BARBARASEAGRAM’SBOOKS
BARBARASEAGRAMSCHOOLOFBRIDGE,TORONTO,ON,[email protected]
Ifyouwishtoorder,pleaseemailBarbaraSeagramwithyouraddressatbarbaraseagram@gmail.comandshewillmailittoyou.NotaxchargedonordersfromBarbara
BARBARASEAGRAM’SINTERMEDIATECHEATSHEET
Adetailedsummaryofbiddingthatyoucankeeponyourlapandrefertoasyouplay.
• Openingthebidding• Responder• Rebidsbyopeningbidder•
NoTrumpbidding• Overcalls• Take-outdouble• Bighandbidding
• Staymanconvention
• Pre-emptivebidding
• Weak2's
• Openingleads
• Bids
• Leads
• Playingahand
$10.00USD/$10.00CAD
BARBARASEAGRAM’SCONVENTIONSCHEATSHEET
Adetailedsummaryofconventionsthatyoucankeeponyourlapandrefertoasyouplay.
• TakeoutDouble• SupportDoubles• NegativeDouble•
ResponsiveDouble• PenaltyDoubles• SplinterBids•
Lead-DirectingDoubles• Jacoby2NT• RomanKeycardBlackwood•
RaisingPartner'sOvercall• RespondingtoPartner'sopeningBid•
Balancing• TexasTransfers• Gerber• CuebiddingFirstRoundControls•
UnusualNoTrumps• MichaelsCueBid• FourthSeatForcingtoGame
$12.00USD/$12.00CAD
BARBARASEAGRAM’SDEFENCECHEATSHEETAsummaryofsignalling&defensivestrategy.
• SuitPreferenceSignal• QueenFromQueenJackSignal• RuleofEleven•
CountSignal• Discarding• StrategyWhenDefending• AlternateMethods•
DefensiveMethods• ShowingYourAttitude• ThirdHandPlay•
SecondHandPlay
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BIDDINGATBRIDGE:AQUIZBOOKDeclarerPlayatBridge:aQuizbook,bythesameauthorteam,wasnamedthe2013BookoftheYearbytheAmericanBridgeTeachers’Association.Buildingonthesuccessofthattitle,thisbookgivesthenear-beginnerachancetopracticetheprinciplesonwhichsoundbiddingisbased,fromtheopeningbidonward.Thisisnotjustaseriesofproblems,however.Eachsectioncontainsabriefintroductiontoitstopic,andtheideasarereinforcedwithcarefullyexplainedsolutionsandhelpfultipsthroughout.Bridgeteachersandstudentswillfindthisbookinvaluable.
$16.00USD/$16.00CAD
DECLARERPLAYATBRIDGE:AQUIZBOOKThisbookisverygentleandiswrittenforlessexperiencedplayers.Therearemany,manypracticehandswithin.Thefirstpagealwayshastheproblemandthesecondpagehasthesolution.DetailedplanningforplayinghandsinsuitcontractsandinNoTrumps.ThisisBarbara's18th.publishedbook.$16.00USD/$16.00CAD
DEFENSIVEPLAYATBRIDGE:AQUIZBOOKPlanningthePlayofaBridgeHand,bythesameauthorteam,wasnamedthe2010BookoftheYearbytheAmericanBridgeTeachers’Association.Buildingonthesuccessofthattitle,thisbookgivesthenear-beginnerachancetopracticetheprinciplesonwhichsounddefensiveplayisbased,fromtheopeningleadon.Thisisnotjustaseriesofproblemhands,however.Eachsectioncontainsabriefintroductionofitstopic,andtheideasarereinforcedwithcarefullyexplainedsolutionsandhelpfultipsthroughout.Bridgeteachersandstudentswillfindthisbookinvaluable.
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PLANNINGTHEPLAYOFABRIDGEHANDWinnerofBookoftheYearAward2010Doyougetthatterriblesinkingfeelingwhenyoufirstseedummy?Doesyourmindgoblankaseveryonewaitsforyoutoplaytothefirsttrick?Ifso,you'renotalone.Beginningbridgeplayersaretaughtsomeofthebasictechniquesofdeclarerplay:suitestablishment,ruffinglosers,thefinesse,andsoforth.Thehardpartislearningwhattodowhen.Inthedreadedmomentfollowingtheopeninglead,thetypicalnovicedeclarerhasnoideawheretostart.Yetthekeytosuccessissimple:beforeplayingfromdummyatTrick1,makeaplan.
Inthisbook,twooftheworld'sbestbridgeteachers/authorsexplainhowtogoaboutmakingaplanasdeclarer—usingasimplestep-by-stepprocess.Readerswilllearnhowtodecidewhattodoonagivendeal,bothinnotrumpcontractsandsuitcontracts.Bytheendofthebook,eventhemostinexperienceddeclarerwillbecomfortablewithmoreadvancedmaterial,suchasentrymanagementandcountingthehand.
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PLANNINGTHEPLAY:THENEXTLEVELBarbara'sfirstbookinthisseries(alsoco-authoredbyDavidBird)wonBookoftheYearAwardbytheAmericanBridgeTeachers'Association:PlanningthePlayofaBridgeHand.Itintroducedthebasicconceptsofhowtogoaboutmakingaplanasdeclarerforbeginningandimprovingplayers,andisapopulartextforbridgeteachers.
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PLANNINGTHEDEFENSE(2019)Tenyearsaftertheiraward-winningPlanningthePlayofaBridgeHand,Seagram&Birdtacklethehardestpartofthegame:defense.Usingthesamestep-by-stepapproach,theyguidethereaderthroughtheminefieldofsignaling,makingadefensiveplanand,aboveall,counting–
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PLANNINGTHEDEFENSE:THENEXTLEVELPart2AdvancedUsingthesamestep-by-stepapproach,theyguidethereaderthroughtheminefieldofsignaling,makingadefensiveplanand,aboveall,counting–points,tricksanddistribution.$20.00USD/$25.00CAD
IntroductiontoDeclarer'sPlayAnEddieKantarBridgeClassic
CompletelyrevisedbyBarbaraSeagram2019
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IntroductiontoDefenseAnEddieKantarBridgeClassic
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L E A D S
PREFERRED OPENING LEADSDEFENDERS: Note that these preferred
leads exist all the waythrough the whole hand, not just on the
opening lead.
When Defending Against Trump Suit ContractAKx (our favourite
lead) Watch for partner’s attitude!Top of PERFECT SEQUENCE: e.g.
KQJ QJ10 J109Top of BROKEN SEQUENCE: e.g. KQ10 QJ9 J108Top two
honours must be touching
We prefer to lead1. Top of a sequence2. Partner’s suit3.
Singletons4. Suit unbid by opponents5. Bottom of something e.g.
K752 (also called 4th best)
Don’t underlead an Ace vs. trump suit contract6. Top of nothing
e.g. 952
B.O.S.T.O.N. = Bottom Of Something & Top Of Nothing
When Defending Against a No Trump ContractTop of PERFECT
SEQUENCE: e.g. KQJ QJ10 J109Top of BROKEN SEQUENCE: e.g. KQ10 QJ9
J108Top of INTERIOR SEQUENCE: e.g. KJ10x AQJxWithout any of the
above, then lead the 4th best of your longest and strongest
e.g. Q642 Bottom of somethingor 952 Top of nothing
B.O.S.T.O.N
When you are part way through the hand &do not know what to
lead:a) When dummy is on your right, lead to the weakest suit in
sightb) When dummy is on your left, lead through heft (strength)It
must be “broken strength” e.g. KJx, not AKQ. This one is not as
important as ‘a)’.
4PTS. NEEDED IN COMBINED HANDS TOPRODUCE REQUIRED NO. OF
TRICKS:
20 pts. in combined hands will produce 2C, 2D, 2H or 2S23 pts.
in combined hands will produce 3C, 3D, 3H or 3S26 pts. in combined
hands will produce 4C, 4D, 4H or 4S25 H.C.P. in combined hands will
produce 3 N.T.29 pts. in combined hands will produce 5C, 5D, 5H or
5S33 pts. in combined hands will produce 6C, 6D, 6H or 6S/33
HCP:6NT37 pts. in combined hands will produce 7C, 7D, 7H or 7S/37
HCP:7NT
Confucius say:“When both sides lead the same suit, somebody
crazy.”
P R E - E M P T I V E B I D D I N G
These are the opening bids of 3 or 4 in a suit. These bids are
made with longsuits & weak hands. These bids are designed not
to be fulfilled but merely toconfuse your opponents & take away
their bidding space.
REQUIREMENTS TO OPEN WITH 3 OF A SUIT10 or fewer H.C.P. & a
7 card suit of quality. If you can evaluate your handup to 13 pts.
including distribution, do not open with 3, open with one of asuit
or you will be showing a very weak hand.Not vulnerable: “Partner, I
expect to go down 3”Vulnerable: “Partner, I expect to go down 2”(To
open 4 of a suit: as above but a good 8 card suit)
PARTNER OF PRE-EMPTIVE OPENING BIDDERIf you bid a new suit in
response to a pre-empt, you must have a good hand(at least 13
points) & this new suit forces partner to bid again. You may
raisepartner to game if you have the required number of tricks that
he promisesto go down PLUS another trick.
COMPETING AGAINST OPPONENTS’PRE-EMPTIVE BIDEither overcall or
make a Take-Out Double (Must have at least 13+ pts. for both)
W E A K 2 ’ S
To open with 2S, 2H or 2D: You need 6-10 HCP + a 6 card suit
with 2 of top 3honours or 3 of top 5 honours
Responses: e.g. Partner opens 2S. You may1. Pass2. Raise to 3S
with a very poor hand and 3 trumps3. Raise to 4S with a poor hand
and 4 trumps4. Raise to 4S with a good hand, expecting to make 45.
Bid 2NT asking p. for a feature (A or K in another suit)
when: you are not sure of game: you want to fill in the “holes”
in your hand.
F O R C I N G / N O N - F O R C I N G B I D S
New suits by responder are always forcing. Opener HAS to bid
again.Old suits (suits which have been bid before by opener or
responder) arenever forcing and can be passed, even when someone
jumps.
No Trump bids are not forcing. 1H – 1S1H – 2H not forcing or 2H
– 2S (2S is not forcing)
B I G H A N D B I D D I N G
Since opening bids of 2S, 2H & 2D are weak bids (you are
playing weak 2s) then2 Clubs is your only strong bid as an opening
bidder. If you have a big unbalancedhand, open with 2C & then
bid your real suit when it is your turn to bid again. Ifyou have a
big balanced hand, see “No Trump Bidding” section.
STRONG TWO CLUB OPENING BID21+ pts. & a 7 card suit.23+ pts.
& a 6 card suit or 23 pts & 2 five card suits
RESPONSES TO A STRONG TWO CLUB BIDPartner MUST bid until game is
reached (even with 0 points)0-7 H.C.P. Bid 2D. This is called the
2D waiting bid.Note that bidding a new suit immediately shows a
good 5 card suit + 8 H.C.P.Thus 2D shows either 0-7 H.C.P. or 8 or
more H.C.P. & no good 5 card suit.WITH 8+ HCP AND A GOOD 5 CARD
OR LONGER SUIT• With a good 5 card (or longer) suit headed by 2 of
top 3 honours, bid that
suit right away.• Without that, bid 2D (waiting bid)Opening
bidder will now name his real suit.RESPONDER TO STRONG TWO CLUB BID
AFTER OPENER HAS LATER BIDHIS REAL SUIT:• If you, as responder,
have support for opener’s suit, you must raise her suit now.• With
0-4 pts, support for her suit and no ace or king in hand, raise to
4.• With 6+ pts (or 3-5 and an ace or king in hand), and support,
raise her suit
one level.• With NO support for opener and 6+ pts, bid your own
long suit or N.T.• With NO support for opener, 0-4 HCP and no Ace
or King in your hand, bid
your cheapest other minor (usually 3C). This is called a second
negative.
BLACKWOOD CONVENTION(Asking partner for Aces)This is used when a
trump suit has been agreed upon.The bid of 4 NO TRUMP asks partner
how many Aces he has.Reply: 5 Clubs = 0 or all 4 Aces 5 Hearts = 2
Aces
5 Diamonds = 1 Ace 5 Spades = 3 AcesIf you now discover that
your side has ALL 4 ACES AND that there’s a hope of agrand slam,
then you may ask partner how many kings he has:5 NO TRUMP…
Responses are the same as above (at the 6 level)
P L A Y I N G A H A N D
PLAYING A HAND IN A TRUMP SUITCONTRACTAfter the opening lead is
made & dummy comes down, stop and COUNTYOUR LOSERS!
If you have too many (you always will!), then make a plan for
disposing of yourlosers. Then decide whether it is safe to draw the
opponents’ trumps beforebeginning your project. If it is safe to
draw trump, this must be your preference.
Projects:1. Can you create a void in the dummy & trump
losers from declarer’s hand
with DUMMY’S TRUMPS? (Don’t pull trump first)2. Do you have
extra winners in dummy on which you can throw away
losers from declarer’s hand? (Useful discards)3. Do you have
extra winners in declarer’s hand so that you can make
useful discards from dummy?NOTE #2 + #3: If you have quick
losers and no ace of trump, don’tpull trump first. Make discards
first.
4. Can you set up a long suit in dummy on which to throw away
losers fromdeclarer’s hand?
5. Can you finesse?
PLAYING A HAND IN A NO TRUMP CONTRACTAfter opening lead is made,
count your sure winners which will win withoutlosing the lead. If
you haven’t enough, try to develop extra tricks in the suitin which
you have the most cards in the combined hands. NOTE: Whencounting
winners: no ace; no winner.
Sometimes in N.T. if the opp’s have led a suit in which you have
only 1 stop-per, you may have to use the HOLD-UP PLAY. Hang on to
your stoppersuntil one of your opponents is out of the suit.In N.T.
declarer must attack her project suit immediately and finish
herproject before cashing winners in other suits.
TIP: Your project suit is often the suit in which you have the
most cards inthe combined hands, OR a suit in which you have high
cards but no ace.
4TIP FOR DECLARER PLAYAlways “use up” the high honour (card)
from the short side first,
e.g. A 3 o KQ2
Play the Ace first so that you will own a small card to get to
the K&Q
NOTE: You do not have to LEAD the high card from the short side
first, youjust have to “use it up”.
1 1
Unbalanced Hands
Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet
I N T E R M E D I A T E
BARBARA SEAGRAM'S
[email protected] |
www.barbaraseagram.com
© May not be reproduced without permission
Also recommended; Cheat Sheets: Conventions,Defence, Doubles,
Two Over One,
Pocket Guide to Bridge,Pocket Guide to Conventions You Should
Know
VERSION 5.1
T A K E O U T D O U B L E
THE TAKEOUT DOUBLESometimes, when you have 13 or more points and
cannot overcall because youdo not have a 5 card suit, consider
whether you can make a takeout double.The takeout double asks
partner to bid & describe her hand. Anydouble made below game,
at first opportunity, when partner hasnot bid, is a takeout double
(T.O.D.) All other doubles are for penalty.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MAKING A TAKEOUT DOUBLE1. At least as many
points as Opening Bidder (usually 13+ pts.)2. A.T.S. for all the
unbid suits (if you only have 13-17 pts.)3. With 18 or more pts.
the hand can be any shape as the doubler is
allowed to bid again.NOTE: Do not double when you have 4 or 5
cards in opponent’s suit
RESPONSES TO TAKEOUT DOUBLEWith no intervening bid, responder to
T.O.D., must respond, even with 0 pts.If there is an intervening
bid, responder must have 8 or more pts. to respond.0-8 pts. Bid
best suit at cheapest level9-11 pts. Jump in best suit.12+ pts.
With a 5 card major, jump to 4 of that major.With 10+ pts. + 2 four
card majors, cue-bid the opponents’ suit to makepartner choose his
longest major.
RESPONSES IN NO TRUMPS TO TAKEOUT DOUBLE8-10 H.C.P. With 1
stopper in opponent’s suit, bid 1 N.T.11-12 H.C.P. With 1 stopper
in opponent’s suit, bid 2 N.T.13+ H.C.P. With 1 stopper in
opponent’s suit, bid 3 N.T.NEVER respond to a T.O.D. in N.T. if you
could respond in a major.
REBIDS BY THE TAKEOUT DOUBLERWhen the responder to T.O.D. only
bids his best suit at cheapest level:Doubler with 13-15 pts. must
pass at his turn to rebidDoubler with 16-18 pts. can raise partner
1 level (with A.T.S.)Doubler with 18+ pts. can now bid their 5 card
or longer suit.Doubler with 19-21 pts. can raise partner by jumping
1 levelDoubler with 22+ pts. can bid game in partner’s suit.PASSING
THE TAKEOUT DOUBLEYou may pass the T.O.D. only if you have 3 trump
tricks & an outside Ace.
REDOUBLEWhen partner’s opening bid has been doubled for takeout,
there is only onestrong bid you can make: “REDOUBLE”. The Redouble
says: “Partner, thishand belongs to us.” REQUIREMENTS TO REDOUBLE:
10+ H.C.P. Ifyou cannot redouble, then try to raise partner as high
as possible if you likehis suit.
ACTION BY PARTNER OF T.O.D. AFTER REDOUBLEHe will usually bid
his longest suit. He is known to have a bad hand.
ACTION BY TAKEOUT DOUBLER AFTER REDBLHe must bid again if
bidding goes Redouble - P - P to him.
KEY CARD BLACKWOODWhen you gain more experience, you will learn
a fancier version of Blackwood,called 1430. No rush to learn this
yet.
BS H69794 Int rm Ch at Sh t V5p1-r2 2020-02-11 10:30 AM Pag
1
Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet
BARBARA SEAGRAM'S
D E F E N C E
416-487-8321 (H)[email protected] |
www.barbaraseagram.com
© May not be reproduced without permissionAlso recommended:
Intermediate, Advanced,
2 Over 1 & Doubles Cheat SheetsPocket Guide to Bridge
(Barbara Seagram/Ray Lee)
R U L E O F E L E V E N
The Rule of Eleven is very useful and helps you in third seat to
determine whatpartner is holding in her suit. It can also be useful
when used by declarer whenplanning what card to play at trick one
of a suit.Note that a “9” is never fourth of her longest and
strongest and thus you neveruse the Rule of Eleven when partner has
led a 9. The lead of a 9 is always the “Topof Nothing.”How to Use
the Rule of Eleven? Subtract the spot of the card that had been
ledfrom the number 11. The resulting answer tells you how many
cards there are inthe remaining three hands that can beat that
card. You as a defender can seethe dummy and your own hand and can
thus determine how many cards declarerhas that can beat the card
led.If the math does not add up and you can SEE more cards in dummy
and in yourhand that can beat the card led, then partner’s card was
NOT THE FOURTH OF HERLONGEST AND STRONGEST. It was merely TOP OF
NOTHING.The Rule of Eleven ALWAYS works if partner has led fourth
of her longest andstrongest. It allows you to be FRUGAL
(economical) in your card play. This rule isbased on easy
mathematics. If face cards had numbers, the Jack would be an 11,the
Queen a 12, the King a 13 and an Ace: 14. If you subtract any card
from 14,you will discover how many cards there are that are higher
in the suit.WHEN A FOURTH BEST card is led, the opening leader has
in his hand 3 cards high-er. SO now you subtract from 11 to see how
many cards there are in the OTHERTHREE HANDS that can beat that
card.e.g.
K627 led AJ93 You
You are East with AJ93. There are 4 cards remaining in the
North, East and Southhands that can beat the 7 (which was led) You
can see all of them. Thus, you(EAST) can see that South cannot own
any cards that can beat the 7. If declarerplays the 2 from dummy,
you (East) will play the 3 knowing that west’s 7 will win.We wish
to keep west on lead so that she can keep leading the suit. If you
had wonthe Ace and led back a small one, then South will eventually
score a trick with theK in dummy.Do remember that we only lead
fourth of our longest and strongest• When we do have an honour card
in the suit.
If we had 86532, we must lead the 8 (top of nothing)• When we DO
NOT HAVE a good sequence to lead.
i.e. when you have QJ104 of Spades and also the K752 ofDiamonds,
you should lead the Q of Spades, NOT the 2 ofDiamonds. The top of a
sequence is the best lead in bridge.
• NOTE: When your partner leads a 2, she will never have a 5
card suit or shewould have led a card that is higher than the
2.
C O U N T S I G N A L C O U N T S I G N A L
When your partner is leading a high card in a suit, you signal
with a high card toshow her you like her lead. This is called
showing your attitude.
When declarer or dummy is leading a suit, it would hardly ever
be of any valueto give an attitude signal. Your side, as defending
opponents, would seldom wish tocontinue leading a suit that the
declarer has attacked. When declarer or dummyare leading a suit,
experienced defenders give the COUNT SIGNAL.
You as a defender play LOW with an ODD number of cards (like 3
or 5 and it isusually 3: LOW = 3 letters = 3 cards.You as a
defender play HIGH with an EVEN number of cards (2 or 4).
Experts give the count signal almost always whenever declarer
(or dummy) leads asuit for the first time. This way, each defender
always know exactly how many cardsdeclarer has in that suit because
their partner has given them count in all the suits.Do you ever
find yourself at the end of a hand not knowing what card to keep
andwhich to discard? Do you ever discard the wrong one??? This
would never be a prob-lem for an expert player because they use the
count signal all the time.
Remember: When defender is leading a suit, you as his/her
partner give attitude.When declarer is leading a suit (or dummy)
you give count.
Will you get confused? Sure you will. Here is what I would
suggest. At this stage ofyour career, if you have never heard of
this before, you may not find the count sig-nal as useful. So don’t
worry too much about it for now. However, there is one timewhen you
MUST give count and that is when DUMMY HAS A LONG SUIT ANDNO
ENTRY.
When dummy has a long suit (without the highest card) and no
entry, you as thedefender without the missing high card (usually
the Ace) must give count. Thisway, the player with the Ace knows
exactly when they should play their ace so thatdeclarer’s
communication with the dummy is severed.e.g. ™432
♥632®KQJ109ßA4
™KJ65 ™987♥109 ♥QJ85®82 ®A73ßJ10987 ßK63
™AQ10♥AK74®654ßQ52
(continued...)
S W N E1NT P 3NT All Pass
(...continued)West leadsß Jack. Declarer counts her tricks. If
she ducks the firstß trick, she issure to get two ß tricks. One ™
trick for sure and two ♥ tricks. That makes a totalof five tricks.
She needs 4 more tricks. Her project suit is the® suit.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, East winsß King. East must now
lead backß 6,driving out dummy’s last remaining entry, theß Ace.
Declarer now leads ® Kingfrom dummy. (When you want to encourage
them to win the trick, play a big one,they are more likely to be
tempted to win it now!)
East should routinely duck the first round, watching to see what
partner (West)plays. West plays® 8, a high card showing either 2 or
4 cards in the® suit. If it isa singleton, then declarer owns four
cards in that suit and there is no stopping herfrom achieving her
contract. If West had 4 cards, then declarer started with a
single-ton. (She bid 1NT as her opening bid, thus she cannot have a
singleton.) You, East,now know that you have to duck your® Ace
twice, winning it at the moment thatdeclarer is running out of the
suit. Declarer can now only score 7 tricks. Down two.
Note that if East had played their® Ace on trick one or two,
then declarer wouldstill have a small ® with which to get to dummy
and make her contract. Now let'schange things around a bit:e.g.
™432
♥632®KQJ109ß42
™J1065 ™987♥109 ♥QJ85®842 ®A73ßJ1098 ßK63
™AKQ♥AK74®65ßAQ75
On this hand, South has 7 tricks, on the opening lead of aß. She
attacks her ®suit. She only needs two ® tricks to make 3NT. If East
ducks till the third round of®, declarer makes her contract. West
must signal on first round of® with ®2. Eastdoes the math. West
played®2 which shows an odd number of ®. Thus, since shehas three®,
south must have only two. East wins second round of ® and thusSouth
is down one.
Remember that learning new stuff in bridge is like learning to
play the piano. Youhave to make do with playing chopsticks before
you can manage Mozart.
S W N E2ß P 2® P2NT P 3NT All Pass
D I S C A R D I N G
A discard is what you, as an opponent, throw away when you
CANNOT follow suit.You will attempt to communicate certain
information to partner at this time. Whenyou are unable to follow
suit and either cannot or will not trump in, you must per-force
throw away a card.Attitude discards: A high card in the suit
discarded encourages the lead of thatsuit and a low card
discourages it. This is not a command to partner to lead this
suit;it may or may not be sensible to do so; that depends on many
things. But you arehelping partner to unravel some of the mysteries
of the jigsaw puzzle that is yourhand. Making a discard is a
privilege; try to discard something that will help yourside.Let’s
say partner leads♥ AKQ against the contract of 2 ™. You have ♥ 92.
Yousignal high-low (9 then 2) and next have to make a discard. You
have ® A103.Discard ® 10. Partner has ® K42. She now leads ® 2 to
your ® Ace. You leadback ® 3 to her ® K and now she leads a third®
for you to trump. Down 1!Sometimes, especially against No Trump
contracts, it would be wiser to not discard ahigh card in a suit
you DO wish led, as by so doing, you may waste a trick. Thus,you
should often choose to discard low cards in suits you do NOT wish
led. This way,partner will be able to figure out what you DO wish
led.e.g. ™J1054
♥Q65®A76ßK65
™A9863 ™—♥432 ♥AKJ9®J10 ®95432ßJ104 ß8732
™KQ72♥1087®KQ8ßAQ9
S N1NT 3NT
Thus versus No Trumps, a negative discard isoften the best
strategy, saving our high goodcards for defeating the contract.
When you need to make discards, do try to keep the appropriate
number of "bodyguards" for your honour cards. e.g. You hold Qxx in
a suit. Your Q needs two smallcards to protect it from being
"eaten" by the Ace and King. Do not pitch one of thesecards. Same
goes for Kxx. You can afford to discard ONE of these small cards
withthe King but not both. The J needs 3 small cards to be guarded
(Jxxx).
S T R A T E G Y W H E N D E F E N D I N G
At trick one of™ lead by partner, Ehas no™’s and wishes to tell
partnerto lead a♥. If he discards the♥ 9,West will indeed lead a♥
to East.BUT then East will have squandered atrick in♥’s.
Instead, especially because this is NoTrumps, East should
discard the® 2(She could discard first theß 2 butsince it is a
black card on west’s blackcard, then West might notnotice…better to
discard the 2®!!)Then discard theß 2 next. W willlead a♥ next: 5
tricks for thedefence.
• We are programmed to lead 4th of longestand strongest when we
do not have asequence. The bidding has gone 1NT onyour right and
3NT on your left. You holdthis hand:AJ92AJ53KJ492
• When you as a defender can count and seethat declarer clearly
has enough tricks tomake her contract (having checked outdummy), it
is often right to now shift toanother suit in an attempt to thwart
herplan. e.g. There is a long good quality suitin dummy)
• When you lead an Ace against a NT contract, you will usually
have AKJ10x inthat suit. This is a special lead against NT. If your
partner has the Q, she shouldplay it (unblocking) and if not, she
should now give count to show how manycards she has in that suit
(High card if she has an even number and low card ifshe has 3
cards). This will help you to determine whether to continue
leadingthe suit from your side or if to try to get partner on lead
to lead the suitthrough declarer's Queen.
• THINKING DEFENCE: ™76♥Q863®KQJ5ß864
™J32 ™95♥109542 ♥AJ7®9832 ®76ßJ ßAKQ1072
™AKQ1084♥K®A104ß953
W leads ß J. East overtakes with the ß Q and cashes the ß Ace
and King. On the2nd. round of ß’s, W discards a small ®. On the 3rd
round of ß, W discards asmall ♥. W has now shown a lack of interest
in ® and in ♥. E must now cash the♥ Ace. E now leads a fourth ß and
W's ™ Jack will be promoted into winning atrick. However, before
leading the fourthß E must cash that ♥ Ace or declarer willpitch
her ♥ K on the 4th Club.
S W N E1™ P 1NT 2ß3™ P P All Pass
What should you choose as an open-ing lead? While it is tempting
to leadthe™ 2 or the♥ 3, you must countto determine how many points
yourpartner can possibly have. Sincedeclarer and dummy together
haveapproximately 26 HCP (since theylanded in 3NT) and you have 14
HCP,you now know that partner has noth-ing. He is a pointless
partner! . THEREARE ONLY 40 HCP in the deck. If youlead a ®, a♥ or
a™, you will begiving declarer an extra trick. Make apassive lead:ß
9. Then declarer willhave to attack all those other suitsherself,
giving you tricks along theway. This is called passive defense.
A L T E R N A T E M E T H O D S
All signalling so far discussed has been STANDARD. At the start
of each round,when you head out to play, your opponents will ask:
"What is your carding?" and"What are your leads?" If you subscribe
to the methods mentioned in this guide,your answer should be
"Standard".
Note that there are several other methods used by other players
that you shouldbe aware of.
i.e. We teach you that when partner leads a high card, you play
a high one toshow that you like her lead & can help with that
suit. That is standard attitude.Same with discards: Discard a high
card to say "I like that suit" and a low one tosay: "I don’t like
that suit".
Some other players use a method called "Upside Down Attitude".
i.e. They do theopposite of what has been suggested herein. They
play a low one to say they likeand a high one to say they do not
like.
Others use a method called "Odd Even Discards". They discard an
odd card toshow encouragement and an even numbered card will show
discouragement.
There is yet another called Lavinthal Discards. If you subscribe
to this method, itonly is relevant on your very first discard. You
do not discard in a suit you likebut discard in one of the other
suits.
Let's say Hearts are trumps…You are unable to follow suit. You
wish a Club led.You discard a low Diamond to ask for the lower
ranking of the two remainingsuits. If you had wanted a Diamond led,
you would discard a high Spade, askingfor the higher ranking of the
two remaining suits. Or a low Club.
So you see, there is no perfect method since sometimes you are
not dealt theperfect cards with which to signal. But you do the
best with what you have andDISCUSS WITH PARTNER beforehand to
decide which method you wish to use.Remember that you are in a very
dark forest when defending and you are part-ner's guiding light.
You must help her as much as you can, showing her how totake the
most tricks possible on defence.
Bridge is a game of mistakes. Those who make the fewestmistakes
win. When you make one, try not to repeat it!
Don’t just play bridge with people of your own level.
Playamongst more experienced players. Sure, it’ll be humbling
but
you can always ask a stronger opponent how you could have
donebetter and this will send your learning curve upwards!
When partner has bid a suit & you ha e NOT raised her
suit:If you ha e 3 or 4 small ones, lead small e.g. 952, lead the
2. This way, she willknow you do not ha e a doubleton. If you HAVE
raised her, lead the 9. She willknow you would ne er raise with a
doubleton.
VERSION 2.1
VERSION 2.2
CONVENT I ONS
Tel: [email protected]
www.barbaraseagram.com
© May not be reproduced without permissionAlso recommended:
Intermediate, Defence, Doubles, 2 Over 1 Cheat Sheets
and all our Pocket Guides.
Barbara Seagram School of Bridge Toronto, Ontario,
Canada416-487-8321 • [email protected] •
www.barbaraseagram.com
If you wish to order, please email Barbara Seagram with your
postal address at [email protected], and she will mail it to
you. No tax charged on orders from Barabara
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BARBARASEAGRAM’SBRIDGE TIPS
Part One: Bidding TipsPart Two: Declarer Play TipsPart Three:
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partner• Recommendedconventionsyoushouldconsider
playing• Opener’srebidafterForcing1NT•
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doubles:
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PenaltyDoubles• ResponsiveDoubles• LeadRedirectingDoubles•
Redoubles
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25BridgeConventionsYouShouldKnow"Itdoesn'tgetanybetter..."--EddieKantar
Thetopicscoveredinthisbookinclude:Balancing,Blackwood&Gerber,Cuebid
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Bridge:25WaystoTakeMoreTricksasDeclarerThisbookdealswiththeplayofthecardsasdeclarer,perhapsthemostimportantpartofthegame.Asusualinthe'25'series,basicideasonthestrategiesandtacticsavailabletodeclarerarecoveredcomprehensivelyintheearlypartofthebook,whileinlaterchapters,moreadvancedplayerswillfindideasandtopicsthatchallengetheirownunderstandingofthegame.
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25MOREBridgeConventionsYouShouldKnowIfyou'recomfortablewiththematerialinBarbaraSeagram'sbest-sellingfirstbook,thenyou'rereadytomoveontothemoresophisticatedbiddinggadgetsinthisone.Evenifyoudon'twanttoaddallthesetoyourownsystem,youneedtobefamiliarwiththembecauseyou'llfindyouropponentsusingthem.Onceagain,eachconventionisclearlyandsimplyexplained,andyou'llseehowitfitsintoanystandardbiddingsystemifyoudecidetouseit.Eachchapterincludesahelpfulsummaryofthekeypointsandaquizwithfullexplanationsoftheanswers.CONVENTIONS:Ace-
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POCKETGUIDETODEFENSIVEPLAYUsingthesameformatasThePocketGuidetoBridge,thisbookprovidesahandypocketsummaryofabouttwodozen
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REDOUBLES
Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet
D O U B L E S
BARBARA SEAGRAM'S
[email protected] | www.barbaraseagram.com
© May not be reproduced without permissionAlso Recommended:
Intermediate, Defense & Advanced Cheat Sheets
Pocket Guides to: Bridge, Defense, Declarer Play,
Conventions
RESPONSIVE DOUBLE The responsive double occurs when your LHO has
opened the bidding with one of a suit and partner has overcalled a
suit. RHO has raised the opener’s suit. If you double now, this is
a responsive double. The responsive double also occurs when LHO has
opened the bidding with one of a suit and partner has made a
takeout double and RHO has raised the opener. The responsive double
says you have no clear-cut bid to make and suggests you have the
other two suits, usually at least 4 in each. It shows 8 or more
points, including distribution.
PENALTY DOUBLES These most often occur at the game level or
higher. It takes place more often when your opponents are
sacrificing. If your double cannot be a TOD or a Negative double or
a support double or a responsive double, then it must be a penalty
double!!! S W N E 1S 2D P 2H P 3D Dbl This is a penalty double. N E
S W 1S 1NT 2C P 2S Dbl This is a penalty double. N E S W 1S 1NT Dbl
This is a penalty double. It shows approx. 9 + HCP.
LEAD DIRECTING DOUBLES Lead directing doubles occur most often
when opponents have made an artificial bid e.g Stayman or Transfers
or responding to Blackwood. Dbl by you after the “fake” bid on your
right is lead-directing & commands partner to lead that suit if
she gets on lead. Lightner Double is made by the partner of the
opening bidder after opponents have reached a slam. It asks for an
unusual lead, often dummy’s first bid suit.
REDOUBLES
There are many uses for the word “Redouble”. I am only going to
give you the simple version of the commonest use of the Redouble.
Later, you can change your use of it or add it to other scenarios.
When your partner opens the bidding, showing at least 13 points, if
the guy on your right says “double”, then he also has at least 13
points. That already is a chunk of the deck’s high card points
accounted for. If you in that next seat have 10 or more H.C.P. it
is now very important to tell partner that you have those missing
points. That way she will know that the guy on your left is marked
with 0-5 points only. 1 H (13+)
Double (13+)
Redouble (10 + HCP) (YOU) By saying “Redouble”, you are really
saying to partner (opening bidder): “Partner, you opened the
bidding and our opponent made a take-out double, but don’t worry
about them, this hand belongs to us and we have most of the points
our way on this hand.” Note that you may have trump support or may
not have trump support; the redouble merely says” I have 10 or more
H.C.P.” There are more fancy methods (e.g. Jordan) but if you have
not agreed to play those, then this method is the simplest. Here’s
how it all proceeds after this: The player on your left (L.H.O.
left hand opponent) is now marked with very little. He knows that
his side is in trouble. He will bid if he has a 4 card or longer
suit that is not the opponents’ suit. This will tell his partner
that he has a four-card suit (at least) which may provide a safe
haven if their side has to play the hand, because at least they
will have lots of trumps, if not many points. Remember that the
doubler has promised support for ALL unbid suits by making the
double, so if the weak 0-5 hand names a 4-card suit, at least
together they will have 7 or 8 trumps for their side. OK, now it
rolls back to the opening bidder…Let’s say that west has passed.
The auction has so far gone:
N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl Pass If opening bidder passes, he may end
up playing the hand in 1H doubled and redoubled. ?? That would be
his dearest wish come true as their side has lots of points and he
will make the contract most of the time. Having been doubled and
redoubled, he will score lots of extra points on the score sheet.
(You get extra pts for insult when doubled and lots more for being
redoubled). As a result, opening bidder usually says “Pass”. The
doubler cannot allow North to play this hand in 1H doubled and
redoubled as he knows that Opener will make the contract and get a
great score. Therefore, the Doubler MUST bid again. What does he
bid? He picks his best suit, the one in which he is least likely to
get into trouble. e.g. N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl P P 1S East may have S
AKxx H xx D Axxx C Qxx The redoubler MUST now bid again. With S xx
H Axx D KQJx C xxxx Redoubler would now bid 2H. North will know
that South has 10 or more H.C.P. as he redoubled to start with. In
other words, redoubler now just makes a natural bid to describe his
hand…a new suit by redoubler will be 100% forcing. If the redoubler
has the following hand as SOUTH, however, he has other things on
his mind: S QJ1098 H Axx D xx C AKJ
0-5 pts
N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl P P 1S DBL (PENALTY)
RESPONSIVE DOUBLE The responsive double occurs when your LHO has
opened the bidding with one of a suit and partner has overcalled a
suit. RHO has raised the opener’s suit. If you double now, this is
a responsive double. The responsive double also occurs when LHO has
opened the bidding with one of a suit and partner has made a
takeout double and RHO has raised the opener. The responsive double
says you have no clear-cut bid to make and suggests you have the
other two suits, usually at least 4 in each. It shows 8 or more
points, including distribution.
PENALTY DOUBLES These most often occur at the game level or
higher. It takes place more often when your opponents are
sacrificing. If your double cannot be a TOD or a Negative double or
a support double or a responsive double, then it must be a penalty
double!!! S W N E 1S 2D P 2H P 3D Dbl This is a penalty double. N E
S W 1S 1NT 2C P 2S Dbl This is a penalty double. N E S W 1S 1NT Dbl
This is a penalty double. It shows approx. 9 + HCP.
LEAD DIRECTING DOUBLES Lead directing doubles occur most often
when opponents have made an artificial bid e.g Stayman or Transfers
or responding to Blackwood. Dbl by you after the “fake” bid on your
right is lead-directing & commands partner to lead that suit if
she gets on lead. Lightner Double is made by the partner of the
opening bidder after opponents have reached a slam. It asks for an
unusual lead, often dummy’s first bid suit.
REDOUBLES
There are many uses for the word “Redouble”. I am only going to
give you the simple version of the commonest use of the Redouble.
Later, you can change your use of it or add it to other scenarios.
When your partner opens the bidding, showing at least 13 points, if
the guy on your right says “double”, then he also has at least 13
points. That already is a chunk of the deck’s high card points
accounted for. If you in that next seat have 10 or more H.C.P. it
is now very important to tell partner that you have those missing
points. That way she will know that the guy on your left is marked
with 0-5 points only. 1 H (13+)
Double (13+)
Redouble (10 + HCP) (YOU) By saying “Redouble”, you are really
saying to partner (opening bidder): “Partner, you opened the
bidding and our opponent made a take-out double, but don’t worry
about them, this hand belongs to us and we have most of the points
our way on this hand.” Note that you may have trump support or may
not have trump support; the redouble merely says” I have 10 or more
H.C.P.” There are more fancy methods (e.g. Jordan) but if you have
not agreed to play those, then this method is the simplest. Here’s
how it all proceeds after this: The player on your left (L.H.O.
left hand opponent) is now marked with very little. He knows that
his side is in trouble. He will bid if he has a 4 card or longer
suit that is not the opponents’ suit. This will tell his partner
that he has a four-card suit (at least) which may provide a safe
haven if their side has to play the hand, because at least they
will have lots of trumps, if not many points. Remember that the
doubler has promised support for ALL unbid suits by making the
double, so if the weak 0-5 hand names a 4-card suit, at least
together they will have 7 or 8 trumps for their side. OK, now it
rolls back to the opening bidder…Let’s say that west has passed.
The auction has so far gone:
N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl Pass If opening bidder passes, he may end
up playing the hand in 1H doubled and redoubled. ?? That would be
his dearest wish come true as their side has lots of points and he
will make the contract most of the time. Having been doubled and
redoubled, he will score lots of extra points on the score sheet.
(You get extra pts for insult when doubled and lots more for being
redoubled). As a result, opening bidder usually says “Pass”. The
doubler cannot allow North to play this hand in 1H doubled and
redoubled as he knows that Opener will make the contract and get a
great score. Therefore, the Doubler MUST bid again. What does he
bid? He picks his best suit, the one in which he is least likely to
get into trouble. e.g. N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl P P 1S East may have S
AKxx H xx D Axxx C Qxx The redoubler MUST now bid again. With S xx
H Axx D KQJx C xxxx Redoubler would now bid 2H. North will know
that South has 10 or more H.C.P. as he redoubled to start with. In
other words, redoubler now just makes a natural bid to describe his
hand…a new suit by redoubler will be 100% forcing. If the redoubler
has the following hand as SOUTH, however, he has other things on
his mind: S QJ1098 H Axx D xx C AKJ
0-5 pts
N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl P P 1S DBL (PENALTY)
OK, so what happens if your partner opens the bidding, RHO
doubles and you cannot redouble because you do NOT have 10 or more
HCP…. now what? You just bid naturally. e.g. Bid a new suit or
raise partner. Sometimes, if you have a 5 card major, you may just
bid the major, even if you have 10 or more HCP, in the world of
modern day bridge. Most people play that if you bid a new suit at
the one level in this situation, it is forcing for one round. e.g.
N E S W 1H Dbl 1S My bridge teacher used to teach: “If you cannot
redouble, then bid as high as your conscience will allow!” e.g. N E
S W 1H Dbl 3 H (This is weak, because you do not have 10+ HCP) You
can definitely be frisky in this scenario! This bid would show at
least 4 Hearts at least though. In modern day bridge, it is common
to play JORDAN. 1 of a major – Dbl – 2NT by you shows 10 or more
HCP & 3 or more of partner’s major. If you agree to play this,
then the Redouble shows 10 or more HCP and NO support for partner.
NOTE: Jacoby 2NT does NOT exist after a Double. e.g. N E S W 1S Dbl
2NT* *If you are playing Jordan, this will show 10 or more HCP and
at least 3 of partner’s Spades. N E S W 1H Dbl Redbl** **If you are
playing Jordan, this will show 10 or more HCP and 2 or fewer
Hearts. i.e. no support.
NOTE FROM BARBARA This summary cheat sheet cannot possibly cover
all modern uses of doubles. Modern bridge is amazingly inventive
and you will stumble across many other uses of the term “double”
but in the meantime, this will stand you in good stead.
AN ALTERNATE APPROACHFOURTH SUIT FORCING TO GAME (FSF )REBIDS BY
RESPONDER AFTER 1ST BIDDING 1NT FORCING NT QUIZ FOR OPENER &
RESPONDER ANSWERS TO FORCING NT QUIZ R AISING PARTNER’S MAJOR
Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet
T W O O V E R O N E
B A R B A R A S E A G R A M ' S
Tel: [email protected] |
www.barbaraseagram.com
© May not be reproduced without permissionAlso recommended:
Intermediate Cheat Sheet / Advanced Cheat
Sheet (Conventions) / Defence Cheat Sheet / Pocket Guide to
Bridge & Pocket Guide to Conventions
We have discussed that playing the Forcing 1NT can be a problem
for the minimum opening bidder who has a balanced hand. e.g N Kxx M
AJxxx L Kx K Qxx
When he opens with 1H and hears 1NT from Responder, he would
strongly prefer to now pass but playing traditional 2/1, you may
not (since Responder could have 11 or 12 points)
We suggest that you implement a modified version of 2/1 and use
a
SEMI-FORCING ONE NO TRUMP RESPONSE TO OPENING BIDDER’S BID OF
ONE OF A MAJOR
If you adopt this, then the only time anything changes from the
2/1 system presented herein is:
When you are Responder with 10-12 points and have THREE card
support for Opener’s major, jump shift into OTHER major (WEIRD but
read on!!)
1H - 2S*
or
1S - 3H*
NOTE THAT IF YOU AGREE TO PLAY THIS, THEN RESPONDER WHO BIDS 1NT
IN RESPONSE TO 1 OF A MAJOR WILL NOW BE DENYING 3 CARD SUPPORT FOR
THE MAJOR & SHOWING 6-12 POINTS. HE HAS 2 OR FEWER. IT IS MOST
USEFUL TO KNOW THIS.
N AJxxx M Ax L Qxx K Qxx and you open 1S…If partner responds 1NT
& if you have agreed to play semi-forcing NT, now you can PASS
his semi-forcing 1NT. This will show a minimum balanced hand.
The 1NT semi-forcing is alertable.
Be kind to your partner & to your opponents. You can be
competitive & friendly all at the same time. When your
opponents leave your table, you want them to be pleased to have met
you & not glad that the round is over with.
Fourth suit forcing is a convention. When Responder bids the 4th
suit, he may well not have that suit. i.e. it could be artificial
(fake). Requirement to bid FSF: 13+ points.
Neither opening bidder nor Responder now needs to jump in
auc-tion since a “game force” situation has been created. Neither
can pass till game has been reached.
Example of a hand where we frequently encounter problems in the
bidding and land in the wrong contract.
1D Op. Bid
N AQ10xx
M xx
L KQx
K QJx
The OPENING BIDDER must now describe his hand:
First obligation: • With 3 of partner’s major, Opener must now
raise partner’s
suit (NO JUMPING)
Second obligation: • If Opener has a stopper in the “fourth
suit” just named by
Responder, he must now bid No Trumps.
Third obligation: • If Opener has 4 cards in the “fourth suit”
he can now bid that
suit. (If this suit is a major, you should bid this suit before
choice # 2 )
Fourth obligation: • If Opener has none of the above, then he
should bid naturally,
AN EXAMPLE OF FSF USED IN A 2/1 AUCTION:
1S - 2C Responder’s hand: 2D - N 32 M 32 L AQ76 K AK852
Responder bids 2H, hoping to hear that Opener has a M stopper.
If so, you can next bid 3NT.
These are just some examples of Responder’s next bid:
RESPONDER WITH 6-9 POINTS
Opener bids a major and Responder bids 1NT (forcing). Opener now
bids 2 of another suit. Responder must now choose one of Opener’s 2
suits.
This is called Simple Preference.
e.g. 1S - 1NT 2D - 2S will show 6-9 pts & only two N
(With three spades, Responder would have raised to 2S
immediately.)
If Responder preferred L, he could pass 2D
Remember that Opener could have only three L
RESPONDER WITH 10-12 POINTS
1S - 1NT 2D - 3S shows 10-12 and 3 card N support
or
1H - 1NT 2C - 2NT 11-12 HCP, stoppers in unbid suits & only
2 M
or
1S - 1NT 2C - 3D shows 10-12 and long L
or
1H - 1NT 2H - 4H shows 10-12 & 3 card support
You know Opener has 6 card suit
DUMMY POINTS
With 3 card support for partner: Void = 3, singleton = 2,
doubleton = 1
With 4 card support for partner: Void = 5, singleton = 3,
doubleton = 1
With each of these hands, you have opened 1S and partner has
responded 1NT (Forcing) What is your rebid?
1. AQ1073 2. AK1097 3. KQJ642 Q84 AQ AQJ7 AQ AQ1054 8 KJ6 2
53
4. KQ10784 5. KQ843 Q85 KJ10 AJ6 A83 4 92
With each of these hands, you have opened 1H and partner has
responded with a forcing 1NT. What is your rebid?
6. AKJ9 7. KJ84 8. AQ74 AQ1084 AK753 KQJ62 K107 Q86 95 3 7
J3
With each of these hands, you have responded with a forcing 1NT
to your partner’s opening bid of 1S.
Opener now rebids 2C. Now what?
9. Q4 10. K95 11. 6 J95 AJ32 K105 K10864 8542 Q864 Q82 K6
J10853
12. 4 13. 5 14. J3 K108642 A103 AQ95 J95 AQ10974 KJ108 Q82 842
1064
OPENING THE BIDDING
With N A542 M AK64 L Q52 K 54 Open 1L
i.e. It is only 4% of the time that you have to open 1D with
only 3 L.
Do not open 1C with only two K.
1. Raise to 2NT. This shows balanced 18-19 HCP as well as 5 card
N suit.
2. Jump shift to 3D. (18 +)
3. 2H. Your N are good but so are your M. When you hold six N
and four M, your rebid should be M. Offer partner a choice.
4. Rebid 2S. Guarantees 6 or more N IF partner responded
1NT.
5. 2D. You may NOT rebid your 5 card major unless you have 6,
when partner has bid 1NT (forcing).
6. 2S. A reverse, promising five M at least and four N AND 17 OR
MORE points.
7. 2D. NOT enough points to reverse. Bid your longest minor (As
opener: With 3-3 in minors, choose to bid 2C. With 4-4- in minors,
bid 2D.
8. You do not have enough points to reverse. The books say to
rebid 2C. Ugly and horrible. Choose the little white lie versus the
big whopper! Rebid your major even though it shows 6 cards. You
decide! WE VOTE FOR THE LATTER. Rebid your major.
9. 2S. This shows 6-9 points and exactly two N. If you had 6-9
and three N‘s, you would have bid 2S the first time around.
10. 3S. Limit raise in N with 3 card support. NOTE THAT IF
opener had rebid his suit, you would now have to JUMP TO 4S.
11. Pass. Shows 6-9 points, short N and long K.
12. 2H. Shows 6-9 points and long M.
13. 3D. 10-12 points (including distribution) and a 6 card L
suit.
14. 2 NT. 10-12 HCP and stoppers in both unbid suits.
Hands by Max Hardy: Standard Bidding for the 21st. century
In a duplicate game, the Director is your friend. Call the
Director whenever an irregularity takes place at the table. You
should not make your own rulings at the table. The correct way to
call is in a gentle voice: “Director, please.”
(You are playing Bergen raises) Points always include
distribution
NOTE THAT WITH 13 or MORE POINTS & 4 card or longer support
for partner’s major, you MUST use Jacoby 2NT or a SPLINTER BID.
These are alertable. All above bids marked with an * have to be
alerted by the partner of the person making this bid.
* These bids are 100% alertable as they say nothing about the
suits named. You can call this “Criss Cross” raises.
You bid 1S in response to partner’s 1D opening bid. He next bids
2C. Do you now bid 3NT? What if your side has no M stopper? What if
partner had 3 small N all along and your side could make 4S but not
3NT? You have a problem. Playing FSF you will now bid 2H which says
nothing about M and asks partner to further describe his hand. This
is alertable since 2H does not promise M.
7-9 pts & 4 of partner’s major Bid 3C in response to
partner’s major
1H - 3C* [Bergen Raise]
or
1S - 3C* [Bergen Raise]
6-9 pts & 3 of partner’s major Bid 2 of partner’s major
1H - 2H
or
1S - 2S
10-12 pts & 4 of partner’s major Bid 3D in response to
partner’s major
1H - 3D* [Bergen Raise]
or
1S - 3D* [Bergen Raise]
With 4 card support for partner’s major & 2-6 pts jump raise
partner’s major. This is weak & pre-emptive now in light of all
the above bids.
1H - 3H*
or
1S - 3S*
10-12 pts & 3 of partner’s major, bid 1NT first then jump in
partner’s suit after they bid a new suit
e.g. 1S - 1NT* BUT 1S - 1NT* 2D - 3S 2S - 4S (because you know p
has 6)
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