Negative Doubles

November 26th, 2008  ~  Barbara Seagram  ~  6 Comments 

The following excerpt is from a recent article posted at www.masteringbridge.com:

In the world of old-fashioned Standard American, if you are not playing Negative Doubles, then the following Auction

	1♠
1♦		Dbl

would have to be a penalty double. This in effect dares the opponents to make their contract of 1 Spade, suggesting that they cannot make it.

Since the opportunity to double the opponents for penalties at this low a level comes up so seldom, the word “double” is now used to have a different meaning, in the world of modern bridge. Thus, the Negative Double was invented.

Imagine that you pick up this hand:

	1♠
1♦		♠ 432 ♥ A432 ♦ 32 ♠ A432

Partner opens with 1♦. Your RHO overcalls 1♠. If you don’t play negative doubles, you would have to pass. Playing negative doubles, you will now say “double” & this will show partner that you have the 2 unbid suits AND enough points to respond to partner’s opening bid (6 or more points)

[ Read the full article at http://www.masteringbridge.com ]

Having a Fit

July 8th, 2008  ~  Barbara Seagram  ~  No Comments 

Since the dawn of civilization, superstars have dreamt up conventions that help us locate a major-suit fit: Stayman, Michaels Cuebids, and Negative Doubles among many others.

With this in mind, what will you bid when partner opens 1♣ and RHO (right-hand opponent) overcalls 1D♦?

♠ KJ542
♥ Q876
♦ 3
♣ 976

Answer: You should make a negative double, since if you bid 1♠, your potential heart fit may get lost forever. In other words, if you bid 1♠ and LHO now bids 3♦, you are not strong enough to bid 3♥ if the next two players pass. However, if your hand were stronger (10 or more points), you should bid 1♠ first, since you could afford to bid hearts later.

Now take a look at this treasure: Partner opens 1♦, RHO overcalls 1♠ and you have:

♠ 32
♥ 5432
♦ AK1052
♣ K2

Don’t bid 3♦, a non-forcing limit raise, promising 10-12 points. To show partner that you have four hearts, you must instead make a negative double — maybe she started life with four hearts also. If partner now bids 2♣ (your double suggests that you also have clubs), then your next bid should be 3♦.

Hang in there, we aren’t through yet!
You open 1♦ on these cards:
♠ A32
♥ 32
♦ AK762
♣ Q87

Your partner responds 1♠ (opponents cooperate at last by passing). What is your rebid? Since 1♠ is forcing, you must bid again if you wish to live through the day,.

The correct rebid is 2♠. It is a myth that you must have 4-card support to raise responder’s major. True, you would prefer to rebid 1NT but, because you have no heart stopper, you cannot. It is seldom right to rebid a 5-card minor, (there is practically always something better to do in life!) so since you have a useless doubleton in hearts (a ‘ruffing value’), raise to 2♠. Partner should not bid her spades again with only four of them.
Give partner the following hand: (The auction has gone

♠ KQ65
♥ K6
♦ Q108
♣ A942

Over your 2♠ rebid, partner will bid 3NT. If you (East) actually had 4-card spade support, you would now correct to 4♠. You will practically never get to game on a 4-3 major suit fit.

Give West 3 fewer HCP.

Once again, if you (East) actually had 4-card spade support, you would now correct to 3♠ or 4♠, depending on how many points you have as the opening bidder.

♠ K865
♥ K6
♦ Q108
♣ K942

And now for one more test: Partner opens 1♣:

♠ AK98
♥ A987
♦ K985
♣ 4

Well? I would strongly recommend responding 1♦ with this hand. When you are responding with 10 or more points, always bid your 4-card suits up the line (with a weaker hand, bypass the diamond suit and bid 1♥ as you’ll only get one kick at the can).

Bidding 1♦ prepares you perfectly for every eventuality: if partner now bids hearts or spades, you can raise to game. But what if partner bids 1NT instead? Do you bother to mention your spade suit? No, partner does not have four hearts or four spades: she has specifically denied this by bidding 1NT. Raise to 3NT immediately in this scenario.

Playing in an 8-card major-suit fit contract is always safer than playing in notrump. Whenever you miss one, take the time to go over the hand later and determine where you went wrong.

Common Pitfalls in Bidding

July 7th, 2008  ~  Barbara Seagram  ~  2 Comments 

♠ AKxxx
♥ AKxxx
♦ Kx
♣ x

19 points including distribution. You still must start by bidding 1♠ as opening bidder. Some think that they would like to bid hearts first and then bid spades later, so that they can show a big hand by “reversing”. A reverse (when opener bids a new suit at the 2 level higher in rank than the suit they opened) always promises more cards in the first suit than in the second. It is true that you would be showing a 17 + point hand by bidding hearts first, but you would also be distorting the shape of the hand by promising more hearts than spades.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

♠ Jxxxx
♥ AQJ10x
♦ x
♣ Kx

You must open with the higher ranking 1♠ even with this weak hand and better hearts. It is all about quantity, not quality. If you start with 1♥ and partner bids 2♦, now what?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

♠ KQxx
♥ xxx
♦ AKJ
♣ xxx

You must open with 1♣. If you start with 1♦ (tempting) then what do you now bid when partner responds 2♣.
With 3-3 in minors, always open with 1♣. With 4-4 in minors, always open with 1♦.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

♠ xx
♥ xxx
♦ Kxxx
♣ AKQx

Open with 1♦.
If you open with 1♣ and partner now bids either 1♥ or 1♠, you do not have a rebid. The rules of opening the bidding are all based on having a legal rebid later.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

♠ AQJxxx
♥ x
♦ Kxxx
♣ xx

You are the dealer. What do you open? NOT 2♠. Your hand is way too good, even though you have the classic requirements that you have heard about: 6-10 HCP and a good quality 6 card suit. This hand adds up to 13 points including distribution or if you count points the other way i.e. length, you must use the rule of 20. (Add your HCP and the number of cards in your two longest suits. If this adds to 20 or more, open with one of a suit.) Either way you have a full opening bid. Start the bidding with 1♠.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

♠ AQxxx
♥ KJxx
♦ xx
♣ xx

Partner opens 1NT. Now what?
You must use Stayman. If you use a transfer, your ♥ suit will remain undisclosed forever.
Here is partner’s hand:

♠ xx
♥ AQxx
♦ AKxx
♣ Qxx

You transfer to spades (not knowing that you should always bid Stayman with 5-4 in the majors) and then when partner bids 2♠, you now bid 3NT. Your opponents take the first 5♣ tricks. You should be in the safe contract of 4♥.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope it all makes sense.

Barbara Seagram
bseagram@ca.inter.net

Bidding quiz by Barbara Seagram

December 27th, 2007  ~  Barbara Seagram  ~  3 Comments 

Having never heard of blogging until quite recently, I proceed with great
caution. This post is really for novices and intermediates. Tell me what your
bid should be?

You hold the following hands. The bidding has proceeded: 1C – Pass- Pass to
you

1. S Qx H AJ10 D Kxxx C QJ109

2. S Qxx H AJ10 D KQX C AJ9x

3. S Q5432 H xx D AQxx C xx

4. S Axx H Axxx D Q10x Cxxx

5. S  KQ10xx H xx D AKQx C xx

6. S xx H AQx D xxx C AQJ98

And now tell me what your bid would have been if the bidding had proceeded 1C on your right?

More later!

Barbara Seagram www.barbaraseagram.com