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Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

E-W vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠5 ♥AK8 ♦AK9876 ♣872

 

West

North

East

South

-

P

1♣

1♦

1♠

Dbl1

3♣

4♥

4♠

5♦

5♠

?

 

 

 

 

1Shows 5+ hearts, at least 2 diamonds, 5-9 HCPs.

 

What do you bid?

 

Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

E-W vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠A986 ♥- ♦KQJ107 ♣10965

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

-

1♦

Pass

1♥

Pass

1♠

Pass

2♣1

Pass

3♣

Pass

3♦

Pass

?

 

 

 

 

 

1Artificial game forcing.

 

What do you bid?

Partner has a game forcing hand with 3+ diamonds and some slam interest. You opened a 10 HCP hand with a void in partner’s suit. The normal way to show a minimum hand with no slam interest, which at first blush this is what you have, is to jump to 5♦.

 

Here, however, 5♦is the wrong bid for two reasons. Despite the above facts, this is not a drop dead minimum.

 

South has two key cards and the trump queen and suit solidity. We do not want to discourage partner. The other more critical issue is that by jumping to the five level you take away partner’s ability to ask for key cards, which is what he wanted to do here.

 

Partner held ♠K♥AKJ87 ♦A32 ♣AK42 and had to guess what to do over 5♦, and guessed wrong when he bid 6NT.

 

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Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

E-W vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠42 ♥KJ9862 ♦A2 ♣AK2

 

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

-

1♥

1♠

2♥

4♠

?

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you bid?

 

 

Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

E-W vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠KQ1087 ♥K10854 ♦10 ♣64

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

1♣

2♦1

Dbl2

Pass

Pass

?

 

 

 

 

1 Michaels

2 Wanting to penalize at least one major

 

What do you bid?

 

 

This is a common theme – you make a bid, usually artificial, the opponents double and partner passes. Other common examples:

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

1♣

Dbl

Redouble2

Pass

Pass

?

 

or

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

-

1NT

Pass

2♥1

Dbl

?

 

 

 

 

 

1Transfer

Does partner’s pass mean something? If so what?

 

Every partnership should have an agreement. This came up in my newest partnership. I bid 2♥with the south hand and went down several, doubled. The full deal:

 

 

 

♠ -
♥ J 9
♦ K 9 7 6 5 4 3 2
♣ A 9 5

♠ J 9 6 5 4
♥ A 6 
♦ A J 8 
♣ Q 10 3

Bridge deal

♠ A 3 2
♥ Q 7 3 2 
♦ Q
♣ K J 8 7 2

 

♠ K Q 10 9 7
♥ K 10 8 5 4
♦ 10
♣ 6 4
 

 

My suggestion is that over the first two examples pass by partner should be to play. The last one could also be played this way, but is more commonly used to differentiate between the number of spades, pass with two, accept the transfer with three or more.The main thing is to have an agreement with your partner(s).

 

 

 

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  1. Who is to Blame?
  2. The 20 Point Hand
  3. 2013-12-19
  4. Boxing Day Article

Subcategories

Bidding Problems

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:

 

 

 

♠ Q108764
♥ A65
♦ 53
♣ Q2

♠ KJ932
♥ QJ10
♦ 82
♣ J94

Bridge deal

♠ 5
♥ 8742
♦ QJ974
♣ 875

 

♠ A
♥ K93
♦ AK106
♣ AK1063
 

 

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

 

 

 

Questions or comments may be sent to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.