13th November 2009
Counting losers is a sound way of estimating the playing strength of a hand, particularly a hand which contains one or two very long suits. High card points are best to assess the value of a balanced hand, counting losers works better for the more distrib...
20th October 2009
Given opener's strength, it will be rare for the defenders to enter the auction. Any suit bid would be based on exceptional playing strength (within two tricks of the bid made).
Double = Lead-directing. At least five clubs with 3+ honours.
3NT = Minor t...
12th October 2009
Suppose opener begins with 1H. Responder may have a weak hand with 5-card support (6-AT865-Q54-JT32) and the right bid is 4H. At other times, responder may have the “real thing” (6-AT86-AJ54-KQJ2). It can’t be right to bid 4H with both hands, thus m...
22nd September 2009
Given the high card strength contained in these responses, you will rarely have enough to enter the bidding. Bidding a suit is natural and your playing strength should be within two tricks of your bid. You might enter the auction with a freak two-suiter, ...
13th September 2009
From time to time, one hears stories about card-sharps in the world of bridge. They are not common because the stakes in bridge games are usually are not high enough to attract them.
The story goes that a card-sharp was considering whe...
04th September 2009
Why top players open 1NT even when holding a five-card major
Bidding styles change . . . invariably for the better, as players judge the outcome of the decisions they make. Chances are that when you were learning bridge, the dominant approach was to op...
25th August 2009
When a minor suit has been agreed or partner has made a jump rebid in a minor, a new suit at the three-level does not necessarily show a suit, but is angling for 3NT. Some play stopper-showing, meaning that they have values in the new suit bid. Others pla...
30th July 2009
Hi, Ron,
My partner and I are checking our system as we do periodically and changing things that need it.
(1) After 2D opening (showing a weak 2 in a Major) is doubled, what should XX be?
Ron: Asks partner to bid 2H and then pass partner's repl...
03rd June 2009
When a player opened the bidding with three Q-J combinations plus a K-J, an observer commented : 'Looks as though he has thirteen points in low cards.'
Two players were on the way to get a cup of coffee.
Ted : How's your game going tonight?
...
15th May 2009
TWO-LEVEL OPENINGS
Your opening bids at the one-level will naturally depend on the system you play. This includes the range for your 1NT opening, whether you play 4-card or 5-card majors and whether your one-openings in a minor are natural or semi-arti...
12th May 2009
The Losing Trick Count
Counting losers is a sound way of estimating the playing strength of a hand, particularly a hand which contains one or two very long suits. High card points are best to assess the value of a balanced hand, counting losers works b...
06th May 2009
The Umpire Strikes Back
A scream for the Director frequently disrupts the game for the other players. On one occasion when the stillness of the game was shattered by a raucous shout of 'Di-rek-tor', the Director went to the microphone and softly, oh so ...
01st May 2009
The Suit Quality Test guide measures how strong a suit you hold. The Suit Quality or SQ often decides whether the suit is strong enough to bid at a given level. Useful just about whenever suit quality is a relevant criterion, it is useful for pre-empts, w...
