems if you employ my system;
it changes no principle, it merely intro
duces little extra f1exibility in the Sc
lection Of responses. Slam bidding Is
in no way rendered more difficult; its
range and safety margin are, in fact,
greatly increased. Nor would we be
embarrassed If we had to bid four no
trumps, five in a major and six in a
minor to score game The Leeway
Principle would take step back and
operate with the, same relentless eff
cheney; the sign-offs would shelter us
Just as securely; our slam tries, start
ing, as they almost always do, long be-
fore game Is contracted for, would not
even notice the difference.
Copyright. 1933J