The Times Improve Your Bridge Game

2

// openers must be kept open a round by partner, even with nothing (Tip 79). With fewer than eight points, make the conventional negative reply of 2NT (Tip 80). The negative reply to 2 is 2 (0–7 points), on grounds of economy (Tip 81). These negative responses prioritise – such that all other bids (positives) show eight(+) points (Tip 82).

SLAMMING The ultimate goal in the bidding is to bid and make all 13 tricks on a deal – a grand slam. This is generally inadvisable – it’s tough enough to make all 13 tricks, let alone to bid for them and risk losing everything if even one trick gets away.

More reasonable is to bid for 12 tricks – a small slam – which will be possible about one deal in fifteen. 33 partnership points is the guideline for contracting for a small slam – though less if there is a big fit and interesting distributions. A small slam is doomed, however, if the opponents have two aces (unless you have a void in one of those two suits).

Because of the importance of aces, the bid of 4NT ‘Blackwood’ is used to ask partner how many aces he possesses. But beware when clubs (and to a lesser extent diamonds) are trumps – the reply to Blackwood (5

= 0 aces; 5 = 1; 5 = 2; 5 = 3) may take you overboard (Tip 83). If the reply indicates that one ace is missing, go ahead and bid the small slam (Tip 84); to bail out in Five of the trump suit would be inconsistent with your decision to go slamming.

Blackwood is useful but, because it only solves the problem of how many aces partner has, only use the convention if that is the key piece of information about which you wish to know (Tip 85). If you are interested in a grand slam and the reply to Blackwood indicates that all the aces are present, you can follow with 5NT to ask for kings. But because grand slams are generally to be avoided, it will rarely be right to do so (Tip 86).

Note that the Blackwood bidder is in control – do not overrule him (Tip 87). Finally note that 4NT is not always asking for aces. If the immediately preceding bid was in notrumps, it is a quantitative invitation to 6NT, asking partner if his hand is minimum or maximum for his bidding to date (Tip 88).

Bidding to a sensible contract is one thing. Making it is quite another…

* NB: There is much to be said for not playing ‘reverses’. Although you will occasionally bid too high, at least you KNOW that partner has six cards when he repeats his suit (provided he opens/rebids notrumps with a 5332 shape).

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