Cryptological Techniques in Bidding and Defence

Part I

by Peter Winkler, Murray Hill, NJ, USA

This article and its sequels will show you how to

1. bid your slam controls without telling the Opponents what to lead;
2. make opening leads that are informative only to partner;
3. bid intelligently to three no-trumps without revealing your weak suit;
4. conceal your strength (or lack of it) from the opponents, but not from partner, during a competitive auction;
5. employ defensive signals that partner can understand but declarer cannot.

If you thought these things were impossible without cheating, you are not alone. Only the fifth has appeared in print prior to 1981; it was discovered independently by Benjamin (Bridge Magazine, April '77), Winkler (Bridge World, April '80) and probably others, and ironically is the most difficult of the five for a nonexpert to use. The rest were hinted at in a short story in the January '81 Bridge World but are otherwise unavailable, as far as the author knows; (1), (3) and (4) require the establishment of an 'active key', a totally new concept.

Most of the techniques in this article are not at all esoteric, an