Jump Shifts after 1-Level Openings
Jump Shifts by Responder have a variety of different meanings in different situations. Their means can change based on the level they are made at and if they are in competition. Make sure you have good agreements with your partner about the meaning of these jump shifts.
Walsh & Extended Walsh
When we respond to opener’s bid we have a priority of finding major suit fits. Opener also have a priority of showing their hand type if they do not find a major suit fit. The Walsh style of bidding and rebids are an important improvement in modern bidding.
Western Cuebids
We start out the auction seeing if we have a major suit fit. But after that, we try to get to 3NT. When the opponents bid in our auction we have a good idea of what they are going to lead. We can use the Western Cuebid to help find out if we can get to NT. Let’s see how it works!
Vulnerability Tactics
When we are at favorable vulnerability we have a lot of different options for how to get into the auction. When we are in the 3rd seat, this is even more true. Here we look at how we can use this situation to give us a license to attack.
4th Seat Openings
If you auction goes 3 passes around to you then you have a choice to open the bidding or pass the hand out. If you choose to open the bidding, you have some different bidding tools in the 4th seat. Here we look at our options and how to help us make this decision.
3rd Seat Openings
When we open the bidding in the 3rd seat we have lots of options for how to attack the opponents. Here we look at how we can make the opponents life more difficult and make the best opening bid for our side.
Problem Opening Bids
There are certain strengths and shapes that are difficult to describe as opening bids. In order to have a chance of showing this problem hands we have to start the auction off best. Here we look at some of these problem opening bids.
Which Honor to Cover or Capture
Here we look at defensive situations in the middle of the hand - we start with a look at covering the opponent's honors -- which one to cover?
Getting Our Ruffs
When you can ruff one of Declarer’s tricks it is extremely satisfying. Here we work on techniques that will allow us to do so as often as possible!
Middle of Hand Defense - Shift
Here we look at how we defend in the middle of the hand, with a focus on leading a new suit -- how and when to do so!
Return Partner’s Lead?
Should we return partner’s lead? Show we shift to a different suit? This is always a difficult decision! Here we look at how to make this decision and help our partnership take the tricks we are entitled to.
Splitting Honors?
When we have touching honors which one we play depends on the situation and what information we are trying to communicate. Here we look at splitting our honors on defense.
Surround Plays and Power Shifts
When you are behind the dummy and attack it you should be able to do so in ways that show your partner a very strong holding. These surround plays and power shift help partner know the strength of your holding.
Card Combinations
When we are defending a hand there are many important situations that we need to know about when to attack a suit and when it may cost to do so. These card combinations and how to play to get the most out of them are an extremely important part of good defense.
Discards Later in the Play
Discards are an important way to communicate with partner. But not just the first discard, every discard matters. Here we look at discards later in the play.
Combine Your Chances
Finding the best line of play as Declarer is always a challenge. Instead of trying to determine the better of line of play A and line of play B the best play is often to choose a combination of the two. Here we look at how to improve you declarer play by combining your chances.
Optimistic and Pessimistic Declarer Play
Having the right mindset is an important part of approaching a declarer play problem. When you are in a good contact start to consider “What could go wrong?!?” and when you are in a bad contract start to make assumptions that good things are going to happen for you!
The King-Jack Guess
When we are defending and the Declaring side holds the King and the Jack in a suit then they will often have to guess the layout of the suit in order to take their most tricks. Here we look at the art of giving them the most difficult guesses we can!
Misfits and Moysians
Finding a fit makes declaring a hand much easier. When we are playing a hand without a fit it is much more challenging. Here we look at some strategies for playing hands that have less than an 8-card fit.
Michael’s Cuebids
When the opponent’s open the bidding and we have two long suits it is useful to be able to show them both immediately. This is especially true when we have a weak hand. Here we look at Michaels Cuebids and see how they help us do this!
