Things to think about

"it can be dangerous opening lightish distributional hands when vulnerable"

Dont rebid 5 card minors

Dont cue shortage in suit partner has shown length ! (1st round)

A 2 over a 1 by a passed hand does not promise a rebid
or should it?I think I would like to play that it does promise a rebid. More rules to break, alter and discuss with a partner!

Simple sequences and my off shape 1nt

Before I go off too far delving into these fancy sequences, I best check my understanding of the basics.

This sequence is wide ranging 11-17 1M:1N 2m
1S:1N 2H is this minimum or the same 11-17?

So, my off shape 1nts that I have taken on without too much thought can be reined back in a little.

What SHOULD my off shape 1nt's look like?

Teams

I played my first teams match at the club last night and it was a lot of fun! After the first set we trailed by 1 imp, ater the second set the opponents had taken off and won by 20+ imps.

One memorable hand, I held 1453 16 count and Barbara opened 1C.

1C:1D
1H: ?

What is my bid, what is 3H here?
I thought 3H would be inviational but some were
saying that was the correct bid. Had we agreed to play strong Walsh then 1D would deny a 4 card major unless my hand is strong enough to force game, so here 3H would show 4hearts and have slam interest. But we dont have that agreement, so I didnt. :-)

I bid 1S then jumped to 4H after Barbara bid 1nt. Bad bid but right contract.

I'd like 1S in this sequence to be 4sf, saying nothing about Spades, I can bid spades again with a real suit gf but most people seem to play 2S as 4sf, that takes up a lot of room.

We are also having trouble the 1M:2m, I will bid 1M:2m 2M here with a 5card suit, poor hand but my partner is expecting 6 of the major and will put me to 3M holding xx when we would be better in 2M or 2nt. At the moment I dont know what to change here.

more bidding sequences

One of the sequences that I stumble over is finding a rebid after opening 1m and partner responds 2m. There has been much discussion on BBO forums about this, here is the link if you want to read more.

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showtopic=18928&st=15


This is the method I am wanting to use, it probably needs refining.

1D:2C 2D stall, minimum hand 100% forcing (weak nt 11-12)
1D:2C 2N balanced 12-14 both majors stopped (no need for this to show extras)
1D:2C 2M 4=5 or better and ‘a king more than minimum' 15(14)
1D:2C 3N 18+ balanced

1S(2D)2H (P) (a random bid thrown in, one that came up at the club)
3C 15+

1C:2D is a strong jump or criss cross

1M:2m 2M Min, waiting. No other bid avialble, will most often be 5
1S:2m 2H min 5S 4H
1H:2m 2S full reverse 16(15)
1M:2m 3x good 5/4 15+
1M:2m 2N blalanced, both majors stopped (12-14, 13-15?)

Note: the same problems do not occur over 1S:2H as there is never a reason to bid 2H on a 4 card suit.


1S:2H 4H min 11-12 54xx ideal 53xx
1S:2H 3H game forcing 54xx 53xx

Do we always want 4 card support here?

1H:1N 2D is wide ranging 11-18

1 m:1 any 3 m = 16-18 with good 6 card minor


How do you respond to partners 1m with balanced 11-12, 13-15 hands?

1m:2nt = 13-15 forcing

1C:1D 11-12 with a 3card suit if need be. 3334 2335?
1D:1nt with a 11 count and pray
1D:2nt with a 12 count and pray
or bid a 3 card major; always 1H with 3343 or 3334

I dont pretend to understand all this yet, maybe in time.

2/1 by passed hand is NF!

I played with Barbara at the VBC Centre yesterday. I thought we had a poor game due to my incredibly bad playing, I play too fast and I am not watching discards. After the dust had settled and the results posted we had earned master points, coming 3rd in B and 1st in C. Strange things these MP’s!

A couple of things I need to take away from the games is; its ok to PASS
We play short club, Barbara opened 1C and I held 3352, 4 count. Not wanting to leave her in 1C, I bid 1D

Here is the auction
N W S E
1C (P) 1D (1H)
X (P) 2D (2H)
2S (AP)

Barbara: AQxx,xx,AKQ,Axxxx
Me: xxx,QJx,Jxxxx,xx

Not a disaster but a lesson none the less.

The second hand was where I decided to pass a 3334 11 count (my openings are becoming more disciplied ;-) ) and when Barbara opened 1S I bid 2C intending to show delayed support. Needless to say I didn’t get another bid.

N W S E
- - P (P)
1S (P) 2C (AP)
N A10xxx,xxx,Ax,KQx
S QJx,Jxx,Kxx,Axxx

So my bid is 3S, not ideal with 3 card support, what is.

2/1 by a passed hand is NOT FORCING

I sat my Club Directors exam and passed, yes I can read a rule book. I’d like to become a TD and be involved in the juicy UI, MI, LA’s but I imagine I would need a lot more experience both playing and running club games first.

Quantitative

1N:2H
2S:4N is Quantitative

I dont understand why this is Quantitative?.

1N:3S (slam try)
4x:4N is RKCB

1N:4H (texas)
4S:4N is RKCB

55's 56's 65's 44's and so on

I must be beginning to think like a bridge player – everything is number combinations 5521 6511 4423 Now I am trying to commit to memory the bidding sequences of 55, 65 and 44 hands.

44 up the line
55 higher suit first, lower twice.
65 higher suit first, take another bid if partner has given no preferance.
This is not an exact science :-)
56 lower suit first, higher twice watch out you cant reverse without proper values.


1nt:2H
2S:2H = 55 in the majors

1nt:2C
2D:2H 5hearts, 4 spades

1nt:2H
2S:2nt 5hearts, invitational


I need to collect some examples of these hands. You may be wondering why I have not committed these to memory by now? Here's a little know fact about me, remembering anything is not easy. Back in my youth I was in a motorcycle accident and spent 5 days in a coma. It takes me a long time to memorize anything, I do not ‘remember’ things, I have to learn things differently, it is hard to explain. By far the most difficult aspect is counting but I am getting better! Thank heavens my bridge teacher is an incredibly patient person :-)

VBC 299er

I played with a new partner in the VBC 299er sectional this weekend. We played rather well in the first session and then bombed out in the next 2. We just weren’t on the same wave length it seems. (Wavelength is the name of my dads yacht in NZ)
We have only played twice before so need some more practice and some basic agreements. Despite the results, I had a very nice weekend, lots of fun with a relaxed and kind partner. I love playing with someone who is willing and able to discuss the hands afterwards.

This being a 299er I would imagine it was low key as opposed to open tournaments. TDs calls were frequent for leads out of turn (OLOOTs in TD language) what I noticed most was the amount of UI being passed. At one stage my partner who had been a very cautious bidder even said "Im being aggressive here" before making her bid. The opps did not blink and I tried to ignore the information. We had a good laugh about it after the hand.

The players and TD were nice, the food was great, the price was right - $5 a session, overall a great weekend. I was exhausted afterwards.

Next up in my TD exam on Wednesday, though I may have to postpone it to next week. I’m trying to learn all about movements, LOOT’s, insufficient bids etc – none of which occur online of course.

Overuse of RKC

My partner opened 1nt and after a super accept I pushed onto slam holding:
Jx
AQxxxx
Jx
Axx

1N:2D
3H:4C
4D:4N
5C:6H

4nt is the culprit here. I've shown mild slam interest and Club control now leave the rest to partner. As for my hand the Jx's are of dubious value, I simply dont have a hand suitable to
push on to slam. I can pass!

"I have often posted in these fora against the overuse of keycard, and this is another example of why I ride this hobbyhorse. If players learned more subtle ways of probing for slam, ways that involve trusting partner to work out what is going on, we'd reach more good slams and stay out of more bad ones. Bid 4♣ and then 4♥ and let partner decide whether, in context, his hand warrants another call. You and partner may get these wrong initially, but once you both learn to trust each other, your slam bidding will move to a higher level." (MikeH)

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showtopic=21628&hl=

If Mike doesnt write a book soon I'll put a one together of quotable quotes :-)

count count count count

I play IMP on BBO and when I go to the club I have to play MP.
Why does "everyone" play IMP online and MP offline?

Now that I have started playing at the club I'm finding undertricks are very expensive in MP so I can only assume the reverse is true for overtricks. ;-)

Its not good enough to count honors and trumps – I have to keep track of spots now as well.


Practice practice practice

I hate this game

I want to give up. I’m just not smart enough to play this game, I cant think fast enough to work out all these combinations and nuances in the bidding, I can’t possibly remember it all let alone play the hands.

Im frustrated with my lack of progress, lack of a partner who wants to work with me and frustrated by the overall complexity of this damn game.

Of course I won’t give up but I’d sure like to right now.

Strong jump

AKxx
(void)
AKxxx
KQJx

I open 1D, partner bids 1nt. I bypass the brain and bid 3nt.

Some say the better bid is 3C, strong jump game forcing showing 5D,4C
Partner does not have a 4 card major. We have a minor game, slam perhaps.

Im still reading sbout the case for bidding 2S (reverse), will post my thoughts later.

Regardles, this was with a new partner, we had not discussed reverses, strong jumps etc - my lesson is THINK and trust your partner. :-)

Trivia

DONT rebid 5card minors.

Often, what is the best bid to describe your hand? PASS

I'm still not using support doubles. Not getting the hands or forgetting the bid?

Sandwich 1nt

I had a partner introduce me to 'Sandwich 1nt' today.

(1D) P (1H) 1nt = 8-12 points and 44 in the unbid suits.

I perhaps incorrectly, double here to show the other 2 suits.
What is the advantage of this artificial 1nt?
It steals the bid from the opps, what else?
Is it standard? and then the bigger question;
Should I add it and use up brain cells memorizing it, whats important, whats not. :-)

Isn't everything unusual?

Or so it seems!

Unusual vs. Unusual

1S (2nt) 3D = gf spade raise
1S (2nt) 3C = gf with 5+ hearts

This is what I have agreed to play with Richard. Best discuss the meanings with other partners, it can be reversed. Simple, quite easy to remember and solves the problems I have had creating a forcing bid.

Here are some other sequences I need to be clear on and discuss with partners, thanks R.

1S:2D
2S

1S:2D
2NT

1S:2D
3C

When U2nt is not U2nt...

As you can see I have been very lax in writing to my blog. Well I have been on holiday which accounts for about 2months of missing entries, the rest I have to put down to laziness, being disillusioned with this game or just too busy!

A new thread on BBO forum and yet another sequence I need to think about.
(1M) P (2M) 2nt 2nt shows the minors right?
Not necessarily.... http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showtopic=21041&hl=


This game is always challenging me.


(1S) P (2S) 2nt = '2 suits'
"Yes, 2N is 2 suits, and yes if partner has diamonds>clubs>hearts partner is supposed to bid CLUBS. " (Jlall)

So...
(1S) P (2S) 2nt*
(P) 3C (P) 3D = Diamonds and Hearts


How will I remember this!

Forcing minor raise

Partner opens 1D and I hold xx,AJx,KQTxx,KJT - what do you bid?

I don't have any gadgets to handle these hands. I have posted the question on BBO forums
and as expected, have received many different suggestions. Everything from dont bother learning how to bid these hands, inverted minors, criss cross, and more.

So this is work in progress, to be updated.

Limit raise or GF?

Another bad bid, made without first pausing for thought.
1S:2H
4H

Sounds easy? I have 10+ points and 5 hearts, my partner is happy to play 4H
Wrong

I held:

Qxxx
Axxx
xx
AJx

and decided I was too good for a limit raise and not good enough for a game force.
Apparently, there is no such hand . A limit raise is 9-(bad)12 3or4 card support and a gf is 12points 4card support. Makes sense!

So this is a clear limit raise 3S would have been perfect or if I think this is worth more, 2nt GF raise. I have been told many times not to make a 2level M raise without 5cards, I have the choice of a limit raise or a GF, no need to create my own bid!

Support Doubles

Support Doubles, devised by Eric Rodwell allows the opener to show exactly 3card support for responders (partners) new suit.
Up until now, I did not use support doubles and so I have developed the habit of often supporting partner with 3. In the auction 1C(P)1S(2D) 2S I may only have 3 spades.

Now, by adding support doubles I can double to show 3 card support, a simple raise will show exactly 4 cards, 3S weak, 3D a cue raise and so on.

1C (P) 1S (2D) X = exactly 3 card support
1C (P) 1S (2D) 2S =exactly 4 card support
1C (P) 1S (2D) 3S = spade support, weak, competitive
1C (P) 1S (2D) 3D = limit raise or better

Where do I start?

Why a blog? Good question, I don’t have a lot of spare time to sit and compose material to put in a blog so this could end before it gets off the ground. However, I do need a place where I can keep notes and questions on my bridge games. Alas, the good old note book does not work as efficiently as I would like. So here it is, my first BLOG. An attempt to track my learning and progression in this challenging, fun, frustrating game.
I love it, I hate it and I’m hooked.
I want to start with a new convention my wonderful 86year old, live!, partner suggested I add:
Support Doubles.
I will also add more information about me and how I have arrived where I am in this game.