Show BETTER I BRIDGE BRIDGEy I ly y C c. H. H GOREN COREN Both vulnerable South deals North 4 K J 9 74 3 5 4 West Vest East 5 45 5 63 62 9 8 6 4 3 Q J 10 7 oft 8 7 4 3 2 A 10 9 5 South 4 J 10 8 4 V A 10 The bidding South West Test North East 1 club Pass 1 spade Pass 3 spades Pass 4 hearts Pass I 5 diamonds Pass 5 hearts Pass 6 hearts Pass 7 spades Pass Pass Pass While I am a staunch advocate of the point count method for tor sizIng sizing sizing siz siz- siz- siz ing up lip hands at no trump I like to suggest from time to time that methods of hand valuation were devised for tor your assistance but you must not permit yourself to become subject to their tyranny Meth Methods ds involving tabulations are arc surely less charming and frequently fre ftc less effective than the drawing of or clearly defined pic- pic Where a void is la held the bidding bidding bidding bid bid- ding of slams is greatly facilitated by the discovery not of the number number number num num- ber of ot aces partner holds but specifically specifically which ones Today's hand was culled from a tournament in which not not- one of the pairs managed to reach the I maximum contract While they all sensed the likelihood of ot a grand slam the they the were not aware of ot any method to arrive at seven with assurance I submitted the hand to a number of oC my colleagues and was interested to observe that in almost every case they adopted bid for bid the sequence appearing in the diagram The first round of bidding calls caUs for no comment After the jump to three spades North holding holding holding hold hold- ing a very high grade bid himself did not intend to settle for less than six spades but if partner held certain specific cards name cards name namely ly the ace of hearts and the ace of diamonds the diamonds the grand slam would be a moral cinch He therefore therefore therefore there there- fore bid four hearts in the hope that some pertinent facts would come to light Normally after violent support of ot a major suit the naming of another suit would Indicate possession of the ace However North had no choice but butto butto butto to probe In this manner South dutifully showed the diamond control control control con con- and North decided to make another descriptive bid of five hearts intending to convey the picture of an enormous two two-suiter hoping doping in this way to elicit some information n 0 as to partners partner's heart i holding South concluded that his partner partner part part- ner ncr must be fishing for the ace of hearts and decided at long last lasto to o show it by a bid of six hearts This bid obviously did not express a desire to play at that suit sult since spades had been definitely agreed upon It now became easy for North to contract for a grand slam in spades From Norths North's standpoint South might have had a richer hand than the one he did but which would not produce a a grand slam For example J 10 x x x A K x A K Q x The number of aces held was not the pertinent question It was which ones |