Best Bidding
Balanced hands and the notrump ladder
Playing “standard” or Two-Over-One, balanced hands are usually easy to handle when it comes to opening the bidding. The following chart is simple to follow:
Avoid opening hands such as:
♠ A 6 4
♥ K 7 3 2
♦ Q 9 4
♣ Q 8 2
Holding:
♠ K J 2
♥ 9 3
♦ A K 5 4
♣ Q 10 7 3
Open 1♦. If partner responds 1♥, bid 1NT.
With:
♠ K Q 9 2
♥ K Q 8
♦ A Q 7 3
♣ 9 5
Open 1NT. Don’t let the low doubleton in clubs bother you. 1NT is the best description.
If you hold:
♠ A J 9
♥ K 10 2
♦ K J 5 4
♣ A Q 6
Open 1♦ (your longest suit), and if partner responds 1♥ or 1♠, you will next jump to 2NT.
Here’s a 2NT opener:
♠ Q 9 8 7 3
♥ A K 2
♦ K Q 10
♣ A Q
Even with a five-card spade suit, this hand is balanced and has 20 HCP.
Many pairs use a strong, forcing and artificial 2♣ to announce a powerhouse. If partner responds 2♦ – commonly used as a waiting bid to see what opener has – opener’s 2NT follow-up shows a balanced 22–24 HCP:
♠ A Q 7
♥ K Q 3 2
♦ A J 8
♣ A K 4
Bridge Term Breakdown
Position (noun)
1. There are different ways to describe where players sit at the table. One way is the compass position: North, South, East and West:
2. Another way to describe position is first seat (the dealer), second seat, third seat and fourth seat:
3. Once the bidding starts, the first player to bid is called the opener. If opener’s partner bids something, that player is called the responder:
4. If an opponent bids directly after the opener, that player is the overcaller. If the partner of the overcaller bids, that player is known as the advancer:
Declarer Tips
Taking care of business
After you open 2NT as South, showing 20–21 high-card points, North raises to 6NT.
The opening lead from West, on your left, is the ♠J. What’s your plan to take 12 tricks?
Answer:In notrump contracts, it’s often helpful to count your “sure” winners as soon as you see the dummy. Here, you have three spades (♠ A K Q), three hearts (♥ A K Q) and three diamonds (♦ A K Q) for a total of nine. How do you get the remaining three tricks? From clubs, of course. Therefore, before taking any of these fast winners, you should work on the club suit.
After winning the opening spade lead in your hand, you should drive out the opponents’ ♣A: Play the ♣K at trick two. After one of your opponents takes the ace, you can win whatever suit is returned and take the rest of the tricks.
Here’s the full deal:
If you take your sure winners before tackling the clubs, the contract will fail. Look at the West hand: If declarer cashes the top spades, hearts and diamonds and only then plays a club, West will win the ace and cash a winner in spades, hearts and diamonds to beat 6NT by three tricks!
Lesson: In notrump, consider establishing winners in suits that require knocking out the opponents’ winners before cashing your fast tricks.
