Show CULBERTSON on CONTRACT by Ely Cu Culbertson bethon Worlds World's Champion Player and Greatest Card Analyst 11 TilE THE SENSE OF PERILS OVERCOME IE Human nature loves danger skillfully skillfully skill skill- fully calculated and overcome Tranquillity paIls palls This is one of the fundamental reasons for the great popularity of competitive games such as most athletic contests con con- tests and such as intellectual recreations typifying an intellectual gle like Contract This is also one of oC the reasons why the general bidding of ot four card suits in m preference to when introduced in- in by the writer several years ago gained such rapid and general acceptance Of course we want our perils marked We like to have the rocks of distribution buoyed so that we may know a about aboul just where we should study our chart most closely The writer found it necessary to safeguard the bidding of or four-card four suits suils b by providing that the they hey should not be supported with less trump strength than four small or an honor as good as the Queen and two Iwo small Even so there may maybe maybe be five fie or six trumps outstanding with the chances of an unfavorable break The four-card four suit bid still furnishes its ils thrill One adversary may hold four or even five of ot the trumps bunched in his hand From Baltimore comes the hand which furnished the text of today's article South dealt these cards A 10 to 0 I 5 S 3 SV V K Q J 10 7 4 J JA A r. A AK K J 44 a 43 Q to 2 S tf- tf 7 6 I 4 8 A K 10 9 8 f 1 The bidding South mth West North Bat 1 Ass 1 3 32 2 Pass I. I 3 Pan 3 4 PAM lS lS P.- P. 6 0 PAIS Pass p Pa 1 North I North holding three one honor tricks makes a Forcing or Jump Takeout This commits the partnership to lo continuing the b bidding bidding bid bid- d. d din ding until a game contract or a penalty penally trouble is reached 2 While l-While While South's hand Is far above the minimum bidding strength he does not make the Spade response response response re re- re- re as he is assured of ot another another an an- other opportunity to lo bid by reason of his partners partner's Forcing Takeout He first his six card diamond diamond dia dla- mond suit before showing his biddable bid dable four-card four Spade suit 3 North I-North North holding four sure tricks in trumps first his heart hearl suit sulL A Jump or Forcing two two- heart bid by North shows game strength and Ind both bolh partners arc now assured that the bidding will vill not be dropped below a n game contract contract con con- tract hence the leisurely but bul deliberate deliberate de do- liberate manner minner manner of unfolding the information 4 South I-South South now bids his Spades The bidding of the four card sull suit at al this range of ot the game is quite quile safe saCe as ea he had previously bid his diamonds twice 5 The 5 The fit fil of oC the hands has been found at las last t North with four lour spades feels reels sure that thal 5 S spades I can be made This bid of ot five Is Isa a Slam suggestion asking partner I to bid it provided the hand is somewhat stronger than the bidding bidding bid ding has already shown I G South G-South South can place from bidding the club Ace Ace spade spade length a strong heart suit suit and and risks the Slam Slam Slam-a a justified risk IThe The Play I West lacked a desirable opening I against the Slam bid To la lay down the Ace of ot hearts as many players would be Inclined to do would make South's task of ot taking 12 tricks com corn p simple The four-card four club suit due to lo its ils holding is also undesirable The opening of the diamond suit bid by South inasmuch in as West holds a stopper in m that suit is weak but to lead the I 1 spade through possible spade tricks Iricks in East's Easl's hand is unthinkable A small club was chosen as the least of evils South refused the finesse It was apparent that a finesse mus must be taken In the trump SUIt suil and to lo take the club finesse at once would result in disaster should the club I Queen win and the spade Kin King be found Cound in West's hand The club King was played and a low spade was led and the finesse won South now laid down Ace and King Kin of diamonds and trum trumped d the third lead in dummy The diamond suit must be established and the work of suit suil establishment and drawing opponents opponent's trumps was carried on simultaneously r. r IThe i iThe The second lead of spades shows that South has found about as bad bada a split as possible West had no nomore nomore nomore more trumps However the thc law of compensation operated to his advantage lage tage In that the diamonds broke I East held two spades the King and the 7 South still has the thc Ace and Queen and In the dummy there remained the D. D South reviewed the play pIa and recalled recalled re re- re called that West's opening lead was the club deuce This could not nol have been a singleton lead arid and was probably probably abl ably fourth best leaving with East two more clubs The club finesse became entirely immaterial South led a club going up with the Ace and led Dummy's last spade through East's Easl's lenace The last spade was drawn and South then ran down his established diamonds conceding a club trick Irick at the end Copyright 1931 Ely Culbertson |