| Show CULBERTSON on CONTRACT by Ely Cu bethon World Worlds Champion Player and Greatest Card Analyst CONTRACTING FOR ALL TIlE THE TRICKS It Is rare Indeed that two players at the contract table find themselves so well supplied with honor tricks and distributional values that a grand slam may ma- mabe be safely contracted The chances of the success of a grand slam contract should be at least three to toone toone toone one to justify y the risk of losing an almost certain small slam As there arc few hands which guarantee this de degree ree of certainty th the grand slam bid particularly in rubber play is a losing venture In duplicate play however particularly in the modern method of scoring the risk of bidding bidding bidding bid bid- ding a grand slam is compensated In part by the assurance that you have havethe havethe havethe the highest possible score on that particular particular par par- hand if jf your contract is fulfilled fulfilled ful ful- filled HUed and possibly the odds should because of this be slightly lessened In Inthe Inthe inthe the play of or this form of or the game The very dan danger er accompanying this venturesome bid adds to its attractiveness attractiveness for most players and arid as aJ all that Is 15 risked in duplicate Is 15 glory and not cash there is found a larger proportion of or people willing to put their glory in the balance than en endanger endanger en- en dan danger er their pocketbooks In consequence consequence consequence conse conse- quence duplicate games see many more grand slam bids The hand below played recently In Ina a 1 duplicate game in the Tower Bridge club in New York is an example of an accurately bid grand slam even with the interference of or a psychic bid by the east player which was brushed aside by the north and south partnership partnership partnership partner partner- ship in reaching their ambitious con con- tr tract North North Dealer North and south vulnerable A A K 10 7 6 5 6 0 OAK Q 4 3 9 2 I 8 I 3 c A 10 2 W j 6 5 61 4 1 3 o 0 J 10 9 5 WI 0 8 6 2 LS 5 J 4 Q J JK K Q J 8 7 6 0 o 07 7 A T A K Q 10 The Bidding Figures after alter bids In tho thu table refer to numbered explanatory explanatory atory paragraphs South West North East 2 42 3 3 P Pass 04 Pass 6 5 Pass Pass Pass Dbl 7 Pass Pass Pass 1 I. A bid of three spades would not be good because of the danger of the adverse erse massing of oC the suit wit 2 Purely a bluff 3 3 A forcing takeout 4 4 North need not jump South's forcing takeout assures an opportunity opportunity nit for a d disclosure of the full strength of the hand The pattern should be unfolded gradually 5 Uncovering Unco east's psychic and removing the last barrier to the bidding bidding bidding bid bid- ding with the grand slam G CV North reasons that his partner will not make the bid of five clubs if he lacks lack some kind of support for the spade bid He feels that he needs no nomore nomore nomore more than Q x or three small trumps in the south hand to give him a play for the grand slam 7 Probably induced by south's psychic opening bid and the possession possession posses posses- sion of the heart ace It is only necessary to look at the distribution of the cards c to see sec that the grand slam Is 15 made laid down North needs only to draw the adverse trumps and discard his two losing diamonds on south's established clubs The game In which this hand was dealt is one of the largest duplicate games I In New York City and while the road to the gr grand slam slain seems reasonably reasonably rea rca clear strangely enough a number of players stopped short even evenor of or a small slam At one table a player holding east's casts worthless cards instead of passing decided upon a psychic double This W was not penalized by y the north and south players in an effective fashion but as a matter of fact was probably the controlling factor factor fac fac- tor in preventing these players from reaching the grand slam 6 The rules governing grand slam bidding applicable to contract might be modified as applied to duplicate play on the match point basis so that you bid a grand slam when your score needs bolstering up and be content with the small slam if the results on the other hands played during the match are satisfactory TODAY'S POINTER While a grand slam should not be bid unless the chance of making the contract is at least three to one in its favor this rule is modified in duplicate duplicate cate and slightly greater chances should be taken TOMORROWS VS HAND AND I The bidding and play of the hand printed below will be discussed to to- to morrow North North Dealer Dealer ller East and west vulnerable A 6 o 0 4 10 5 3 2 to N l 93 Ic o 10 3 2 W. W W VV 0 K J S 5 I A K 4 2 I IA A K Q 10 i io o 6 4 4 Study the hand decide how you would bid and play it and then compare compare com corn pare the results you OU obtain with those shown n in tomorrows tomorrow's article Copyright 1 Ely Culbertson |
