ruleof15

Here is the reason for top pairs to have a meaning for bids up to the 5 level. In this case a 3s rebid by responder would be minor suit Stayman, but a 4s bid would be a transfer to c and a 5c bid would be a transfer to d. Some may wonder why waste a bid. Tell me what else one might use the bids.

A good thing to know is how successful are your slam bids. I have made a study for the past 30 years. I have found that a slam initiated by opener will fail to come to fruition 85% of the time. Maybe you would like to keep track for your information.

Bidding 2NT in response to a major suit opening should show 12+ points and 4+card support if you only open 13+HCP hands or 13+ if you open 12 point hands. It also denies holding a singleton or void. This is how the convention is described by ACBL. Should you have a singleton or void, a splinter bid is used. Responder's points are figured with allowance for shortage and length. Playing differently requires an alert. A splinter bid shows about 12 points.

I am a firm believer of all new suits are forcing. After the 2S raise, a 3C bid is forcing. So, responder can bid 3S or even if bids 4S opener can bid 5D.This should elicit a 6S bid by responder after the 2 pushes. Especially with doubleton K in clubs.

Put eiyher a letter or number in the spaces.

Responsibilities of bidders: Opening bidder is to describe their hand as to HCP and distribution in as few bids as possible, normally two. Responder is to allow opener to describe their hand, not crowd the auction and either place the contract or invite to a contract. As far as North opening that hand, for me never! Opening a hand with a singleton spade invites overcalls by the opposition with hands which would have been passed.

Bridge is a game of percentages laced with ability. Some players can make 3NT with 24HCP balanced between the hands 85% of the time and others can't make 3NT with 26HCP 50% of the time. If you ability to play the hand is the former, then open the hand 2C and rebid 2NT if you play Puppet Stayman. If you don't play Puppet, then bid 2S. With the distribution the hand would play better in a suit than NT. Unbalanced distribution of HCP makes playing NT difficult sometimes.

I play Lavinthal Carding or known by it's other name "Suit Preference". I have modernized Lavinthal to make it more accurate. It is a very simple system. A high card is for the high suit, low card for the low suit and second low for continuation. This is when in a suit contract. At NT use dummy's long suit as the anchor suit and signal along. I have been playing this for 30 years. It is devastating.

I open all 15-17 HCP balanced (4-3-3-3 w/1 card moved)1NT. There is no other way to inform partner of this holding in HCP. As for this hand, I don't want to rebid the heart suit. Opener's only job in an auction is to describe their hand as quickly as possible so responder can place the contract. Having any concern about what responder will do is inconsequential.

Holding the AJ in the opponents over-calling suit should sound an alarm. Where is their "stuff" to overcall? Is the AJ going to be wastage? With holding a 4-card suit in the opponents bid, how many cards is my partner likely to have? As a partnership there should be a different value for a free bid of 3H and a forced bid of 3H. 3H should show extras, about 5+HCP and be game forcing. In this case about 14HCP. Had E passed, 2H would be a forced bid, 3H would be invitational based on doubler having a minimum hand for the double and 4H would be a hand to play at game when holding a minimum. i am sure the 4H bid was based on the S void. Failure to think causes more bad bidding. North had all the information to make the correct bid. But decided to play "Cowboy" bridge.

Assuming transportation is not a problem. After pulling trumps,lead 3 clubs and finesse the J. If it win your problems are over. This protects against a 6-0 and 5-1 break with the J on side. If it loses, win the return and lead the 8, win the A and ruff a C. This wins against all 4-2 (48%) and 3-3 (35%) breaks. This is about an 86+% for 3 tricks. ..............................++++++++++++++++++Back to hand an

The use of Negative Free Bids has a place in the scheme of bidding. Against aggressive opponents there may be some value. In head-to-head matches it may be useful. Over the long haul, when playing pairs or changing opponents after a few boards, there is no value. It is better to play the complete Negative Double convention. Reopen the auction after an overcall when holding these distributions, 4-4-3-2, 5-3-3-2, 4-3-3-3. These are the only distributions where there is not a convenient rebid available. By opening with a double two things are in your favor. Partner may want to leave the double in for penalty and you have at least 2 cards for partner should the response be in your 2-card suit. Along with this your defense should be Lavinthal which is the most prolific in destroying opponents contracts. Lavinthal carding and Suit Preference are very similar. For both the play of a low card indicates the low suit, a high card the high suit other than the suit led or trumps. The second low card is an echo encouraging the play of the same suit.

Reverse bidding could be described as a bid requiring partner to respond at the next level. The reverse by opener would require a bid at the 3-level and one by responder may get to the 4-level. To simplify the bidding one should play Lebensohl. The bidding is the same as what is used over 1NT openings which is overcalled except having a stopper is not involved. 2NT is a relay to 3C when holding a non-forcing hand. A rebid by responder is non forcing as is a minimum bid after the 2NT relay. i.e. 1D p 1nt p. 2s p 2nt* p 3C p p Had it started out 1H then 2S the relay is still to 3C with a possible bid to 3d. Any return to either suit used in the reverse is non-forcing and to play. To show strength, don't use the 2NT relay. Points need to reverse are 17-19, some use 16-19. Reverses need not be complicated. Only thinking about them makes them so. The reason for the people who don't play reverses they don't watch the bidding or the cards. If someone says, "I don't play reverses." don't expect defensive signals to work.

suggesting to B-N-I players that it is OK to be wild when preempting self defeating lessons taught. Bridge is a game requiring discipline. Not knowing what your partner's hand is like puts a lot of stress on the partnership. the object to any game is to make it easy to play and relaxing. I have played on teams who have won more than 25 head-to-head games in a row and I have played on teams where they get tired before the last round. Bridge is exhausting like any thing requiring that much thinking.

4th hand preempts is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Nothing good happens. If you don't want the opponents to bid, PASS. Opening an 8 trick hand is the only way to play the percentages. Weak-2 bids do not effect or intimidate good players. I lost the GNT by opening 2s. The opponents got to 6d which our teammates didn't. We lose by 4.