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Which Suit To Respond

If partner has opened with a bid of 1 of a suit and you have fewer than 12 points it is usual to respond with a bid at the one level if you hold a four card major suit that you can bid, even if you hold a longer minor suit.  This is because you will probably only have a strong enough hand to bid once and it is important to show your 4 card major holding

If you do hold 12+ points then you can bid your longer, minor suit first as you have enough strength to bid again.  This will give you an opportunity to show your partner that you have 5-4 shape (at least).  As a bid of second suit is a forcing bid, forcing partner to bid again, it is likely that the bidding will finish at the three level or higher (especially if your second bid at the 2 level was in spades).  This is why it is important that you hold 12+ points if you bid a longer, minor suit first when you also hold a 4 card major.

Here is an example
You are South and you hold:
Spades: Q J 4 3
Hearts: 8
Diamonds: K J  8 5
Clubs: K Q J 9 3

The bidding has gone as follows
North   East   South   West
1 H            Pass    2 C          Pass
2 H           Pass     2 S
With this hand it is right for us to bid  2C as our first responding bid (rather than bidding 1S) as we have 12+ points and so have enough strength to bid again.
When North bids 2 H, we can bid 2S. This shows partner than we hold 12+ points.  Our bid of a second suit is forcing and shows partner that we hold at least 5 clubs and at least 4 spades.  Given this knowledge partner can make an appropriate rebid.

The Rule of 15

We are West and we have this hand:

Spades: J 2, Hearts: A Q 9 8, Diamonds: A 9 7 6 2,   Clubs: 6 2

The bidding has gone as follows:

North  East   South  West
Pass     Pass   Pass      ?

We only have 11 points. Should we open the bidding?

It seems that the points are evenly distributed between the sides.  There are a total of 40 points available, and we have 11.  That means the other three players hold 29 points between them.  No-one has 12 or more points otherwise they would have opened the bidding.

If we bid, the game might be played in our contract, but there is also the possibly that the opponents could overcall and get to their part score. If that happens, it would be better for us to pass too.

How do we decide if we should open or pass.  The key question is ‘Who has the Spades?’.

‘Rule of 15′

To test if we have enough spades to open after three passes we use the Rule of 15

Add our High Card Points (HCP) to the number of spades we hold. If the answer is 15 or more, open the bidding otherwise pass.

Example 1

Using the hand above, Spades: J 2, Hearts: A Q 9 8, Diamonds: A 9 7 6 2,   Clubs: 6 2

This hand has 11 HCPs and only 2 spades.  This gives us a total of 13, so we should pass.  If we opened this hand at the on level there is the possibility that the opponents could overcall at the 1 level.

Example 2

Now consider this hand.

Spades: A 9 7 6 2, Hearts: 6 3, Diamonds: A Q 9 8, Clubs: J 2

Hand 2 is essentially the same hand but the suits are swapped around. Hand 2 has 11 HCPs and 5 spades. This givs us a total of 16 so we are happy to open the bidding with 1 Spade. For the opponents to overcall they would need to bid at the 2 level.

Opener’s Rebid After Left Hand Opponent Overcall

After a player (“you”) has opened the bidding there is the possibility that the player on your left, who is part of the opposing partnership, might overcall.  When this happens it can sometimes mean that your partner has to bid at a higher level when making a change of suit response than they otherwise would have.

Look at this example

North’s two spade response  shows a holding of 9+ points and 5 or more spades.  If West hadn’t made a two club overcall, partner could have responsed with 1 spade.  The overcall has forced partner to bid at the two level.

A change of suit response by partner is a forcing bid. As East has passed you are obliged to bid again even if you hold a relatively weak hand.

Your hand could hold just 12 points, for example:

s 8 3

h A Q 9 7 2

d A Q 5 4

c 10 7

We must bid again so bid our second suit, which we have no option but to bid at the three level.

As the LHO’s responding bid forced your partner to bid their change of suit at the two level, your rebid at the three level (the lowest rebid you can make in the circumstances) doesn’t promise anything more than the minimum 12 points.

The Rule of 14

The Rule Of 14 is a bridge bidding convention used in Acol bridge. It is used by the responder when they are replying to their partner’s opening bid.

When the opener has opened with a bid of one of a suit and the responder has a weakish hand with a suit that can be also be bid at the one level it is usually right to do so rather than making a bid of 1NT. However, if a change of suit response would take us to the two level and we have fewer than 9 points that is when we would usually bid 1NT. It doesn’t mean that we have a balanced hand, it just means that there are no other bids available to us and we have 6+ points and therefore shouldn’t just pass.

Here is an example:

(Our hand) South

Spades: 5 2

Hearts: K 9 8 6 3

Diamonds: J 10 5 3

Clubs: Q 6

Partner opened with a bid of one spade. We only hold 6 points and don’t have enough spades to support partner’s spade bid. Ideally we would like to bid our hearts at the one level, but we can’t. We don’t have enough points to bid at the two level, so we are forced to make a 1NT bid. This doesn’t show a balanced hand, it just tells partner we have a weak hand and not enough spades to support.

How can we decide if our hand is strong enough for a response at the two level? This is where the Rule of 14 comes in.

Using the Rule of 14

Start by adding up the number of high card points held. Then add to that the number of cards in the longest suit. If the total is 14 or more than the hand satisfied the Rule of 14 and we can make a bid at the two level. If the total is less than fourteen then we should make a 1NT bid.

Here are some more examples:

Example 1

South

S: 10 7 2

H: 8 5

D: A 9 5

C: K J 9 7 3

Partner has opened with a bid of 1 heart. We can’t bid our clubs without raising to the two level. Using the Rule of 14 we have 8 high card point and 5 cards in our longest suit. This gives us a total of 13, so we should respond with a bid of 1NT.

Example 2

South

S: 8 7 6

H: 8

D: Q 9 2

C: A Q 10 6 5 2

Partner has opened 1H. As with the previous hand, we want to bid clubs, but this would mean raising to the two level. We have 8 high card points, but this time we have 6 cards in our longest suit. Adding these two gives us a total of 14, so we can bid 2 Clubs.

Fourth Suit Forcing

Fourth suit forcing is a bridge convention. It is used to help you find the right contract, including finding 5-3 major suit fits and finding stopper for No Trumps.  It is used when you are responder and have 11+ points and:

• Three suits have already been bid (hence the name)
• You don’t already have a major suit fit (8+ cards in a suit) with your partner
• You want to find out more information about partner’s hand

At this stage (3 suits already bid) a bid of the fourth suit doesn’t mean that you hold good cards in the suit and want to bid it.  It is a conventional bid which means “ tell me something more about your hand partner?”

The opener then replies to tell the responder something more about their hand such as:

1)    Bidding the responder’s first suit shows three cards held in that suit

2)     Re-bidding their own second suit shows that they hold 5 cards in that suit

3)     Re-bidding their own first suit shows they hold 6 cards in that suit

4)     Bidding No Trumps shows that they hold a stopper in the fourth suit

5)     If they have none of the above, they may need to rebid their first suit with only 5 cards.

The Rule of 20

The Rule of 20 is one of the techniques you will learn when learning how to bid in bridge.  It is used in just one situation – when deciding if your hand is suitable for opening the bidding.  As a general rule, a hand should contain 12 or more high card points (HCP) if you are going to open the bidding.  Sometimes, though, you might want to open the bidding with a hand that contains fewer points.  This is when you use The Rule of 20 – its purpose is to decide if a hand with fewer than 12 points is suitable for opening.

Using The Rule of 20

Start by adding up your high card points.  Then add to that the length of your two longest suits. If the total is 20 or more then your hand passes The Rule of 20 and you can open the bidding.

Examples

Hand 1

(spades) A  7 5 4
(hearts)  6 5 3
(diamonds) A K 8 5 3
(clubs) 9

Hand 1 has 11 HCPs. The lengths of the two longest suits are five and four. This makes a total of 20, so the hand is suitable for opening.

Hand 2

(s) 8 3
(h) A Q 9 5 4
(d) K J 6 4 2
(c) 5

Hand 2 has only 10 points but has two 5 card suits. So adding the points (10) to the length of the two longest suits (10) gives a total of 20. It passes the Rule of 20 so we can open with one of a suit.

Hand 3

(s) Q J 4
(h) A 7
(d) 10 7 5
(c) K J 8 6 3

Hand 3 has 11 points, but adding in the length of the two longest suits (5 + 3) only gives a total of 19.  This hand doesn’t pass the Rule of 20 and so isn’t suitable for opening.

Slam Bidding Simplified

What is a Slam?

There are two types of slam – a small slam and a grand slam.

A small slam means you bid for and win 12 out of the 13 available tricks.

A grand slam means you bid for and win all 13 tricks.

Why Bid For a Slam?

If you are learning how to bid in bridge, you might be wondering why you would risk bidding for a small or grand slam when you could bid for fewer tricks and be certain of winning.

The answer is points.  If you bid for and win a small slam, or a grand slam you will win a greater number of points.  Conversely, if you bid for a slam and fail to achieve it your opponents will gain a greater number of points.

Points Scored for a Slam?

A small slam will score an extra 500 point bonus (or 750 if vulnerable)

A grand slam  will score an extra 1000 point bonus (or 1500 if vulnerable)

These slam bonuses are in addition to the regular game bonus.

How Many Points Are Needed?

To consider bidding for a slam you need to know that you and your partner have enough points to justify the risk.

Small Slam (12 tricks) in suit contract 31+
Small Slam in No Trumps 33+
Grand Slam (13 tricks) in suit contract 35+
Grand Slam in No Trumps 37+

Do you have enough Aces and Kings?

There are 40 points available in total.  It is possible to hold enough points for small slam (up to 34 points) but be missing two aces.  If you are in this situation you risk losing two tricks, thus failing to make your small slam.

To help you decide whether you and your partner have enough aces and kings there are two main conventions that can be used – Blackwood and Gerber.

For a more in-depth explanation of these conventions Click Here to sign up for your two week’s free trial at No Fear Bridge now.

The Losing Trick Count

What is the Losing Trick Count?

It is a more accurate way of valuing an unbalanced hand when you know you have an eight card fit. Without using this method you will probably have used shortage points when valuing a hand with a known eight card fit. To do this you count five for a void, 3 for a singleton in a suit and 1 for a doubleton suit. However, this is not the most accurate method of valuing an unabalanced hand and most bridge players use the Losing Trick Count instead.

Why Should You Use it?

It makes it easier for you to bid your hand to the right level. Most bridge players use it – so you will be at a disadvantage if you don’t learn how to use it.

When Should You Use It?

You use the Losing Trick Count when you have an 8 card fit or better and an unbalanced hand.

When Shouldn’t You Use It?

Don’t use it unless you have an 8 card fit or better. Don’t use it if you don’t yet know if you have an 8 card fit.

How Does it Work?

Start by counting the losers in your own hand. Then add the losers that you believe are in your partner’s hand – you will have to make some basic assumptions about the cards your partner is holding, based on the bids they have made. Now subtract your total from 24. This gives you the number of tricks you expect to make.

How do you Count Your Losers?

You count one loser for each missing A, K and Q in each suit.

Bridge Holidays 2012 – For Beginners and Improvers

Last year, I added a selection of bridge holidays for beginners.  It proved to be a popular post, so here is an updated list of bridge holidays for beginner’s and improvers.

HF Holidays are offering two breaks for beginners.  One in February 2012 and one in October 2012.  Both are for four nights.

Urchfont Manor have a  beginners bridge weekend in January 2012.  They also have a weekend for improvers in April 2012.

If you fancy a week in the sun and can get together a group of 4 – 10 players you can book a private beginners or improvers holiday in the Dordogne

The Rule of 11

At first glance, this rule sounds rather complicated!  Don’t worry, if you are the defending partnership it’s just a useful little technique to help you decide which card to play in the opening round of a game.

There are several “rules” that the opener can use to help decide which card to play when opening the first round in a game of bridge.  The Rule of 11 is used by the third player (the opener’s partner) to help him/her decide which card to play.

When To Use The Rule Of 11

It is usually used when the game is being played in a no trumps contract.  You use the rule if you think that your partner’s opening lead was the 4th highest card in their longest suit.  (You have no way of knowing if that is actually the case – you just have to hope that you are correct!)

Once partner has played the opening lead, the cards in dummy’s hand are laid on the table so all players can see them. At this point you know the cards in your own hand plus the cards in dummy’s hand.  You also believe that your partner holds 3 cards higher than the one they played.

You can now use the Rule of 11 to work out if the fourth player holds any cards that are higher than the card led by your partner. If you believe that they don’t AND dummy played a low card, then it isn’t necessary for you to play a higher card than your partner for your partnership to win the trick. The rule helps you win the trick as cheaply as possible – keeping your higher cards for later rounds.

How to Use the Rule of 11

To help you understand the rule, let me show you an example.

Your partner has opened the game with the 7 of a suit.  Dummy played the 3  and you can see that dummy also holds K and 9. You hold A, J and 4.  Do you need to play the J or the K for your partnership to win the trick?

Remember, this rule applies when you think your partner played the 4th highest card of their longest suit.

• Subtract the number of the card played by your partner from 11.  In this case partner, played 7.
• 11 – 7 = 4 .  This tells you that there are four cards higher than 7 NOT held by your partner.
• You hold A and J and dummy holds K and 9 – so you can see all of those four cards.
• This tells you that the declarer doesn’t hold any card higher than 7, so you can play your 4 and your partnership will still win the trick.