Both vul, IMPs at IMPs scoring you hold as south: ♠A ♥K93 ♦AK106 ♣AK1063

What do you open?

NOTE:Just to let you know my new book, The Right Bid at the Right Time is has been released and is available for purchase.

Here is a hand from a recent match between two tops teams in the Canadian Online Teams Championship. Sitting South was a so-called expert. He decided to open 2NT.

Yes, this is close to the right point count. Yes, this simplifies the auction. Yes, this is one of the worse bids I have seen from a high caliber player.

Yes, that is unfortunately true. Time and time again I see players showing notrump shape with singletons. (Haven’t seen it with a void yet!) This is lazy bidding. First your auction is easier, but inaccurate. Natural bidding will be beat notrump auctions 9 times out of 10. Another reason players do this is that they can all but guarantee they will be declarer. What that has to do with Partnership Bridge, I am not sure.

The best bid is 1♣. One bids are up to 21 HCPs. That is what you have. Having said that the only reason I open 1♣ is that your suits are the minors, which are notorious difficult to describe when you have to start at the two level. Better to open 1♣ and make a one round force with 2♦. You can still force to game.

This hand is VERY good. Much better than your high card will indicate. Much better than a 2NT opener. Give partner ♠xxxx ♥Qx ♦Qxxxx ♣xx and 6♣ is an excellent contract.

Back to what happened at the table? South got his just desserts in my view. The full deal:

North transferred into 4♠, down one when declarer’s play matched his bidding.

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Dos and Don’ts

By

Michael Abbey

Note to readers: Michael Abbey is a bridge player from Ottawa, who writes a column for Bridge Canada, the CBF bridge publication I edit (cbf.ca). Here are some excellent tips for all players. I was playing at the Tuxedo club this past Wednesday, and was a witness to many infractions of number 3, Bidding Box usage. When I made mention to educate these players, I was occassionally met with some resistence.

Please change your behaviour if you are contravening the following bridge laws. Doing this will ensure that you are behaving ethically at the bridge table. As well making the game enjoyable for all.

Sincerely, Neil Kimelman

As was obvious from my inaugural Bridge Canada article in December, I am new at this game. A few things have happened at the table recently that have allowed me to learn more about playing this wonderful game. As I see it, there are two separate components to bridge:

1.     How to play—all the way from bidding through playing the hand.

2.     Playing the game—the way one behaves at the table and what is allowed and what is not.

This article is about the second component. Let’s look at three different circumstances at the bridge table, and find out what is allowed and what isn’t.

Communicating with partner during the play

Its half way through a 27 board game and the opponents are declaring a 3NT contract. Their order of tricks records are as follows, with East as the declarer:

In the previous diagram, on the left is the order of played cards for East and West. Notice how East’s layout shows the partnership winning tricks 1 and 2. West’s record shows them winning trick 1 but not trick 2. The order of played cards for North and South reflect the same status of trick #2, having been lost to North/South. Thus, the trick record by East for trick #2 is wrong.

The table on the right shows the Win/Lose status for tricks 1-11. In a 3NT contract, the partnership needs nine tricks. Just before the 12^th trick starts, East fingers his tricks and counts to eight. West knows that they lost trick #2, so he points it out to East. East then turns the card record for trick #2 to reflect the loss, thereby realizing he has to win two more tricks not just one. My partner points out that what West just did is not legal. After the game, I discussed this with my partner and, lo and behold, she was right. West offered some information to East to which he was not entitled. As it turns out, the only time your partner is allowed to tell you one of your trick records is oriented the wrong way is immediately after a trick finishes and before the first card is played to the next trick. This is covered in Law 65 of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge. Let’s look at another situation:

Turning over your card to a trick

Trick #5 finishes and East wins it. The cards each person played to the trick are sitting on the table as shown in the picture on the left. Then South, West, and North turn their cards over to change to what is shown on the right:

Before East leads the next trick, she asks the other three players to face their cards. South says, “I already turned my card down, sorry.” East reminds South that since she has not yet turned her own card (the }K) over, she can ask the other players to expose what they played to the trick. East is correct. On the other hand, suppose South had been the one who asked the other players to face their cards. Since she has turned her card (the }8) over, she is not allowed to ask. This is covered in Law 66 of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge. One more position is enough for this brief journey into a corner of duplicate land:

When to reach for the bidding box

This one involves fishing in the bidding box, as I call it. Players are not allowed to go to the bidding box without having made a decision about the bid they are about to make. The process is as follows:

1.     Ponder the options for bidding based on what has been bid so far and what convention may or may not be used

2.     Select the bid in one’s mind, and only then

3.     Go to the bidding box and extract the proper card(s) ensuring the desired bid is on the top of whatever is extracted from the box

The key here is to think, decide, and then go to the box. Any other process could be deemed to be giving unauthorized information to your partner and lead to the summoning the Director, and a possible score adjustment. 

You may wonder what all the above means to you? First, knowing these rules may avoid any score adjustments.  At least as important, as you play, the way you behave at the table and how you carry yourself throughout the auction and subsequent play makes a statement about your integrity, as well as your mastery of the game.

Please visit Michael at his website for beginners at begginerbridge.net.

Test Your Lead Defence

Column 11

N-S vul, Playing Teams as South you hold: ♠Q7652 ♥106 ♦J52 ♣K73

The bidding:

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                       1NT                 Pass

2♣                   Pass                2♥                   Pass               

3NT                 All Pass         

What do you lead?

Well 4^th best from longest and strongest is a spade. Is this a good lead? Not really. Partner has one or two spades. Declarer is guaranteed to have two stoppers.*

A heart is also unlikely to be successful as declarer has shown at least four of them. Partner could have AQJ10x, but if so, likely not another high card.

Down to the minors – two honour thirds. Toss a coin?

No. (Even if you want to show off your new $5 coin). Partner had a chance to double 2♣ for a lead and didn’t. So a small inference, but it is the small inferences that can lead to success or failure.

*Actually that is not technically true. He may have only one if partner has ♠AK. But you still would need two entries – one to knock out the stopper, and one to cash two good spades. The full deal:

Eventually declarer will likely take a club finesse for his ninth trick, and go down.

Lessons to Learn

1.  Remember to look for the ‘dog that didn’t bark’ inferences.

2. The spade situation is one that is worth being familiar with: A five card suit to be set up when you know one opponent has four of them. Q87xx is the worst holding that can be theoretically set up on the first in one round.

           K654

Q8732                             A10

                        J9

Also in this situation always lead a small spade:

J10543            lead the 4

J10943            Lead the 4

QJ1043           Lead the 4

KQ1043          Lead the 4

KQJ43             Lead the 4

AKQ43            Lead the 4

AKQJ4             Okay, you got me, lead an honour.

The Intermediate Series

Lesson 5

Bidding over a 1NT Opener

In a recent article I talked about how the side that does not open the bidding is at a decided disadvantage in entering the auction and competing accurately. Hands with two suiters have more safety. Now we look at competing against a 1NT opener. First let’s concentrate on 15-17 notrumps, and look at weaker ones later.

Before we start

It is right to be respectful of this opener. We enter the auction at grave risk. However we still need to play bridge. A couple of points to consider:

·       The purpose of interfering is to get in the way of the opponent’s notrump machinery, with conventions that accurately describe various holdings. But sometimes you will discover it is your hand (see below).

·        1NT side has an Achilles heel – they don’t know the suit(s) the strong hand in which the strong hand has length. So it is often difficult to penalize interference, at least initially. It is sometimes helpful to know whether the opponents play penalty or negative at the two and three levels.

·       Vulnerability – we can take advantage of favourable vulnerability and bid with lesser values.

·       Suit length and strength – if single suiter, the expected minimum length is six cards.

·       Solid suits – I rarely bid over a strong notrump opener with a long solid suit! Experience has shown me that often the opponents will play in 1NT or 3NT and collecting my plus is the best score. By bidding your suit the opponents will often compete in their fits, and with no wasted strength in your suit, make lots. But they can only do this if you tell them about your suit!

·       14-16 1NT should be treated the same as 15-17. In the real world players often bid the former when the convention card says the latter.

What conventions to play?

There are many choices: Cappelletti, DONT, Hello, Landy, etc… You have to decide which one you are most comfortable. I have been playing Hello but have recently switched to a system being used by many expert and world class players:

Dbl      4 card major and long minor

2c        Majors

2d       One long major

2h/s    five cards in major, 4 cards plus in other

2S       Minors

2NT    Clubs

3C       Diamonds

Over a weak notrump opener

I like to play a double shows at least 14 HCPs, whether the opener shows 13-15, 12-14 or 10-12. I also strongly recommend that a balancing double show 11+ high card points. In this way you don’t get shut out when potentially holding 23+ HCPS.

Are there Maximum or Minimums to Bidding over 1NT?

Let’s assume you are playing Capelletti. Logic dictates minimums. You don’t want to get doubled and go for more than the opponents can get for bidding game. So I would overcall 2♣with♠AJ10xxx ♥x ♦xxxx ♣xx,not vul vs vul, but not at other vulnerabilities. If two suited, I recommend good intermediates if you have less HCPs. Again I would overcall 2♠with ♠AJ109x ♥x ♦J109x ♣xxx, at favourable vulnerability.

With more than an opening bid there are two ways to go. Over a 15-17 notrump double only when you have excess points or good suits. Partner is expected to pass. They would only bid with a long suit in a weak hand.

I would double a 15-17 1NT withAKQ109 ♥x ♦AJ109 ♣Kxx, or KJ10x ♥AK ♦QJ109 ♣KQJ, but not with A10xx ♥Qxx ♦KJxx ♣AQ. The first hand is too strong to overcall 2♠. This bid should be limited to 14 or less. The last hand is good enough to double a 12-14 1NT.

One advantage of Capelletti or Hello is that double is penalties. That is important to be able to double showing values, especially when the opponents open a weak notrump. So with♠AK10xx ♥Kx ♦K109x ♣Ax double showing equal or strong values. Or a strong hand: ♠AKJ10xx ♥x ♦KQ10xx ♣Ax. With a minimum opening bid, such as ♠AJ10xx ♥x ♦QJxxx ♣Kx, I suggest starting with an overcall of 2♠.

I have introduced one new term, defensive bidding. The 2^nd term which may be new to you is the advancer. This is simply the name to designate the responder of the overcaller. So in the above example, West is the opener, partner the overcaller, East the responder and you are the advancer.

Advancer

Advancer’s job is quite simple. Take a preference, over two suits, double the opponents for penalty, or compete. Once in a while the advancer will have a good hand without a good fit for partner. Usually an opening bid. The bid I use to describe this hand is 2NT. Overcaller can sign off in a suit, pass or bid some game.

Doubling a transfer or Stayman

This is a way for the fourth hand to show his hand when the opponents open 1NT. Some tips to help you decide whether to interfere:

Have length.Usually at least five. I would consider with a very good four card suit, such as AKJ9. I have seen people double on AKx or KQx. My partner simply redouble and make 2 redoubled for a top.

Have values for an overcall. Again, the opponents may choose to redouble with most of the high card points. I have seen the notrump opener side play in 2♣doubled and redoubled on a 3-2 fi, make 3 for a top!

Besides suggesting a lead, this bid is an invitation for partner to compete with a fit and appropriate values.

If you have shortness in responders major, pass the transfer and then double if they rest in two of the major.

Make this bid wisely. If you have a moderate suit with scattered values, you might be better off with partner making his normal lead. For example, I would pass 2♣with ♠AJx ♥Kx ♦Kxx ♣Q98xx.

NEXT COLUMN – LESSON 6:

Intermediate defence