| Points | Number of Trump | |
| 2 of that major this shows | 6-10 points and | at least 3 trump |
| 3 of that major this shows | 11-12 points and | 4 trump |
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Responses to 1 Spade (no distribution)
When partner opens the bidding 1 of a major we would like to show support if we can. Partner promises 5 cards in a major suit when they open. Therefore to support partner we only need 3. That gives us that 8 card major suit fit we are looking for. We should also have at least 6 HCP in order to respond. Otherwise you might get too high in the bidding.
If we have about 6-9 points and support for partner's major we should raise partner to 2 of that major.
If we have about 11-12 points and 4 card support for partner's major we should raise partner to 3 of that major.
Hang on -- why do we need 4 cards to show support for partner's major at the 3 level? I only need 3 trump to support partner since they show 5 when they open!
This is true. But in order to show limit raise values for partner's major it is best to show 4 card support plus 11-12 points (almost an opening hand). That way you shouldn't get too high in the bidding. It's like a safety net in a way.
So when partner opens 1 of a major and we respond:
With that in mind what will you respond on each of the following hands if partner opened the bidding 1♠?
Hand 1
♠ AQ84
♥ 73 ♦ A763 ♣ J75 ♠ J973
♥ AQ ♦ 865 ♣ A765 ♠ AT84
♥ J7 ♦ AJ87 ♣ J87 ♠ Q964
♥ 72 ♦ J853 ♣ KQ4 ♠ QJ72
♥ K52 ♦ Q96 ♣ J97 ♠ A83
♥ A63 ♦ 643 ♣ T873 ♠ T75
♥ J975 ♦ KJT ♣ J65 ♠ A54
♥ Q82 ♦ 864 ♣ K632 ♠ Q64
♥ J4 ♦ KJ96 ♣ 9754 ♠ 852
♥ T4 ♦ AQ84 ♣ 9542 ♠ KQJ7
♥ 74 ♦ 864 ♣ KQT8 ♠ KJ7
♥ JT3 ♦ 854 ♣ KJT8 ♠ KJ4
♥ Q94 ♦ J87 ♣ T984 ♠ AK6
♥ T43 ♦ T653 ♣ 652 ♠ AK4
♥ 864 ♦ 653 ♣ QT97 ♠ KJT3
♥ A53 ♦ 976 ♣ QJ2 ♠ 986
♥ AJ64 ♦ J75 ♣ 873 ♠ A85
♥ Q2 ♦ T62 ♣ K9543 ♠ K986
♥ J9 ♦ AT43 ♣ K76 ♠ QJ86
♥ A95 ♦ QJ8 ♣ J73 ♠ QJ74
♥ T53 ♦ K54 ♣ 964 ♠ A872
♥ KQ ♦ QJ8 ♣ 9763 ♠ K964
♥ 82 ♦ KJ94 ♣ T83 ♠ KJ6
♥ K84 ♦ JT97 ♣ JT4 ♠ 843
♥ J72 ♦ J982 ♣ AK9 ♠ KJT9
♥ 53 ♦ 765 ♣ KQ92 ♠ KT42
♥ 42 ♦ T83 ♣ K652 ♠ QT76
♥ KT ♦ T65 ♣ K854 ♠ Q83
♥ QJ8 ♦ AT4 ♣ T876 ♠ 743
♥ KQT ♦ K832 ♣ J92 ♠ T96
♥ J76 ♦ A73 ♣ QJ72 ♠ K842
♥ AJ2 ♦ T53 ♣ KJ8 ♠ K762
♥ QT4 ♦ A95 ♣ K65 ♠ K85
♥ 98 ♦ Q94 ♣ QJT62 ♠ Q93
♥ 82 ♦ AJ53 ♣ J953
Saturday, January 30, 2016
How to use the bidding box properly
The bidding box is a great way to bid in bridge. It is helpful for the hearing impaired and also for the memory challenged. Now one doesn't have to remember what their partner opened -- it is right there in front of them. However, you do have to use it properly.
First decide on your bid. Do NOT reach for the bidding box until you KNOW what you want to bid.
Then reach into the bidding box and grab your bid plus all the cards underneath it.
Pull out your bid and check to make sure that this is indeed what you meant to pull out.
Now place it on the table right in front of you upside down so that everyone can see the bid.
When making subsequent bids place them to the right of the original bid so that everyone can see all bids clearly. This also includes the Pass card.
This sounds so easy -- what trouble could possible occur?
The first thing that could happen is that someone doesn't decide on what they are going to bid before reaching into the bidding box. So say my partner reaches in and pulls out the 1♠ bid then thinks about it for a moment and then reaches for the Pass card and plays that instead. Excellent. What has this action told everyone at the table? That my partner has some ♠ in their hand but couldn't bid them for some reason -- probably not enough points. Now I have some unauthorized information. That means that I received information from an illegal way of communicating. In bridge we are not allowed to act on unauthorized information. That means that I have to IGNORE the fact that my partner mentioned ♠ at all. If this happens at a bridge club the best thing to do is to call the director. The director is there to make sure little irregularities like this do not allow one side to gain an advantage. The director will explain all the rules involved nicely and clearly. That's their job.
Generally this means for me (since my partner made the suspect action) that both my bidding and play could be questioned. As long as I do everything normally things will be fine.
So say this is my hand and the final contract is 4♥ and I need to make an opening lead. What would I lead on this hand?
♠QJT9
♥QT4
♦Q85
♣Q84
Here I think it is clear that the Q♠ is called for. Just because your partner nearly bid 1♠ doesn't mean you are banned from leading a ♠. You are not. This hand has a natural ♠ lead since they do not want to lead away from the Q in all their other suits.
Can the opponents question this lead? Of course they can. They can call the director and say that the unauthorized information lead you to lead a ♠. The director will look at the hand and decide whether or not the information did lead you to make that killing opening lead. Sometimes you can even have a committee get together to decide whether or not your lead was suspect. This rarely happens, but can. The committee then decides whether or not they will allow the lead to stand or change the opening lead and thus the result of the contract. In any case don't worry. No one thinks you are cheating. You are not good enough to cheat. You are still too new. Let's take a look at another hand you might have had:
♠K7
♥QJT9
♦QT85
♣842
Say the contract is 3NT (bidding was 1NT-3NT) and you are on lead. What would you lead now? Remember that your partner did reach into the box and pull out that 1♠ bid then put it back. Does that help you?
Here a ♠ lead would be very unusual. That information I mentioned was unauthorized, remember? Pretend it never happened. If it didn't happen I think pretty much everyone would lead the Q♥ on this hand. Here if you lead a ♠ (and it works out) the opponents could ask for some recourse because partner pulling out the 1♠ card could certainly have influenced you to lead a ♠. What else can go wrong with the bidding box? One can put down the bid without checking to make sure it is the correct bid. If you mean to bid 1♠ but place the 1♥ bid in the table in front of you instead what can you do?
Well as long as you notice the incorrect bid before the next person bids you can simple say "Oooops! I meant to bid 1♠! Let me change my bid." Then place the 1♠ bid in front of you instead. This is allowed because you always meant to bid 1♠. HOWEVER if you pull out the 1♥ bid intending to bid 1♥ and place it on the table in front of you and then remember that your teacher said to bid 1♠ if you are 5-5 in the majors you are NOT allowed to change your bid. This is now a change of MIND rather than a change of BID. In the first example you meant to bid 1♠ but messed up. In the second example you meant to bid 1♥ but then decided to change your bid after you made it. Sorry, not allowed. Checking the bid before you place it on the table helps to prevent this. (However, everyone messes this up so don't worry if you do also.) Again in a situation like that you can always call the director. They are there to help.
♥QT4
♦Q85
♣Q84
Here I think it is clear that the Q♠ is called for. Just because your partner nearly bid 1♠ doesn't mean you are banned from leading a ♠. You are not. This hand has a natural ♠ lead since they do not want to lead away from the Q in all their other suits.
Can the opponents question this lead? Of course they can. They can call the director and say that the unauthorized information lead you to lead a ♠. The director will look at the hand and decide whether or not the information did lead you to make that killing opening lead. Sometimes you can even have a committee get together to decide whether or not your lead was suspect. This rarely happens, but can. The committee then decides whether or not they will allow the lead to stand or change the opening lead and thus the result of the contract. In any case don't worry. No one thinks you are cheating. You are not good enough to cheat. You are still too new. Let's take a look at another hand you might have had:
♠K7
♥QJT9
♦QT85
♣842
Say the contract is 3NT (bidding was 1NT-3NT) and you are on lead. What would you lead now? Remember that your partner did reach into the box and pull out that 1♠ bid then put it back. Does that help you?
Here a ♠ lead would be very unusual. That information I mentioned was unauthorized, remember? Pretend it never happened. If it didn't happen I think pretty much everyone would lead the Q♥ on this hand. Here if you lead a ♠ (and it works out) the opponents could ask for some recourse because partner pulling out the 1♠ card could certainly have influenced you to lead a ♠. What else can go wrong with the bidding box? One can put down the bid without checking to make sure it is the correct bid. If you mean to bid 1♠ but place the 1♥ bid in the table in front of you instead what can you do?
Well as long as you notice the incorrect bid before the next person bids you can simple say "Oooops! I meant to bid 1♠! Let me change my bid." Then place the 1♠ bid in front of you instead. This is allowed because you always meant to bid 1♠. HOWEVER if you pull out the 1♥ bid intending to bid 1♥ and place it on the table in front of you and then remember that your teacher said to bid 1♠ if you are 5-5 in the majors you are NOT allowed to change your bid. This is now a change of MIND rather than a change of BID. In the first example you meant to bid 1♠ but messed up. In the second example you meant to bid 1♥ but then decided to change your bid after you made it. Sorry, not allowed. Checking the bid before you place it on the table helps to prevent this. (However, everyone messes this up so don't worry if you do also.) Again in a situation like that you can always call the director. They are there to help.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Unauthorized Information - the Stop card
Well there were four dedicated ladies who braved the snowstorm to come out Thursday. That was a blizzard wasn't it? I'll bet we got maybe 30-40 snowflakes out there all afternoon. Not the little ones either -- the big, fat, fluffy ones. (You would think we lived in Toronto for Pete's sake!)
Anyhow, the ones that came out were rewarded by not only bidding but making a slam each! (Except for Nancy who didn't actually get one and didn't want me to make one for her.)
During the session we did get to talking about the Stop card. A few of my novices were wondering if it was okay to use the Stop card after partner opens 1NT and then bid 2♣ to show ♣. That leaves you the option of bidding 2♣ over 1NT for Stayman.
Confused?
That means if partner opens the bidding 1NT you can bid 2♣ (Stayman) to ask for a 4 card major.
It also means if partner opens the bidding 1NT you can first pull out the Stop card and then bid 2♣ to show a weak hand with ♣.
I was pretty impressed with the little rascals for their inventiveness (think of the possibilities for that Stop card now!) but had to inform them that this was, in fact, cheating.
The Stop card should be used only if you are making a jump in the bidding. You do not have to use the Stop card when you are jumping in the bidding but you should make sure you either ALWAYS use it or NEVER use it. It would be very unethical to make a jump bid using the Stop card to show a good jump bid and then make a jump bid without using the Stop card to show a not so great jump bid.
If you and your partner have agreements as to when you will use the Stop card and when you will not use the Stop card you and your partner are probably acting on unauthorized information. This is strictly prohibited in the rules. We will talk more about unauthorized information in later posts. For the time being don't worry so much about breaking the rules. If you are wondering what is proper and what is improper behavior just ask a director. They will be able to explain the rules clearly. That is their job.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Declarer Play - 6C Example
Here's a hand that came up today:
Dummy:
♠K6
♥JT43
♦K82
♣KJT4
Declarer:
♠A9632
♥KQ2
♦A
♣AQ52
In my dreams I make the brilliant bid of 6♣. (In reality my partner got to play in 3NT but let's ignore that...)
So I am playing in my dream contract of 6♣. The opening lead is the Q♦. What do I do?
Yes, the first thing I do (after thanking partner of course) is to count my losers. It's a trump contract so I count losers.
♠ 3 losers
♥ 1 loser
♦ 0 losers
♣ 0 losers -- I guess if there is a really bad break in ♣ I have a loser but this is my dream. I don't dream bad breaks in the trump suit. Those are my nightmares...
So. 4 losers. Not looking good. I guess the 1 loser I'm allowed to have has to be the A♥. Can't see getting rid of that one. So how do I get rid of 3 losers in ♠?
Think of all the different ways you can see.
Well I have the K♦. That should take care of 1 loser. I can maybe trump 2 ♠ in dummy...
Though if I have to trump 2 ♠ in dummy that means I can't take out all the trump. I have to keep 2 trump in dummy. Hmmmm...
How about the ♥? Once I lose to the A♥ I have an extra ♥ in dummy that will be good. I can throw away 1 of the ♠ losers on that! Then I only have to trump 1 ♠. I only need to keep 1 ♣ in dummy!
Should I take out trump right away?
Yes, since I only need 1 trump in dummy I can try to take out trump. If the trumps are breaking badly I may need to stop and think again but this is a dream. They won't break badly.
YES! I won my A♦ and played 2 rounds of trump. Both opponents followed. So I took out the last trump. Now I need to play a ♥ and lose to the A♥. I played the K♥ from my hand (high cards from the short side remember!) and my LHO (Left Hand Opponent) won the A♥ and returned the J♦. I won the K♦ and pitched 1 of my losing ♠ from my hand. Now I played a ♥ to my Q♥ and played another ♥ to the T♥. Now I am in dummy to play my winning J♥ and throw my 2nd ♠ loser. Now I can play my K♠, then A♠ and trump a ♠. Making 6!!!
Dummy:
♠K6
♥JT43
♦K82
♣KJT4
Declarer:
♠A9632
♥KQ2
♦A
♣AQ52
In my dreams I make the brilliant bid of 6♣. (In reality my partner got to play in 3NT but let's ignore that...)
So I am playing in my dream contract of 6♣. The opening lead is the Q♦. What do I do?
Yes, the first thing I do (after thanking partner of course) is to count my losers. It's a trump contract so I count losers.
♠ 3 losers
♥ 1 loser
♦ 0 losers
♣ 0 losers -- I guess if there is a really bad break in ♣ I have a loser but this is my dream. I don't dream bad breaks in the trump suit. Those are my nightmares...
So. 4 losers. Not looking good. I guess the 1 loser I'm allowed to have has to be the A♥. Can't see getting rid of that one. So how do I get rid of 3 losers in ♠?
Think of all the different ways you can see.
Well I have the K♦. That should take care of 1 loser. I can maybe trump 2 ♠ in dummy...
Though if I have to trump 2 ♠ in dummy that means I can't take out all the trump. I have to keep 2 trump in dummy. Hmmmm...
How about the ♥? Once I lose to the A♥ I have an extra ♥ in dummy that will be good. I can throw away 1 of the ♠ losers on that! Then I only have to trump 1 ♠. I only need to keep 1 ♣ in dummy!
Should I take out trump right away?
Yes, since I only need 1 trump in dummy I can try to take out trump. If the trumps are breaking badly I may need to stop and think again but this is a dream. They won't break badly.
YES! I won my A♦ and played 2 rounds of trump. Both opponents followed. So I took out the last trump. Now I need to play a ♥ and lose to the A♥. I played the K♥ from my hand (high cards from the short side remember!) and my LHO (Left Hand Opponent) won the A♥ and returned the J♦. I won the K♦ and pitched 1 of my losing ♠ from my hand. Now I played a ♥ to my Q♥ and played another ♥ to the T♥. Now I am in dummy to play my winning J♥ and throw my 2nd ♠ loser. Now I can play my K♠, then A♠ and trump a ♠. Making 6!!!
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Responding to 1NT with an Unbalanced Hand
When partner opens 1NT you know they hold either 15, 16 or 17 HCP (High Card Points) with a balanced hand. A balanced hand has NO void, NO singleton and at most one doubleton.
That means that if you (as Responder) have a 6 card major suit you KNOW you have a fit. Partner MUST have 2 in that suit after all. Even if you (as Responder) have a 5 card major suit you most likely have a fit. Partner only has one doubleton -- it might not be in your major suit.
If you have a major suit fit you'd prefer to play in a major rather than in NT.
Let's review the points needed between you and your partner to make a game.
To make game in 4♥ or 4♠ you need between 25 and 32 HCP.
To make a small slam (anything at the 6 level) you need between 33 and 36 HCP
To make a grand slam (anything at the 7 level) you need between 37 and 40 HCP
What do you do with the following hands after partner opens 1NT?
Hand 1
♠ A83
♥ AJT65 ♦ 82 ♣ K83 ♠ Q87643
♥ 86 ♦ 753 ♣ Q9 ♠ 965
♥ AJT84 ♦ Q75 ♣ QJ ♠ AQJT9
♥ T97 ♦ K5 ♣ 974 ♠ AQJ872
♥ K3 ♦ A53 ♣ A5 ♠ KT
♥ AQT865 ♦ A6 ♣ KQ2 ♠ 96
♥ A96432 ♦ 853 ♣ 42 ♠ AKT42
♥ QT9 ♦ JT8 ♣ Q8 ♠ AJ9732
♥ 62 ♦ AK6 ♣ 87 ♠ T6
♥ QT9764 ♦ A76 ♣ 86 ♠ AT7543
♥ 6 ♦ K84 ♣ AJ8 ♠ AQ3
♥ AKJ65 ♦ T5 ♣ KQ3 ♠ KJ875
♥ K76 ♦ K4 ♣ A73 ♠ QJ9
♥ Q9765 ♦ AJ43 ♣ T ♠ K6
♥ AKJ43 ♦ T54 ♣ A87 ♠ KJ8
♥ AT964 ♦ QT52 ♣ 9 ♠ KQ876
♥ QT4 ♦ AT84 ♣ 5 ♠ QT9832
♥ 87 ♦ JT54 ♣ T ♠ 83
♥ T98543 ♦ 8 ♣ 9643 ♠ J32
♥ KT9862 ♦ J8 ♣ T7 ♠ KQ9864
♥ 9 ♦ 6432 ♣ 87 ♠ KJT873
♥ 65 ♦ KQ ♣ K74 ♠ 73
♥ K8753 ♦ AJ5 ♣ AJ6 ♠ QT9853
♥ AT5 ♦ K6 ♣ J8 ♠ T96432
♥ A6 ♦ J ♣ J986 ♠ A42
♥ QJT84 ♦ KJ5 ♣ J6 ♠ Q76543
♥ 932 ♦ K3 ♣ Q2 ♠ Q9543
♥ QJ7 ♦ Q75 ♣ AT ♠ T3
♥ AT8742 ♦ A72 ♣ K5 ♠ AKQ84
♥ 93 ♦ AT ♣ JT54 ♠ Q53
♥ AJ954 ♦ K943 ♣ A ♠ 9
♥ QT9432 ♦ A53 ♣ AQ6 ♠ AT854
♥ A72 ♦ Q8 ♣ 765 ♠ A2
♥ KJ9854 ♦ Q4 ♣ A53 ♠ T87653
♥ 543 ♦ T97 ♣ 9 ♠ K76
♥ KJT86 ♦ A2 ♣ K73 ♠ 54
♥ AQJ873 ♦ AT3 ♣ K5 ♠ K4
♥ QJ987 ♦ K765 ♣ Q6 ♠ K2
♥ KQ643 ♦ K97 ♣ JT5 ♠ QJT96
♥ QJ5 ♦ 84 ♣ AT4 ♠ KJ9832
♥ 64 ♦ AQ ♣ T87 ♠ QT
♥ AKJT3 ♦ QJ64 ♣ J3 ♠ AQ532
♥ K3 ♦ T85 ♣ JT5 ♠ A8
♥ AKT983 ♦ 432 ♣ 85 ♠ K75
♥ AQJT7 ♦ Q64 ♣ 74 ♠ AQJ74
♥ K8 ♦ QJT8 ♣ J3 ♠ 8
♥ A9854 ♦ KQ4 ♣ JT87 ♠ T2
♥ AKJ84 ♦ 932 ♣ A32 ♠ 632
♥ AKQ53 ♦ AJT ♣ 42 ♠ QJ3
♥ AJT42 ♦ A7 ♣ 432 ♠ 54
♥ KQT842 ♦ AT ♣ J83 ♠ KJT52
♥ A8 ♦ J4 ♣ A753 ♠ J5
♥ QJ8764 ♦ 432 ♣ T7 ♠ T9
♥ K97652 ♦ T9 ♣ 732 ♠ AJT864
♥ 98 ♦ 74 ♣ AQ5 ♠ K54
♥ QT9862 ♦ KQ ♣ 93 ♠ AT9532
♥ KJ ♦ A ♣ AK52 ♠ AK875
♥ A9 ♦ J85 ♣ QT2 ♠ AK3
♥ KT854 ♦ J8 ♣ T98 ♠ 982
♥ QT8765 ♦ 982 ♣ 3 ♠ 7
♥ K86432 ♦ Q93 ♣ AK7 ♠ A7
♥ K87632 ♦ K82 ♣ K8 ♠ AQ532
♥ AKJ ♦ T3 ♣ J32 ♠ T53
♥ T97632 ♦ A ♣ 942 ♠ K42
♥ AQJ94 ♦ 632 ♣ J9 ♠ QJ8654
♥ K3 ♦ KT ♣ KQ2 ♠ 983
♥ AKT98 ♦ 842 ♣ AQ ♠ Q8
♥ QT732 ♦ AT8 ♣ AK3 ♠ J84
♥ K8743 ♦ A86 ♣ AT ♠ KT9862
♥ 74 ♦ AQ ♣ JT7
When responding to partner's opening 1NT this table will help guide you as to what to bid with an unbalanced hand:
| Responder has an unbalanced hand with: | Responder bids: | 1NT opener does this: |
| 0-7 points and a long ♦ suit | 2♦ | Pass |
| 0-7 points and a long ♥ suit | 2♥ | Pass |
| 0-7 points and a long ♠ suit | 2♠ | Pass |
| 10 or more HCP and 5♥ (not 4♥, not 6♥ -- exactly 5♥) | 3♥ | Bids 3NT with 2♥ OR Bids 4♥ with 3 or more ♥ |
| 10 or more HCP and 5♠ (not 4♠, not 6♠ -- exactly 5♠) | 3♠ | Bids 3NT with 2♠ OR Bids 4♠ with 3 or more ♠ |
| 10-15 points and 6♥ | 4♥ | Pass |
| 10-15 points and 6♠ | 4♠ | Pass |
| 18-19 points and 6♥ | 6♥ | Pass |
| 18-19 points and 6♠ | 6♠ | Pass |
| 22 or more points and 6♥ | 7♥ | Pass |
| 22 or more points and 6♠ | 7♠ | Pass |
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Bidding Hand
This hand came up today.
♠9
♥AKQT752
♦AK82
♣9
You are up and I think everyone would open 1♥. You have 16 HCP and a very nice suit. Now your partner bids 1NT. Shows about 6-9 HCP. Partner doesn't have to have a balanced hand -- they could be stuck. They do deny having 3♥ (they will always support partner if they can) and also deny having 4♠. Question: After partner's 1NT bid what should this hand now bid?
♠9
♥AKQT752
♦AK82
♣9
You are up and I think everyone would open 1♥. You have 16 HCP and a very nice suit. Now your partner bids 1NT. Shows about 6-9 HCP. Partner doesn't have to have a balanced hand -- they could be stuck. They do deny having 3♥ (they will always support partner if they can) and also deny having 4♠. Question: After partner's 1NT bid what should this hand now bid?
Winners for Thursday, January 21, 2016
Today the big winner was DONNA!
She was followed closely by Nancy, Rita and Anne.
Well done ladies!
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Declarer Play - 5D Example
Here's a hand that came up today.
The contract is 5♦ and the opening lead is the Q♠
Dummy:
♠A4
♥AQJ76
♦2
♣AQ742
Declarer:
♠K76
♥82
♦AKJT9853
♣-
Before reading further what do you need to do as declarer?
Since I am in a trump contract I will start with counting my losers. I will look at my hand (since I have more trump than dummy) to see where my losers are:
♠ 1 loser
♥ 1 loser
♦ 1 loser
♣ 0 losers
How do you get rid of your losers? Think of ALL the possibilities.
To get rid of your ♠ loser you can do 2 things. You can either play the A♠, then the K♠ and then another ♠ and trump that ♠ in dummy OR Option 2 would be to throw the ♠ away on the A♣. Either way you get rid of that loser.
To get rid of your ♥ loser you can do 2 things. You can either finesse for the K♥ OR you can throw away the 2♥ on the A♣.
To get rid of your ♦ loser you can either finesse the Q♦ OR you can play the A♦ and the K♦ and hope the Q♦ drops.
If you saw other ways to get rid of losers you are WAY too advanced for this blog!
Now obviously it would be nice to throw away both our ♠ loser and our ♥ loser on the A♣ but we can't do that. If we throw away our ♠ loser then we can only try to finesse the ♥ .
Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a team game. We HAVE to make our contract. We don't care about getting overtricks. Keeping that in mind I'd say the safest thing to do is to win the K♠ and play the A♦ and the K♦ . If the Q♦ falls I will make my contract. If the Q♦ doesn't fall then I will for sure be able to throw away my ♠ loser on the A♣. I can still try the ♥ finesse but even if that loses I make my contract.
The contract is 5♦ and the opening lead is the Q♠
Dummy:
♠A4
♥AQJ76
♦2
♣AQ742
Declarer:
♠K76
♥82
♦AKJT9853
♣-
Before reading further what do you need to do as declarer?
Since I am in a trump contract I will start with counting my losers. I will look at my hand (since I have more trump than dummy) to see where my losers are:
♠ 1 loser
♥ 1 loser
♦ 1 loser
♣ 0 losers
How do you get rid of your losers? Think of ALL the possibilities.
To get rid of your ♠ loser you can do 2 things. You can either play the A♠, then the K♠ and then another ♠ and trump that ♠ in dummy OR Option 2 would be to throw the ♠ away on the A♣. Either way you get rid of that loser.
To get rid of your ♥ loser you can do 2 things. You can either finesse for the K♥ OR you can throw away the 2♥ on the A♣.
To get rid of your ♦ loser you can either finesse the Q♦ OR you can play the A♦ and the K♦ and hope the Q♦ drops.
If you saw other ways to get rid of losers you are WAY too advanced for this blog!
Now obviously it would be nice to throw away both our ♠ loser and our ♥ loser on the A♣ but we can't do that. If we throw away our ♠ loser then we can only try to finesse the ♥ .
Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a team game. We HAVE to make our contract. We don't care about getting overtricks. Keeping that in mind I'd say the safest thing to do is to win the K♠ and play the A♦ and the K♦ . If the Q♦ falls I will make my contract. If the Q♦ doesn't fall then I will for sure be able to throw away my ♠ loser on the A♣. I can still try the ♥ finesse but even if that loses I make my contract.
Winners for Thursday, January 14, 2016
The big winners this week are Bridgette and Donna! They won ALL their team games. First time partnership but hopefully not the last if those results are anything to go by!
(For those of you wondering, apparently Bridgette's mom spelled her name wrong at birth. However I am rectifying that mistake on my blog.)
I also want to add that both teams bid that 6♦ slam pretty much all by themselves and that Rita and Anne were NOT very nice when they had to defend against me in not 1, not 2 but THREE boards. They did not let me make ONE SINGLE CONTRACT! They are mean.
But I guess I have to be proud of them...
...while secretly thinking they are mean.
(For those of you wondering, apparently Bridgette's mom spelled her name wrong at birth. However I am rectifying that mistake on my blog.)
I also want to add that both teams bid that 6♦ slam pretty much all by themselves and that Rita and Anne were NOT very nice when they had to defend against me in not 1, not 2 but THREE boards. They did not let me make ONE SINGLE CONTRACT! They are mean.
But I guess I have to be proud of them...
...while secretly thinking they are mean.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Bidding - Responding to 1NT with a Balanced Hand
When partner opens 1NT you know they hold either 15, 16 or 17 HCP (High Card Points) with a balanced hand. If you hold a balanced hand also you want to play in NT. All that is left to determine is whether or not you want to play in a part-score, game or slam. Add your points to partner's to determine where you want to play. Remember there is no point in bidding any higher than 1NT if you know you cannot make a game.
To make game in 3NT you need between 25 and 32 HCP.
To make 6NT you need between 33 and 36 HCP
To make 7NT you need between 37 and 40 HCP
Let's look at some examples:
Example 1
♠ KQ3
♥ 84 ♦ A732 ♣ Q532 ♠ K93
♥ 84 ♦ A732 ♣ Q532 ♠ A73
♥ T6 ♦ 732 ♣ QJ953 ♠ AK9
♥ Q95 ♦ T876 ♣ Q42 ♠ K54
♥ QJ6 ♦ AQ94 ♣ A75 ♠ T9
♥ T97 ♦ K975 ♣ T963 ♠ 93
♥ AT9 ♦ AT86 ♣ KJ87 ♠ K5
♥ K8 ♦ AJT52 ♣ J862 ♠ J4
♥ 874 ♦ QT974 ♣ K84 ♠ 986
♥ Q83 ♦ K964 ♣ J94 ♠ AQ5
♥ Q8 ♦ Q532 ♠ 9872 ♠ K92
♥ 865 ♦ AT3 ♣ KT76 ♠ K92
♥ Q76 ♦ QT9 ♣ Q764 ♠ QJ6
♥ J87 ♦ AT76 ♣ J94 ♠ 853
♥ K72 ♦ KJ3 ♣ KJ52 ♠ T8
♥ 982 ♦ AQ973 ♣ KT4 ♠ A86
♥ J2 ♦ K532 ♣ AQT4 ♠ 632
♥ A76 ♦ J8 ♣ AQ643 ♠ 64
♥ K73 ♦ Q542 ♣ QT63 ♠ 752
♥ 762 ♦ 762 ♣ Q863 ♠ 83
♥ 876 ♦ J874 ♣ AJ54 ♠ A95
♥ K62 ♦ AKJ54 ♣ K5 ♠ AJ
♥ A7 ♦ KT653 ♣ Q542 ♠ J85
♥ Q8 ♦ AKT93 ♣ 652 ♠ K43
♥ 85 ♦ AKQ87 ♣ 965 ♠ K5
♥ JT8 ♦ A7643 ♣ T42 ♠ K8
♥ 532 ♦ T853 ♣ K763 ♠ KJ3
♥ K75 ♦ QJ63 ♣ J73 ♠ KT3
♥ A98 ♦ AK72 ♣ KQ8 ♠ Q7
♥ 52 ♦ J654 ♣ AT963 ♠ Q97
♥ 72 ♦ AQ95 ♣ QJ97 ♠ Q98
♥ 96 ♦ KQ864 ♣ KT8 ♠ T6
♥ AT7 ♦ AKJ4 ♣ T863 ♠ T85
♥ JT8 ♦ Q7532 ♣ 96 ♠ KQ5
♥ 754 ♦ QJ432 ♣ 98 ♠ K54
♥ Q64 ♦ KJ96 ♣ 863 ♠ T83
♥ 72 ♦ AKJ2 ♣ T963 ♠ T65
♥ 87 ♦ 9854 ♣ AQT7 ♠ T9
♥ Q6 ♦ AK742 ♣ JT64 ♠ Q76
♥ KT ♦ AKQ63 ♣ 973 ♠ 52
♥ 32 ♦ 87543 ♣ KQ72 ♠ 973
♥ 984 ♦ JT86 ♣ Q84 ♠ QJ
♥ A5 ♦ 9864 ♣ AT852 ♠ 97
♥ T2 ♦ QJT8 ♣ KJ753 ♠ A5
♥ Q76 ♦ Q73 ♣ J9874 ♠ A7
♥ J85 ♦ AJT86 ♣ T92 ♠ 62
♥ 75 ♦ QT93 ♣ J9742 ♠ K2
♥ 83 ♦ A9743 ♣ AJ76 ♠ 963
♥ AT5 ♦ T8 ♣ AKJ94 ♠ KQ5
♥ AK2 ♦ AQJ2 ♣ Q53 ♠ J92
♥ KQ4 ♦ K3 ♣ K7652 ♠ AK
♥ Q9 ♦ AJ532 ♣ Q654 ♠ Q7
♥ J8 ♦ AQT9 ♣ KQ432 ♠ AQ3
♥ KQ2 ♦ QJ ♣ QJ653 ♠ Q7
♥ A75 ♦ QT875 ♣ A65 ♠ AK4
♥ KJ6 ♦ Q94 ♣ AQ85 ♠ J82
♥ A95 ♦ AJ54 ♣ K85 ♠ K3
♥ T5 ♦ T9872 ♣ QJT3 ♠ K2
♥ T95 ♦ AQJT7 ♣ A65 ♠ 84
♥ Q2 ♦ AQT2 ♣ AQT72 ♠ KQ3
♥ Q5 ♦ J432 ♣ QJT3 ♠ 52
♥ Q5 ♦ Q853 ♣ JT864 ♠ A4
♥ Q7 ♦ QT863 ♣ J973 ♠ A3
♥ K65 ♦ Q92 ♣ AKT86 ♠ J54
♥ KJ6 ♦ Q9 ♣ KQ865 ♠ 86
♥ AQ9 ♦ 742 ♣ QJT76
When responding to partner's opening 1NT this table will help guide you as to what to bid:
| Responder has a balanced hand with: | Responder bids: | 1NT opener does this: |
| 0-7 HCP | Pass | - |
| 8-9 HCP | 2NT | Pass with a minimum (15 HCP) |
| Bid 3NT with a maximum (17 HCP) | ||
| 10-15 HCP | 3NT | Pass |
| 16-17 HCP | 4NT | Pass with a minimum (15 HCP) |
| Bid 6NT with a maximum (17 HCP) | ||
| 18-19 HCP | 6NT | Pass |
| 20-21 HCP | 5NT | Bid 6NT with a minimum (15 HCP) |
| Bid 7NT with a maximum (17 HCP) | ||
| 22+ HCP | 7NT | Pass |
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