Seriously Social Bridge in 2010

“Don’t forget that bridge is a game to be enjoyed and it is more important that you do this than anything else!”

 

NEW!       BIDDING AT BRIDGE BY GEORGE CUPPAIDGE, JANUARY 2010  (see below) this is seriously interesting

 

 

 

This article below appeared in all Sunday papers in Australia, EXCEPT QUEENSLAND.  Drat!  It was the lead article in discussing holidays for Special Interest people – that’s us, written by travel writer Tricia Welsh who has experienced first hand the luxury on cruising on the Mekong on a Pandaw.  This is the trip we will be undertaking in September of this year.

 

 

Boomers Special interest

 

Plan for pursuit of passions

 

 

“Why take chances when you can nail down your perfect getaway?” writes Tricia Welsh.

 

NOT everyone wants to just jump on a plane and take pot luck with whatever they find at the other end. Some like to plan their adventures around specific pursuits or personal passions. Here are some of the best special-interest tours available for next year. 

 

Bridge Mekong River, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Learn the finer points of bridge with Brisbane-based expert Denise Dodd of Seriously Social Bridge as you float along the mighty Mekong River between Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and temple-rich Siem Reap in Cambodia. Absorb the colourful history, rich culture and exotic flavours of the east on board the RV Tonle Pandaw - a replica of the colonial riverboats that once plied the waters of Burma - as you shop in local markets, visit fabulous monuments, dine on local cuisine and finesse your every move.

 

When: Sept 22-Oct 6 Cost:  $4312 twin share main deck, all-inclusive (including airfares ex­-Brisbane, gratuities onboard).

More: Contact Alma Travel Centre. freecall 1800 622 661. www.pandaw.com

 

 

 

 

January Newsletter

 

Our September trip to Vietnam and Cambodia includes “Bridge over the Mekong” on a Pandaw  and a visit to the ancient Angkorian sites

 

 

Hi Everyone,

 

I’ve discovered there are some really positive things about ageing.  One is that when you travel alone through many parts of Cambodia and Thailand, as I just did, people, young and old, go out of their way to help.  Family ties are everything and their oldies are revered. Their generosity, gentleness and good humour made all the difference to a trip that sometimes might have become a wee bit testy.  I can honestly say that I was looked after at times by complete strangers in a fashion usually reserved for family.

 

 

The highlight was the four weeks I spent volunteering at an Australian organized orphanage www.hopeforcambodianchildren.org in Battambang.  The 120 children have so little but display so many admirable qualities. The ability to readily laugh and smile and take great pleasure in the day-to-day activities is second nature to them. I taught them to sing “Jingle Bells” which rapidly became known as “Giggle Bells”.  I intend returning at the end of this year.  If you want to know more about this organization, please refer their website.

Our venues at the Cricketers and Kedron reopen on the lst and 2nd February, respectively.  I look forward to seeing you after such a long break.  I’m invigorated and have some interesting ideas - I think so anyway - for our Bridge + holiday enjoyment this year.

 

Whilst in Bangkok I met up with my bridge pal, George Cuppaidge, whom I haven’t seen for years.  George, one of Australia’s great players, is also a colourful, charming character, a bon vivant and a lateral thinker.  He is generous to a fault, sharing not only his table but his considerable bridge knowledge.  He and I spent hours talking bridge, playing on the internet, and going over notes and systems he has devised over the years. Now retired from law, he spends most of his time playing online at www.bridgebase.com   He has been writing for the Queensland Bridge Bulletin for yonks.  Have a look at one of his many bridge columns www.qldbridge.com  under “Bridge newsletters”, usually p.3

 

If you have been thinking about playing bridge online, but haven’t quite got round to it for one reason or another, then think again. I can arrange for you to play with George for an hour or two and play your local club standard or move slowly to another dimension that you might only have read about. This arrangement is geared for YOUR STANDARD so don’t be shy.  Contact me and  I will send you all the information you need to get started.

 

NEGATIVE DOUBLES

Just one of the many things we spoke about.  I mentioned that my students found them difficult to learn and apply and their approach was to bid pretty much naturally over interference if they could.  When supervising, I often used to suggest after say, 1S opening by partner, 2D overcall, that opener’s partner make a negative double with (sometimes)  limited values and support for the other suits.  My students baulked at this suggestion as they said the negative double often got them too high.  And mostly they were right!  The alternative is to raise partner if you can at the appropriate level, but pass with limited values and no support, as partner gets another bid.  More on that at one of my Advancing classes later on.

 

OPENING LIGHTER

George also likes to open light. Funnily enough, a lot of my students do this automatically if the hand is very shapely!  Once again, doing what comes naturally may not be as much of a disadvantage as we originally thought. 

 

GRATUTIOUS DOUBLES, SILLY OVERCALLS, AND MOST CONVENTIONS HE FINDS ABHORRANT.  His system card is practically empty and I agree that we have made the game too complicated by adding so much “stuff”.  Keep it simple definitely applies to bridge.

 

So my advancing classes will be on what we need to discard from our bridge systems.  Declutter.  Details to follow soon.

 

This is going to be a “live” newsletter so I’ll add to it from time to time as the need arises. Please continue to let me have your ideas and suggestions. I welcome your enquiries.

 

 

Give more, enjoy life, love bridge

Denise

 

No partner:    It’s a common cry, “I don’t have a partner”.  I can, and will find someone for you to play with, several in fact, until you find someone with whom you “click”.  No partner, no play, not a reason, an excuse.  That’s OK, you decide.  Let me know if I can help.

 

A Special Pairs Event

“Arthritis Week 2010”

When: Monday, 22nd March

Time:  9.15 am for 10 am start

 

 

The event will be opened by Lynne Newcome,

Education Manager of Arthritis Queensland,

a NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION.

 

 

Over $1,000 value in Raffles and “spot prizes” to be won

 

9.15 am:         Morning tea and refreshments on arrival, followed by Bridge.

 

                      1pm:     Presentation of Raffle Winners Informal light lunch available afterwards (pay separately)

 

Free Parking in Vulture Street car park (short walk to venue – no steps)

or in Member’s carpark, enter via Main Street

 

 

This is the first of our 2010 fun functions – don’t miss out!

Net proceeds from this event will be donated to Arthritis Qld.

 

 

When partner leads a “Nine”

 

When partnering novices I ask them not to lead nines (this is hard for them as they seem to love leading nines). They ask, “but what if it’s my fourth highest?”  Did you know there is no holding from which a nine is fourth highest?

 

Partner would lead an honour from any of these holdings when defending no-trumps or a suit contract:  *A-J-10-9, 

K-Q-10-9, K-Q-J-9. Usually a nine indicates a doubleton, singleton or top of nothing   9-8-3. 

 

Why would partner lead the top card from a suit without an honour?  It’s to warn us we shouldn’t automatically be returning the suit.  Partner might be leading a short suit because the opponents bid partner’s long suit.  Or partner may he hoping to find your longest suit. * Lead the ace if you are defending a suit contract.

 

 

HOT TIP! Eight Ever, Nine Never

 

All this adage means is that when you have a nine-card fit missing the queen, you should play the ace and king first, hoping to drop the missing honour. 

                               

DUMMY                                KJ92

 

DECLARER                           A10872

 

Play the ace and the king and hope for the best! If, however, there are inferences from the bidding (say your left hand opponent preempted 3, and you found yourself in a contract of 4 with the above trumps, then you would disregard the adage “Eight ever, nine never” as the chances are your left hand opponent will be short in this suit.  You should cash the king first and “run” the jack on the next round.  

 

 

 

A young George, left, playing against the multi talented Omar Shariff

Bidding at bridge by George Cuppaidge, January 2010

“Bridge is a remarkable game and the sophisticated bidding phase is the aspect that separates

it from all other card games”

 

The two partners exchange bids which describe the strength and distribution of the hand at the same time estimating the number of tricks they can take with their two hands combined. By exchanging this information in a simple, straightforward and ordered way remarkable accuracy as to the combined trick-taking potential can be achieved. The scoring table rewards you according to the level you undertake to achieve and succeed in achieving. To bid a grand slam is an undertaking to win all the tricks with your selected suit as trumps or with no trump suit. In duplicate bridge the bonus for bidding and making a grand slam, all thirteen tricks, is 1000 non-vulnerable and 1500 vulnerable. Other bonuses are, 500 and 1000 for a small slam, twelve of the thirteen tricks, 300 and 500 for game, nine tricks in no trump, ten in a major suit and eleven in a minor suit. The bonus for bidding and making a part-score, a lower level contract in any of these denominations is 50.

 

The bidding system described here is known as a “Standard” system. Major suit openings in first or second position show a five-card or longer suit. The 1NT opening bid shows a balanced hand with 15-17 high card points. The two strong opening bids are 2NT, 20-22 points, balanced and 2C all other strong hands, 20+ high card points. The opening bids of 2D, 2H and 2S are weak and show length and strength in the suit bid. It is a simple, natural system, it employs very few conventional treatments. Its accent is on bidding the cards you hold rather than the points you hold. It will equip you for success in bridge at any level. Rather than improve the system as you get better, it will be necessary, only, to improve the way you play it. Good luck!

 

Before you embark on any system it is vital to remember one thing. Bridge is a game of cards! The object is to triumph over your opponents. You don't do that by slavishly following a set of rules, any set of rules. You do it by using your bidding system as your slave, not your master. At all times keep the presence of your opponents firmly in mind. While you are seeking out your own bidding objectives you are simultaneously trying to make life as hard for them as you can. Your bidding can actually help them, and vice versa of course. So try to be as unhelpful as you can and to draw inferences from what you hear. Use the opponent’s bids as a spring-board. These are not easy things to do and only much experience will hone these vital skills. Keep them in mind from the outset and you will learn them faster.

 

 

The lowest opening bid of all is 1C and if the bidding stops there, the bidder is obliged to win seven tricks with clubs as trump to fulfill his contract. The highest bid, and of course the highest scoring bid, is 7NT an undertaking to win all the tricks with no suit trumps. Ace is always high and the two is always low, there are no jokers or bowers in bridge. In a no trump contract the winner of a trick is the card led unless someone can play a higher card in the same suit. In a trump contract the same is true, but a player void in the suit led can “ruff” it, which means to play a trump. The trump will win the trick unless someone can (legally) play a higher trump, “over-ruff.”

 

 

The dealer has the first opportunity to bid, he can elect to make any bid from 1C upwards or to pass. In Australia and England, if the bidding is spoken and not written, we indicate pass by saying “no bid,” in America the expression is “pass.”

 

 

Partnerships adopt a “bidding system.” They agree between themselves what any particular bid will mean to them when made in a particular context, i.e as an opening bid, as a response to an opening bid or as a rebid by opener, etc, etc. It is part of bridge that any understandings or agreements that you and your partner have between you must be disclosed to your opponents if they ask you at their turn to bid. Since there are four people at the table one partnership will not always have the bidding to itself. We consider first how bidding proceeds in the absence of intervention from opponents. We then move on to consider how to deal with intervention from opponents and how to intervene ourselves. There are three main bidding systems in use today, but many others. The “big three” are Standard American, Precision which includes a strong, artificial, 1C opening and Acol, the standard system in England.

 

 

There are not only many other systems but many variations within each system. What is all important is that you and your partner play the same system and understand it. Just as important is that your system is simple and straightforward. There are many distractions at the bridge table and the more complicated your system is the more likely you are to be distracted!

 

 

Standard American has come to mean a system in which an on opening bid of one-of-a-major, 1H or 1S indicates five or more cards in that suit and an opening bid of 1NT shows a balanced hand, 4333, 4432 distribution or 5332 when the five-card suit is a minor, clubs or diamonds. The “high-card strength” of an opening 1NT bid is 15-17 points counting four for an ace, three for a king, two for a queen and one for a jack. That is the system which will be described here but as indicated above, there are many variations within the different versions of the same system. The version set out here is designed to be as simple, natural and easy to use as possible. Do not expect anyone you play with or against to accept that the version that you play is as good as theirs, just be content in the knowledge that it is better. You must, of course, come to a consensus before you start playing, you and your partner must agree to play the same system.

 

 

By system is meant that you make the same bid every time you pick up the same or similar hand. As you make further bids the description of your hand is defined to narrower and narrower limits. Partner uses your bids to try and form a picture of the hand you are holding, and vice-versa. When one partner feels he knows all he needs to know about his partner's hand he will make a sign-off bid, which when accepted by his partner, becomes the final contract, be it part-score, game or slam. At other times, the stronger of the two partners will take over the bidding and force his partner to describe his hand further whether he wants to or not. In this case he must follow orders. What are sign-off bids and what are “forcing” continuations can often be a complicated matter. It is hoped that these questions will be resolved by what follows.

 

 

What do you need to open the bidding?

 

 

In the early days of contract bridge the maxim used was, “an opening bid opposite an opening bid will produce game.” Bidding and making games was considered to be the essence of bridge. The statisticians established that 25 or 26 points combined were needed to produce game in no trumps, 3NT, when both hands were balanced. To open the bidding one needed 12 points or more. The game has moved on since then. You will soon discover that there are many hands where game is on both ways, one partnership can make game in hearts and the other in spades for example. A typical competitive bidding situation arises if you bid, say, 4H and your opponents persist with 4S. You must make the hard but critical decision whether to defend or bid one more. Success at bridge largely depends upon your ability to make good competitive decisions be they at the part-score, game or slam level.

 

 

It should be evident, already, that the 25-26 point yardstick applies only when a pair of hands are balanced. Throw in a little “distribution,” long suits, singletons and voids; this number goes quickly out of the window. What you must do is prepare yourself for the oncoming battle and open any hand which is likely to be useful in this quest. Ten points is your expectation, there are forty in the whole pack. If your hand contains ten or more open! Let partner know that if he holds just a little more than ten himself, the hand belongs to you and you should try and control the bidding, play the hand yourselves or double the opponents for penalty if they out bid you. It is universally accepted that the standard point count set out above slightly undervalues aces and overvalues jacks. We take this into account and open the bidding whenever our hand holds at least its fair share of “good cards.” Any hand containing two aces, an ace a king and a queen or three kings should be opened. Count an extra point for any card over four in a suit headed by an ace or a king in assessing your ten point minimum requirement.

 

 

In bridge, as in chess, tennis and many other games there is a distinct advantage in making the first move. On any hand where there is a reasonable prospect that your side owns more than half the high cards, make it! There are few worse strategically moves than passing a good hand and coming in later. By that time your opponents will know a lot about the hand and your actions are likely to help only them. Get in first and let them do the guessing. If you hand is worthy of an overcall, it is worth an opening bid.

 

 

This is the opening bid structure we adopt in this style.

 

 

The 1NT opening bid.

 

 

For reasons which will become clear it is useful to describe this bid first. It shows a balanced hand, 4333, 4432 or 5332 distribution, length in all the suits. Although some do, it is not recommended to open 1NT when the five-card suit is a major. Major suit contracts are the life blood of bridge and far too often they will be missed if responder is too weak to investigate the shape of the 1NT opener's hand. The strength range is 15-17 high card points. A point can definitely be added for the possession of a good five-card suit or a preponderance of aces and kings. This extra point can elevate the value of a hand both to bring it into the range or to make it too strong for the bid. Responder's task is fairly straightforward forward following this opening bid. With ten or more points in a balanced hand, insist on game somewhere, with fewer, play in the safest part-score. Be happy to pass flat (balanced) nine counts and watch other players with your cards struggle with games that fail more often than they make.

 

 

The 1C opening bid

 

 

Two distinct classes of hand are opened with a bid of 1C. These are all balanced hands in the 10-14 and 15-19 point ranges, i.e. outside the range for a 1NT bid. As well, it includes hands in the 10-19 point range where the longest suit is clubs. It is worth noting that for utter simplicity, the higher of two five card or longer suits is the choice of suit to open. Even significant disparity in the relative suit length rarely creates a problem and at the same this style solves many. The 1C opener may hold a higher ranking four-card suit, but never a five-carder.

 

 

The 1D opening bid.

 

 

This bid will never be based on a dead flat hand, 4333 or 4432; those hands are opened 1C. It may however be based on a 5332 shape, with diamonds the five-card suit. Generally the 1D bid will show five cards in that suit, which it is reasonable to assume in competitive situations. The only time when it will not show five or more is when opener's shape is 4441, with a singleton club.

 

 

One-of-a-major, the 1H and 1S opening bids.

 

 

These bids promise five cards in the suit bid and show 10-19 high card points. The length requirement is relaxed in third or fourth seat however where to open a good four-card major is generally a better choice than a nebulous 1C bid.

 

 

The system strong bid, the 2C opening bid.

 

 

It simplifies the bidding greatly if responder knows the maximum strength his partner might hold for the opening bid of one-of-a-suit. For this reason, all hands of 20 high card points or more, except for those which qualify for a 2NT opening bid, see below, are opened 2C. Responder is expected to keep the bidding alive until a sensible game contract is reached. Occasional losses for getting to high are compensated by the fact that our one bids are never too top heavy. 2D is the negative response, which denies the possession of an ace and a king or three kings in responder's hand. It is the bid on quite strong balanced hands which lack the requirement for a positive response, allowing opener to describe which of multitude of hands shapes he might have. A minimum response in any suit, except 2D shows positive values and a five-card or longer suit, while 2NT shows one of the balanced shapes. You can hold as many as 18 points and still lack the requirement for a positive response.

 

 

Weak two bids, the opening bids of 2D, 2H and 2S.

 

 

The prime requirement here is a good suit. A good five-card suit is opened with a weak two at any vulnerability. Any action at bridge has upside and downside risks attached to it.

The main risk arising from failure to open is that your weak partner will not appreciate the need to lead this suit. One of the benefits is that of using up a lot of bidding space, at the one

time making partner's bidding task simple and the opponents' difficult. You may succeed in stealing the hand altogether. Remember, if a hand qualifies for an opening one bid;

do not open it with a weak two.

 

 

If you would like to contact George direct, either to discuss his bidding

theories, or play with him on line, please email jorj41@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

“Doubles Anyone?”

You hold this hand:                                 ♠7

                                                            A64

                                                            AKJ43

                                                            ♣KJ54

 

And the bidding proceeds with 1 on your right.  Your bid.

 

Some players think they have to make a takeout double to show 16+ points - not so.  And to double 1 holding a singleton spade is asking for trouble.  AN OVERCALL DOES NOT DENY A GOOD HAND.  This is a hand where you bid 2.  If partner cannot make a move over your overcall, then you are probably not going anywhere anyway. Keep it simple, don’t make “off shape” doubles.

 

If you are confused about when to overall and when to make a takeout double, Audrey Grant’s Better Bridge Series “Improving your Judgment 2 – Doubles” or “Competitive Bidding” should set you straight.  See me about your book needs.

 

 

 

Live simply that others may simply live.