October 2019 - 47

Newer Players

Startup Bridge
BY LYNN BERG

lberg@cfl.rr.com

I have no clue
It's a horrible feeling at the bridge
table to realize suddenly that you have
no idea what partner's bid means,
though you have a sneaking suspicion
that it's something you've talked about.
Then, making matters worse, one of
the opponents asks you, "What does
that bid mean?"
There are three possible scenarios,
but in all three cases, it's wise to get the
director involved if you're not sure how
to proceed:

❶

You're sure you have an agreement,
but you can't remember what it is.

❷

You think you remember the agreement, but it turns out you were
mistaken.

➤ Reasoning with Robert continued
you to preempt the 6=1=4=2 with 3♠
as well. You will do more damage to
your opponents, and you're not likely to
get into much trouble.
7-2-2-2 hands are overrated
Consider treating flat hands like this
as if it had a six-card suit:
♠K Q 10 6 4 3 2 ♥5 3 ♦10 8 ♣7 6.
7-2-2-2 hands often have a lot of
losers. It is common to treat these
hands like those containing a six-card
suit and open the bidding 2♠ instead
of 3♠.
Remember to consider the shape of
the rest of your hand when evaluating
it for preempting the bidding.
◾

❸

You have no agreement.

In the first situation, you can offer
the opponent your convention card
if you think it's marked there. Or the
director can send you away from the
table while your partner informs the
opponents. What's really important
is that you not guess; you might guess
wrong, and then you have given misinformation, creating a problem that was
easily avoidable.
In the second case, you tell the opponents what you think the agreement
is, but your memory is faulty. Then,
if your side is going to play the hand,
your partner should tell the opponents
your actual agreement. They - or you -
should call the director. The opponents
have rights; the director might even
reopen the auction under some circumstances. Be careful, though, if your
side is defending, not to say anything
about the error until the hand has
been played. You may feel it important
to let the opponents know about the
error, but to do so would also tell your
partner. You might even make the hand
unplayable, leading to an adjusted
score which would definitely favor the
opponents. Call the director once the
hand has been played.
This second case is often confused
with what seems like a similar problem: You have correctly described your
agreement, but your partner has chosen the wrong bid. For good or ill, the
director will offer no redress. The opponents are only allowed to know what
your agreement is, not what's actually

in your partner's hand. He does not
have to confess that he has bid wrong.
Especially when your partnership is
new, there will be a zillion scenarios
you haven't yet addressed. In fact, one
of the things I like best about bridge is
that even in my sixth decade of playing,
I'm presented with new challenges -
no surprise when you think about the
billions of possible card combinations
which make up bridge hands.
If you have no agreement, the right
thing to say is, "We have no agreement," or, "We haven't discussed this
auction." And quit talking! The opponents may not ask you to speculate. If
they say something like, "Well, what do
you think it means?" call the director.
Many years ago, a friend and I were
playing at a tournament. The opponents on one particular hand seemed
to be Alerting every bid. Finally, Gail
said after one of the Alerts, "Please
explain." South said, "I'm not sure what
it is, but I'm sure it ain't natural!" Then
he quite properly called the director.
You should, too.
This is the first of a series of discussions of Laws you should know about.
If you want to look up the relevant Law,
it's 40 Partnership Understandings.
Also, if you don't already look at this
magazine's monthly feature, Ruling
the Game, add it to your schedule; Matt
Smith answers questions from all over
the continent, many of them from players just like you who are in the process
of starting up in bridge.
◾

October 2019 Bridge Bulletin

47
October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2019
