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.

162 CORRECT CONTRACT BRIDGE

A K X XorA K Q X 11,655,332,260 times
A K Q X X 2,768,568,660 "
A K Q XXX 1,845,7I2,440 "
The three or four sure side tricks for 4-card suits
must be confined to two suits, as honors in all four
suits always makes no-trump preferable to a suit
declaration. It is of no consequence how many
guarded suits are held with a suit of either five or
six cards, the general rule gives preference to the
major suit declaration, when that suit is headed by
A K Q. The following table recognizes these distinctions.
A K Q K or A K X X, with 3 or 4 side tricks in only 2
suits.................-.....................404,657,880 times
A K Q X or A K X X, with 3 or 4 side tricks in 3
suits.-........ —.4....-..........- 414,IIO,400 times
A K Q X X, with 2 or more sure side tricks
509,723,280 times
A K Q XX X, with I or more sure side tricks
934,342,200 times
Slightly more than half the 4-card suits meeting
all the specified requirements afford better opening
bids of 2-No Trumps than 2-Hearts. When you
add the number of fourth suits lacking aces and
kings, but guarded by queens and jacks, the number
of 4-card suits at all justifying consideration of
opening bids of 2-Hearts will appreciably shrink
from the above figures.
Note that the 5-card and 6-card suits jointly
amount to 78 per cent of all those hands given above
that merit consideration of opening bids of 2-Hearts.
To sum up: more than half the 4-card suits obli