Partner Needed for Wednesday 199er Competitive Bridge at 9:00 a.m.

 Partners needed for January 5, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.

• Molly Koranda if Terry Schnapp is not available 
• BBO ID:  molly_kora
• email address is:  molly_koranda@yahoo.com

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - January 3, 2022 - Bidding up the line

 

Question:  Bidding choices, should responder bid up the line – D – H or the major over the minor?

Glenna:

Hope you don’t mind but I’m going to do more than answer your question! 

Responder was correct to bid 1 ♦️ and NOT 1 ♥️.  I always  tell people to bid up the line and NOT to bypass a 4-card ♦️  suit to show a bad 4-card Major. If partner with an opening hand can bid the 4-card major and get the lead to come into his hand he will usually get an extra trick!!! That is certainly very worthwhile in bridge competition. We teach players in BB1 to look for a major But we NEVER teach them to be the one to bid a major 1st. 1 ♦️ is 100% forcing so let your partner bid the Major and become a winner!!!!

  Now on to the bidding by South. S, you have a very clear cut 1 ♥️ overcall. You have a good 5-card suit and 7 or more points and you must bid 1 ♥️ to give your partner a chance to raise you or maybe make further bidding by the opponents difficult or even help your partner make the right opening lead.  You do NOT have enough points to overcall at the 2-level. A 2-level overcall in my book is 11+ points, but Audrey teaches you must have 13 points. 

See You At The Tables,

Glenna

 

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - January 3, 2022 - Choosing a strain of choice

Question: Declarer and responder each have a long suit. Should/Could this board be played in NT instead of C ?

Vic:

Holding a long minor suit, NT is typically the “strain” of choice. In this particular scenario, however, North/South have only limited transportation between their two hands. That renders a NT contract a high risk proposition at best. Playing in NT, good defense could leave declarer unable to take more than one club trick. 

The best contract NS could have found is 4H. The second call by South of 2H promises a 6-card heart suit. I would expect North to focus on the golden fit in hearts (6 + 2) & bid  3H (rather than 3C). I would expect South to subsequently raise to 4H. Looks to me like NS deserve to lose only the three missing Aces, making game. 

Note: There are 5 “strains” in bridge : spades - hearts - diamonds - clubs - NT. These are also referred to as the 5 “denominations”. Many bridge players find it much easier to simply talk about the 5 “suits”, even though NT is of course not a suit. 

Ain’t bridge a great game?

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - December 27, 2021- Bidding with a void in a major

 

Question: This hand made 11 tricks.  How do you bid this when the majors are short?

Glenna:

  1st, I should say North should know their partner has few points and probably not a suit of their own. The 2nd thing they should think is that the opponent opened the bidding and N has 20 some points in his hand so partner will NOT raise him. There are two ways to get South to bid: 1. N could bid 2 ♠️ showing ♥️ and a minor. When S bids, N would correct to some number of ♥️. The other method is to make a take out double (TOX) which S must respond to and the N could bid 2 ♥️ and S should realize his partner has a ton of points and I would raise ♥️ even though, I have only 2.  N has game in his own hand, but must get partner’s cooperation and not just leap off to 4—there could be a slam!

Hope this helps,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - December 27, 2021- Passing on a 16 HCP hand

 

Question: Overcalls require four a suit.  This overcall has clubs which is what was bid.  Can one go to the second suit, hearts, for an overcall?

Vic:

An overcall in a suit promises a 5-card suit, NOT a 4-card suit. That makes a heart overcall inappropriate, despite the strength of the suit. 

A Takeout DBL overcall promises “tolerance” in the unbid suits. A 4-card suit definitely meets the standard for tolerance. Many experienced players these days often have 3-card suits that they are comfortable making a Takeout DBL with.  Hearts & Diamonds in the above example are both suits I would be comfortable making a Takeout DBL with. The singleton spade, however, does not meet the standard for tolerance by any stretch of the imagination. That makes overcalling with DBL also an inappropriate option. 

Holding the above hand, I would simply clench my teeth & Pass. If I ultimately got a second chance to call, my second call would depend on what West and/or North had chosen to do. If West & North both Pass, of course, the auction is over & we will see how close East can come to taking seven tricks in clubs. 

Ain't bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - December 20, 2021- A non-balancing seat

 

Question: East is the balancing seat.  When does East decide to bid to keep the auction going?

[Editor's Note:  You are said to be “balancing” when you are in the pass out seat after a bid by your left-hand opponent (LHO). 

West           North    East      South 

1♣               Pass       Pass       ?

In this example, South is in the balancing seat.]

Glenna:

E’s hand does NOT qualify for interference. You should have a good 6-card suit or a 5-5 or 5-4 hand with all your points in your long suit. If E’s ♣️ were AKJTxx, he could bid 2 ♣️ , but should pass with this very, very bad hand. That is, unless he wants to go down 500 or 800 against a 1NT contract! In the real world, ♣️ would be doubled!!

Thanks,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - December 20, 2021 - The Unusual 2NT

 

Question: Do you accept a transfer even if you suspect you will not have a golden fit?

Vic:

The quick answer to your question is a resounding YES.  

Trusting your partner AND being a partner they can trust in return is essential to good bridge. So if partner asks you to do something, it is not your place to decide whether it is a good idea or not. Just trust that it IS a good idea & do it. If you should ultimately conclude that partner almost always makes bad decisions, get a new partner. 

Having said that, I see that North in the above auction is a robot. I believe that the auction shown is an example of drastic miscommunication between robot & human. South apparently intends their 2NT bid to show a classic 2NT opening hand. South, however, is NOT Opener. South is Overcaller which changes everything.  

I would interpret the 2NT overcall by South as an “Unusual NT” which is a very popular conventional call that promises 5 - 5 distribution in the two lowest unbid suits (clubs & hearts in this case). I believe that is how the robot interpreted the 2NT overcall as well.  

That means the subsequent 3H bid by robot was NOT a transfer, but simply a suit preference bid telling South the robot liked hearts better than clubs. The miscommunication continued, resulting in a truly disastrous auction. 

The proper way for South to describe their hand to partner in the above auction is a partnership agreement issue. But I do not expect many partners would agree that the proper way to do so is by bidding 2NT.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - December 13, 2021 - Good Preemptive Bidding

 

Question: What should minimum point count be for a weak 2 opening bid ?

Glenna:

  I love the bidding—great preemptive bidding!!!!  When your opponents do that to you, you should say nice bidding and move on. You played the board against the wrong people—good bidders!!!

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - December 13, 2021 - Law of Total Trump

 

Question:  Should W support partner’s overcall of a weak 2 H bid ?

Vic:

The 2S overcall by East promises a 5-card spade suit. The Law of Total Trump dictates that East should subsequently bid 4S. 

Law of Total Trump: Do not be hesitant (even vulnerable) to compete up to the level of your total number of trump. More often than not, it will earn you a good board. 

Ten Trump = Ten Tricks = Four Level

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - December 6, 2021- Don't be timid or maybe a misclick

 

Question: N opens 1 D and S passes. Hand went down 1. Should S bid 1NT in response to the 1 D?

Glenna: 

  South is obligated to bid if he has 6 or more points!!!! Passing with this hand would normally incite the opponents to call the director!  When your partner opens, you are obliged to bid and this is a nice hand so perhaps South misclicked?? 1NT should show 6-10 so this should be 2 NT showing 11 or 12. And, of course, with 13-15 bid 3 NT. With 14 or more, look for slam!

Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - December 6, 2021 - Opener bidding without a 5 card major but landing in major

 Question:   How would you bid this hand?

Vic:

East (dealer):  1C     (13 - 21 pts)     (3+ clubs)     (no 5-card major) 

South:  Pass      

West:  1D     (6+ pts)     (4+ diamonds)     (tends to deny 4+ hearts)     (forcing)    

North:  Pass  

East:  1S     (4 spades)     (denies 4 hearts) 

South:  Pass    

 

West:  3NT     (to play)     (denies a golden fit in spades)     (When you know, you go.)

 

All Pass

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - November 29, 2021 - A lot of spades

 

Question: What do you do when opener starts with your opening bid?

Glenna:

  South doesn’t have an opening bid so I think they should do nothing but PASS! This leads to an interesting line of defense—lead your longest suit and make declarer ruff at every opportunity. Sometimes they run out of trump and you become master of the hand. This has a name: Forcing Game. A great defensive play.

Good luck,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - November 29, 2021- Should you double a pre-empt?

 

Question: What do you do when you a good hand and right hand person starts out with a pre-empt?

Vic:

Your question begs a two-word answer that happens to be the most common immediate response to many/most bridge questions: "It Depends”. 

First & foremost it depends on your Partnership Agreements. Close behind your Partnership Agreements it depends on the strength & distribution of your hand. 

Most partners agree that DBL of a preemptive opening bid is for Takeout. Since that is the most common agreement, I will assume it is the agreement here. That means you cannot DBL for penalty, as much as you might like to do so.  

Partner has a right to expect any suit bid you make to promise a strong suit of at least 5 cards. That means you should not make a suit bid either. 

Partner has a right to expect a Takeout DBL to promise at least an opening hand & “tolerance” in the unbid suits. The opening hand you have. What is your partnership agreement with respect to “tolerance”?  

Your singleton club clearly does not meet any rationale standard for tolerance. It also makes clubs the suit partner is most likely to have length in.  If you DBL, would a Club response by partner make you happy? 

I suspect not, especially knowing they might be forced to do so holding a very weak hand. 

Bottom line is that, despite a strong urge to tell partner you have 4 spades, you should be reluctant to make a Takeout DBL which has the potential to get you in lots of trouble. 

If I were holding the South hand, I would PASS. I believe West & North were also correct to subsequently Pass. 

 Looks to me like good defense puts East down at east one trick. Ain’t bridge a great game?

Duplicate Bridge Scoring Videos - Victor Johnson - November 1 and 8, 2021

 Bridge Scoring 1 Video - November 1, 2021

Contents:

YouTube Location: https://youtu.be/uCPXkC5dVdk

Handout: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pwe7XjDTSpRs2jtCPV-qpaP1qGuCE1FYx0IYu1ImUb8/edit?usp=sharing

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Bridge Scoring 2 Video - November 8, 2021

Contents:

YouTube Location: https://youtu.be/nc5GgX2bHNE

Handout: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pwe7XjDTSpRs2jtCPV-qpaP1qGuCE1FYx0IYu1ImUb8/edit?usp=sharing

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - November 22, 2021 - Stronger Hand Motto

 

Question: I know that “once you know, then you go” is a motto but there is also “go slow if you have a good hand” motto.  There lies a bid discrepancy.  In this hand I could have bid 4 Hearts but I bid three to allow the partner some room.  I thought if the partner had a good hand then we would begin Blackwood.  But because I did not bid 4 Hearts, N bid 4 hearts.  All of the other hands made 5 hearts because south bid 4 hearts and then north bid 5 hearts.  Are the bridge rules that rigid so that once you eclipse 12 points for a 3Heart bid, then you must or should go to 4 hearts?

Vic:

The correct motto is: “The stronger the hand, the slower the bidding, until you know & then you go.” I don’t see any discrepancies in that motto. 

Motto Meaning: With a strong hand do not use up bidding space rapidly. You need the auction to go slowly enough so that you can be sure to find the correct denomination (S - H - D - C - NT) & also determine if you really do have enough points and/or the correct distribution to be in game. Once one of you is sure of the denomination & knows that you are strong enough for game, they should stop worrying about using up bidding space & simply go to game (jump or whatever). 

The 1H bid by partner was an overcall which most players agree could be as weak as 8 HCPs. Added to your 13 HCPs that is NOT enough points for game. However, partner’s overcall also promises a 5-card suit so the Law of Total Trump says you should be in game, point count be damned.  

As soon as partner overcalls 1H you “know” (by virtue of the Law of Total Trump) that you should be in game. On your second chance to call you should tell partner that by bidding 4H. If partner has a hand that is much stronger than 8 HCPs, they are then free to explore for slam. 

The 3H bid you made told partner you do not “know” whether you should be in game. The 3H bid only invites game. Fortunately, partner had more than 5 hearts & accepted your invitation. 

In the bidding scheme the robots use the 5H bid by north, over a jump to game (4H) by south, was probably a bid that was forcing to slam (which deserves to go down). 

You deserve to take 11 tricks whether your contract is 4H or 5H. You get the same score either way. You do not have to bid 5H to get the score for 5H. So I am not sure why would it matter whether the final contract was 4H or 5H. In fact 4H would be preferable, since it gives you room to miss a trick & still make your game contract. 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - November 22, 2021 - Good weak 2-bid

 

Question: What should minimum point count be for a weak 2 opening bid ?

Glenna:

  South did NOT have a good weak 2-bid!!! It’s ok with the right hand to open with 5-10 high card points (HCP) or 5-11 HCP. BUT the suit has to be good. If the ♥️ suit was KQxxxx or AQxxxx it would be okay. So more important than point count is how good the suit is!!!  Do not open horrible suits. Non-vulnerable (NV) vs. vulnerable  (V) you could have as few as 5-7 HCP. If you are V vs. NV, you  should have 9-11 HCP.

  Good players who have 6-card Majors open 1 of the Major and rebid 2 with as few as 11, Again look at V or NV. They assume the 6-card good major should be opened. A lot to consider.

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - November 15, 2021 - Overcalling at the 2 level

 

Question: Should W overcall the 1 D opening bid by S with a bid of 2 C ?

Vic:

No, in my opinion they should not.  

It is my understanding that an overcall at the two level, especially vulnerable, should ideally promise a strong 6-card suit. If only a 5-card suit, it should be exceptionally strong. The club suit in question clearly does not measure up.  

A more pressing question is why South passed the 1S bid by North. In Standard American a new suit at the one level by Responder is considered a forcing bid. Opener may not Pass.  

The proper second call by South in this case would be 1NT (denies 4 spades - denies 6 diamonds - implies a balanced hand - promises a standard opening point count). Where the auction goes from there depends on how sophisticated the pairs bidding systems are. Given that Responder has 13 HCPs, including 3 Aces, I would expect the auction to reach game (3NT or 4S). 

Interestingly enough, I don't believe either 3NT of 4S deserves to make. In bridge reaching the correct contract is no guarantee that contract deserves to make. The correct contract will, however, deserve to make MOST of the time. 

Ain’t bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - November 15, 2021 - Supporting your partner

Question: Should W support partner’s overcall of a weak 2 H bid ?

Glenna:

A great thing for partners to do is to SUPPORT with SUPPORT!!!!!  S should bid 3 ♥️ and W should bid 3 ♠️.   N will pass and E can decide whether or not to bid game. E has an opening hand at the very least and W has support AND 10 points. 

W must raise partner!!

Glenna 

Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - November 8, 2021 - A bidding disaster

 

Question: I assume even the best bridge players have bad results occasionally.  What is the mindset you take after you get trounced like in the hand above?  This hand went down 5 tricks.

Glenna:

Everyone including the guys with 50 and 60,000 master points make mistakes and spend time talking to themselves—especially if the mistake was because of loss of concentration, a mechanical error or just bad judgement. That’s when you say to yourself, you did the best you could at the time with what you knew—sorry, it wasn’t enough. If you “beat yourself up” every time you make a mistake, you’ll get so down on yourself that you won’t have fun. The best way to avoid those bad days is to learn the rules of bidding—easy to -- just takes  and hard work. Once you know the bidding rules, your scores will improve 50-75% and

 This hand is an excellent example: You have 11 points  and can go to the 2-level EXCEPT you need a 5-card suit to go to the 2 level!!!!! When you don’t have the strength and/or the length you need,  bid what best works for you hand.

  You have 11 points but only 4 ♥️, so look for something else. 1Nt is 6-10 and you have 11. Well with 11 or 12, we bid 2 NT. That is not forcing and partner will probably pass you. But 2NT has at least a 90% chance of working out better than a 4-card suit at the 2 level.

Forgot to say the Robot’s x showed 4 ♥️ and 4 ♦️s so NT is even better. One thing you should learn soon is negative doubles

   I wish I  you and 3 others to do NOTHING but bidding for 2 hours. I can promise at the end, you would be so much better! Please think about 

Investing a little time to gain a lot!!!!

Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - November 8, 2021 - Opening with 12 Points?

 

Question:  What rules are there to decide to bid from what seat when you have 12 HCPs?

Vic:

The “rules” are whatever you & partner agree they should be.  

A common partnership agreement is that 1st & 2nd seat opening bids should absolutely promise a “solid” hand. The classically accepted Total Point Count (TPC) standard for “solid" is 13-21 points. Audrey Grant teaches that you can add length points to high card points (HCPs) to determine your TPC.  

The Quick Trick standard for “solid" is at least 2. The Loser Count standard for “solid” is not more than 7. Most often, hands that meet the Total Point Count standard will also meet the Quick Trick & Loser Count standard, but not always. You need to consider all three standards when you evaluate a hand. 

An example I often cite to my students is a hand with all 4 Queens + all 4 Jacks + a 5-card suit. That hand has 13 Total Points, but zero Quick Tricks & 8 losers. I would not dream of opening that hand in 1st or 2nd seat. 

Some partners agree it is OK to open light in 1st or 2nd seat with certain types of hands. A common standard they embrace is the Rule of Twenty  (count the total number of cards in your two longest suits - add that number to your HCP count number - if adding the two numbers gets you to 20 you can open). A better agreement for opening light is the Rule of Twenty Plus Two which simply means the hand should also have at least 2 Quick Tricks. 

Partnership agreements for opening light in 3rd & 4th seat are very common. The Rule of Fifteen which involves HCP count & the total number of spades in your hand is often used in 4th seat. Among experienced players outrageously light opening bids in the 3rd seat seem to currently be in fashion. It is reasonable to assume these experienced partners have discussed these bids thoroughly. It is also reasonable to assume that experienced players are better at getting themselves out of trouble. 

Weak Two bids in the 4th seat, by the way, are an exception to opening light. Weak Two bids in the 4th seat should promise an opening hand to go along with the 6-card suit. If you have a Weak Two hand you would like to open in the 4th seat (6 spades for example), open at the one level. 

The South hand in the example given could be described as an “Aces & Spaces” hand. It has 3 Quick Tricks. It has 12 HCPs, but does not meet Rule of Twenty standards. It also has  9 losers & no promising distributional features. Other than the Aces, the spot cards are terrible. The three Aces may very well be the only tricks that hand wins. I would not open that hand in either 1st or 2nd seat.

Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - November 1, 2021 - 1NT or a take out double (TOX)

 

Question:   Should W double instead of bidding 1 NT? Result as played was 3 NT W, down 3.

Glenna:

The 1 NT bid was the correct call—Shows 15-18 and a stopper in the opponents suit! You cannot make a take out double (TOX) if you do NOT have at least 3 cards in the unbid suits!!

That is so important to know for competitive bidding.

  East does NOT have enough points to bid (needs 9 and have only 5) so will pass. S should pass as they’ve shown their opening hand and their partner should lead a ♦️. E’s J9 is “pickled” meaning if 9 is played south will play the T and if E plays the J, S will play the Q. When partner opens the bidding, you need 6 to answer, 11 poinrs to go to the 2-level and 11 or 12 to make a limit raise. Just remember these numbers and you will see better results.

Thanks and hope to see you at the tables,

Glenna

 

Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - November 1, 2021 - Quacks

 

Observation: 

This hand posed some issues regarding the bidding. Any ideas? Opener opened light and then did not rebid C to indicate 5. Result as played was 1 NT N down 1

Vic:

The standard I use for opening light in 1st/2nd seat is the “Rule of Twenty Plus Two”. The board in question here meets that standard, so I also would have opened that hand 1C. I would never have even dreamed, however, of rebidding clubs to promise five. 

Since minor suit opening bids can commonly be as short as three, many inexperienced partners agree you can subsequently rebid that minor to promise five. The vast majority of experienced players would consider that agreement “bad bridge”. Experienced players typically agree that if you rebid any suit, partner has a right to expect at least six. Period. 

 So, good for South for not rebidding clubs holding only five. 

Good also for South to Pass & end the auction. South opened light. The 1NT bid by north promises 10 points maximum which means NS hold half of the 40 points at best. South needs to cross their fingers & end this auction at the lowest available level. It is reasonable to expect they might even be able to take seven tricks. 

Making the right bid (in this case opening light) is no guarantee of a good result. North did have 9 HCPs & good spot cards. The bad news is the 9 HCPs were all “Quacks” (Queens & Jacks). The opponents held most of the “control” cards (Aces & Kings). Worse yet, distribution from the NS point of view proved to be a nightmare. Looks to me like, if both sides get the tricks they deserve, North will be down one. But it is a difficult hand to play on both offense & defense. I would guess the actual results were all over the place. 

Ain’t bridge a great game!

Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - October 25, 2021 - Don't strand the responder

 

Question: Because East bid a heart after West’s Club does that not require West to bid again?

Glenna: 

  A Golden Rule of Bridge: All NEW suits by responder are forcing. Before you open the bidding, make sure you have a good idea of what your rebid will be. The fastest way to loose a partner is to open the bidding and then pass responder’s bid. If you don’t have a rebid, don’t open. Only a NT bid is not forcing.

  We need to carry this a step forward. The 2nd fastest way to loose a partner (as responder) is to make a forcing bid to opener and then pass their rebid. The single biggest fault of -Standard American Bidding is this problem.  Your partner opens the bidding 1 ♥️ or 1 ♠️ and you make a forcing bid of a new suit at the 2-level, partner bids again and you pass!!!!!!

You simply must bid again or do NOT make a 2-level bid to start with; rather just bid a NT as that is not forcing,

  These two items are not difficult to remember because if a friend says hi, you respond. So, when you are bidding, remember that your partner is your friend and respond!!!!

Good luck,

Glenna

Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - October 25, 2021 - Go for game with less than 26 HCPs?

Question: Most people make 4 hearts on this hand.  For this hand, West had 10 points and 3 trump.  East had 14 points plus 1 length point.  The total of 25 points is under 26 points for a game.  Should you always bid your hand according to the points or assume an extra point based on the heart suit and go for game?

Vic:

High card points (HCPs) are universally accepted as the starting point for hand evaluation. But they are the starting point ONLY & absolutely NOT a criterion that demands rigid adherence. 

If you were dealt all 13 cards of the same suit, you could make grand slam in that suit with your 10 HCPs hand. Ya think there might be a message there? The odds of that happening must be astronomical, but I would be shocked if it never has. I had a bridge playing Aunt who was once dealt 12 of the 13 spades. In her hyper excited state she bid 6NT instead of 6S & never took a trick, because she was of course not on lead & spades never got led. 

After determining HCPs, there are two other aspects of hand evaluation you should routinely be doing. One is Quick Tricks, the other is  Loser Count. If you do not know how to evaluate your hand for these two criteria, I would encourage you to learn how ASAP. And if you do know how, but are routinely neglecting them, you are blowing off a major bidding tool. In addition to Quick Tricks & Losers there are numerous other aspects of hand evaluation that can either compliment or diminish the importance of point count.  

On the hand shown it looks to me like EW deserve to make 4H, although I believe many EW would not. I see no reason, however, for EW to bid to 4H. In fact, the only problem I have with the auction is the raise to 3H by East . Holding the East hand, I would Pass 2H, unless the auction became competitive.  

It is true that East has 1 length point. It is also true that many experienced players count the value of a singleton King (diamonds in this case) as 2 points not 3 points. Baring specific partnership agreements to the contrary, the 2H bid by west could promise as few as 6 HCPs & only 3 card heart support. East has no more than the standard opening hand they promised with their first bid. East also has 7 Losers (standard) & only 1.5 Quick Tricks (substandard). I see no compelling reason for East to raise to 3H. When they do so, they are promising extra values that they do not have.

 Is it shocking that a hand with less than 26 points might deserve to make game? Not in the least. I see hands on a regular basis with less than 26 points that are cold not only for game but for slam. Trying to identify these hands is what keeps the experts awake at night. Ain’t bridge a great game?

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - October 18, 2021 - Responsive Doubles

 

Question:  The BBO robots use “responsive doubles”.  Are responsive doubles part of Standard American bridge?  If so, when are they used?

Glenna:

  1st thing you should know is that VERY few people in Madison play the convention. I have only 1 partner who likes them. At any rate, the answer is:

Opponents opens the bidding                  

  Your partner makes a takeout double     

Your RH opponent raises their partner’s suit        

Your bid is below

 

Your bid:

 A responsive shows both majors (4-card suits) if the opponents have bid and raised a minor 

A responsive X shows both minors (4-card suits)  if the opponents bid a raised a major 

Any time you just want to know about a convention, go to Bridgebum.com and they write about almost everything know to players in the bridge world!

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - October 18, 2020 -Describe a hand first

 Question:   Should North and South stick with minor suits or try to get a game in spades with a distribution like this?

[Editor's Note:  One round has been played on this hand and that is why you are only seeing 12 cards.]

Vic:

General Comment: In any auction neither partner should ever be “trying” to get anywhere. They should simply focus 100% on describing their hand to partner & see where that takes them. This probably sounds like a "word police” issue to you, but I assure you it is not. Having a preconceived notion of the contract  you want to “try” to reach is a recipe for disaster. 

General Comment: If in the process of describing your hands to each other you discover you have a golden fit in both a minor suit & a major suit, your first choice should normally be to play in the major suit. Major suits score better & also require one less trick to earn the game bonus. The one exception to this rule would be if you have reason to believe you can make slam in the minor suit, but not in the major suit. The same would be true if you decide you have the option to play in either a minor suit or in no trump. No trump scores better & requires two less tricks to earn the game bonus. The only reason to choose to play in the minor suit would  be if you have reason to believe you can make slam in the minor suit, but not in no trump.

Convention Card Videos - September to October 2021 - Vic Johnson - September 27, October 4, October 11, October 25

Example convention card - Click Here

September 27, 2021 - Introduction to Convention Card

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/C-Pc1fgnu88

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October 4, 2021 - General Information

YouTube Link:https://youtu.be/Syu5FG-WHOw

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October 11,  2021 - Major and Minors

YouTube Link:https://youtu.be/b9-jUE1bMNM

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October 25, 2021  - Remainder of Convention Card

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/akw2QdJD-LM

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Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - October 11, 2021 - A 4 bid

Question:  Here’s a hand  that certainly has slam potential. Should declarer have opened 1H and then increased bid when responder supports the Hearts?

Glenna:

 Another great hand. We need to start by explaining an opening 4-bid. A 4-bid opening shows at MOST a very bad opening hand—11 or 12 points and it is called a preemptive bid. Preemptive in that you think the opponents are cold for a game somewhere so you open 4 to prevent that. It also shows an 8-card suit whether it’s a minor or a Major.

  The current hand is beautiful. It should be opened 1 ♥️ and game will be found and some will find slam. Responder has the obligation to get the partnership to game and he has a couple of choices. If he knows Splinter Bids, he should bid 4 ♣️ and that may prompt opener to look for slam. The splinter shows an opening hand with 4-card support and a singleton in the suit he bid at the 4-level.  Opener can bid 4 ♥️ or his cheapest Ace with a good hand. 

  If the partnership does not play splinter bids, responder should make sure to get them to game. Start with making a forcing bid and then if necessary, bid 4.

  By the way, with a 9-card minor you should still open only 4—opponents have trouble doubling at the 4-level, but the 5-level is pretty easy!

See You At The Tables,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - October 11, 2021 - 3 Clubs or 3 NT?

Question: I know your mantra is to avoid the minors and play No Trump but this was a hand that went south pretty early with the robots gorging themselves on diamonds.  We went down 3.  I think we should have been better playing in clubs.

Vic:

Bad Bid by North. 

Second bid by South of 2C promises at least 6 clubs & a standard opening point count. It also denies 4 hearts. This description is accurate on all counts. South has now finished describing their hand which makes North the Captain of the auction. South should not bid again unless North encourages them to do so. 

Holding only 10 HCPs, a reasonable decision by North would be that there are not enough points for game. With no sure stopper in either hearts or spades, it would also be reasonable for North to accept the distasteful conclusion that this hand would best be played in a minor suit (club) contract at the lowest available level. Having reached the above conclusion, North should Pass 2C.

Should East decide at this point to overcall & turn it into a competitive auction (a good defensive bidding strategy), I would encourage North to feel free to subsequently compete in Clubs to the four level if need be. 

Bad Bid by South 

The raise by North to 3C is encouraging to game, overselling the strength of their hand. The Captain Hat has now been passed to South. Given the encouragement by North, if South had stoppers in both spades & diamonds, their 3NT bid would certainly be appropriate. South does NOT, however have a diamond stopper, nor are they strong enough to imagine game in clubs which requires 11 tricks. I would encourage South to also knuckle under to the harsh reality of playing in a minor suit & set the contract by Passing 3C. 

Note (BUT)

 The second bid by South of 2C strongly suggests to North the very real possibility of six tricks in clubs. That should make the thought of a NT contract very appealing. South did open the auction & they do not have the club King or the diamond Ace. Surely they must have some points in hearts and/or spades. 

 Holding the North hand, I would be very tempted to bid 2NT on my second call (rather than Pass 2C), even with only 10 HCPs. A 2NT bid by North is not encouraging & South should Pass. East would now have the opening lead & would probably lead the spade four (longest suit - 4th highest). That would allow declarer to set up the Club suit, making 2NT.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - October 4, 2021- Bidding Progression to Go to Slam

 

Question: Bidding progression to get to slam. Should responder just jump to 6 NT when point count indicates slam potential?

Glenna:

The answer to this hand is rather complicated and I wish we had an opportunity for me to host a 2-hour class on how we handle 5-4 hands when partner opens 1 or 2 NT.  If responder’s hand is extremely weak, he would transfer to the 5-card suit and pass.

  When he has an invitational or game going hand, he must use Stayman. This gives him a picture of his partner’s hand and he immediately knows if they can play 4 ♠️ , 4 ♥️,  Major suit slam  or some number of NT.

  On this particular hand, North would bid ♠️  and South could bid 5 ♠️ saying I don’t have an A to show, but I have enough points that we are in Slam range.  If South should transfer by bidding 3 ♥️ and North should jump to 4 ♠️.  When partner asks if you have 3 ♠️ and you have 4 and a maximum, you MUST jump to game, Now South knows N has 4 ♠️ and 21 points and South can bid 5 ♠️.  

  This hand only makes slam because of the ♦️ suit and very few people would find the slam. The main point of this hand is to learn when to transfer and when to use Stayman. Hope this explanation raises questions and maybe a thought of playing this way. It will get you better results.

See You At The Tables,

Glenna

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - October 4, 2021 - Opener's Second Bid

 

Question:

You know you want to be in hearts but the second suit is clubs.  The procedure is to bid your first suit because it has five and the second because it has 4.  Do you bid the clubs or again bid the hearts even though you do not have six hearts?

Vic:

You are getting ahead of yourself here. You should NOT YET be thinking about where you want to play the hand. That is Step Two. 

At this point you should be thinking ONLY about describing your hand to your partner. That is Step One. Until Step One is accomplished, you need to keep a completely open mind with regard to Step Two. 

Your hand is not balanced. It is a two-suited hand with a standard opening point count. That is what you need to focus on telling partner. You should bid hearts first because it is the longer of the two suits. 

West overcalls 2S & partner Passes. If partner had 3 hearts & at least 10 pts, they should have raised your hearts. If partner had at least 10 pts & a suit of their own, they should probably have  bid that. If partner had at least 10 pts & a spade stopper they should probably have bid 2NT. Partner’s Pass tells you they do NOT have what it takes to make any of those bids. 

You have minimal values to bid at the three level. On the other hand, West was showing a weak hand, so their must be points somewhere. A good guess would be that East has them. It is aggressive to be sure, but aggressive is good in bridge & you are not vulnerable. So I support your decision to bid clubs at the lowest available level. By doing that you have now finished describing your hand. There is nothing more to tell. 

That makes partner Captain of the auction.  It is now up to partner to think about Step Two & decide where you want to play the hand. You need to stop bidding unless partner forces you to continue. 

Partner tells you they think you will be better off playing in 3H than 3C. Partner is NOT encouraging you to bid again, they are performing their duty as Captain & setting the contract. Unless partner has misbid their hand, I expect them to be weak with not more than 2 hearts. Be that the case, you will be fortunate to take nine tricks. 

I wonder who has the five unaccounted for spades.

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - September 27, 2021 - Underestimating Hands

 Comment:  I think declarer and responder underestimated their hands.

Vic:

Yes, jumping to 2S on their second call is exactly what Declarer should do. A jump to 2S shows a spade suit that is shorter than their club suit (probably 5-4). If it was longer or the same length as their club suit, they should have bid spades first. It also promises in excess of 17 HCPs.

Given that Declarer did not jump to show the stronger hand, I think Responder did well to bid 4S. With their pretty worthless doubleton in clubs & their lack of any high honors in spades, Responder has no particular reason to encourage exploration for slam. Nor does Declarer have any way to go forward over 4S that will tell them what they need to know to get them to slam.

If Declarer did jump to 2S, there is a decent chance that an experienced pair would find their way to slam. I think it is unlikely that an inexperienced pair would find their way to slam even then.

By the way, South missed a great chance to overcall 2H (weak) on their first chance to bid. If you were South & ended up playing defense with partner on lead, would you like them to lead hearts? Of course you would, So tell them that by bidding 2H. The 2H call also uses up bidding space which will mess with the opponents auction.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - September 27, 2021 - 5-4 and 4-4 Hands

 

Comment:  I think this hand shows under-valuation by both declarer and responder. HCP total 28 but it easily makes 6 S. Should declarer bid a jump-shift to 2S instead of 1S over the 1D bid by responder?

  I am going to give you the bidding as it should have gone and then explain why.

 

             

                

  The main method we have for showing our shape is by bidding our suits in a very standard order. When we have 4-card suits, we bid UP the line.

When we have 5-card suits, we bid down the line

  When we have 5-card suits, we open the higher suit, overcall the higher suit, etc. You hold: ♠️ T9742  ♥️ AKDT9. ♦️ 64  ♣️ 8. You are dealer and must open 1 ♠️ and partner bids whatever, you bid 2 ♥️. He bids 2NT and you must bid 3 ♥️ showing  a 5-5 hand. IF you had a 5-4 hand, you would bid 3NT!!! Please reread this until it makes sense.

   If you are 4-4, partner opens 1 ♣️  and you bid 1 ♥️ and then partner bids 1 ♠️ and you will bid 2 ♠️! You went UP the ladder so you have a  4-4 hand. If partner opens 1 ♣️ and you bid 1 ♠️ and he bids 1 NT, you bid 2 ♥️ showing 5 ♠️ and 4 ♥️.

  Two super important points: 4 ♠️ is NOT a shut out—ii shows 19-21 points. (Only  3 NT is a shut off bid). Partner has what we call “3 dead ♥️" so he cannot bid slam.

  2nd important point: East was showing a ♦️ control and interested in slam. Slams are difficult to bid so don’t be too disappointed in yourself that you didn’t bid the slam.

 If you are still confused by 5-4 and 5-5 hands, let me know and I can make up more hands until it becomes clear!

Have fun at the tables,

Glenna