Bridge questions
For member bridge questions - and their answers...
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Describing Balanced Opening Hands
12-14 Open 1 of a suit & rebid 1NT (1♣ p 1♥ p 1NT)
15-17 Open 1NT
18-19 Open 1 of a suit & jump to 2NT (1♣ p 1♥ p 2NT)
20-21 Open 2NT
22-24 Open 2♣ (Game Force) and rebid 2NT
25 + Open 2♣ (Game Force) and rebid 3NT
AG asked: I would love to hear from some of the experts at the club the answer to this question (both as Declarer and the Defenders): ‘What’s the first thing you do when the dummy is laid down?’ I know the short answer is ‘Make a Plan’ however, I’d like to know more than that. What are they looking for, what makes their hearts glow? What makes their hearts sink? What are their strategies for play?
AG asked: "How do you count losers and why would you want to?"
"Counting losers" comes up in at least two different contexts. The one I hope you have heard of is as part of a declarer planning how she will play the hand, particularly in suit contracts. For example playing in 4H you may look at your hand and dummy and see:
AG said: "With a Take-Out Double, I was playing with someone on Saturday who was using it to indicate that the player to their right had stolen their bid. This would indicate that they have lots of the bid suit, but I understood that the Take-Out Double indicated that you had nothing in the bid suit but an opening hand and cover in the other suits. Surely, both can’t be right ?"
Here we go:
TH asked: When a responder changes suit, it is forcing on opener to rebid. However what happens if opener’s rebid changes the suit again? Is this forcing on responder to bid again?
An opener's change to a new suit that is not a jump bid or higher ranking than their first bid (eg 1H - 1S - 2C) is not normally forcing when the responder has changed suit at the one level. It may indicate a two-suited minimum or medium range opening hand (13-18 points) and a responder with minimum (6-7) points may pass with a better fit in the second suit.
TH asked: When you are declarer in a suit contract, you count your losers, then work out a plan to achieve your contract. (In a no-trump contract, you count your winners.) What is the best way to count your losers? Is there a quick way to do this? Or is it just practice?
When you are planning your hands as declarer you can be fairly precise as you can look at both dummy's and declarer's holdings.
Those lucky enough to be playing West should have enjoyed playing board 19. It must be the strongest hand i have ever been dealt. Who says we never get good cards!?
I almost opened 7D but calmed down and opened 2C following the principle of slow arrival. One doesn't know if S or D will be the better fit. My partner Susan responded 2H with 8 HCP and a 5 card suit. (One declarer opened 6D and their partner passed).
I decided to show my S suit first (it is a 6 card suit after all) even though it is shorter and bid 2S. Partner responded 2NT, nothing more to say, and I rebid 3D. Partner, perhaps surprisingly, showed a preference for S (otherwise I would have rebid S to show extra length). So 7S it was.
