Correct contract bridge / by E.V. Shepard ; including the official Laws of contract bridge adopted by the Whist Club, New York, and by all the leading clubs in America.

42 CORRECT CONTRACT BRIDGE

opening bid of two, thereby announcing: "GAME
EXPECTATIONS; SLAM HOPES."
Partner's average assistance is somewhat more
than three tricks. Consequently a love score requires the declarer to hold a minimum of 6 tricks at
no-trumps, 7 tricks at major suit makes, or 8 tricks
at minor suit declarations, to justify any announcement of game expectations and slam hopes.
The opening two-bid more often denotes surplus
rather than bare bidding strength. To make certain that game may not be sacrificed through
partner's failure to assist so significant a declaration, its bidder's partner must bid three in case he
holds an ace or its equivalent (Either K Q of a suit
or the K X of two unbid suits), although he holds
only two small trumps.
TWO NO TRUMPS
The minimum requirements for making an opening bid of 2-No Trumps are:
Four guarded suits containing 6 probable tricks,
or 3 guarded suits with 7 probable tricks.
Bid 3-No Trumps on any hand having 4 guarded
suits if containing 9 safe tricks.
NoTrump * KQ9 V A54 KJ7 O Io862
2NoTrumps Q Io8 V A J7 4 KQ I3 0 A Io9
2 No Trumps* AKJ v KQ io 4 963 0 AQ Io6
3NoTrumps AK V AQ4 LKQJIo9 OKQJ
*Other systems of bidding such a hand are given
later.
Unless plainly marked in one partner's cards,