TWiB Hands Landing — Adventures in Bridge Home Page

Robert Todd

Even More Competitive Bidding 5 - 571

Even More Competitive Bidding 5 - 571

Spear

When the auction begins 1m – 1NT (both bids by the opponents), it is rare that we want to compete in a minor suit. Usually in these auctions the opponents have the minors, since Responder has denied a 4-card Major. (Even if we have a 5+card minor suit, it could still be best to pass and defend 1NT.) In these auctions, it is effective to play a system geared towards the Major suits where we are most likely to have a fit. Spear is an artificial system that uses all the bids at the 2-level to show different Major suit hands. This gives us more options for how to compete in the bidding. Let’s see how it works.

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Even More Competitive Bidding 4 - 570

Even More Competitive Bidding 4 - 570

Cuebids of Many Kinds

The modern game continues to create interesting auctions and we need to make sure to discuss how to respond to new situations with partner. Some of the most interesting (and useful) competitive bids are when we use a suit that the opponents have bid – called a Cuebid. Let’s take a look at cuebids of the opponent’s suit in a variety of different auctions and make sure we are on the same page with partner about the meaning of these calls.

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Even More Competitive Bidding 3 - 569

Even More Competitive Bidding 3 - 569

Rosenkrantz Redoubles

When Left Hand Opponent (LHO) opens the bidding, partner makes an overcall, and Right Hand Opponent (RHO) makes a negative double, then Advancer is in the middle of a complex competitive auction.  Traditionally, a redouble in a competitive auction shows a strong hand (10+ points), but with everyone bidding it is not likely that Advancer is too focused on showing values.  Instead, we want to design our agreements to let us best describe the most common kinds of hands.  In this auction, Advancer having lots of values is not common.  Let’s see how using redouble as a conventional bid, called a Rosenkrantz Redouble, can be more effective than this traditional value-showing redouble.

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Even More Competitive Bidding 2 - 568

Even More Competitive Bidding 2 - 568

Snapdragon Doubles

Bridge players keep finding more and more ways to use doubles, especially in low-level competitive auctions.  The traditional double by the Advancer is the responsive double.  This double applies when the opponents have bid and raised a suit and partner has taken some action in the middle (either a takeout double or a suit overcall).  But when Left Hand Opponent (LHO) opens the bidding with a suit, partner overcalls a second suit, and Responder bids a third suit, then a double by Advancer is not a responsive double.  It is a different kind of competitive double called a Snapdragon Double – a fancy name for another double that wants to compete in the bidding.   Let’s see exactly what this double shows.

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Even More Competitive Bidding 1 - 567

Even More Competitive Bidding 1 - 567

Passive Opening Leads

Most partnerships that play Support Doubles have had a conversation about when they apply and when they do not.  Hopefully, we will have a conversation with partner about the follow-up bids as well. But one thing that many partnerships forget to discuss is how high support doubles apply and what a double at a higher-level show. Let’s look at support double auctions in detail to make sure we are on the same page with partner.

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Improve Your Card Play 4 - 566

Improve Your Card Play 4 - 566

Passive Opening Leads

Active opening leads attempt to "go out and get" our tricks. Passive leads, on the other hand, attempt to just not give anything away or help Declarer. There are many different types of passive leads for many different situations. Here we take a look at several lead types and hands where a passive lead may or may not have the intended effect!

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Improve Your Card Play 3 - 565

Improve Your Card Play 3 - 565

Guarding a Suit

Taking tricks with small cards is an important part of Declarer’s plan for making their contract. As a Defender, it is our job to do everything we can to stop that from happening. That means that suits that have potential winners, threat cards, must not be allowed to grow up into winners. We attempt to prevent this from happening by covering an honor with an honor (to prevent promotion) and by holding onto our cards in the opponent’s long suits – called guarding the suit

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Improve Your Card Play 2 - 564

Improve Your Card Play 2 - 564

Establishing Length

We usually win tricks with little cards (other than in the trump suit) by setting up our long suits. To establish these little cards in our long suits into winners, we need to play the hand well.  This requires using our large cards in the best way possible to establish our little cards. That means we need to play our combinations as best as we can, manage our transportation, and have some good luck in the way the cards divide.

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Improve Your Card Play 1 - 563

Improve Your Card Play 1 - 563

Making Use of an Ace

The Ace is the most powerful card in each suit.  It almost always wins a trick (especially in a notrump contract), but the Ace does much more than simply win one trick.  The Ace controls the suit. When we hold the Ace of a suit, we get to not only win a trick in that suit, we get to decide when we take our trick and gain the lead.  Holding the Ace gives us the power to choose how the play is going to go.

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NT and Balancing Set 5 - 562

NT and Balancing Set 5 - 562

Other Balancing Auctions

When our left-hand opponent opens the bidding and the auction passes around to us, we have a big decision to make – should we get into this auction, or should we leave the opponents to play at the 1-level? We have a variety of bidding tools to help us compete in the bidding, but we need to use our judgement about when to compete in the bidding and when to keep quiet.  Here we look at some of the classic bidding situations where we have a difficult decision and then overview some of bidding tools in these auctions.

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NT and Balancing Set 4 - 561

NT and Balancing Set 4 - 561

Jump Overcalls in Balancing Seat

One place that we do not need a jump bid to show a weak hand is in the passout (PO) seat, also known as the balancing seat.  In this seat with a weak hand, say 5-8 HCP, and a long suit, we would not bid; we would simply pass the hand out.  Bidding here with so few HCP may give the opponents a chance to reach a better partscore or game that they may not otherwise reach.  Since we will not bid in the PO seat with a weak hand and we could make a simple overcall with 9-10 HCP and a long suit, then a Jump Overcall in the PO seat is free to be used to describe a different type of hand that can otherwise be difficult to show. 

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NT and Balancing Set 3 - 560

NT and Balancing Set 3 - 560

Range Stayman

A balancing 1NT bid can be a wide-ranging action, about 11-15/16 points.   This 5-point range is much larger than most Notrump bids and leaves partner with a more difficult bidding situation.  Range Stayman is a tool that can help Advancer better determine the values of our hand and if game is a possibility.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 9 - 523

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: 3C 5-card Stayman (Set 9 of 9)

Here we look at a 3C response to 1NT used as 5-card Stayman, a nice modern addition to your bidding system. This, in combination with a 2C Stayman response, creates an effective system for communication.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 523.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 8 - 522

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: 2S SIZE ASK RESPONSE (Set 8 of 9)

When we respond to partner's 1NT opening it is nice to have transfer bids available. Here, we look at an upgrade to 4-suited Transfers, called Size Ask, and see how it improves our bidding.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 522.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 7 - 521

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: Responder’s 2S Rebid After Stayman (Set 7 of 9)

We can use a Stayman response, followed by a 2S rebid to show an invitational hand with length in the majors. But this bidding sequence can be useful with other invitational hands as well. Let’s see how else it can be used.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 521.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 6 - 520

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: Opponents Double our Stayman or Transfer Bid (Set 6 of 9)

When we open a NT and partner uses artificial conventional responses, like Stayman or Transfers, then the opponents might double as lead directing. We want to use this double against them. Here, we discuss our options for bidding after this double.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 520.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 5 - 519

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: Trick Showing Bids: Gambling 3NT and More (Set 5 of 9)

Gambling 3NT is a powerful preemptive opening bid that can cause the opponents a lot of difficulty as well as describe our hand to partner in a highly precise way. It is also one way we can show a hand that can take a lot of tricks with a solid suit.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 519.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 4 - 518

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: Superaccepting Jacoby Transfers (Set 4 of 9)

When we open the bidding with NT one of partners favorite bidding tools is the Jacoby Transfer. When partner transfers to a major suit and we have an excellent fit we have to decide about super-accepting. Here we look at our options for what to do and how to use our judgment about doing so.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 518.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 3 - 517

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding:Responding to 2NT with the Minor (Set 3 of 9)

Bidding slam is extremely difficult after partner opens the bidding 2NT — much of our valuable bidding space had been taken away. This is especially true when it comes to finding minor suit slams. But we do have some gadgets that are designed to help us do this.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 517.

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NT Opening Auctions Hand Set 2 - 516

This Week in Bridge Practice Hands

Thinking and Responding: Responding to 2NT with the Majors (Set 2 of 9)

When partner opens the bidding 2NT then we have far less space to investigate for a major suit fit. It is important that we make good use of our limited space below 3NT in order to determine if we have a Major suit fit.

You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 516.

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