Bridge for Africa

Each week the Results E-mail messages to players contain two or more tips on how they can improve their bridge. Those tips are then also published here.

You can click here to download a printable PDF version of these tips.

Concentrate especially hard on the first and last boards.

If one side has an eight card suit fit, then there is a high probability the other side does too.

Sherlock Holmes and the case of the dog that didn’t bark: take as much notice of what doesn’t happen as what does, both in the bidding and the play. For instance, if your partner doesn’t double an artificial bid such as 2C Stayman, 2H transfer or 5D RKCB response to indicate a lead, then don’t lead those suits. If declarer plays an A in dummy instead of playing the Q for a losing finesse then there’s a good chance they have a singleton. And if player responds 1D or 1NT to partner's 1C, then they don't have 4 card major.

You can often get a better score by going down than by letting the opponents play in a cold contract. One down vulnerable can be a top; two down vulnerable is probably a bottom; three down non-vulnerable against vulnerable can be a top.

4333 opposite 4333 fit plays better in NT than a suit contract as ruffs are unlikely. 4432 is better combination than 4333 for NT contract as you have two suits you can potentially run. 5431 is the best suit contract dummy distribution with a suit to ruff and another to run and discard on.

Prepare your possible rebids before making your opening bid.

Vulnerability is important, especially when considering whether to sacrifice. Bid more aggressively when non-vulnerable, especially against vulnerable.

When evaluating a hand, high cards in long suits that could be run are more valuable than high cards in short suits. If suit shortages are in the hand with longer trumps, they are less valuable.

With a 2 suited hand, bid the longer suit first then rebid the other suit twice.

Don’t be stolen from with a shapely hand (especially a “six five come alive hand”).

An opening bid of 1C could be made with only two clubs. This must be announced. However, note that the 4432 distribution does not happen very often so if all pass, most times declarer will have three or more clubs.

After two passes be prepared to open any hand which would be a sound overcall at one level; this makes it difficult for fourth bidder. Of course, a bid of 1C does not achieve this. Partner should be aware that you might have borrowed a king for your bid. (Some pairs alert this).

Rule of 15: in fourth position after three passes, add number of points to number of spades; bid if 15 or more.

A 1NT opening bid does not guarantee stoppers in all suits.

With 6-5, 6-6 and 7-6 hands and less than 20 points prefer to open one of the suits at the one level rather than 2C.

With five hearts and five spades, when responding to 1C or 1D show spades first; with four hearts and four spades show hearts first.

The only times opener can pass after a response from partner are: if responder raises opener’s suit; if responder bids NT; if there is an intervening bid by opponents; if responder has previously passed.

Where there is a misfit, stop bidding ASAP. Do not play a misfit in NT.

After an opening bid of weak 2, 1NT, 2NT or pre-empt, opener should not bid again as partner is fully informed. Obviously, this does not apply if partner uses Stayman, Puppet Stayman, transfers, OGUST or any other bids asking for more information.

3NT is often a better contract than 5C or 5D. With a 4-4 major fit, prefer 4 of major to 3NT unless partnership has a surfeit of points or there are no ruffing opportunities.

Don’t use Stayman unless you have a precisely four card major. With 4 and 5 in the majors, use transfer and then bid the other major.

When you are 5-4 in the major suits or 4-4 with 5 card D suit, you can bid 2C Stayman with no points at all and sign off at 2 level.

If you know what the final contract is going to be, don’t prevaricate, just bid it; long, sophisticated bidding sequences give away too much information. Similarly, think twice before you cue bid or trial bid as it gives information to opponents.

4333 opposite 4333 fit plays better in NT than a suit contract as ruffs are unlikely. 4432 is better combination than 4333 for NT contract as you have two suits you can potentially run. 5431 is the best suit contract dummy distribution with a suit to ruff and another to run and discard on.

Prefer a 4-4 trump fit in one major to a 5-4 or 5-3 fit in the other major. Delay showing support for partner’s 5 card suit if a possible 4-4 fit in another suit might be available.

Strong and long minors can work well in NT. At pairs choose a minor suit fit when your combined point count is up to 21, but prefer NT with more.

Responder can correct to opener’s first suit even with minimal hand and no real support for suit.

Ideally, partner holding Kx in a vulnerable suit should call NT first so they can absorb any lead of that suit.

If partner bids a suit, even if you are void; if you’re thinking about bidding NT, don’t worry about that suit. Similarly, if you bid a terrible suit such as 6543 don’t worry about the suit either for NT as opponents are unlikely to lead it.

Don’t be afraid to open a weak 4 card minor suit at the one level.

With support for partner’s overcall and less than 10 points, bid to the level of the fit. With 10+ points and support, cue bid the opponent’s suit.

Don’t let opponents play in a one level contract. If opponents only have an eight card fit, never let them play at the 2 level.

Upgrade your hand holding honours in suit bid on your right; downgrade your hand with honours in suit bid on your left.

Double artificial bids and overcall to direct partner’s lead but beware of doubling for lead of a frozen suit and be sure to note when partner does not double as that means they don’t want that suit led.

Don’t be scared to bid over opponents opening 2C.

In response to partner’s takeout double, jump with 8+ points, else bid your suit at lowest level.

Always double when opponents sacrifice especially if you have bid a cold 4H or 4S and they bid on; it’s the only way to get a bigger score than your game.

Bid 4S over 4H as a sacrifice if you can.

If opening bid is doubled, then redouble shows 8+ points and no support for opener’s suit and should be alerted; free bid shows either support for opener, including Bergen raises, or five card suit. Object should be to disrupt partner of doubler.

Don’t double for penalties if you can’t successfully double any other contract opponents could escape to.

When opponents have bid 2 suits, only make takeout double if at least 5-4 in the other suits.

If you are long in the suit bid on your right, your hand is stronger for an overcall.

If opponents make an overcall which prevents your normal rebid, pass.

Do not overcall if it might assist declarer to understand the hand.

If you are unsure about a marginal overcall, overcall to direct a lead.

An overcall of 1NT shows 15-19 points and a stopper in the suit overcalled. If there is no intervening bid, Stayman and Transfers can be used.

If opponent overcalls partner’s opening suit bid with 1NT and you have 10+ points, double for penalties.

Do not pre-empt ahead of partner with a four card major in addition to a long suit.

Do not pre-empt over a pre-empt.

Count on partner for three tricks non vulnerable or two tricks vulnerable when pre-empting. Now partner knows they can raise you with more tricks than that.

Because 2C is a strong bid, a 3C pre-empt could be 6 card suit. According to Andrew Robson, an opening bid of 3C gains more points than any other.

Suit quality for 3C or 3D pre-empt should be good so partner can confidently bid 3NT with honour in suit and stoppers in other suits.

Normally there is no need to pre-empt in fourth position. Fourth suit pre-empt is generally in a minor suit encouraging partner to bid 3NT and should show 2 of top 3 honours.

If partner bids 5C or 5D and you realise you should be in 3NT, bid 6 in order to try to beat the field.

Do not use Blackwood or Gerber unless you know your reaction to each possible response by partner. Never use Blackwood or Gerber if you have a void.

If responding to Blackwood, only show keycards; do not treat a void as an ace.

If partner has responded to Blackwood / RKCB showing too few aces for 6, bidding 5 of a previously unbid suit tells partner to sign off in 5NT.

If hearts is the agree trump suit then use 4S instead of 4NT as RKCB so that partner’s response with 2 keycards and trump queen is 5H and not 5S.

If clubs or diamonds is the agreed trump suit then you need to use cue bids, Gerber or Minorwood to find aces and kings. Responses to Blackwood or RKCB will quickly take you past 5C or 5D.

If no trump suit has been agreed and the last bid before Blackwood is a NT bid, then 4NT is standard Blackwood and not RKCB.

A response of 4NT to an opening bid of 1NT or 2NT is not Blackwood; it is a quantitative bid asking opener to pass with minimum number of points or to bid 6NT with maximum number of points. A response of 5NT to an opening bid of 1NT or 2NT is also quantitative asking opener to bid 6NT with minimum number of points and 7NT with maximum number of points.

In a suit contract, count how many tricks you can make outside the trump suit; you now know how many ruffs are required to make the contract.

Trump in the hand with the short trump suit (usually dummy) as the trumps in the long hand are tricks anyway. However, bearing this in mind, if you are playing a trump contract after taking a transfer, consider ruffing in hand and doing a dummy reversal.

When dummy and declarer have the same length in a suit no ruffs are possible; however, the holdings can be made unequal by discarding a loser in one hand on a winner in another suit in the other hand.

Before starting a cross-ruff, cash your winners in the side suits to avoid opponents trumping them later in the game.

When there is just one high trump out, don’t draw it.

Facing taking a two way finesse as declarer, always delay taking it till the last possible moment when you have maximum information.

Lead an honour for a finesse only when you would like to see it covered.

As declarer, when you have two or more touching cards and have to follow suit, play the highest card in the sequence so as to give minimal information to defenders; as defender play the lowest of touching cards in a sequence.

As a very general guide, assume with two honours missing they are split between the opponents’ hands.

When you are missing two non-touching honours, finesse for the lower one first.

As declarer, don't take unnecessary finesses even when offered by opponents; in fact, try to avoid finesses as much as possible. In particular, avoid finessing on the opening lead which might be a singleton. Rather than finesse, think end-play.

As declarer in a suit contract, beware of taking a finesse in dummy after the opening lead which might well be a singleton.

Be suspicious of opponent who doesn’t lead partner’s suit.

As declarer play a weak suit where you are going to lose tricks anyway to gather information. Maybe the opponents will win and lead the wrong thing giving you an unexpected trick.

As declarer, if you are missing 4 or 5 honour cards in a suit and your opponent leads a low card in that suit, you can assume they don’t hold a sequence or broken sequence and the honour cards are divided between your opponents’ hands.

As declarer, try to get opponents to open frozen suits.

Suits do sometimes split 3-3 allowing you to make the 13th card.

Avoid giving tricks away especially by opening new / frozen suits, both as declarer and defender.

As declarer, try to always lead towards honours – left hand defender might surprise you by playing the A or showing a void or, most likely, simply following suit.

Where the lead has to be lost twice, declarer should try to lose it to the dangerous opponent first.

Plan what card you would lead in each suit when you first look at your hand.

The majority of experienced players now lead 2nds and 4ths. That is, 4th highest from a 4 card suit headed by an honour and 2nd highest when headed by rubbish. With three cards, they lead the lowest from an honour and MUD (Middle Up Down) from rubbish.

Go out of your way to lead partner’s suit, unless you have a very good reason not to. (But don’t lead the suit with Ax(xx) as declarer might have Kx, find something else).

Don’t lead aces unless singleton or partner’s suit or against a slam.

Don’t underlead aces against suit contracts

Don’t lead a singleton if you have a natural trump trick that vanishes if you ruff. Don’t lead singletons if partner is unlikely to have entry to return suit and give you a ruff.

When leading an unbid suit against a NT contract, prefer a major suit especially if Stayman was not used.

Lead your strongest suit against 5C/5D.

As defender, when dummy has a long, non-trump suit, lead an unbid suit and try to take tricks before declarer can discard from hand on the long suit.

Don’t lead the fourth highest card against a NT contract in a suit headed by the AQ, AJ or KJ- it inevitably gives a trick to declarer. Rather wait for declarer or partner to lead the suit through declarer’s honour holding.If declarer fails to draw trumps straight away, the defence should definitely consider leading them as this is the opposite of declarer's plan.

Do not lead Q from QJxx or QJxxx unless partner’s suit; it gives declarer useful information for playing the suit.
From AKxxx lead 4th highest against NT; partner might be short in suit and unable to return it if A and K are led.

With KQxxx lead 4th highest against NT, K against suit contract

The worst lead against a NT contract is fourth highest of a suit headed by J, unless your partner has bid the suit.

Lead trumps when they have been bid strongly or there is a strong likelihood of ruffing in dummy; but don’t lead singleton trumps as your partner might have trump length.

Do not make an opening lead of a trump if you have either a singleton or four trumps. In the latter case rather try to force declarer to ruff.

As a defender, as soon as the dummy comes down plan what card you will play smoothly when declarer leads any card from dummy. That way there will be no hesitation or fumbling to give information to declarer, especially when declarer leads Q or J hoping you will cover. Of course, as declarer you should watch for hesitation and fumbling by defender who is unprepared.

As defender, don't cover an honour with an honour when the trump suit is being played by declarer as there is probably nothing to promote in the trump suit.

If A is led from AKJ and Qxx does not appear in dummy, try to put partner on lead to lead suit through declarer’s queen.

Double of an artificial bid, such as a response to Stayman, Gerber or Blackwood, asks partner to lead that suit. Note if response to Stayman, Gerber or Blackwood is not doubled, partner is not interested in the lead of that suit.

As defender with four trumps, keep leading your side’s longest suit aiming to make declarer trump in hand and shorten their trump holding – but don’t give declarer a ruff and discard.

If K led from AK and Qxx appears on table do not follow with A unless partner encourages continuation; you don’t want to establish the Q or have declarer ruff your A.

When leading for partner to ruff, low asks for return of lower suit, high for higher suit in order to try to get a second ruff (all too often the ruffer goes into a trance trying to think what to lead back when partner has already told them)

Cover an honour with an honour only when there is a chance of promoting a card in your hand or partner’s. Cover the last honour in a sequence. Don’t cover an honour when trumps are being played as there’s probably nothing to promote.

Don’t win your honour first time declarer makes a finesse he / she is likely to repeat.
As defender, when you have two or more touching cards and have to follow suit, play the lowest card in the sequence (i.e. if you have QJT then play T); when you are declarer play the highest so as not to give away information.

As defender, take your tricks quickly if it looks like declarer is going to run a long suit and discard.
Just because you have a void, don't trump. Partner might be able to win; declarer might be able to ruff behind you; you might be baring a definite trump trick. Don’t ruff small cards.

As a defender, don’t rush to ruff with the master trump, unless there’s an urgency to take a trick (or more).

Singleton in dummy in suit contract - if opening lead exposes singleton or void in dummy, then low card by partner asks for switch to lower, high card to higher of other two suits.

Don’t void yourself in a suit when you have no trumps as it gives information to declarer when the suit is played and you don’t ruff.

Declarer can see signals; it is easy to signal, it is much harder to remember partner's signals!

Try to delay winning a trick in suit played by declarer in order to give your partner time to signal with a discard.

Keep declarer / dummy’s second suit and find discards elsewhere so that declarer is not able to run his/her second suit and make the 2's and 3's.

Kill entries to dummy’s long suit before declarer can establish and run it.

Don’t give declarer a ruff and discard.

Do not split your honours if you suspect declarer might attempt a deep finesse.

Don’t waste your discard telling partner something he / she already knows. For instance, if you have bid a suit, your partner should know to lead it when they have an opportunity.

Avoid giving tricks away especially by opening new / frozen suits, both as declarer and defender.

When your partner leads a second suit during defence: if a low card, wants you to win and return that suit, if a high card wants you to win and return the first suit.Level of the Fit: bid to the level of the number of trumps between you and partner. It is important to remember the law during competitive auctions.