November 2017 - 28

Judgment At
Bridge 2
By Mike Lawrence
$23.95, softcover,
224 pages
Reviewed by
Brent Manley

Another hit for Mike

I bought my copy of the original
"Judgment At Bridge" in 1976, the year
after I became a member of the ACBL.
I already had a copy of what, after all
these years, remains my favorite Mike
Lawrence book on bridge: "How to
Read Your Opponents' Cards."
Much of what I learned from the
first "Judgment at Bridge" would be
valid today, but "JAB 2" is much better,
having been updated to take into account many conventions that weren't
invented or were not in common use 41
years ago.
In 15 chapters, Lawrence covers a
wide variety of common situations and
offers sensible advice for dealing with
them. As with all Lawrence books, the

explanations are logical and clear.
Here is one of those situations:
Partner opens the bidding and your
right-hand opponent doubles for takeout. You could have any of a number
of different hands, from a total bust to
an opening hand, balanced or wildly
distributional.
Lawrence has sound advice for dealing with whatever might come up. For
example:
Partner opens 1♣ and RHO doubles.
You hold:
♠Q 7 6 4 ♥J 9 3 ♦J 5 4 ♣Q 10 4.
What's your call? Lawrence's advice: "I probably would bid 1♠ if RHO
passed. It's such a poor hand that if
RHO doubles, it would be best to pass.
This is a hand with no future if partner
can't bid on his own."
Everyone knows, of course, that if
you redouble you are showing 10 or
more high-card points. Is redouble
automatic with 10 or more HCP? Not
at all, says Lawrence, providing this
example:
Partner opens 1♦ and RHO doubles.
You hold:
♠7 ♥A Q J 8 4 ♦A J 5 4 ♣K J 8.

Stop card tossed from bidding boxes

After roughly two decades of use, the oft-controversial Stop card found in most ACBL
bidding boxes will soon be missing from ACBL tournaments.
During meetings in Toronto, the ACBL Board of Directors voted 20-5 to eliminate the
Stop card for any sanctioned tournament that starts after Jan. 1, 2018. ACBL-affiliated
clubs are not required to remove the Stop card from bidding boxes, but are encouraged
to do so.
Players are reminded of the obligation to pause in the direct seat after a skip bid so as to
avoid making unauthorized information available to their partners. Players should strive to
maintain an even tempo during the auction.
The board's vote came in response to a recommendation from the Competition and
Conventions Committee to end the use of the Stop card.
Longtime National Tournament Director Sol Weinstein said the reasoning of the C and C Committee is
that more people were using the Stop card for the benefit
of their own partnership than for that of the opponents.
Another factor is that many players - particularly the
less-experienced - don't understand it.
The bottom line, in the committee's thinking, is that the
pluses of using the Stop card don't outweigh the minuses
of its abuse.

28 Bridge Bulletin November 2017

Now what? Lawrence has this advice: "Bid 1♥. It would be very bad to
redouble first. You want to tell partner
about your hearts. You want to tell
partner about your diamond support.
If you redouble, the opponents may
be able to get the bidding up to 2♠ or
3♠ before you have shown any of your
suits." Lawrence continues (with red
type for emphasis):
"RULE: If you are concerned that the
opponents have a fit and can get into
your auction, do not redouble."
Lawrence writes a lot about conventions, offering his opinions on which
you should adopt if you're not already
using them and which should be discarded. The dubious Rule of 20 is at the
top of his list for the latter category.
One gadget he does endorse is the socalled criss-cross raise when partner's
minor-suit opening is doubled for takeout. If partner's opening was 1♣, after
RHO doubles, 2♦ by you shows at least
a limit raise of clubs. If the opening was
1♦, bid 3♣ with at least limit-raise
values. That helps right-side 3NT (putting the doubler on lead) if that's where
your side belongs.
There are chapters on weak opening
bids, bidding when the opponents preempt, responding to takeout doubles,
the importance of competing and a
"quickies" chapter covering topics you
might be surprised to find in this book.
The final chapter is "The Best for Last
- The Art of the Penalty Double."
All of Lawrence's recommendations are based on experience gained
in decades of bridge play, often at the
highest levels. He is a three-time world
champion with 16 North American
titles to his credit, and a sought-after
bridge teacher.
Aspiring players should read and reread this book. If you are wise, you will
buy a copy for your partner. If the two
of you are on the same page with what
you can learn, you will be a dangerous
pair.
Published by and available from
Baron Barclay Bridge Supply.
baronbarclay.com

http://www.baronbarclay.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2017