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:

	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

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



Hand 2

♠J973
♥AQ
♦865
♣A765



Hand 3

♠AT84
♥J7
♦AJ87
♣J87



Hand 4

♠Q964
♥72
♦J853
♣KQ4



Hand 5

♠QJ72
♥K52
♦Q96
♣J97



Hand 6

♠A83
♥A63
♦643
♣T873



Hand 7

♠T75
♥J975
♦KJT
♣J65



Hand 8

♠A54
♥Q82
♦864
♣K632



Hand 9

♠Q64
♥J4
♦KJ96
♣9754



Hand 10

♠852
♥T4
♦AQ84
♣9542



Hand 11

♠KQJ7
♥74
♦864
♣KQT8



Hand 12

♠KJ7
♥JT3
♦854
♣KJT8



Hand 13

♠KJ4
♥Q94
♦J87
♣T984



Hand 14

♠AK6
♥T43
♦T653
♣652



Hand 15

♠AK4
♥864
♦653
♣QT97



Hand 16

♠KJT3
♥A53
♦976
♣QJ2



Hand 17

♠986
♥AJ64
♦J75
♣873



Hand 18

♠A85
♥Q2
♦T62
♣K9543



Hand 19

♠K986
♥J9
♦AT43
♣K76



Hand 20

♠QJ86
♥A95
♦QJ8
♣J73



Hand 21

♠QJ74
♥T53
♦K54
♣964



Hand 22

♠A872
♥KQ
♦QJ8
♣9763



Hand 23

♠K964
♥82
♦KJ94
♣T83



Hand 24

♠KJ6
♥K84
♦JT97
♣JT4



Hand 25

♠843
♥J72
♦J982
♣AK9



Hand 26

♠KJT9
♥53
♦765
♣KQ92



Hand 27

♠KT42
♥42
♦T83
♣K652



Hand 28

♠QT76
♥KT
♦T65
♣K854



Hand 29

♠Q83
♥QJ8
♦AT4
♣T876



Hand 30

♠743
♥KQT
♦K832
♣J92



Hand 31

♠T96
♥J76
♦A73
♣QJ72



Hand 32

♠K842
♥AJ2
♦T53
♣KJ8



Hand 33

♠K762
♥QT4
♦A95
♣K65



Hand 34

♠K85
♥98
♦Q94
♣QJT62



Hand 35

♠Q93
♥82
♦AJ53
♣J953

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.

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.

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!!!

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

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

What do you do with the following hands after partner opens 1NT?

Hand 1

♠A83
♥AJT65
♦82
♣K83



Hand 2

♠Q87643
♥86
♦753
♣Q9



Hand 3

♠965
♥AJT84
♦Q75
♣QJ



Hand 4

♠AQJT9
♥T97
♦K5
♣974



Hand 5

♠AQJ872
♥K3
♦A53
♣A5



Hand 6

♠KT
♥AQT865
♦A6
♣KQ2



Hand 7

♠96
♥A96432
♦853
♣42



Hand 8

♠AKT42
♥QT9
♦JT8
♣Q8



Hand 9

♠AJ9732
♥62
♦AK6
♣87



Hand 10

♠T6
♥QT9764
♦A76
♣86



Hand 11

♠AT7543
♥6
♦K84
♣AJ8



Hand 12

♠AQ3
♥AKJ65
♦T5
♣KQ3



Hand 13

♠KJ875
♥K76
♦K4
♣A73



Hand 14

♠QJ9
♥Q9765
♦AJ43
♣T



Hand 15

♠K6
♥AKJ43
♦T54
♣A87



Hand 16

♠KJ8
♥AT964
♦QT52
♣9



Hand 17

♠KQ876
♥QT4
♦AT84
♣5



Hand 18

♠QT9832
♥87
♦JT54
♣T



Hand 19

♠83
♥T98543
♦8
♣9643



Hand 20

♠J32
♥KT9862
♦J8
♣T7



Hand 21

♠KQ9864
♥9
♦6432
♣87



Hand 22

♠KJT873
♥65
♦KQ
♣K74



Hand 23

♠73
♥K8753
♦AJ5
♣AJ6



Hand 24

♠QT9853
♥AT5
♦K6
♣J8



Hand 25

♠T96432
♥A6
♦J
♣J986



Hand 26

♠A42
♥QJT84
♦KJ5
♣J6



Hand 27

♠Q76543
♥932
♦K3
♣Q2



Hand 28

♠Q9543
♥QJ7
♦Q75
♣AT



Hand 29

♠T3
♥AT8742
♦A72
♣K5



Hand 30

♠AKQ84
♥93
♦AT
♣JT54



Hand 31

♠Q53
♥AJ954
♦K943
♣A



Hand 32

♠9
♥QT9432
♦A53
♣AQ6



Hand 33

♠AT854
♥A72
♦Q8
♣765



Hand 34

♠A2
♥KJ9854
♦Q4
♣A53



Hand 35

♠T87653
♥543
♦T97
♣9



Hand 36

♠K76
♥KJT86
♦A2
♣K73



Hand 37

♠54
♥AQJ873
♦AT3
♣K5



Hand 38

♠K4
♥QJ987
♦K765
♣Q6



Hand 39

♠K2
♥KQ643
♦K97
♣JT5



Hand 40

♠QJT96
♥QJ5
♦84
♣AT4



Hand 41

♠KJ9832
♥64
♦AQ
♣T87



Hand 42

♠QT
♥AKJT3
♦QJ64
♣J3



Hand 43

♠AQ532
♥K3
♦T85
♣JT5



Hand 44

♠A8
♥AKT983
♦432
♣85



Hand 45

♠K75
♥AQJT7
♦Q64
♣74



Hand 46

♠AQJ74
♥K8
♦QJT8
♣J3



Hand 47

♠8
♥A9854
♦KQ4
♣JT87



Hand 48

♠T2
♥AKJ84
♦932
♣A32



Hand 49

♠632
♥AKQ53
♦AJT
♣42



Hand 50

♠QJ3
♥AJT42
♦A7
♣432



Hand 51

♠54
♥KQT842
♦AT
♣J83



Hand 52

♠KJT52
♥A8
♦J4
♣A753



Hand 53

♠J5
♥QJ8764
♦432
♣T7



Hand 54

♠T9
♥K97652
♦T9
♣732



Hand 55

♠AJT864
♥98
♦74
♣AQ5



Hand 56

♠K54
♥QT9862
♦KQ
♣93



Hand 57

♠AT9532
♥KJ
♦A
♣AK52



Hand 58

♠AK875
♥A9
♦J85
♣QT2



Hand 59

♠AK3
♥KT854
♦J8
♣T98



Hand 60

♠982
♥QT8765
♦982
♣3



Hand 61

♠7
♥K86432
♦Q93
♣AK7



Hand 62

♠A7
♥K87632
♦K82
♣K8



Hand 63

♠AQ532
♥AKJ
♦T3
♣J32



Hand 64

♠T53
♥T97632
♦A
♣942



Hand 65

♠K42
♥AQJ94
♦632
♣J9



Hand 66

♠QJ8654
♥K3
♦KT
♣KQ2



Hand 67

♠983
♥AKT98
♦842
♣AQ



Hand 68

♠Q8
♥QT732
♦AT8
♣AK3



Hand 69

♠J84
♥K8743
♦A86
♣AT



Hand 70

♠KT9862
♥74
♦AQ
♣JT7

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?

Winners for Thursday, January 21, 2016

Today the big winner was DONNA! She was followed closely by Nancy, Rita and Anne. Well done ladies!

Practice Counting High Card Points

Practice counting High Card Points (HCP)!

How many HCP does each hand have?

Remember:
Aces = 4 HCP
Kings = 3 HCP
Queens = 2 HCP
Jacks = 1 HCP

Hand 1

♠Q742
♥A43
♦AT73
♣QJ



Hand 2

♠KJT83
♥A93
♦K8
♣KQ6



Hand 3

♠JT3
♥AQ873
♦AKJ
♣Q2



Hand 4

♠AQ3
♥KQ862
♦K3
♣AK4



Hand 5

♠KQ94
♥AQ94
♦AK4
♣85



Hand 6

♠AJ843
♥43
♦A6
♣QT73



Hand 7

♠JT864
♥QT
♦J63
♣AQ6



Hand 8

♠Q7
♥AKT72
♦A98
♣A95



Hand 9

♠AJ
♥QJ984
♦QT2
♣J92



Hand 10

♠AKJT
♥A74
♦AK54
♣42



Hand 11

♠AJ
♥QT85
♦QJ3
♣AKQJ



Hand 12

♠KJT75
♥Q7
♦K64
♣Q32



Hand 13

♠T8
♥J65
♦A875
♣AQ43



Hand 14

♠AK
♥QJ87
♦J7652
♣T6



Hand 15

♠K75
♥AT96
♦T6
♣KQT6



Hand 16

♠K5
♥KQT3
♦K852
♣852



Hand 17

♠Q976
♥QJ52
♦JT
♣KQ2



Hand 18

♠KQ53
♥85
♦AK4
♣QJ92



Hand 19

♠QJ3
♥AQ32
♦A96
♣Q76



Hand 20

♠62
♥KQJ842
♦QT6
♣K4



Hand 21

♠K8
♥AKT7
♦AJ654
♣42



Hand 22

♠AK75
♥QT
♦J75
♣Q872



Hand 23

♠KQT8
♥J62
♦AQ2
♣T97



Hand 24

♠AKJT2
♥AJ73
♦95
♣Q4



Hand 25

♠73
♥AJ53
♦AK862
♣A4



Hand 26

♠Q8
♥J876
♦Q7
♣KQ642



Hand 27

♠Q83
♥Q3
♦A752
♣Q753



Hand 28

♠AKJ8743
♥A2
♦76
♣T9



Hand 29

♠AQJ
♥AK52
♦AKQ9
♣A7



Hand 30

♠A42
♥A843
♦AK43
♣95



Hand 31

♠Q8
♥QT4
♦AQ3
♣AKJ52



Hand 32

♠KQ72
♥Q52
♦KJ43
♣97



Hand 33

♠KJ876
♥Q98
♦KJ4
♣T8



Hand 34

♠Q4
♥875
♦AQJ97
♣Q82



Hand 35

♠T2
♥KJ
♦AT973
♣A852



Hand 36

♠KJ2
♥J5
♦KQ9642
♣QT



Hand 37

♠KT3
♥AQT6
♦QJT
♣653



Hand 38

♠Q3
♥Q9
♦Q97
♣KJT962



Hand 39

♠K5
♥K2
♦JT632
♣QJ98



Hand 40

♠K7
♥T4
♦AK752
♣QJ32



Hand 41

♠T74
♥QJ742
♦K7
♣KQT



Hand 42

♠Q97
♥AT4
♦KQJ5
♣AK5



Hand 43

♠KJ2
♥T95
♦AT3
♣K974



Hand 44

♠AK953
♥AJ6
♦62
♣J74



Hand 45

♠A32
♥AKJ62
♦Q6
♣Q84



Hand 46

♠842
♥AJ2
♦KJT9
♣Q97



Hand 47

♠AT2
♥A8
♦KQT75
♣985



Hand 48

♠843
♥QT
♦KQ754
♣KJ7



Hand 49

♠A862
♥J96
♦KQJ
♣AQ4



Hand 50

♠AJ98
♥854
♦QJ
♣AKQ6



Hand 51

♠AJ986
♥J8
♦Q9
♣Q953



Hand 52

♠AQ7
♥AK6
♦T6
♣AK984



Hand 53

♠AT
♥AJ8
♦A432
♣KJ82



Hand 54

♠J5
♥AQJ3
♦JT8
♣AKQ5



Hand 55

♠J7
♥Q75
♦AK4
♣T6542



Hand 56

♠J97
♥T8
♦QT82
♣AQJ3



Hand 57

♠JT64
♥QT9
♦AJ94
♣QT



Hand 58

♠K5
♥K854
♦J84
♣KJ85



Hand 59

♠K82
♥KQJ62
♦K8
♣T84



Hand 60

♠KJ2
♥Q843
♦732
♣AKT



Hand 61

♠KT4
♥QJT5
♦KJ97
♣J4



Hand 62

♠Q7
♥J3
♦A875
♣AKJ92



Hand 63

♠T76
♥AKJ
♦KJ53
♣987



Hand 64

♠AQ
♥K864
♦AQJ
♣KJ82

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.

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.

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

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

Let's look at some examples:

Example 1

♠KQ3
♥84
♦A732
♣Q532

I have 11 HCP with a balanced hand and partner opened 1NT. Since partner is balanced and I am balanced we probably want to play in NT. If partner has 15 HCP, together between the 2 hands we have 26 HCP. That is enough for a game in NT. I want to be in 3NT. If partner has 17 HCP, together between the 2 hands we have 28 HCP. That is enough for a game in NT. I want to be in 3NT. So no matter what partner has I want to be in 3NT. My response to partner's opening bid is 3NT.

Example 2

♠K93
♥84
♦A732
♣Q532

I have 9 HCP with a balanced hand and partner opened 1NT. Since partner is balanced and I am balanced we probably want to play in NT. If partner has 15 HCP together between the 2 hands we have 24 HCP. That is NOT enough for a game in NT. I want to stay low in the bidding. If partner has 17 HCP together between the 2 hands we have 26 HCP. That IS enough for a game in NT. I want to be in 3NT. Now I am going to have to ask partner whether or not they have 15 HCP or 17 HCP. My response to partner opening 1NT bid is 2NT. This says "Partner, I am interested in a game in NT. If I was not interested in a game in NT I would just 'Pass' and let you play in 1NT. However I cannot quite bid the game myself -- I don't have enough values. I know you could have 15 HCP (in which case you should Pass my 2NT) but I also know you could have 17 HCP. If you have 17 HCP I want you to bid 3NT and we will have a good shot at making game."

There are quite a few examples. Do not feel you need to do all the examples right away. Do a few and come back to them if you want. But I'd rather give you 64 examples and have you quit after 8 rather than give you 8 examples and leave you wanting more! Could I have made a mistake in some of them? Absolutely! If you feel there is an error in the point count or bid, just leave me a message. My editor can be a bit lazy at times so this is more than likely to happen.

On each hand first state how many HCP (High Card Points) you have.

Add your points to partner's if they have 15 and determine where you want to be.
Add your points to partner's if they have 17 and determine where you want to be.
If the answer is the same, that is your bid. If the answer is not the same, you probably need to invite game or slam.

So first state how many HCP and then say what you would bid if your partner opened 1NT and the opponents "Pass".

Hand 1

♠A73
♥T6
♦732
♣QJ953



Hand 2

♠AK9
♥Q95
♦T876
♣Q42



Hand 3

♠K54
♥QJ6
♦AQ94
♣A75



Hand 4

♠T9
♥T97
♦K975
♣T963



Hand 5

♠93
♥AT9
♦AT86
♣KJ87



Hand 6

♠K5
♥K8
♦AJT52
♣J862



Hand 7

♠J4
♥874
♦QT974
♣K84



Hand 8

♠986
♥Q83
♦K964
♣J94



Hand 9

♠AQ5
♥Q8
♦Q532
♠9872



Hand 10

♠K92
♥865
♦AT3
♣KT76



Hand 11

♠K92
♥Q76
♦QT9
♣Q764



Hand 12

♠QJ6
♥J87
♦AT76
♣J94



Hand 13

♠853
♥K72
♦KJ3
♣KJ52



Hand 14

♠T8
♥982
♦AQ973
♣KT4



Hand 15

♠A86
♥J2
♦K532
♣AQT4



Hand 16

♠632
♥A76
♦J8
♣AQ643



Hand 17

♠64
♥K73
♦Q542
♣QT63



Hand 18

♠752
♥762
♦762
♣Q863



Hand 19

♠83
♥876
♦J874
♣AJ54



Hand 20

♠A95
♥K62
♦AKJ54
♣K5



Hand 21

♠AJ
♥A7
♦KT653
♣Q542



Hand 22

♠J85
♥Q8
♦AKT93
♣652



Hand 23

♠K43
♥85
♦AKQ87
♣965



Hand 24

♠K5
♥JT8
♦A7643
♣T42



Hand 25

♠K8
♥532
♦T853
♣K763



Hand 26

♠KJ3
♥K75
♦QJ63
♣J73



Hand 27

♠KT3
♥A98
♦AK72
♣KQ8



Hand 28

♠Q7
♥52
♦J654
♣AT963



Hand 29

♠Q97
♥72
♦AQ95
♣QJ97



Hand 30

♠Q98
♥96
♦KQ864
♣KT8



Hand 31

♠T6
♥AT7
♦AKJ4
♣T863



Hand 32

♠T85
♥JT8
♦Q7532
♣96



Hand 33

♠KQ5
♥754
♦QJ432
♣98



Hand 34

♠K54
♥Q64
♦KJ96
♣863



Hand 35

♠T83
♥72
♦AKJ2
♣T963



Hand 36

♠T65
♥87
♦9854
♣AQT7



Hand 37

♠T9
♥Q6
♦AK742
♣JT64



Hand 38

♠Q76
♥KT
♦AKQ63
♣973



Hand 39

♠52
♥32
♦87543
♣KQ72



Hand 40

♠973
♥984
♦JT86
♣Q84



Hand 41

♠QJ
♥A5
♦9864
♣AT852



Hand 42

♠97
♥T2
♦QJT8
♣KJ753



Hand 43

♠A5
♥Q76
♦Q73
♣J9874



Hand 44

♠A7
♥J85
♦AJT86
♣T92



Hand 45

♠62
♥75
♦QT93
♣J9742



Hand 46

♠K2
♥83
♦A9743
♣AJ76



Hand 47

♠963
♥AT5
♦T8
♣AKJ94



Hand 48

♠KQ5
♥AK2
♦AQJ2
♣Q53



Hand 49

♠J92
♥KQ4
♦K3
♣K7652



Hand 50

♠AK
♥Q9
♦AJ532
♣Q654



Hand 51

♠Q7
♥J8
♦AQT9
♣KQ432



Hand 52

♠AQ3
♥KQ2
♦QJ
♣QJ653



Hand 53

♠Q7
♥A75
♦QT875
♣A65



Hand 54

♠AK4
♥KJ6
♦Q94
♣AQ85



Hand 55

♠J82
♥A95
♦AJ54
♣K85



Hand 56

♠K3
♥T5
♦T9872
♣QJT3



Hand 57

♠K2
♥T95
♦AQJT7
♣A65



Hand 58

♠84
♥Q2
♦AQT2
♣AQT72



Hand 59

♠KQ3
♥Q5
♦J432
♣QJT3



Hand 60

♠52
♥Q5
♦Q853
♣JT864



Hand 61

♠A4
♥Q7
♦QT863
♣J973



Hand 62

♠A3
♥K65
♦Q92
♣AKT86



Hand 63

♠J54
♥KJ6
♦Q9
♣KQ865



Hand 64

♠86
♥AQ9
♦742
♣QJT76