Evening star., 1934-03-12

and all its ramifications. In con-
nectlon with minor suit it would not
apply, AS with only two losers one
need not go beyond kings to know
whether or not the second loser can
be disposed of: also. if one bids
spades. that is an easier angle as now
any denial can always be made at
the same level as the probe.
Making Test Hard as Possible.
So I determined to make the three
bid in hearts and have my losers in
spades. We were at the time dis
cuSsing a far more elementary point,
so l quietly put the following cards
into his hand and said: Bid this
one for me- thinking aloud. We are
partners: 1 am dealer and bid three
hearts"
The responding hand:
sP; a3s. xx K OK 81. 81 Ss., sS1
D. W-"Gladly; this is easy. Three
spades"
P. H. S.-"Four spades"
d. W.-"Five Spades"
P. H. S.-"Five no trumps"
Truly a Process of Elimination.
d. W.-"That Is a new one: I see
you are trying me out and have
thought of situation which we have
not yet gone into. Usually a bid in
no trumps is a request to show an
| other ace; however. if you had needed
/ to know about the ace of clubs, you
would have bid three no trumps over
my thre spades and could thus have
got affirmation or denial of the club
ace while still able to make the spade
probe at the same level as you actu-
ally did make it. The same applies
at the ace of diamonds. Also, you
/ are not interested in the king of
clubs; otherwise being, as know, in
terested in, the king of spades, you
would have probed in clubs and thus
given me opportunity (A to show
both kings at the level of four, by
bidding four spades. or (b) to deny
the club with bid of four diamonds
or hearts, still allowing you to probe
in spades at the level of four. Why
did you proceed directly to the spade
probe when you could so easily have
made other probes. including one for
the king Of diamonds at the level of
four, leaving yourself still able to
make your spade probe also at four?
You are telling me that you are not
interested in any manner in either
minor suit, you are asking me to use
my imagination and grasp that
though I have not told you that I
have no other ace, 1 am to respond
as though I had told you so. I de-
duce positively that you have no losers
in either minor suit. How about
trumps? Well. I have shown you the
ace and king of spades and since the
latter card was shown in reply to a
probe in spades, I now know that
these two cards eliminate two of your
thee losers. What about the third
loser?
You cannot have a loser in the
heart suit, otherwise you would have
bid six hearts instead of five no
trumps. in whichever form the heart
loser might be:
"(a) If you lacked the ace OF
trumps, you would have the other
high heart honors and know that /
could not hold any one of them and
that would be the only card which
would permit me to take you to seven
You would have bid six hearts. That
bid would be safe.
"(b) If your only trump loser were
the king or queen, you would wish
me to take you to seven If held the
missing trump honors. you would
again have bid six hearts. Therefore.
your five no-trump bid means that
your last loser is in spades; that all
three losers were in spades. AS you
have disclaimed any interest in other
suits, only the queen of spades will
give you a grand slam. You have
at least four spades, otherwise the
ace of clubs or diamonds would have
served equally as we'll as the queen
of spades and you would have given
me an early opportunity to show or
deny other aces"
P. H. S.-"Correct. I did not think
you would get to it." My hand was:
sp; H3s j Y Z 9x5 ~. p. Ak
(Copyright 1934.)
Mr. Sims will answer all Inquiries on
contract that are addressed to this news.
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