Raise to Two with Three Trumps

Andrew Kambites Says
Raise to Two with
Three Trumps
ou are playing Acol with fourcard majors. Your partner opens
1m. What should you respond
with hand A?
Y
Hand A
m K76
n 32
o A532
p 9643
Hand B
m Void
n 96
o QJ7654
p K8432
With seven points and a four-card suit,
hand A falls well short on the Rule of
Fourteen. Seven plus four is eleven, and
you want a score of fourteen for a twoover-one response. This leaves two
choices: 1NT and 2m. If you go for 1NT,
because you like four spades to raise 1m
to 2m, think again. Several factors make
2m the most practical bid.
1 As you may know, I like to describe
the 1NT response as a ‘dustbin bid’. It
has to include hand B because B isn’t
good enough for a two-level change
of suit. If opener has five spades (and
he very often will), he cannot rebid 2m
in case you have hand B. A 1NT
response on A means that you will
regularly miss a 5-3 spade fit.
2 What can partner have for 1m if he has
only four spades? You never open a 44-4-1 with 1m, so that leaves 4-4-3-2
and 4-3-3-3 shapes. With these
shapes, assuming you play a weak
no-trump, he opens 1NT if he has 1214 points. Thus, he can only open 1m
without five spades if he is balanced
but too strong for 1NT. Even then, he
will open 1n with 4-4 in the majors
or he may well open a strong 4-card
minor rather than a weak 4-card
major. In practice, depending on your
style, between 75% and 90% of Acol
1m openings will contain five or more
spades. If you respond 1NT to 1m
with hand A, you are going to miss an
awful lot of 5-3 spade fits!
3 Suppose opener has a balanced hand
with four spades. What can he rebid if
you raise 1m to 2m?
i With 15-16 points, opener passes.
Game is unlikely opposite your 6-9.
Note that he doesn’t say 16 points
facing a possible 9 make game and
bid on. You don’t look for perfect
cards. You cannot allow yourself to
keep getting too high just to avoid
missing the odd game. How well
will 2m play? It will be a 4-3 fit.
While this is sub-optimal, you will
have extra points to help and partner
might well ruff a heart in your short
trump hand. You can usually come
to eight tricks playing in a 4-3 fit
with fair values at the two level.
ii With 17-18 points, he bids 2NT
over your 2m. There is sometimes
confusion about what 2NT shows.
In rubber-style Acol, 1m-2p-2NT
shows 15-16 points. That is logical
because 1m-2p shows at least nine
points. 1m-2m shows at most nine
points, so 2NT here shows 17-18.
iii With 19 points, he rebids 3NT.
My advice is this: If partner opens 1m,
you should prefer a raise to 2m to a
response of 1NT if you have three-card
spade support and some side suit
shortage. A few players even raise on a
flat 3-3-3-4 shape; that is not my advice.
It is equally valid to raise 1n to 2n with
three-card support, though if you have
three hearts and four spades a response
of 1m is best. Don’t raise 1m to 3m on
three-card support even if you have the
values for jumping.
I finish with some examples.
Page 29
m
n
o
p
K76
32
A632
9543
m
n
o
p
N
W
E
S
West
North
2m
Pass
East
1m
2NT
AQ82
A84
K754
A7
South
Pass
End
2NT shows 17-18 and four spades. West
must decide between spades or notrumps and between game and partscore. With three spades, North prefers
no-trumps. Being minimum, he passes
2NT rather than raise to 3NT.
m
n
o
p
KJ64
32
A632
954
m
n
o
p
N
W
E
S
West
North
2m
4m
Pass
End
East
1m
2NT
AQ82
A84
K754
A7
South
Pass
Pass
This time West has four spades and a
maximum, so jumps to the spade game.
You raise to two with three trumps at
other times. If partner overcalls – surely
showing a five-card suit – it is clear to
raise. Opener may also raise:
m
n
o
p
KJ6
KJ72
A9632
9
If you open 1o and partner responds 1m,
a rebid of 2m is much better than 2o. You
can ruff in the short hand and be sure of
at least a seven-card fit.
I
Seasonal Walks with Countryman
A Walk in Spring
T
his little piece of England,
where the birds are singing, the
sun is shining and the air
seriously intoxicating – it’s all too easy
to fall under its magic spell and dream
on, contentedly…
‘Walkies’
A faint whining sound alerted me to the
time. Cindy, my Golden Retriever with
those gorgeous, soulful, brown eyes,
seems to have a built-in clock, which
chimes out ‘walkies’ at more or less the
appropriate time on a daily basis. So it
was that we set forth on this crisp and
sunny April morning with no more
demanding task in front of us than to
decide our route. Spoilt for choice,
really, because wherever you looked
spring most certainly was bursting out
all over. The whole countryside was just
enchanting in its beauty and tranquillity.
I marvelled at the way, year in, year
out, the hedgerows emerged from their
slumbers, each little sprig fighting to be
more vibrant than its neighbour and yet
somehow in the end combining to
present a united front of verdant
splendour. The two cherry blossom
trees in the corner of the meadow have
always had special appeal for me at this
time of year; I only wish they could last
a little longer as their delicate shade of
pink is an inspiring sight in the midst of
a green surround and blue sky up above.
Keeping up with Cindy
As we wend our way along the meadow
towards the copse at the far end, Cindy
is racing from one new exciting smell to
another – her enthusiasm for
countryside smells seems limitless and
if tail wagging is any indication of her
present demeanour, well, she must be in
seventh heaven! Every now and then, as
she races ahead, she looks back to
ensure I am keeping up, sometimes
returning perhaps to jolly me along.
The Magic of the
Countryside
Just before arriving at a convenient entry
to the copse, a cock pheasant rockets
into the air. His brilliant plumage gleams
in the sun while he complains bitterly at
being disturbed. Cindy is not in the least
abashed; in fact, I think she is rather
proud of herself because she looks
towards me for approval, her tail
wagging furiously. It is probably a little
early for mother hen to be nesting but I
am quietly pleased that Cindy disturbed
the male bird – just in case.
Threading our way through the copse
down to the small brook that runs along
the perimeter of the wooded area, one is
conscious of the liberal sprinkling of
primroses. This show of colour,
together with the occasional glint of
sunshine that battles its way through
any available gap in the trees, does
much to preserve the magic of the
countryside. However, perhaps it is the
brook itself, suddenly emerging as
something new, exciting and contrasting
– and quite unexpected unless you knew
it was there – that quickens the pulse.
One reads of babbling brooks but this
one does not babble; it meanders
Page 30
gracefully along with no more than a
gentle ripple to announce its own
particular part in a truly memorable
scene.
I notice a pair of moorhens on the
opposite bank some way ahead and
suspect they may have a nest nearby. If
this is the case, they have certainly
chosen an idyllic spot and I shall look
forward to seeing their offspring in the
near future.
Last Night’s Duplicate
As it is nearly time to start on the
homeward journey, I call Cindy, making
my intentions clear, and then decide to
look more carefully at one of the
interesting hands from last night’s
duplicate. I had scribbled it down earlier
but had not really examined it in
detail.
Now, having memorised the layout,
this seemed a pleasant way to do a spot
of analysing – country style!
m
n
o
p
Dealer South. Game All.
m K74
n J732
o A Q J 10
p 74
10 9 8
m J532
N
Q94
n Void
W
E
K832
o 9754
S
K82
p J 10 9 5 3
m AQ6
n A K 10 8 6 5
o 6
p AQ6
From the Scottish Bridge Union News
Spring continued
West
North
East
South
1n
Pass
Pass
Pass
End
3n
4o
5o
Pass
Pass
Pass
3m
4NT
6n
West leads the ten of spades and,
looking at the North-South hands in
isolation, the slam bidders seem to have
hit the jackpot. A favourable trump
break is odds on (78%) and, even if they
are three-nil, it would only be a problem
if West were the culprit. The ruffing
finesse in diamonds would easily take
care of any club losers, whoever held
the king.
Highly Suitable Dummy
Declarer certainly liked what he saw.
He won the first trick with the ace of
spades and cashed the ace of hearts to
get the bad news. Never mind, there
were still plenty of chances. The king of
hearts came next, followed by the ace of
diamonds. Now declarer eliminated the
spades and threw West on lead with the
queen of trumps. He switched to a club
in the hope that his partner had the
queen but declarer was able to claim the
contract.
Third Hand Play
by Douglas Piper
B
y far the most difficult aspect
of bridge is defence; defence
is hard and teaching students
to defend properly is an almost
insurmountable task. In the last month
alone there have been over 400 bridge
teacher suicides after a defensive
lesson, compared to only one after
play, and two after bidding lessons.
This is without taking into account the
huge number of bridge teachers
turning to alcoholism after a defensive
lesson. (This statistic is impossible to
calculate, as many, like me, keep it
hidden). Something simple to start
with then: third hand play.
The Rule for playing third hand, is,
if dummy has low cards, third hand
plays high, but lower/lowest of equals.
Basically the opposite of what you do
when you lead (when you always play
the top of sequences). From this simple
rule, we can often decide whether or
not we have made a good lead.
m
n
o
p
The Wrong Exit Card
Although East could have helped by
discarding the jack of clubs, West could,
and should, have exited with a small
diamond. That would have given
declarer a cheap trick catering for the
disposal of the six of clubs, but the
queen of clubs would still be a loser.
Should West have been able to work this
out? Well, since declarer would have
finessed if he held more than one
diamond and the position was hopeless
if he held the last spade, West could
count decalrer’s shape. He was marked
with six hearts, three spades and one
diamond; this left him with three clubs
thus one discard would not suffice.
‘I’m afraid West was at fault for
failing to count,’ I explained to Cindy as
she gave me a quizzical look. Maybe
she did not fully understand but she
wagged her tail encouragingly. I think
she knows more than she lets on.
I
m
n
o
p
4
A Q 10 7 5 2
QJ2
KQ2
Q9862
N
93
W
E
S
K 10 8 6
64
Contract 3NT. Lead m6.
South
2o
3NT
West
North
1n
Pass
End
2n
East
Pass
Pass
We lead the six of spades to the four,
ten and ace. From the above, we can
work out that partner has the mJ-10,
(declarer would have won with a
lower card if he could have), and that
declarer has the king (partner would
have played it at trick 1 if he had it).
Declarer crosses to the club king and
Page 31
runs the queen of diamonds, finessing.
We win the diamond king and
continue with a low spade knowing
we are setting up our suit. As usual, a
harder, yet familiar, looking example.
m
n
o
p
m
n
o
p
4
A Q 10 7 5 2
QJ2
KQ2
Q9862
N
93
W
E
S
K 10 8 6
64
Contract 3NT. Lead m6.
After the same auction, again, we lead
the six of spades to the four, jack and
ace. Declarer crosses to the king of
clubs and leads the queen of diamonds.
We win the king of diamonds, and
consider what we know from the
opening lead and play to trick 2.
Declarer has the king-ten of spades,
(partner would have played either of
these cards if he had them at trick 1
remember). So, playing a spade would
be a disaster. A club is not going to get
us anywhere as declarer obviously has
the ace of clubs (partner would have
won and returned a spade if he had it),
so we switch to the nine of hearts.
Partner is likely to win this, (almost
certainly he has the king-jack of hearts
as, with either of these cards, declarer
would have played on hearts) and shoot
back a spade. Declarer, unless he has a
fourth club trick, is likely to go down
on this hand despite all his/her points.
Play from Equals
The Rule for playing third hand is, if
dummy has low cards, third hand plays
high, but lower/lowest of equals.
Work out what partner, and
therefore declarer, has, and apply the
I
information accordingly.
DAVID STEVENSON answers questions on Bridge Laws
Rules for
Opening an
Acol Strong Two
Q
Would you please qualify the
r uling for opening an Acol
Strong Two Bid? We were
taught 8-9 playing tr icks – points
ir relevant.
The following hand, recently played
in our duplicate club, was opened
(and announced) as a strong 2n:
m
n
o
p
A
QJ8765432
Void
A75
Is this cor rect? I would appreciate
your views.
Mike Gurney, Hempstead, Norfolk
A
This is an ongoing problem
because, as you say, some
people have learnt that an Acol
Two Bid shows (nothing more than) 8+
playing tricks. This is not the way to
play an Acol Two – see an article by
Bernard Magee on the subject a few
issues ago in BRIDGE – because the
idea of an Acol Two is to show a strong
hand.
The originators of the bid intended
the Acol Two Bid for hands sufficiently
strong all round, that game could be
makeable even if partner did not have
the necessary 6 points to reply to a one
bid. Without a forcing bid, you are
afraid that the bidding will continue
pass-pass-pass. 8+ playing tricks is just
an approximate standard for such
hands. Nowadays, a common phrase for
describing an Acol Two Bid is a ‘hand
of power and quality’.
What is happening is that players are
opening a variety of hands, strong or
not, and calling their bid an Acol Two or
a Benjamin 2p, so long as it has 8+
playing tricks. This is not good bridge,
because partner knows neither when to
go to slam, nor what to do over
intervention. For pure game bidding, it
works, but so would – for example –
opening 1n on the above hand, as I
would do. 2n, if described as an Acol
Two, has the big advantage of keeping
the opponents out: they think it shows a
strong hand, and thus they do not bid
and often miss things as a result. Thus,
the main advantage is an unfair one.
The EBU has tried to change the
regulations to clarify the minimum for a
strong hand. Currently the rules are –
A strong hand is:
a) subject to proper disclosure, a hand
that contains at least the normal
high-card strength associated with
a one-level opening and at least
eight clear-cut tricks, or
b) any hand meeting the Rule of 25, or
c) any hand of at least 16 HCPs.
The Rule of 25 means you add the points
to the number of cards in the two longest
suits; if it is 25 or more, it qualifies as
strong. The example above has 11
points, add 9 and 3 makes 23, so it is not
Rule of 25, nor does it have 16 HCPs.
Does it have the normal minimum highcard strength for a one-level opening?
Well, 11 HCPs looks like the minimum.
How many clear-cut tricks does it have?
I suppose a 9-card suit with the queenjack but not the ten must be six, so yes,
it has eight – just. So while borderline,
this hand just qualifies as strong, subject
to proper disclosure.
So, if the pair describe it, in answer to
a question and on the convention card,
Page 32
as ‘8+ playing tricks, may be weakish in
high cards’, this seems OK. Even so,
they must not describe it as an Acol Two.
This is not a hand of power and quality!
Nor is the bidding after 1n likely to
continue pass-pass-pass.
To complicate matters somewhat,
natural bids, like 2n, do not need to be
strong. You can also play them as
Intermediate to Strong. If this pair
would normally open 2n on a hand like
this, they would help matters by so
describing their bids.
ponm
Q
Can you please tell me the
cor rect (or incor rect!) way to
shuffle car ds?
Some seem to mix them forever,
while some split the pack, place the
two halves on their sides and then
flick then together.
Joy Anderton, Knutsford, Cheshire
A
Splitting the pack, then flicking
them together, as you describe
it, is generally called a ‘riffle
shuffle’. This method is far preferable to
the traditional shuffle, called an
‘overhand’ shuffle. Four or five riffle
shuffles creates a thoroughly shuffled
pack, but the overhand shuffle is so poor
that it really takes something over five
minutes shuffling to get a thoroughly
shuffled pack.
When playing duplicate bridge, some
clubs have suggested that players should
shuffle their hands on the last round
before putting them away. This improves
the shuffle. When the new Law book
comes in later this year, it will require
players to shuffle their cards before
putting them away in the board.
David Stevenson on Bridge Laws continued
Q
I have a lady opponent who
insists that, after cutting for
par tner s, on the fir st deal
only, the left hand opponent reaches
across the dealer to put the deck on
the dealer ’s r ight side, for cutting.
This, she claims, accor ds with the
teachings of an author called
Lederer. On all other occasions, she
would observe the nor mal pr actice
that the dealer picks up the car ds on
his left and presents them to his
r ight-hand opponent to cut.
I have not read Mr s Lederer ’s
book, but I find it difficult to believe
that she advocates something
contr ar y to my exper ience, and
impolite to boot. Your
comments/r uling would be welcome.
Geoffrey Walker, Chepstow, Gwent
A
The Laws of bridge say that
dealer offers the pack to RHO
for the cut.
They make no distinction between the
first deal of the rubber and subsequent
deals. I agree that the suggested method
is impolite – and Rhoda Lederer would
definitely not have advocated anything
so rude. Furthermore, the 1993 Laws
apply – and Rhoda Lederer wrote
before then – so whatever she wrote on
the Laws would not be current anyway.
ponm
Q
Yester day at our club, my
LHO led a hear t and his
par tner inadver tently pulled
out a diamond. He immediately
rectified this by playing a hear t and
placing the diamond aside as an
exposed car d.
Dur ing the play, my RHO came on
lead. Should he, at this point, play
the exposed car d? If dur ing the play
he had not gained the lead, when
should he play the exposed car d?
I could not find the answer s in
Duplicate Br idge Rules Simplified.
Kay Hammond, by email
David Stevenson answers all queries
based on the facts supplied by the letter
writer. Neither Mr Bridge nor David
Stevenson has any way of knowing
whether those facts are correct or
complete.
A
Unless this was rubber bridge,
someone
should
have
summoned the Director. He
would have explained everything, and
ought to have stayed at the table until
the penalty card was played.
The card played in error and replaced
is a major penalty card, and its holder
must play it at the first legal opportunity.
So, if RHO comes on lead, it is a legal
opportunity to play it, and he must do so.
This is at the bottom of page 22 of the
Yellow book 1998.
The only exception is that declarer has
additional options if the partner of the
player with the penalty card gets on
lead. At such time, if he wishes, he may
require the lead of the suit of the penalty
card: alternatively, he may forbid the
lead of the suit of the penalty card. In
either case, the player with the penalty
card picks it up and need not play it until
the player wishes.
ponm
Q
I read with interest your
reply to Bill Lloyd of
Har wood on ‘when is a car d
considered played?’
I once read an ar ticle about this
but unfor tunately cannot remember
in which book! It stated that if a
player pulled out the wrong car d by
mistake, but quickly realised this,
they could change it ‘in reasonable
time’ – whatever ‘reasonable time’
may mean. You say that if you place
a car d on the table then you cannot
change it even though you do so
immediately.
I under stand that you can change
the car d if you have not let go of it.
This incident seems to happen from
time to time.
J.A. Robertson, Fife, Scotland
A
Once you play a card, you may
not change it. So it is a question
of defining when a card counts
as played. For defenders this is when it
is in a position where partner could see
it if he was looking. For declarer this is
when it is stationary on or near the table,
or in a position where obviously played.
Once you put a card on the table, you
may not change it. However, if declarer
Page 33
took it down to the table and
immediately brought back, he could
change it. The term ‘reasonable time’
does not appear in the Laws.
ponm
Q
Last night at the br idge club
I was Nor th with 16 points.
The opener was West on my
r ight and she opened 3o. We play the
Acol pre-empt where three of
anything as an opener means fewer
than 10 points with seven car ds in
the suit. As I had no long suit and
not much in diamonds, I passed.
When we came to score, ever yone
else was in a spade game (Nor th/
South) and West commented that she
had 12 points. We challenged this
and East /West said that they were
playing a nor mal convention
whereby a three-level opening means
up to 11 points. As she had only one
extr a, that was acceptable. She
added that we should have asked
but, as ever yone plays it as fewer
than 10, we did not.
Later we spoke to the director s.
One said that they were quite
entitled to bid and the other said
they should have aler ted it!
What do you think?
Bridie Cushion, Devon
A
Players can judge what hands
are suitable for natural bids in
any
way
they
please:
furthermore, they do not have to follow
their rules if their partners are not
aware. It is perfectly normal for one pair
to play pre-empts as fewer than ten
points and another pair to play them as
fewer then twelve points, and it is not
alertable.
Furthermore, if they want to make the
bid one point heavy, this does not affect
it.
You suffered no damage: even if you
had known that 3o could be up to
twelve points, you would be less likely
to bid rather than more likely. People
bid pre-empts to get good scores by
cramping the auction for their
opponents: this time it has worked.
C’est la vie!
David Stevenson is on the Laws
and Ethics Committee of both the
EBU and WBU. He is also an
EBU panel Tournament Director.
David Stevenson
on Bridge Laws continued
Q
I act as a voluntar y br idge
tutor and one of my
students recently visited
another club. I am not quite sure
what happened but an exper ienced
player apparently repr imanded my
student.
This player told my student that,
when playing with blue and red
packs of car ds, they should use the
red car ds for the fir st hand, blue for
the second, red for the thir d etc. I
get the impression that my student
dealt blue car ds for the fir st deal in
r ubber br idge.
I would be gr ateful if you could
clar ify whether, when playing with
blue and red car ds, only red car ds
should be used for the fir st hand in
r ubber, Chicago and duplicate. I
per sonally would have thought it
really does not matter.
If there is to be a standar d, it
makes more sense to use blue car ds
fir st because ‘B’ for blue comes
before ‘R’ for red in the alphabet
(akin to the suit or der where ‘C’ for
clubs comes before ‘D’ for diamonds
comes before ‘H’ for hear ts comes
before ‘S’ for spades).
W V McCarthy,
Mickle Trafford, Cheshire
A
In rubber bridge, the player
who won the cut and deals for
the first hand chooses which
pack he or she would like to deal with,
red or blue.
This is the Law. The opponents
shuffle and cut the chosen pack in the
normal way.
In duplicate, it is simply a matter for
the club. So, at duplicate, the other club
can have such a practice as you
describe, but there is no general rule.
Having alternating coloured cards in a
set of duplicate boards can help because
occasionally a player will attempt to
play with cards from the wrong board.
If the cards have contrasting backs,
someone is more likely to notice
quickly.
I do not like a reprimand to someone
playing apparently for the first time, but
I suppose it is a question as to how one
words it.
I
Playing Cards
in Cairo
reviewed by Elena Jeronimidis
Subtitled ‘Mint Tea, Tarneeb and Tales
of the City’, this new book by Hugh
Miles is a semi-autobiographical
novel about a British free-lance
journalist who falls in love with, and
ultimately marries, a beautiful
Egyptian doctor, Roda.
Because of the constraints on
women’s freedom in an Islamic
country, for a long time the
protagonists can only meet in Roda’s
flat, under the chaperonage of her
sisters and girlfriends. The ostensible
reason
for
their
meetings are endless
games of ‘tarneeb’, a
card game played in
Egypt, very similar to
bridge. To enjoy the
book, however, you
don’t need to be able
to play tarneeb, nor
bridge for that matter:
the card game is just a
narrative device which
enables the narrator to
relate his gradual
understanding of the
Egyptian people and
their way of life.
BRIDGE readers will know that card
games are wonderful for bringing
people together and providing a
platform for friendship; Miles’s novel
makes this point very well. At first, the
familiarity engendered by the game
enables the narrator to learn about the
lives of the Egyptian characters taking
part in the games. They are educated
women who cannot enjoy the fruits of
their education because they belong to
a society where ‘women are essentially
viewed as either married, virgins or
prostitutes.’ Nadia, a doctor, has to
cope with an abusive husband. Yosra,
after studying marketing at college, is
stuck in a badly-paid job selling
medical insurance, and resorts to drugs
to escape the misery of her home life
where her brother, a policeman, has
life-and-death rights over her. Reem, an
accomplished linguist, resorts to plastic
surgery to stand a chance in a marriage
market ruled by men’s whims, and
must face the consequences when the
surgery goes wrong.
As these personal dramas unfold,
the narrator sets them against the
background of Cairo’s recent history.
A grandiose picture
emerges of a town
where a series of corrupt governments has
heaped layers of confusion upon its inhabitants, so that individual
behaviour, as well as
society’s fabric, has
nothing to do with the
law. The only frame
of reference is ‘a conservative interpretation
of Islam’ that drastically, and tragically,
limits everyone’s freedom.
Hugh Miles is a free-lance journalist
well acquainted with the Arab world.
Born in Saudi Arabia, he was educated
in Libya and at Eton before reading
Arabic at Oxford and in the Yemen.
His previous book, the prize-winning
Al-Jazeera, also dealt with many of
the issues at the centre of Playing
Cards in Cairo but this new book,
with its romantic theme, somehow
throws them into sharper relief.
If you enjoy books about different
cultures and societies, Playing Cards
in Cairo will fascinate you.
I could not put it down until I reached
I
the end.
Published by Abacus at £12.99 and available post free from
, Ryden Gr ange, Knaphill GU21 2TH 01483 489961
Page 34
DEFENCE
QUIZ
AT THE BEACH HOTEL
Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3QJ
Duplicate Weekends 2008
£209 per person full-board
with Bernard Magee
by Julian Pottage
(Answers on page 57)
6-8 June
17-19 October
Y
ou are West in the defensive positions below. It is your
turn to play.
m
n
o
p
1.
m
n
o
p
74
J852
J84
AK53
KJ82
A
A Q 10 5 3
J 10 6
m
n
o
p
N
W
m
n
o
p
3.
E
S
74
86
10 8 7 5 3
AK73
5-7 December
KQ52
K Q 10 5
AQ
J 10 6
Doubles
Better Defence
Game Tries
o Full-board
Friday to Sunday
o All rooms with
en-suite facilities
o No single supplement
o Venue non-smoking
o Tuition with Supervised Play, bidding quiz and two seminars
N
W
E
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ BOOKING FORM _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S
Please book me for ..... places,
West North East South
Pass
Pass
1o
Pass
1m
Pass
3m
Pass
4m
End
You lead the pA. Partner
follows with the p9 and
South with the p2. How
do you continue?
West North East South
Pass
1n
Pass
1m
Pass
3m
Pass
4m
End
Single ..... Double ..... Twin ..... Sea View .....
at the Beach Hotel weekend(s) of
............................................................................................
You lead the pA. Partner
follows with the p2 and
South with the p4. How
do you continue?
Mr/Mrs/Miss .....................................................................
Address...............................................................................
............................................................................................
m
n
o
p
2.
m
n
o
p
74
10 8 5 3
86
AK753
A982
A
KQJ53
J 10 6
N
W
E
S
West North East South
Pass
Pass
1o
Pass
1m
Pass
3m
Pass
4m
End
You lead the pA. Partner
discards the n2 and South
follows with the p2. How do
you continue?
m
n
o
p
4.
m
n
o
p
74
K 10 8 7
86
AK732
Postcode ............................................................................
AKQ2
Q6
KQJ53
10 9
......................................................................................
Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed,
but we will do our best to oblige)
N
W
E
S
..........................................................................................
Please send a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person per
place by cheque, payable to Mr Bridge. An invoice will be sent
with your booking confirmation. On receipt of your final payment, 28 days before the event, a programme and full details
will be sent together with a map. Cancellations are not refundable. Should you require insurance, you should contact your
own insurance broker.
West North East South
Pass
Pass
1o
Pass
1m
Dbl
4m
End
You lead the pA. Partner
plays the pQ and South
the p4. What do you
make of the first trick and
how do you continue?
, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
01483 489961 Fax 01483 797302
e-mail: leanora@mrbridge.co.uk
website: www.holidaybridge.com
Page 35
AT BARONY CASTLE
Eddleston by Peebles, Peebleshire, Scotland, EH45 8QWJ
Duplicate Weekends 2008
£209 per person full-board
DECLARER
PLAY
QUIZ
24-26 October
by Dave Huggett
Doubles with Derek Monk
(Answers on page 55)
7-9 November
Y
ou are South as declarer, playing teams or rubber bridge.
In each case, what is your play strategy?.
Signals & Discards with Chris Barrable
o Full-board
Friday to Sunday
o All rooms with
en-suite facilities
o No single supplement
o Venue non-smoking
o Use of swimming
pool and fitness suite
o Bidding quiz
and two seminars
1.
3.
m
n
o
p
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ BOOKING FORM _ _ _ _ _ _ _
m
n
o
p
QJ9
63
54
K Q 10 7 5 3
72
843
AKQ752
84
N
W
N
E
W
S
Please book me for ..... places,
m
n
o
p
Single ..... Double ..... Twin .....
at the Barony Castle weekend(s) of
E
S
m
n
o
p
A83
AK87
AK62
J4
A J 10
KQ2
96
AK752
............................................................................................
Mr/Mrs/Miss .....................................................................
Address...............................................................................
You are in 3NT and West
leads the m6. How do you
plan the play?
You are in 3NT. West
leads the m4 and East
plays the mQ. How do you
plan the play?
2.
4.
............................................................................................
Postcode ............................................................................
......................................................................................
m
n
o
p
Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed,
but we will do our best to oblige)
AQ73
76
AKQ43
82
..........................................................................................
m
n
o
p
A73
82
65
A Q 10 9 8 2
N
W
Please send a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person per
place by cheque, payable to Mr Bridge. An invoice will be sent
with your booking confirmation. On receipt of your final payment, 28 days before the event, a programme and full details
will be sent together with a map. Cancellations are not refundable. Should you require insurance, you should contact your
own insurance broker.
N
E
W
S
m
n
o
p
, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
01483 489961 Fax 01483 797302
e-mail: leanora@mrbridge.co.uk
website: www.holidaybridge.com
Page 36
Void
AK92
10 8 6 5
AKQJ3
You are in 7NT and West
leads the mJ. How do you
plan the play?
E
S
m
n
o
p
K84
A9743
AK72
K
You are in 3NT and West
leads the oQ. How do you
plan the play?
Freddie North Says
KISS
ome years ago, while aboard P &
O’s famous cruise liner Canberra,
I was due to partner a passenger
with whom I had never played before.
On asking what conventions she would
like to play, I received the surprise
response, ‘KISS’. Not having come
across this term before – in a bridge
sense – I felt a bit apprehensive.
Anyway, waiting for no longer than
needed for dramatic effect, my partner
explained ‘Keep it simple, stupid’. Now
all was clear and, in fact, I was in total
agreement, even if the flamboyant label
seemed a shade out of place.
I am sure you must have noticed how
unfamiliar partnerships often trip up
when one member or the other fails to
react correctly to a conventional bid or
signal. Perhaps one of them didn’t really
want to play the convention in the first
place but agreed to do so out of politeness
– or they simply took the line of least
resistance, hoping it wouldn’t crop up.
Over fifty years ago, before the advent
of transfers as we know them today,
Texas transfers started to become
popular. The idea was that over a 1NT
opening, responder could bid 4o or 4n
to ask opener to convert to the suit
above. It was easy enough to remember
to bid 4n over 4o but equally easy to
forget to convert 4n to 4m.
After some lapses Terence Reese and
Boris Schapiro, the number one British
pair, agreed a fining system in the hope
that this would jog the memory. Maybe
it did – but, of course, it requires many
advantageous hands to compensate for
one calamity, fine or no fine.
KISS applies just the same today. It is
better to play something imperfect that
you can remember than something
theoretically superior that you – sorry,
your partner – is prone to forget.
I recall a very recent deal that
illustrates only too clearly how KISS
would have saved the day.
S
m
n
o
p
Dealer East Love All. Pairs.
m QJ62
n KJ83
o Q76
p 52
K 10 8
m 95
N
Q 10 6 5
n 42
W
E
KJ52
o A93
S
73
p K Q 10 9 8 6
m A743
n A97
o 10 8 4
p AJ4
West
North
Pass
2n
Pass
Double
East
Pass
2p
End
South
1NT
Pass
As you can imagine, 2n doubled was a
disaster for East-West. A relentless
defence saw the contract go four down.
So, what went wrong? East-West were
playing that 2p normally showed both
majors. There was a proviso in place; a
passed hand could use double for the
majors, leaving 2p free as a natural
overcall. West simply forgot!
You can guess what went wrong on
the next deal, again a case of no KISS…
m
n
o
p
Dealer South. Love All.
m Q53
n AK98
o 63
p 7632
10
m 72
J 10 6
n Q542
N
W
E
Q9872
o K J 10 5
S
AK94
p Q J 10
m AKJ9864
n 73
o A4
p 85
Page 37
The bidding was over quickly even
though it might appear bizarre. South
opened 4o and all passed! North had
forgotten that the partnership were
playing ‘Namyats’, whereby 4p and 4o
show ‘good’ pre-empts in hearts and
spades respectively (4n and 4m
openings are weaker). The concept is
sound – pity about the result!
It never ceases to amaze me how
players get themselves mixed up with
their signals. What usually happens is
that one member of the partnership
foists their ideas (or a newly learnt toy)
on a reluctant partner. What is wrong
with a simple form of high encourages,
low discourages and suit preference
when – and only when – applicable?
m
n
o
p
m
n
o
p
Q J 10 8
AQ
J
AKJ975
9752
4
N
A K Q 10 8 4 W E
S
10 4
m AK
n K 10 9 8 6
o 72
p Q3
m
n
o
p
643
J72
9653
862
53
A simple sequence put South in 6n.
West led the ace of diamonds. East,
desperate for a continuation to defeat the
contract (dummy’s forced high ruff
would promote the jack of hearts),
played the nine. Alas, West took this as a
suit-preference signal and shifted to a
spade. KISS, where are you?
Finally, I must tell you of the time a
famous international pair bid to a grand
slam missing the ace of trumps. Boris
Schapiro, ever the jester, announced,
‘The ace of trumps was on the wrong
side. It could happen to anyone!’
I
Mike Wenble Says
Lead Towards
Strength
f you need one trick from Layout A
below, what is your best line?
I
Layout A
QJ6
Layout B
A J 10
N
W
N
E
W
S
The theme should be clear: to make the
most tricks in a suit, you usually lead
from small cards towards honours,
rather than playing off top cards. With
this in mind, here are a couple of layouts
for you as a test. The answers are at the
foot of the article.
E
S
532
Layout D
KJ75
532
Layout E
AQ64
N
N
Correct with Layout A is to lead low
from South, and if West follows low,
play the queen (or jack). If this loses to
the ace or king, you later lead towards
the remaining honour. You succeed if the
ace and king are split or West has both.
If you start (wrongly) with the lead of
the queen, the defenders can thwart you
any time the missing honours are split.
Layout B is similar, except your target
is two tricks. Correct is small to the ten,
and if that loses, small to the jack. This
also succeeds about 75% of the time,
failing only when East holds the king
and queen. If you start by cashing the
ace, you are very likely to fail.
Playing towards strength might mean
you play a high-spot card from the other
hand. Consider the following:
Layout C
W
N
E
S
532
This is the first suit Victor Mollo and
Nico Gardener discuss in their classic
Card Play Technique. Correct is small
from hand, inserting the nine if West
plays low. You succeed if West holds the
K-10 or Q-10. If you play small to the
jack, you succeed only when West holds
the K-Q – half as likely.
E
S
Q42
J753
1 How do you play D for three tricks?
2 How do you play E for four tricks?
Sometimes your high cards are split
between the two hands, and it may not
appear to matter how you play the suit.
With K-5-4 facing Q-6-2, you expect to
make only one trick unless someone
happens to hold a doubleton ace. Still,
appearances can be deceptive. Let us see
this in the context of a full deal.
AJ9
W
W
E
S
m
n
o
p
m
n
o
p
K J 10 3 2
Void
Q J 10 6 2
A97
m
n
o
p
74
AK93
AK95
Q62
N
W
E
S
m
n
o
p
985
87
8743
J 10 8 3
AQ6
Q J 10 6 5 4 2
Void
K54
West opened 1m, North doubled, and
South finished up in 6n. West led the
queen of diamonds.
How do you think the play went?
Page 40
Declarer played low from dummy and
ruffed in hand! He drew two rounds of
trumps and then led a club towards the
queen. West ducked, so the queen won.
Declarer then threw the two clubs he had
left in his hand on the diamonds, losing
just a spade trick. Had West gone in with
the ace of clubs, the slam would still
make. The K-Q of clubs would be high
and declarer throws two spades on the
A-K of diamonds.
The point here is that declarer can
place West with the ace of clubs from
the bidding. Hence, the king of clubs is
not real ‘strength’ – its main value is in
promoting dummy’s queen. To lead
towards the club king (or indeed, to lead
towards the spade queen for a futile
finesse) will lead to defeat.
Now the answers to my questions:
Layout D
KJ75
Layout E
AQ64
N
W
N
E
S
Q42
W
E
S
J753
1 Lead low towards the king-jack and,
if West plays low, put up an honour
(say the king). If this holds, playing
back towards the queen will give you
three tricks only if the suit breaks 3-3,
and not otherwise. If the king wins,
correct is to return to the South hand
and play small towards the jack. This
wins if the suit splits 3-3 or West
holds the doubleton ace.
2 You can only win four tricks if West
has king doubleton, so this is what
you play for. Once again, correct is to
play a small card towards the stronger
hand – in this case, the ace-queen.
Note that, if you start by leading the
jack, West will cover and you must
lose a trick.
I
Online Bridge at
Bridgebase.com
by Lawrence Cohen
P
laying bridge online – playing on
the internet as opposed to ‘face to
face’ – is increasingly popular
these days. Readers may be familiar
with
Bridge
Club
Live
(www.bridgeclublive.com) which is
affiliated to the EBU. Some of these
sites (such as Bridge Club Live) charge
an annual subscription. Some are free to
join and play. The quality of the
software needed to play and of what
you actually see on screen varies
enormously.
page of the website. There you will see
a link to download the software. Click
on this link and just follow the
instructions – I promise you, in less than
five minutes, you will be able to play
bridge to your heart’s content!
Once you run the software, you will
see the opening screen. There is a very
good ‘help’ part of the site, which is
easy to follow. One can come and go as
one pleases. There is no need to stay for
any particular time. You can play one
Absolutely Free!
However, the very best
free-to-join and play
bridge website in the
world is undoubtedly
Bridge Base Online
(www.bridgebase.com)
This is a site created
many years ago by
Fred Gitelman – a
world-class player formerly of Canada but
now resident in Las
Vegas. The site has
over 100,000 members
worldwide with anything up to 12,000
playing at any one time. Do not let this
frighten you off, however! I want to tell
you about a very small part of the site
that will be of great interest to all Acol
players who would like to try playing
online.
How to Start
Before I do that, I should tell you a little
more about how to start playing bridge
online at www.bridgebase.com. This is
brilliantly simple and you do not need
to know much about computers to do it.
All you have to do is go to the home
hand or 40 hands; it does not matter.
The site is open 24/7 and there are
always people to play with.
Bridge Playing Rooms
There are various bridge-playing
‘rooms’ on the site for all levels of
players and all sorts of systems.
Amongst these ‘rooms’ are some
‘clubs’ that anyone can go to and play.
There is no need to ‘join’ these clubs
and there is absolutely no charge at all.
When I started playing, there was no
club devoted specifically to Acol
Page 41
players. This meant that I found it
difficult to find partners. So, I decided
to open a club of my own on Bridge
Base Online. I have no premises, there
is no charge and anyone can play there!
The Acol Players’ Bridge Club
The club I opened is ‘The Acol Players’
Bridge Club’. I am the ‘manager’ of the
club. www.acolatbbo.org.uk is it’s website address. Over the years, the club
has
grown
and
grown. From a starting point of 1 or 2
tables, we now have
up to 20 tables a
night, with predominantly UK based
players. The unique
point of the club is
that you can be sure
of finding a table of
like-minded
Acol
players! This is the
only free Acol club
on the internet. We
have weekly lessons
and guided play sessions for all levels of
players – from beginners to experts – as
well as teams events and tournaments.
You can play any sort of scoring system
from duplicate to matchpoints and rubber bridge too.
To get to the club from the opening
screen, click on ‘click to play and watch
bridge’, then ‘private and public clubs’,
then click on ‘all public clubs’ and then,
right at the top of the list is the ‘Acol
Players’ Bridge Club’. Click on that link
and join a table or even start one of your
own!
I look forward to seeing you at the
Club! You can look forward to many
I
hours of fast and friendly bridge!
Bridge H
Cruises and
Looking for a holiday, short break or a cruise? Why not choose one from our exte
APRIL 2008
4–
6 Horsley Park
APRIL cont
MAY cont
18 – 20 Staverton Park
16 – 18 Milton Hill House
18 – 20 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
16 – 18 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
25 – 27 Theobalds Park
The Olde Barn, Marston
4–
4–
25 – 27 Staverton Park
Improvers
18 – 20 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
26 –10/5 Caribbean &
Atlantic Isles
25 – 27 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
Marsham Court, Bournemouth
23 – 26 Staverton Park
Bank Holiday
(3 nights)
11 – 13 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
25 – 7/8 Arctic Circle
& Eclipse
AUGUST 2008
7 – 14 Fjords &
Fairytales
24 – 31 Norwegian
Fjords
11 – 13 Theobalds Park
11 – 13 Wychwood Park
MV Discovery
MAY 2008
2–
5 Staverton Park
Bank Holiday
(3 nights)
9 – 11 Harben House
31 –11/6 Fjords,
Faroes,
Fire & Ice I
JUNE 2008
6–
8 The Beach Hotel
6–
8 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
9 – 11 Milton Hill House
11 – 21 Midnight Sun
9 – 11 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
13 – 15 Harben House
9 – 11 The Olde Barn
Rubber Bridge
Latimer House, Chesham
11 – 13 Harben House
14 – 25 Fjords,
Faroes,
Fire & Ice II
6 The Beach Hotel
Rubber Bridge
14 – 27 Amazon and
the Caribbean
4 – 14 Fjords &
Scottish
Islands
25 – 27 The Olde Barn
Gentle Duplicate
6 Latimer House
Improvers
13 – 15 Marsham Court
Gentle Duplicate
16 – 18 The Olde Barn
JULY 2008
10 – 24 Northern Capitals
Staverton Park, Daventry
7 – 24 Grand
Scandinavia
8 – 10 Harben House
21 – 4/7 Baltic
Treasures
14 – 24 Baltic Capitals
27 – 29 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
15 – 17 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
Holidays,
d Weekends
ensive list. Cruises are in blue, overseas holidays in green and UK breaks in black.
AUGUST cont
22 – 25 Staverton Park
Bank Holiday
(3 nights)
SEPTEMBER cont
OCTOBER cont
12 – 14 Milton Hill House
10 – 12 Staverton Park
Improvers
12 – 14 Staverton Park
19 – 21 Latimer House
19 – 21 Milton Hill House
20 –2/10 Adriatic and
Aegean Treasures
26 – 28 Milton Hill House
13 – 24 Black Sea
Discovery II
17 – 19 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
NOVEMBER 2008
4 – 16 North
African
Treasures
7–
9 Barony Castle
7–
9 Harben House
Gentle Duplicate
17 – 19 The Beach Hotel
17 – 19 Theobalds Park
24 – 26 The Olde Barn
24 – 26 Barony Castle
Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia
24 – 26 Harben House
Gentle Duplicate
22 – 24 Theobalds Park
or 25 Rubber / Chicago
24 – 26 Wychwood Park
24 – 4/9 Baltic Explorer
24 –4/11 Adriatic and
Aegean Odyssey
29 – 31 Staverton Park
Barony Castle, Nr Peebles
26 – 28 Marsham Court
26 – 28 Staverton Park
31 –2/11 Milton Hill House
Improvers
26 – 28 The Beach Hotel
Rubber / Chicago
31 –2/11 Staverton Park
26 – 28 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
Milton Hill House, Oxon
9 Milton Hill House
7–
9 The Olde Barn
Improvers
14 – 16 Staverton Park
14 – 16 Theobalds Park
16 –7/12 Voyage to
South
America
21 – 23 Latimer House
3 Marsham Court
4 – 11 Riviera Cruise
2 – 13 Black Sea
Discovery I
5–
7 Wychwood Park
3–
5 Harben House
5–
7 Theobalds Park
3–
5 Theobalds Park
11 – 20 Italian Odyssey
7–
OCTOBER 2008
1–
SEPTEMBER 2008
31 –2/11 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
Theobalds Park, Cheshunt
10 – 12 Milton Hill House
21 – 23 Staverton Park
Gentle Duplicate
28 – 30 Milton Hill House
28 – 30 Theobalds Park
Gentle Duplicate
The Beach Hotel, Worthing
28 – 30 The Olde Barn
PROGRAMME
This is the format for all
duplicate weekends and
rarely varies.
AT THE OLDE BARN
Toll Bar Road, Marston, Lincolnshire, NG32 2HT
FRIDAY
o Full-board
Friday to Sunday
o All rooms with
en-suite facilities
o No single supplement
o Venue non-smoking
o Use of swimming
pool and fitness suite
o Bidding quiz & two seminars
(on duplicate weekends only)
1500
AT THE
OLDE
BARN
Welcome Desk open
Afternoon Tea
1745 to 1830
Welcome drinks
reception
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ BOOKING FORM _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Please book me for ..... places,
1830 to 2000
DINNER
2015 BRIDGE
SESSION 1
DUPLICATE PAIRS
Single ..... Double ..... Twin .....
for the Olde Barn weekend(s) of .......................................
SATURDAY
............................................................................................
0800 to 0930
BREAKFAST
Mr/Mrs/Miss .....................................................................
1000 to 1230
SEMINAR &
SUPERVISED PLAY
of SET HANDS 1
(tea & coffee at 1100)
Address...............................................................................
............................................................................................
1230 to 1330
COLD BUFFET
LUNCH
Postcode .................................. ....................................
Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed,
but we will do our best to oblige)
1400 to 1645
BRIDGE
SESSION 2
TEAMS of FOUR
...........................................................................................
Please give the name(s) of all those covered by this booking
...........................................................................................
Please send a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person per place
by cheque, payable to Mr Bridge. An invoice will be sent with
your booking confirmation. On receipt of your final payment,
28 days before the event, a programme and full details will be
sent together with a map. Cancellations are not refundable.
Should you require insurance, you should contact your own
insurance broker.
SUNDAY
28-30 Nov (£199)
1400 to 1645
BRIDGE
SESSION 4
DUPLICATE PAIRS
Page 44
Further into
the Auction
Ray Hutchinson
Improvers*
Take-out Doubles
Ray Hutchinson
1230 to 1400
CARVERY LUNCH
e-mail: leanora@mrbridge.co.uk
website: www.holidaybridge.com
24-26 Oct (£199)
2015 BRIDGE
SESSION 3
DUPLICATE PAIRS
(CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)
01483 489961 Fax 01483 797302
Overcalls
Alison Nicolson
7-9 Nov (£199)
1000 to 1230
SEMINAR &
SUPERVISED PLAY
of SET HANDS 2
(tea & coffee at 1100)
, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
16-18 May (£199)
1815 to 2000
DINNER
0800 to 0930
BREAKFAST
Expiry: ............................ CVV.................... Issue No. ...............
2008
Signals & Discards
Ray Hutchinson
No Single
Supplement
Room upgrades and
special B&B rates
for Sunday nights
are available.
*Improvers’ Weekends are
aimed at the novice player
and/or those picking up the
game after a long break.