Stafford Bridge Club: EBU Affiliated, Penkridge, Stafford

Release 2.19q

Switch to Desktop

2023 Level 4 changes and 2022 Announcing/ Alerting Rules

See David's 2023 summary of Level 4 2023 changes, see complete revised Blue Book.

Some changes in the EBU announcing/alerting September 2022. David drew up a summary of the 2022 changes for directors.

Pages viewed in 2025

Please help the webmaster improve the website.

..... see less

Please tell the webmaster what you like and, more importantly, what you do not like about the website. ..........

MEMBERS’ WELFARE

If you know of any member of the club who is unwell please let either Pat Martin or a member of the committee know so that appropriate wishes can be sent on behalf of all members.
The quickest response will be to tell either Pat Martin or any member of the committee at the bridge session then a card can be signed & posted immediately. Alternatively, you can email the secretary.

CLICK here for Local Weather

EBU

EBU Master Point Promotions

For information source see EBU website. See also the county overall board and SSCBA members ranks and current NGS scores.

Robin's Lesson 04-11-21

Lesson on the Rule of 11

Lesson Thursday 4th November 2021 was to be based on hands played on Wednesday 27th October, click here to see the notes in a printable form. However the lesson went "off piste" and concentrated on the Rule of 11 as requested by the pupils at the lesson on the day!

Rule of 11

This ideally needs to become an automatic calculation, anytime your Partner makes a lead, or when you are Declaring the contract equally.

The Rule : on a 4^th best opening lead, you take the lead and subtract it from 11. This will tell you how many cards exist in the suit in the other 3 hands.

Simplistically, lets say partner leads the 2 from 5 4 3 2 of a suit (opening lead). It is easy to see that 11-2 = 9. And that there are 9 cards in the other 3 hands (6,7,8,9,10,Jack,Queen,King and Ace.)

As an aside, it is important that if you play 4^th hghest leads (as is normal), if you have A Q 7 3 2 You must lead the 3, not the 7 or 2; only then will partner be able to judge where the other cards may be. It is possible to determine that Partner HASN’T made a 4^th Highest lead, and therefore has probably led a ‘Mud’ (Middle up down) from a 3 card suit.

Example 1 - Can lead have been 4th highest?

Partner leads the 5 of spades. You hold A Q 10 8 2 and dummy goes down with 9 6 3. Assuming that Partner led the 4^th highest spade, you calculate that there are 6 (11-5) cards in the other 3 hands. You can see them all - 4 in yours and 2 in dummy. Therefore, since you know that Declarer must have at least 1 honour for their bid, Partner cannot have led from a 4 card suit (4^th. Highest). You can very accurately determine that Partner has led from a doubleton (say 5 4) or 3 cards (mud from 7 5 4). Tremendous information at trick one ! You win the Ace of spades, and when South plays the 7, You know that he has K J for 2 tricks. So, you switch to the Queen of diamonds, contract 2 off!

Example 2 - What can East deduce from lead by West?

Partner leads the ♠5 against a 3NT contract. Dummy holds ♠K 9 7 You hold ♠A 10 3 What do you play when dummy plays the ♠ 7?

Calculation shows, if partner has lead 4^th highest, that there are 6 cards higher than the 5 out. You can see them all! Therefore, you can safely play the 10 expecting it to win whenever Partner has led 4th. Highest. If you play the Ace, you have automatically set up the King for Declarer, a valuable card for them. Again, tremendous information at trick 1!

Example 3 - rule of 11 from declarer's viewpoint

You reach a contract of 3NT on the North/South hands. Your left hand opponent leads the ♠6.

What card do you play from dummy?

If the 6 is an honest 4^th highest, you know (11-6 = 5 and you in your combined hands have 5) that you can safely play the 2 from dummy (Opponent having led from K J 9 6 (4)), and win the 8 in hand (Right hand opponent having 5 4 doubleton, or singleton 5). 11 Tricks should be made. Are you convinced? Tremendous information early in the play.

Hand 4 - Back to the general lesson

KEY POINT

IF PARTNER OPENS A MAJOR AND YOU HAVE FOUR CARDS IN THAT SUIT THEN ALWAYS PLAY IN THAT SUIT.

West first round pass - 5-4 in the majors, but Aceless & with only 9 points so don’t bid.
2♣ - Lead directing.
4♥ - Five Spades, but with an 8-card Heart fit don’t show them. Seven losers so bid four.

Hand 5 - Opener jumps after knowledge partner has 10+ HCP

3♠ - Partner has shown 10 points so with 6LTC North is worth a jump to 3♠ . If North had just bid 2♠ partner with 2 Spades & 11 points would pass. If partner had responded 1NT rather than at the 2-level then North would just bid 2♠.

Opening Lead The opponent’s have bid Spades & Diamonds & a Club wouldn’t be safe, so the best lead is a Heart, & if you lead a Heart it has to be the Ace.

Hamd 6 - 4th suit forcing example

3♣ - 13 HCP & so wants to be in game.
3♥ - FSF (Fourth suit forcing). . Has partner got a Heart stop?
3NT - Q x is enough, as partner wouldn’t use 4SF without the Ace.

This site is built with BridgeWebs, the easy web solution.