Robert Todd’s

ADVENTURES IN BRIDGE

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Latest This Week in Bridge (TWIB) Lesson ♣

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(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.

Latest Webinars ♠

Fundamentals - Opening and Responding Basics

9/2024 (62 min)

Here we review some fundamentals of opening bids and look more deeply into your thought process before we open the bidding. Then we pivot to the responder’s actions and make sure that we are prepared to construct a good auction with some problem situations.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Fundamentals - High Level Response to 1-Major Openings

March 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

March 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

March 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

March 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.

Webinar Notes

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Robert's Upcoming Seminars

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Santa Barbara Bridge Center
April 3, 2025
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June 11-13, 2025
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July 14 , 2025
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Vail Christian School
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July 18, 2025
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Aug 7, 2025
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Crowne Plaza Resort
Aug 8-9, 2025
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Highlands Falls, NC Seminars

Highlands Falls, NC Seminars
Highlands Falls Country Club
Aug 2025
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Madison, WI Seminar

Madison Bridge Club
Madison, WI
October 7, 2025
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St. Louis Seminars

St Louis Bridge Center
Oct 10-11, 2025
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Woman's Athletic Club of Chicago Seminars

Woman's Athletic Club of Chicago Seminars
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Oct 2025
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Jupiter Island Club Seminars

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Jupiter Island Club, FL
Jan, 2026
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Cabo, MX Bridge Seminars
Cabo Mexico - Querencia Golf Club
Feb 9-12, 2026
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**Latest This Week in Bridge (TWIB) Practice Hands ♦**

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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.

Recent This Week in Bridge (TWIB) Videos ♥

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Hand Evaluation: Counting Points - Before the Auction Begins

Lesson 1 of 8 (25 min)

Video of Robert further discussing the topics in TWiB Lesson #329.

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TWiB Lesson

Robert’s Bridge News & Articles

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Robert and Michael Berkowitz - BAMSA Conference

Robert and Michael discussion building a Vertically Integrated Youth Bridge Program (bridge for all types of players), and Other Education Foundation (ACBL) Goals at the Real Bridge / BAMSA bridge teachers & coaches conference.

ON THE ROAD WITH ROBERT TODD
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“Bridge is the greatest of all card games. It’s both entertaining and challenging at the same time. Here you can get started learning to play this great game or work to improve your game, no matter your level of bridge experience. ”

— Robert S. Todd