This week, our focus is on streamlining your bidding on the various aspects of Bridge in different competitive situations and positions for a sound bidding perspective is essential in the making of a good Bridge player. Well let us begin with a few problems at bidding placing you as a responder.
With neither side valuable after partner opens 1S, and next player passes, what should be your correct bid on the following 6 hands:
a) In all systems, except where 3NT has a conventional application to show spade support and a singleton somewhere to be enquired by 4C relay wherein responder will pinpoint singleton by 4D and 4H to show singletons in red suits with 4 card spade support and 4C to show club singleton. Apart from this, in all systems your bid should be a 3NT (2NT in US)-a classic bid showing strength, shape and tenaces.
b) Prefer 3NT (2NT in US) to 2D. When the former is likely to be the contract, why give unnecessary information to opponents. Moreover most of your points are not in diamonds, which could be misleading for partner. So stick to 3NT - direct in one bid to convey the strength and distribution.
c) 2NT (2C in US) - the classic limit bid showing less than opening hand promising 11-12 HCP, balanced with stoppers in all other suits.
d) Here the 5 card heart suit with good 12 points makes it worthwhile for a game forcing 2H in 2 over 1 system and a highly forward going move in all standard systems showing 5 cards.
e) Here there is no guard in diamonds and although you have a 3 card spade support, it is best to start with 2C forcing and later show spade support.
f) A good 15 HCP hand with very good club suit plus a 3 card spade, which normally caters for a 2C forcing call but here, to give protection to the red suit kings, it is still appropriate to respond 3NT (2NT in US).
g) Although you have 8 HCPs but the heart suit is a striking feature. Of course playing 2 over 1 system, your bid would be 1NF (forcing) to later bid 3H. But in standard, 1 NT would be a harrowing out of feature bid. It is better to upgrade the hand and bid 2H, for to suppress a good 6 card major because the point count is a trifle short will not be doing justice to the hand. Bridge calls for imaginative bids when the need arises.
Let us now come to the more powerful hands to set your Slam potential in bidding. What should you bid when partner opens 1NT (16-18) with the following hands:
Partner bids 2NT, your reponses?
What is your bid on the following bidding sequences?
A. Well, on A, the correct bid is 6NT. For with 17 HCPs and a 5 carder, your partnership strength with partner's NT opening (16-18) makes a minimum 33 HCP - the ideal bench mark for little slam in NT.
B. Almost a same hand but with a 4 card spade- a major fit query is the first order of preference. Bid 2C.
C. Here you have 15 HCPs, which calls for invitation to slam if partner holds maximum 18 HCPs. Therefore, the correct bid is a quantitative 4NT.
D. In here, with partner opening 2NT (20-21) with 11 HCP. If partner is on maximum, little slam is called for, so bid the invitational quantitative bid of 4 NT asking opener to bid 6NT on maximum and pass on minimum.
E. With 4 card major holding, never forget to enquire a fit. So correct bid is 3C (Stayman) first seeking a major 4 card response from opener, if any.
F. With 19 HCPs you may be tempted to think of a slam, but the 4S bid promises nothing more than that. So the correct bid is a PASS avoiding to go overboard.
G. Here with the controls that were missing in the previous bid, it would be pusillanimous not to try for the little slam and the best shot is short and sweet-bid 6S.
The above 14 were a test of your bidding ability. In getting all correct, you are an expert at bidding; in getting 3/4th correct, a good bidder; in getting half correct, an average bidder and getting less than that, you need to improve.
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a. b. c.
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Q 2 J 2 J 2
K 10 7 K 10 7 K 10 7
A J 9 4 A 9 4 3 2 A 9 4 2
K J 8 2 A Q 3 K 10 6 2
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d. e. f.
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J 2 J 3 2 4 3 2
A 9 4 3 2 A Q 4 K 7
K 1 0 7 7 5 4 K 8 2
A Q 3 A Q 9 4 A K Q 6 2
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g.
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9 4
A K J 9 7 6
8 4 2
7 5
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A) B) C)
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K J 9 K J 9 7 K J 9
A Q 6 A Q 6 A Q 6
K 10 8 7 6 K 10 8 7 K 10 9 8 7
K J K J Q 6
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D) E)
K J 9 K 9 7 6
A 6 2 A 6
K 10 9 8 7 K J 10 8 7 6
4 3 6
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F) G)
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A K Q 10 8 A 10 9 7 6 5
KQ9 A K 2
Q J 7 A Q 2
Q 10 2
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Bid: 1S-4S Bid: 1S-4S
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