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Minutes AGM 10th January 2024

AGM Minutes are now available on website

Peter's Pointers
29th June 2022 Hand 24
    

West will open 1NT and playing Landy or multi-Landy (defence to opponents 1NT), North with a good hand (shape and 11 points), will bid 2♣  to show 45 or 54 in the Majors. Uncontested, South will bid 2  and make 9 tricks. Why has East passed! Not much in the Majors to defend but 8 points and a 6 card suit.

Compete with 2  and after 2 -3 -3  (justified by shape and points), raise to 4! Just one-off for a better result than letting the opponents play in 3! One-off is often good bridge! Active better than passive….

29th June 2022 Hand 13

A perfect deal to demonstrate that you should bid slowly when you wish to have a conversation with your partner, and when you should bid quickly when you do not! When you wish to remove bidding space from your opponents. Partner will open 1♣ and you should bid a pre-emptive 2♠ showing 6 cards showing and less than 5 points and no clubs! It is called a Weak Jump Shift (WJS). Likely to score very well.
22nd June 2022 Hand 16

 

There has been lots of commentary from Terry and myself (over several years now) about the wonderful “Losing Trick Count" (LTC) as the modern method for “hand evaluation" when the following applies: you have an unbalanced" hand, your side has opened the bidding and you have found a trump fit (Unbalanced, Fit, Opening side (UFO). If balanced, your method of hand evaluation should be high card points.

ALL pairs did not use the LTC to find the only making “game". One decided that 3NT might be best …..and usually, yes, the 9 trick game is preferable to 5 of a minor.

So, East opened 1  with a planned rebid of 2 . If you open a suit you MUST have a rebid!
South, interferes and overcalls 1♠ and West makes the obvious bid of 2♣. After North’s pass, East can make their planned rebid of 2. South passes and West can now re-assess their hand using the LTC. They are both (Unbalanced (U), partner is Opener (O) and now (bullseye) we have a Diamond trump Fit (F). UFO conditions are met!

Just 7 losers with Diamonds as trumps, so opposite an assumed 7 LTC (for opener's hand), West MUST use the LTC and bid an “invitational" 4 Diamonds. 18-7-7 = 4. West has shown 7 losers and with just 5 losers but just 13 HCPs, MUST accept the invite and bid the only making game, 5.

The Play

Play for the King of trumps being with the over-caller and set up the Hearts.

For more information on the LTC, please take advantage of our Bridge book library by borrowing the relevant book(s) as a single or best one-each as a pair.

 

15th June 2022 Hand 14

 

Grand Slams, all 13 tricks, are very rare but sometimes all the indicators suggest that the 2 hands together have no losers, and we have a key bid to check!

To West's surprise, partner East opens 1♠ ! No need to jump in response simply bid a 2/1 bid to keep the bidding conversation going, 2♣ . East has a rebid already planned, which is essential when opening a suit, and must jump to show 6+ spades and about 16+ HCP. After a 2/1 this bid is GAME FORCING. Here, there is a good 6331 shape, and 5 losers if there is a trump fit. There is! West with 18 points knows there are (or certainly should be!) enough points and a spade fit for SLAM but can use Roman Key-Card Blackwood (RKCB) to ask about 6 cards: the 4 Aces and the KQ of trumps. So, 4NT 'asks' and the reply is step 4. 2 of 5 Key-cards and the Queen of trumps: 5♠  is the reply!

So, West can count 6♣, 1, 2  and 6♠, 15 known tricks! After a short pause West can bid the highest ranked GRAND SLAM, 7NT! Convert a probable suit slam to NT when it is safe to do so.

1st June 2022 Hand 24

 

West will open 1♣ with a planned rebid of 1! Always have a planned rebid when you open a suit. East responds 1! Bingo! You have found your “fit”, you are "unbalanced" and have “opened" the bidding. Your are using the Losing Trick Count (LTC) for your "hand evaluation".

You assume partner has 9 losers, you have 6 (one less than you might), so jump to 3 .

Responder has unbid extras. 17 points, an extra trump and must bid 4NT to check for key-cards, even though there is no two quick loser suit. The 5  response shows 2 key-cards (here Aces) and the heart small slam is bid. Just one Ace is missing and you have the Q trumps.

Count your non-trump winners. Here 6 and then try to make the balance from trumps. If this doesn’t work, then and only then do you look elsewhere for the extra trick/ tricks.

1st June 2022 Hand 15

 

Playing 4 Card Majors, South will open 1 , North a quiet suit to a suit 1♠ . Playing “modern“ a 2NT rebid shows 18/19. So, 2NT! North with 14 points (and a 10), should just go for it….6NT!

It is a hand where everyone should be in at least 3NT, so go for a contract that may give you a great score!

Plan the play on a low for like 5  lead. You know where the K  is but even with a different lead you simply have to place this card with West for your planning after the opening lead to add up to 12 tricks.

18th May 2022 Hand 1

 

Some fabulous hands! Let’s look at Hand 1.

Treating minor suit opening bids in a different way from Major suit opening bids!

Why? Because you rarely want to play in 5 minor, usually preferring the 9 trick NT game!

After an opening Heart or Spade bid, opener wants to hear trump support, and therefore you break the bidding 'slow' when 'strong' rule to conserve bidding space, by bidding at the appropriate level or making a 'special bid' that shows that support plus more.

After an opening a Club or Diamond bid, it is suggested that you revert to the above rule, and bid at the 2-level - 2♣/ 2to show 4 card trump support AND 10+ points. You now have more space to continue your bidding conversation with your partner to show stops in the other suits on the way, usually to a 3NT contract. This bid can only be made if you do not have a 4 card major! So, you would bid 1♣/- 3♣/with a good 5-9 HCP with 4+ trumps to show a weak hand and remove bidding space from opponents who may well be missing something. This is the whole point of pre-emptive bidding! Like the idea?

 

So now let's come back to look at Hand 1:
North will open 1♣ their longest suit, planning to bid and rebid Spades to show 5 and a 6/5 hand.
South has no 4 card major, decides not to bid a poor suit and with 4+♣  and 10+ high card points, bids 2♣, alerted by partner. If the opponents ask, the explanation is  4+ trumps and 10+ points, NOT the convention name, 'Inverted Minors'.

Bullseye for North! 10 trumps (♣), no need to find out about the trump Queen and with a 4 loser hand (actually 3NT loser), excitement has no bounds but just to check bids 4♣  which here would act as key-card Blackwood or 4NT (for other hands 4♣  or 4  would be better for conserving bidding space. It’s beyond 3NT and is clearly looking for a slam).
Over the response of 1 (it can’t be 3 or 4 as you have 3 key-cards in your own hand), you simply bid 6♣ , and with a 0 response you sign-off in 5♣.

IF after opening a minor suit your opponents overcall, this system is off and bids are natural. To repeat, the usual purpose of the bid is to conserve bidding space to find a safe 3NT contract, but here opener is hugely unbalanced, with a hand with 4 losers, which becomes just 3 losers after partner's 'Inverted Minor' response, and a making slam is bid using the 'Inverted Minor' convention, in harness with the Losing Trick Count (LTC) and an Ace-asking bid.

4th May 2022 Hand 21

 

Some time ago Terry provided commentary with his Terry’s Tips. Terry was passionate about the Losing Trick Count (LTC) as one method for “Hand Evaluation", so in his memory, it was an easy selection for this week.

Having sorted out their cards and made the obvious conclusion that the North hand was UNBALANCED, North bided their time and passed. South was also unbalanced and opened 1.

Whatever West decides to overcall, what should North respond? Partner has Opened, I have a Fit and I am Unbalanced. UFO applies….I am going to use the LTC to evaluate my hand. I assume my partner has 7 losers for their opening bid. I have only 8 HCP’s BUT only 5 losers! 7+5-18=12 tricks .What if I have 2 fast losers?

You bid 4NT ‘asking' and I hope that you are asking for key-cards. Partner has three and will bid 5if playing 0314 or 5if playing 1430. So just one of 5 key-cards missing and I have the trump queen, and this very likely to be the A, as West is likely to interfere in 's with their unbalanced hand.

North bids 6! And after the A opening lead plans the play. Count your winners outside trumps. Only 2, so declarer has to make 10 trump tricks OR look for another trick source. Clearly the long suit with a convenient singleton opposite! Don’t even consider the 50/50 unnecessary spade finesse!

Yes, yes, yes, if’s and buts come to mind but this is a good example of finding a slam with just 21 HCP using the LTC.