CULBERTSON on CONTRACT by Ely Culbertson I L- L Worlds World Clarn Champion Player and nd Greatest Card Coed AnaI I A FAULTY FOUNDATION FOUNDATION- A RESOUNDING CRASH Unsound opening bids are arc at the root of more disasters at the contract table than any other cause cause The opening opening open open- In ing bids arc the foundation upon which all subsequent partnership bidding bid bid- ding even ding even penalty doubles doubles Is is based If the foundation is faulty any superstructure superstructure su suo built upon it is shaky and liable to crash with the first gust gustof gustof gustof of an adverse adver e wind In bridge when one side has a game g-ame on the rubber and a partial score on the second as aswell aswell well VeIl the situation of the defending players Is desperate A policy of boldness boldness bold bold- ness is dictated by that fact The defending defending de de- de fending tending players are arc in the same condition condition con con- fa faced aced ed by the French armies in the early days o of the World war when Foch gained undying fame by his message e My left is being driven back my left is retreating I shall attack attack at at- tack in the center But even defending forces hoever however how ho however ever desperate the situation should select the hour for a counter counter- attack The Tho example below is one where the time was not well chosen nor was the field eld on which the defensive sive battle was wa waged ed the best which the defense could have chosen North and South vulnerable with a apart apart apart part score of 60 GO Also a penally penalty penalty pen pen- alty ally score heightened the psychological cal tension North and South vulnerable and 60 GO East and West not vulnerable 6 4 AT 0 V J 10 0 3 0 A Q 2 A 8 6 A r 10 0 9 N r G 4 s 3 a I 7 A 84 5 Q 72 W K 8 3 4 4 t K Q J 9 S 5 A 4 10 7 1 G r 4 3 8 A 4 K V K Kat 0 5 J 10 0 D 7 1 8 65 G 2 Tho The bidding woe was I short abort and disastrous South W West t North East EMt p Pees 1 NT 1 Pass 2 PA Plus 2 3 Paso Pas Paw Pass PASS PassO 0 1 1 West's opening opening bid Is badly chosen It violates the principle that when a hand contains a choice between between be be- tween an opening suit bid and an opening no trump bid the suit should always be preferred 2 Norths North's pass is conservative but South who in this Instance was Willam William William Wil- Wil liam lam E E. Barrett one of the holders of the American Bridge league championship championship cham cham- for teams of four at contract con con- tract is not a timid person so North abandons the idea of attack for the moment awaiting later developments 3 South's overcall is ag aggressive and perhaps not fully justified by the values held but Billie an year 18 old wizard from Augusta Ga Is a aman aman man who believes in letting psychology psychology psychology work for him and he reasoned reasoned reasoned rea rea- that West would not permit him lim to play the hand when 2 diamonds diamonds diamonds dia dia- monds meant game and rubber The bidding clearly indicates that North and not East holds the undisclosed honor strength 4 The second bid of or no trump Is the counsel of desperation It Is too late now to bid the clubs a declaration which also would surely be defeated but not nearly so decisively as was the theno theno theno no trump However the score overrules overrules overrules over over- rules the dictates of or sound sense and anda a major disaster resulted 5 North now doubles the no trump bid for penalties With three and one half honor tricks and a partner strong enough to make a defensive overcall ll when vulnerable the pen alty must be well worth while greater great great- er than the making of the rubber game 6 It is too late to attempt to avert the Impending debacle In the play North opened the Heart Jack He reasoned that South must hold honor strength in outside suits to justify justly his diamond bid and that West held the Diamond King as a stopper In that suit There seemed nothing to lose by this course There might be much to gain The Queen was played from dummy and South's King and West's Ace were both played It was a mighty drop of honors West as yet unaware of the extent of the disaster started in to establish Dummy's long suit It was wag making the best of a very bad bar bar- gain He lIe led the King of Clubs This was won by North who took his 3 Heart tricks then led a small Spade and South was in to lead diamonds through West's guarded illy-guarded King West put it up at once and North and South took the remaining tricks a total of twelve in all for a set of or 1800 points not vulnerable The price of an incorrect opening bid and a are re- re bid equally unjustified was rather high Copyright 1932 Ely Culbertson C QUESTIONS ANSWERED Mr Culbertson will be glad to answer questions questions' on bidding and play of hands sent in by readers renders Address him in care of this newspaper enclosing enclosing ing a cent 2 stamped stampe l self addressed envelope t