July 2021 - 20

Three Bidding Principles - part 1
Good ways to reach accurate contracts
O
bserving and analyzing deals has convinced me that
developing solid basic skills and minimizing errors
distinguish the players who do well from those who
struggle. In bidding, " basic skills " involve many issues:
* Don't try to play any system without thorough discussion.
* Know your partner's style: Does he open, overcall and
preempt aggressively or soundly?
* Don't get hung up on conventions. When you employ complex
methods, the chance of gain is uncertain; the chance
of a misunderstanding is real.
Here is the first of three bidding principles I believe will
help you reach accurate contracts.
1. With a minimum, limit your hand promptly.
In many auctions, one player makes a bid that limits his
strength. Then his partner must see that the proper level is
reached.
Opener
1
1
Responder
1
2NT
Responder's 2NT shows about 11 points; he has limited
his hand. A player with a minimum should limit his hand
quickly, else the auction may toil on in search of a contract
despite inadequate strength.
The sequence 1-1 Major; 2 is awkward. The bidding
is at the two level, no fit is assured and neither player is limited.
Opener courts trouble if he bids this way with 4-4 in
the minors or especially with four diamonds and five clubs.
Silly contracts may result.
West
 6
 J 5 4
 A K 7 3
 A J 7 5 4
1
2
2NT
20 | Bridge Bulletin | July 2021
East
 A 9 5 3 2
 K Q 7 2
 J 2
 6 3
1
2
Pass
BY CURMUDGEON
Down a couple. East might have bid 2 instead of the unlimited
(and in many partnerships, game-forcing) 2, but
West would pass and play in a 4-2 fit - no improvement.
The solution is for West to open 1 and rebid 1NT over
a 1 response. (He raises 1 to 2.) Then East bids 2,
and West passes. The sequence misdescribes West's pattern,
but so does 1 then 2. True, responder may insist
on spades, but that is a lesser worry; and sometimes opener's
singleton spade will be a helpful honor.
West
 3
 Q 9 4 2
 A Q 8 6
 A J 9 7
1
1NT
Pass
East
 Q 10 7 6 4
 J 10 8 3
 K 2
 6 3
1
2
Here, opener's 1NT rebid lets the partnership find their
4-4 heart fit. Many players would open 1, but if West
intends to rebid 1NT over a 1 response, he may as well
open 1.
If opener has extra strength, he may survive distorting his
pattern:
West
 10
 K J 4
 A J 9 4
East
 J 9 7 4 2
 Q 10 3
 K 10 3
 A K 10 6 3  Q 2
1
2
2NT
Pass
1
2
3NT
When responder takes a 2 preference, opener has
enough to bid a third time, inviting game. On this auction,
responder would be unlikely to insist on a diamond contract
without real support.

July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2021

July 2021 - 1
July 2021 - 2
July 2021 - 3
July 2021 - 4
July 2021 - 5
July 2021 - 6
July 2021 - 7
July 2021 - 8
July 2021 - 9
July 2021 - 10
July 2021 - 11
July 2021 - 12
July 2021 - 13
July 2021 - 14
July 2021 - 15
July 2021 - 16
July 2021 - 17
July 2021 - 18
July 2021 - 19
July 2021 - 20
July 2021 - 21
July 2021 - 22
July 2021 - 23
July 2021 - 24
July 2021 - 25
July 2021 - 26
July 2021 - 27
July 2021 - 28
July 2021 - 29
July 2021 - 30
July 2021 - 31
July 2021 - 32
July 2021 - 33
July 2021 - 34
July 2021 - 35
July 2021 - 36
July 2021 - 37
July 2021 - 38
July 2021 - 39
July 2021 - 40
July 2021 - 41
July 2021 - 42
July 2021 - 43
July 2021 - 44
July 2021 - 45
July 2021 - 46
July 2021 - 47
July 2021 - 48
July 2021 - 49
July 2021 - 50
July 2021 - 51
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July 2021 - 53
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July 2021 - 55
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July 2021 - 84
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https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2013_08
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2013_07
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