The Times Improve Your Bridge Game - Andrew Robson

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Against West’s 2
contract, North cashed
AK and simply played on clubs, later conceding
Q. Eight tricks and contract made.

       What should have happened

      Against 3

AK and switches to
K, to avoid East overtrumping. He cashes
A, crosses to
J, then plays his top diamonds. Nine tricks and contract made.

      Respond a suit (four(+) cards) at the one-level in preference to 1NT.

       Deal 17

      Unless he can support – top priority – the basic principle for responder is to bid a suit to a suit. He does this in order to locate a fit. To this end, with two four-card suits, he should bid the cheaper, that is to say the one he reaches first as he works up the bidding ladder. If responder bids four-card suits ‘up the line’, no fit can be missed.

       What happened

      South made the mistake of responding 1

. ‘I was worried about missing a spade fit’, was his excuse. The point is that if opener has four spades, HE will rebid 1
and the fit will be found. At least South did not respond 1NT – a worse mistake (see last deal).

      South’s failure to respond 1

, the cheaper of his four-card suits, resulted in the suit never being mentioned. It was normal for North to compete to 3
overcall and then give in.

      Defending 3

Q. South won
A and switched to
2. North won
AQ. Down one but better was available…

       What should have happened

      Against 5

3. Declarer wins
A, crosses to
K, up to
AQ, trumps
5, then cashes the established
874. Eleven tricks and game made.

      Bid the cheaper of four-card suits as responder.

       Deal 18

      You may be wondering if it is EVER appropriate for responder to reply notrumps to a suit bid? The answer is yes, but only with a weak hand that has no higher-ranking four-card suit (which can be bid at the one-level). A two-over-one response (e.g. 1

) should not be made with six measly points. Some schools think 10 points must be held; some a good eight. The reality is that the criteria should be a combination of the overall strength of your hand combined with the length of the suit in which you wish to respond. I offer you The Rule of 14: Respond in a new suit at the two-level if the number of high-card points in your hand added to the number of cards in your suit reaches 14. If not, respond 1NT.

       What happened

      East led the

. Declarer won with dummy’s
Q, led
6 to
K, and cashed
A (East discarding
4). He next (questionably) gave West his Скачать книгу