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Show r ": I Modern Contract Bridge By Lefia liitterslcy I) No. 8. The Factor of Distribution in Rebidding PLAYING with a reliable partner who can be depended upon to Interpret In-terpret the message of a rebid, never shy at a sound raise because you cannot can-not see game in your own hand. Even though your suit Is a minor, when well within the margin of safety of one sound additional trick (a total of 3 playing tricks) a rebid should usually usual-ly be made after partner has raised once. From an advanced score of 60 points, it is an easy step to game. As a rule, though having started with a minor suit bid, and received a raise from partner, if your additional addi-tional rebidding value is in honors, rather than suit length, a shift to another biddable suit or to no trumps will prove more profitable than a rabid. ra-bid. This shift to a no trump is also a better alternative than a rebid when you have opened with a tour-card major suit in a balanced hand wnich shows honors in at least three suits. Having opened with a suit bid, against which the opponents have put up some opposition, even though your partner has passed, you may sometimes some-times be justified in a rebid. The Inference from your partner's pass Is that he holds not more than three supporting tricks and that he Is probably prob-ably quite deficient in honor-tricks, otherwise he would have raised or made an independent bid. The Rule of "Two and Three" At the same time your partner may have some supporting value. As you are really in the dark concerning his holding, it is best to be governed by the safety margin in such a position. In the majority of cases you may gamble: On two supporting tricks if vulnerable; on three supporting tricks if not vulnerable. Trump Strength Required for an Unassisted Rebid A rebid of your suit which partner has passed requires powerful trump strength, at least 4 playing-tricks in trumps. As your partner's failure to respond may indicate lack of trumps as well as lack of honor-tricks, honor-tricks, the playing-tricks for end-cards end-cards which you have previously counted in your trump suit must be discounted one half. For example, assuming as-suming that you have opened this hand with one heart: S-6 2 H-AKQ2 D-KQ5 C-K 7 4 3 the next player has bid one spade, and your partner and the second opponent op-ponent have passed. Discounting original orig-inal valuation of 4 playing tricks in hearts, you would have left but 3 playing-tricks in that suit, and could not possibly rebid it. Your only recourse re-course to show that your hand was stronger than originally indicated would be a take-out double. In short, if your partner refuses to help you, never rebid a four-card suit, or even a five-card suit unless it is headed by exceptionally strong honors. A six-card suit may usually be rebid if It has at least lYa honor-tricks at the top. When not vulnerable, an unassisted rebid shows at least 5 playing-tricks of which 4 are trump tricks. No less than 6 playing tricks, with the same trump strength, is the requirement when vulnerable. Naturally, if your hand is a two-suiter, two-suiter, the better course will almost always lie in showing your second suit. With a hand of uncommon general gen-eral strength a take-out double is usually advisable, rather than the rebid re-bid of a suit which partner has refused re-fused to assist. Instead of assisting your bid or passing, your partner may make a take-out in another suit or at no trump. Such a contingency calls for an entire revaluation of your hand. Rebidding In this situation will be treated in an article to follow the analysis of playing tricks in the assisting as-sisting hand. For, very often, the re-appraisal of your original bidding hand must be made on its value as an assisting hand to your partner. (. 1932, by Leila Hattersley.) WNU Service |