This is an excellent example of thinking on defence, thanks for sharing Bobby.

What’s your take on 3rd/5th (or 3rd/low) leads vs standard against suit contracts for an established (and aspiring) partnership? From what I see, a lot of experts favour them in one form or another, so am I right to infer that they are superior once the elevator is at a high enough level in the bridge tower?

On the BWTA hand, one should splinter only with slamish hands, not just because the hand fits the mold for such bid, am I right?

Hi Mircea,

Yes Mircea, bridge (at least the fair to high-level game) is a thinking man’s one and today’s hand is a good example.

To answer your question I want to borrow a direct quote from the late and great Bobby Goldman (one of the original Aces) after he did a thorough investigation (and, as far as I know, never took shortcuts) of various opinions of 3rd/fifth, low/fifth, attitude, 4th best, signalling methods involving right side up, upside down, suit preference, count etc. and came up with the following conclusion, which my gut feeling seemed to immediately agree (although mine was definitely not scientific):

He said: “All of them, including one’s social security number could be used (where the first digit meant something different than the second one etc.) with almost no difference in overall value, except perhaps the “shock” value of a new meaning, which, in turn, might have a pronounced effect on the opponent’s (depending how novice they were) and throw them into a “tizzy” causing them to stop thinking. Two notable exceptions in signalling are odd and even and Smith echo where tempo becomes very “telling” making it difficult to conceal unauthorized information passing to partner, determined by the time taken (and sometimes body actions) which occur. Of course, since that possibly advantages the user, some might rationalize it to the extent that they would choose that method without going to extreme to practice it in an actively ethical way.

I would consider that above reason of “shock” to be, at the very least, slightly unethical, with the tempo variations even worse, since bridge, in order to maintain its long ago quality of being called a “gentleman’s game” (also including ladies) is not meant to thrive on that feature.

I must add that this thought of mine is not always agreed to, by some of the very high level competitors, both past and present, but I guess that is what makes both bridge and horse racing interesting and, yes, occasionally results in life long, enemies.

In answer to your concluding question, I totally agree with you that some high level (4 and higher) splinters should always be a slam try. It follows, why would one want to inform the worthy opponents sometimes important information which will only help them, not one’s partner, in the opening lead, overall defense, and at the same time lose the advantage of blasting (the English call it punting) instead of providing tactical information, which often results in the opponents doing the wrong thing, like doubling your partnership in a contract which will make (sometimes with an overtrick)?

To answer a question before it is asked, yes, legal deception is a very useful part of the game, including occasional psyches, but sadly, some players, at their relative beginning stages of learning the game, get that confused with other ethical issues which are opposite in nature.

Thanks for having a penchant for asking probing questions which could provide an educational opportunity for many to learn and therefore discuss with others and grow in stature, all about what a superior game it is, we play.

So, am I to understand that if played in tempo even odd/even and Smith have no advantage over anything else?

Hi Mircea,

I would say that odd/even and Smith, played in tempo are sensible and my guess, one rung up from not playing them even when considering that the declarer at times is advantaged more than the defense, but if one adds the rationalization of playing those two conventions to the equation (playing them without regard to the ethical responsibility which should automatically go with), instead of one rung up, it jumps higher geometrically instead of arithmetically.

The Winter of 1970 (January through March) when the Aces, Bridge Circus (including the three great Italian players, Benito, Giorgio and Pietro) were traveling to seven big American cities and played bridge for one whole week at each destination I had the experience of playing with those three and others as partner’s of the Omar Sharif Circus team (open pairs where the two invited teams played on Wednesday and Thursdays with most of the time the Aces playing with a player on the other team, odd and even and I can remember that I almost never had a problem on defense simply because the tempo, while not necessarily apparent to our usual worthy opponents, but obvious to me just how effective odd and even dual message signals really were.

BTW, those experiences also convinced me just how great those three players really were (in comparison and at that time unparalleled and if I had to say, still), even without the extra benefits from how they went about it and even though all the other members (which I played against many times and their ability and talents resembled that of slightly above average bridge club players).

All of the really great bridge players realize in spades (even in NT) how impossible it is to win at the highest level with only three out of whatever six players chosen being superior when the others are what I define them as.

Furthermore, my experiences through my bridge life cause me to not pay much, if any, attention to others, especially fairly recently on the scene, perhaps only 30 years instead of 60, who profess to think they know what was going on, instead of being there, doing that, and seeing it first hand, like a basketball slam dunk!

To make matters even more complicated, the three great Italian stars were wonderful, thoughtful, caring, good looking, impeccably dressed, modest, charismatic people who everyone adored being around and, to set the record straight, odd and even signalling itself was only a small fish in the big sea of World Championship Bridge.

Go figure!

I won’t go any further, but I will chance that you understand what I am talking about and furthermore while doing that, it appears to the outside world that no unauthorized information is being passed, but if one believes that, there is a big bridge (structure, not the game we play) in NY I would love to sell you.