| Show CULBERTSON on n CONTRACT by El Ely Worlds World's chani Champion Player and Greatest Card Analyse I A BRIEF SUMMARY OF CONTRACT CON CON- TRACT DID BIDDING i DING l 1 The first step in learning to play contract bridge well is to start play play- Ing tag the game at once Even if it you make wrong bids at first you must actually bid and play hands if you expect to learn The next step is to secure an outline of a 3 sound bidding method so that you can value your cards accurately and so that you can exchange information with your partner by means of ot the bids you both make If It possible you should take a afew afew afew few lessons from a certified teacher And you should always prefer to play with players that are arc better than you are whenever you have the opportunity I 1 tu y 1 b w nen you PICK up any nana just de dealt you at the bridge table you are naturally interested first of all In the honor cards You must count your honor tricks tricks that that is to say the tricks you can expect to win with your honor hon or cards no matter what the final contract may b be or who plays it The following values for bidding hold true at any bid Any king ace-king in same suit 2 honor tricks any queen ace ten knave or ten queen always always al al- al ways in same silme suit 1 2 1 honor bonor tricks each any queen king or knave king with a small card 1 honor trick king and small in one suit and queen and small in another suit 1 honor trick king and small in one ohe suit 2 1 honor trick knave king or ten king alone are arc also worth only 2 1 honor trick queen-knave queen and small in one suit or queen and small in one suit and knave and small in another suit 2 1 honor trick each Using this standard standard stand stand- ard count there will be on the average average average aver aver- age from 8 to 8 2 1 honor tricks all together in the four hands of ot any deal if there are arc as many as 9 or 10 as there may be in rare instances only 8 or 8 2 1 of these will actually actual actual- ly win tricks in th the play In gen general however the honor trick valuation is wholly sound and Is a most effective effective effective tive means of ot arriving at a swift and accurate hand valuation It is of course modified by the information as to distribution disclosed during the bId bidding dIne All trump no-trump bids necessarily depend depend depend de de- de- de pend on honor tricks tricks that that is to say on honors or honor combinations that will win tricks If It your hand combined com corn with your partners partner's hand contains contains con con- thins 4 to 4 2 1 honor tricks as revealed revealed revealed re re- re- re by the bidding one trump no-trump is a sound bid for one-odd one can be made a little better belter than half the time I If It the combined hands contain contain con con- tam tain 5 honor tricks two trump no-trump can probably be made If the combined hands contain 5 2 1 honor tricks three no trump no-trump trump can probably be made Whenever there may be ruffing possibilities pos a hand band will nearly always play better at a suit than at no ne IFor For this reason a biddable suit should always be preferred to trump no-trump when opening the bidding and as a arule arule arule rule in responding to an opening bid To make an opening bid of one in ina a suit or one trump no-trump your hand should contain at least 2 12 2 honor trIcks This will in general mean that your hand can develop about 4 A tricks honor tricks and suit long tricks which make up your total of playing tricks That is you are gambling gambling gam- gam bling aling on your partner holding about 3 tricks probably 1 to 1 2 1 honor tricks and 1 I lor or 2 other playing tricks suit long tricks or ruffing tricks When vulnerable you gamble on on only 2 I tricks in your partners partner's hand until his lis bidding informs you otherwise your your- own bidding should be revised a i I i t l More than 90 per cent of all openIng openIng open open- Ing tag bids in contract are bids of ot one A suit should always be preferred to trump lo-trump though one trump no-trump may be ae bid dealer or second hand with 2 2 1 honor tricks in three suits or with 3 honor tricks In the position of oi third thIrdS or fourth hand provided of course ourse no biddable suit is held The opening bid of ot two in a suit is and should be rare Generally it requires requires re reo re- re quires 5 12 honor tricks in your own hand though this may be reduced slightly but never below 4 2 1 if you rou have good distributional values values' to 0 make up for the lack of the full trick honor requirement The forcing forc ing bid is made to be sure that your partner partner jartner who may have a hand land will not pass until pass until the honor and distributional possibilities have been explored You can soundly open with two trump no-trump only with 5 honor tricks all four suits suits' stopped and no biddable suit suil Very rarely you will hold a hand with a long Iong an and lou solid soUd trump suit but with greater strength than a one-bid one will indicate If the suit contains 5 sure tricks and you have at least 1 2 1 honor tricks in the side suits making a total of ot 8 pl playing ying tricks In your hand trump tricks honor tricks ricks and suit long-suit tricks you can open with a three-bid three if it is a major suit or or with 9 playing tricks with witha a four bid if it is a minor suit With less ess trick honor-trick strength you should make a preemptive game bid if the theland hand land has such a long suit that it must be played at that that- suit or not at all counting on your on-your your partner for 3 tricks ricks not vulnerable or 2 tricks vulnerable you can overbid your hand handby handby handby by these expectancies t. that expectancies that at is with s-with with 7 playing tricks not vulnerable or 8 playing laying tricks vulnerable you can make an opening major four bid even with no honor strength in side ide suits An opening minor five-bid five can be made mad on Oil 8 playing tricks not vulnerable vult viii or 9 playing tricks tricks- vulnerable able Notice that the difference between between be- be tween an opening game bid and an opening bid of one less than less than game is I This is the thirty-first thirty of ot a se series series se- se e. e ries of ot 32 articles in response to requests from numerous readers designed to explain the elementary elementary elemen element tary principles of contract bridge In them Mr Culbertson will write especially for the benefit of ot those who have never played contract contract con con- tract and who may even be un familiar with the methods of playIng play play- ing it Il The articles will cover the game from its basic elements to the higher phases of ot contract bridge The series in its entirety will comprise a complete co course of instruction in How to Play Contract I 1 1 b in n trick honor-trick strength The higher bid id is much the weaRer er bid In the position of opening hand remember that your playing tricks consist of honor tricks plus long suit long sui tricks The latter include 1 trick fo for each card in excess excels of three in the sut suit you bid and 2 1 trick for each card in excess of ot three in each side suit of four or more cards Do no not count suit long tricks after atter an an anop opponent opponent op op- op- op has bid one ono of your side suits Never count long suit long suit tricks when responding responding responding re re- re- re to any forcing bid or when bidding beyond game Your opening bid of one promises about 4 tricks you therefore have one possible re re- re bid for tor each playing trick over 4 your you hand contains If your our partner fails fail to support the suit you bid the long lone suit tricks in it should be revalued as a side suit To be biddable a four card suit sui should be headed by I 2 11 12 honor tricks or more and a five card suit by 1 2 1 honor trick or more Any six care suit is biddable at the stage of one If a suit contains about 4 tricks i imay it may be without support from partner if it contains about 5 tricks it may be twice without support from partner These values may be shaded a little if It not vulnerable TODAY'S POINTER In learning to play contract it I Inot is not only essential to learn the correct cor car principles of bidding as laid laic down in books but to practice them assiduously by actual play at the bridge table You cannot hope to grasp the principles of ot correct bIdding bidding bidding bid bId- ding without putting them to the test tes of play QUESTIONS ANSWERED Mr Culbertson will be glad to answer any specific question on bidding or play sent in m by read read- ers Address him in care of this newspaper enclosing a cent 3 stamped self-addressed self envelope Copyright 1932 Ely Culbertson entirely on her physical condition as s determined at the time of ot her first examination Any woman with tuberculosis or heart disease for disease for example example example ex ex- ex- ex ample should be constantly under medical care from the mom moment nt she finds out the fact of the Impending childbirth 4 TOMORROW The causes of In In- |
