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Larry Cohen Bridge Cruises
ACBL Ed Foundation
July 28, 2025
Constructive: Opener
Robert Todd
(588) Kokish Game Tries

When we find a Major suit fit and we are interested in game (specifically in the auction 1M – 2M), we want to have a good way to explore or invite game.  The traditional way to do this is to ask for help in a side suit, using a Help Suit Game Try, HSGT.  We additionally have 2NT available to make a general try for game (some play it as trump suit GT) and a raise to 3-Major to mean 1-2-3 Stop (or generally quantitative/general GT.)  This structure is reasonably effective in exploring game.  But it has two significant downsides:

(588) Kokish Game Tries
July 21, 2025
Constructive: Responder
Robert Todd
(587) XYZ

When the auction begins 1X – 1Y – 1NT (where X and Y are different suit bids), the modern treatment is to play Two-Way New Minor Forcing.  This approach uses both 2♣* and 2♦* as artificial and forcing bids by Responder.  2♦* is an artificial game forcing bid, while 2♣* is generally used to start invitational bidding sequences.

(587) XYZ
July 14, 2025
Constructive: Responder
Robert Todd
(586) 2-Way New Minor Forcing and Wolff Signoff

New Minor Forcing is an excellent convention for continuing the auction when Opener has shown a balanced hand that is weaker than opening 1NT. But after a New Minor Forcing bid, the auction often gets complicated if we don’t go straight to game.  It can be confusing whether we are inviting game or trying to make a slam try – which bids are forcing and which bids are non-forcing?  2-Way New Minor Forcing is an upgrade to New Minor Forcing that allows Responder to better describe their hand and simplify and clarify the rest of the auction. 

(586) 2-Way New Minor Forcing and Wolff Signoff
July 7, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(585) Modified 2-Way Reverse Drury

The concept of having a conventional bid like Drury available to show a limit raise in support of partner’s Major suit when we are a passed hand is a regular part of most partnerships’ passed hand bidding structure.  Given that making a 2/1 bid into a minor suit is not that attractive (or even possible!) by a passed hand, it makes sense to allocate both 2♣ and 2♦ as artificial raises of Opener’s third seat (or fourth seat) Major suit opening bid.  Many partnerships that play Drury play 2-Way Drury, using one bid to show a 3-card limit raise and the other a 4-card limit raise.  But a more sophisticated structure can allow us to describe even more hand types in the same bidding space.

(585) Modified 2-Way Reverse Drury
June 30, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(584) Exclusion Keycard

When we are interested in slam in a suit contract but have a void in one of the side suits, it adds some complexity to our slam bidding.  We may be able to make a slam missing two Aces (or a grand slam missing an Ace), if partner does not have the Ace opposite our void.  When exploring slam, we want to know if partner has that Ace or has the “good Aces”, the ones opposite our losers.  One way that we find out about the location of partner’s Aces is by using control showing bids. This is especially effective if we use them to show first round control (if we play that our control showing bids could be 1st or 2nd round, then we know less about which Aces partner hold).  There is a gadget that we can use in some auctions that allows us to try to solve this problem.  This convention, called Exclusion Keycard, asks partner for their number of Keycards (or Aces if we play Blackwood), excluding one particular Ace – the place where we are void. This Exclusion allows us to find out if partner has enough of the “right Aces” for us to make slam. 

(584) Exclusion Keycard
Robert Todd
November 5, 2012

(32) Constructive Bidding: Inverted Minors

Robert Todd
November 5, 2012
click here for updated lesson

Tagged: retired

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Robert Todd
October 22, 2012

(31) Overcalls: Rebids After We Overcall

Robert Todd
October 22, 2012
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Tagged: retired

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Robert Todd
October 15, 2012

(30) Overcalls: Advancing Partner's Overcall with a Fit

Robert Todd
October 15, 2012
click here for updated lesson

Tagged: retired

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Robert Todd
October 8, 2012
Competitive Bidding

(29) Overcalls: Interferer's Options

Robert Todd
October 8, 2012
Competitive Bidding

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Tagged: Level: 1

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Robert Todd
October 1, 2012

(28) Overcalls: Simple Overcalls

Robert Todd
October 1, 2012
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Tagged: retired

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Robert Todd
September 30, 2012

(27) More Notrump: Trick-Taking NT Bids

Robert Todd
September 30, 2012
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Tagged: retired

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Robert Todd
September 24, 2012

(26) More Notrump: Responding to 2NT

Robert Todd
September 24, 2012
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Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
September 17, 2012

(25) More Notrump: Bidding Slam after Partner Opens 1NT

Robert Todd
September 17, 2012
click here for updated lesson

Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
September 10, 2012
Notrump Fundamentals

(24) More Notrump: Responding with Unbalanced Hands

Robert Todd
September 10, 2012
Notrump Fundamentals

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Tagged: Level: 1

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Robert Todd
September 3, 2012

(23) More Notrump: Lebensohl

Robert Todd
September 3, 2012
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Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
August 28, 2012

(22) Fits: Help Suit Game Tries

Robert Todd
August 28, 2012
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Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
August 27, 2012

(21) Fits: Hand Evaluation - Jacoby 2NT and Splinters

Robert Todd
August 27, 2012
click here for updated lesson
click here for another updated lesson

Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
August 20, 2012

(20) Fits: Hand Evaluation and the Law of Total Tricks

Robert Todd
August 20, 2012
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Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
August 13, 2012
Fits & Hand Evaluation

(19) Fits: Finding Fits in Competition

Robert Todd
August 13, 2012
Fits & Hand Evaluation

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Tagged: Level: 2

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Robert Todd
August 6, 2012
Fits & Hand Evaluation

(18) Fits: Finding Fits

Robert Todd
August 6, 2012
Fits & Hand Evaluation

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Tagged: Level: 2

Comment
Robert Todd
July 23, 2012

(17) Doubles: High-Level Doubles - Forcing Pass

Robert Todd
July 23, 2012
Click here for updated lesson

Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
July 16, 2012
Constructive Bidding

(16) Doubles: Dealing with the Opponent's Takeout Double

Robert Todd
July 16, 2012
Constructive Bidding

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Tagged: Doubles Webinar, Level: 2

Comment
Robert Todd
July 9, 2012
Competitive Bidding

(15) Doubles: Advancing Partner's Takeout Double

Robert Todd
July 9, 2012
Competitive Bidding

DOWNLOAD THIS LESSON:

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Tagged: Doubles Webinar, Level: 1

Comment
Robert Todd
July 2, 2012

(14) Doubles: A Call for Any Occasion

Robert Todd
July 2, 2012
Click here for updated lesson

Tagged: retired

Comment
Robert Todd
March 30, 2012

(13) 2/1 Game Forcing: Slam Bidding and Fast Arrival

Robert Todd
March 30, 2012
Click here for an updated version of this lesson

Tagged: retired

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Fundamentals - High Level Response to 1-Major Openings
Fundamentals - High Level Response to 1-Major Openings

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

When partner opens the bidding with 1-Major then we normally go slow and make a low level response. But we can also use some immediate jumps to high bids to describe some interesting and difficult hands. Let’s look at the meaning of this high-level jump responses.

Webinar Notes

Fundamentals - Other Responses 1-Level Openings
Fundamentals - Other Responses 1-Level Openings

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

Here we look at some other complex auctions and special responses to 1-level opening bids. We focus on some jump shift responses to 1-Major and 1-minor and then turn out focus to NT responses to minor suit openings.

Webinar Notes

Fundamentals - Hand Eval after Responder's Jump Shift
Fundamentals - Hand Eval after Responder's Jump Shift

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

When Responder makes a jump shift, either a weak jump shift or a 3/1 invitational jump shift, then Opener is left to figure out what to do next. Here we look at what types of hands Opener should bid with (like) and when they should be conservative and Pass.

Webinar Notes

Fundamentals - Some Confusing Auctions
Fundamentals - Some Confusing Auctions

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

There are some classic auctions that lead to confusion between partnerships. Ones that you should make sure you and partner agree upon.

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