Show I r. r J Shows Weakness If bf f Official System l I r Hands to Prove z iz Methods Block J Accurate Bids Bids's 81 t s 's Note This is the fourth I 4 of a of oC articles by iii bertson berton reviewing the reMs rehM re- re o hM Ms his is bridge match with Sid Sid- enz t r ELY IELY CULBERTSON I Dramatized Bridge for rl Millions Copyright 1932 S fORK ORK Jan 16 16 After After five t in an intensive study of I J splayed played in my bridge tour tour- Ith Sidney S. S Lenz my faith roach forcing system of bid bid- I t been strengthened I ji id d i my belief belie that the official bidding used by Mr Lenz C partners is inadequate to 1 vast majority of hands Is isby d by the most convincing S superficial super iclal study of the 1 closes that it was adherence principles of the ap ap- arcing system that enabled e C up our commanding lead ve ye us our decisive victory till Lii I of Mr Lenz and both his 1 las as players Is not even open I on n. n Mr Lenz's Lenis masterly play i seen by bridge players I ere re e and that of both Oswald i and Commander Winfield Jr sr r. r if less well known is deserving of praise How- How I most skillful driver cannot I than the utmost out of a aIne aine j Ine and I am now more thor- thor than ever that the system of contract bidding is regardless of how skill skill- river iver ma may beNS be NS NS WEAKNESS I eak ak because the principles of m tend to obscure the doubt doubt- ires es of the hands so far as the theis thelis thes lis is s concerned and give to op op- o far too much h information arly IY on the intermediate arc are the center of this lot f contract bidding pf f the fundamental features of roach roach forcing system is that fou ou hold adequate trump sup sup- ree ee trumps headed b by at least ien en en or otherwise four small smaIl do not raise your our partners partner's suit bids or one or two rei re re- i to of outside strength This Thise e C assures to the partnership of 01 the trump suit and tends Fe e C the declarer against which wreck many con- con Through adherence to this thise e the statistics disclose that ny y partners played 34 trump lions in which we held 10 lOot of ps Mr Lenz and his part part- ayed only 22 such declarations applied it will wiIl thus be seen roach principle to our bidding ire re c e discovered the best bid in I hands bands st this with the fact that in inS S n which eight trumps were ithe the declarer and his partner and his partners played lids ds while we had bad only such When Y it came to a question l rations containing only seven tin in the combined hands the face Ice ce in the bidding s systems stems is carer We had 46 such hands ur opponents had 63 This counts for 1000 or more points ead lead and this principle is en en- king in the official system i o of the no trump complex ES EXCHANGE cond second cornerstone of the ap- ap forc forcing ng system is to always alwa's my ny biddable suit to a n trump pening the bidding all ar atit as a ae e the same tactics when reg re re- g to partners partner's bids This prin prin- the exchange of oC as to distribution suit J as well as the honor trick h content of or the hand It enlightens partner and permits him to make Intelligent in in- responses rather than grope in the dark and hope that b by hook or crook b by favor of the gods of chance or the furies of fate that you ou reach the correct final contract Because of adherence to this principle principle prin prin- ciple although in many instances we overbid deliberately In order to prevent prevent prevent pre pre- vent our opponents opponents' from making makin game or a valuable part score we played many less unsuccessful contracts contracts con con- tracts than did our adversaries The records show that Mr Lenz and his partners undertook unsuccessful contracts We were unsuccessful in 00 the making of This difference is JS startling indeed and in the course of make even an evenings evening's play would Ithe the difference of being a considerable loser or a considerable winner The third cornerstone of or the ap ap- ap- ap forcing system is embodied in inthe inthe inthe the one over one response to an opening open open- ing tog bid and the minimum one no trump response to an opening bid It can be stated thus Do liDo not pass your our partners partner's opening one bid in a asuit asuit asuit suit when there has been no intervening intervening inter inter- adverse bid except with a blank hand The bidding must be kept open either through a raise i if able showing another biddable suit with about one honor trick or when unable to show a suit bid a negative no trump with about one and one one- half hall honor tricks Through the use of these responses by my partner there were vere opportunities for the exchange exchange ex ex- change of necessary information entirely en en- lacking in the bidding machinery machin ery cry provided by the official system and used by my opponent and his partners How inefficient the system of bidding bidding bid bid- din ding used by our opponents was is disclosed in the eighth hand of the theone theone theone one hundred and forty first rubber The hand follows North Mr Lenz Lenz Spades Spades B 3 4 2 hearts Q J 9 D 7 5 diamonds 4 3 clubs Q 3 2 2 West Mr Culbertson Spades Spades 9 6 3 hearts 10 8 6 4 diamonds K 6 clubs 10 8 7 6 East Mr Spades Spades J 5 hearts A K 3 2 diamonds Q J 9 8 clubs K 5 4 South Commander L Liggett i g g get c t t t- t Spades A K Q 10 7 hearts none dia dia- monds A 10 io 7 i 75 5 2 clubs A J 9 Mr opened the bidding with one heart and Commander Liggett Liggett gett made a jump overcall of two spades This was the final contract He did not have available to him the overcall in opponents opponent's bid suit which is s a feature of the forcing system anc and the equivalent of a strong takeout double Using this bid in the ap ap- ap- ap forcing system game in spades should have been bid and of course should be made How the responses in the official system tended to shut out put valuable information as to suit distribution is disclosed in the bidding of the hand below North Mr Lenz Spades Lenz-Spades Spades K 7 4 hearts J 8 4 diamonds S 8 4 clubs A K 7 5 2 West Mr Culbertson Spades Culbertson Spades A AD D 9 6 3 hearts A Q 9 diamonds 10 7 2 clubs Q 10 8 East Mrs Culbertson Culbertson Spades G Q 10 5 hearts K 10 7 6 5 2 diamonds Q J 6 clubs 6 South Commander L Liggett i g g get e t t t- t Spades J 8 2 hearts 8 diamonds A K 9 5 3 clubs J 9 8 4 The bidding South 1 diamond west pass north 2 no trump east cast pass south pass west pass LOSS IS INCREASED I Of course courset in the forcing approach system Commander Liggett should have used that most eloquent of al all all' bids the monosyllable monosyllabic pass Bu But But granting the correctness of his bid o of one diamond under the approach approach- forcing system the response by north would have been two clubs and even though a game contract in clubs was wa undertaken the most serious thing that could have happened would have been the defeat of the contract b bone by byone one trick for a mere points whereas where where- as Mr Lenz playing the hand at a contract of two no trump vulnerable suffered a loss of points as he was defeated four tricks This is the last article articIe of oC the series reviewing re ewing the recent bridge battle o othe of the century Of course I am entirely satisfied with the demonstration o othe of the merits of the forcing approach tern but I feel that the most worthwhile worthwhile worth worth- while result of all the focusing o of interest in th the intellectual game o of oC contract bridge has not been sufficiently stressed If the match h had ld done no more than help millions tern tem to forget their troubles and demonstrate the high ethical standards standards standards stand stand- ards of the game under terrific strain it would have been worth all the time devoted to it and all the sleep lost by reason of playing it |