| New Year 2025 Bridge Problem |
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Can You Reach a Slam?
How would North/South bid to reach a Small Slam?
What suit is best to be sure to make it: ♦ or ♠ or NT? Why?
(Based on an actual hand played at Carbis Bay Bridge Club)
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Answer to the New Year 2025 Bridge Problem
(Courtesy Jim Barker)
Bidding to Slam
North: 2♦ (Benji - 3 losing tricks)
South: 3♦ Good long suit and positive values.
North: 3♠ Based on a good spade suit and game values.
South: 4♦ I really have got Diamonds partner, self supporting.
North: 4NT OK Diamonds are trumps, how many Aces / trump K (Keycard Blackwood)?
South: 5♦ I have one Key card (Diamond King or Heart Ace)
North: 6♦ Safer than 6S (or NT) although it doesn’t score as well! |
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| The James Bond Problem |
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This is the Duke of Cumberland Hand, used in the film 'Moonraker'. James Bond, sitting North, opens 7 Clubs with just 8 High Card Points (HCP).
After Passes from Meyer (East) and M (South), Drax, West, with 31 HCP and K J 9 of Clubs, Doubles.
007 (North) Redoubles and then makes all 13 tricks.
Looking at the hands of North and West, can you reconstruct the South and East hands?
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Reveal all 4 hands!
Whatever East leads is trumped. If North needs to enter Dummy, a Diamond is ruffed (trumped).
A Club is now led through West and finessed - whatever West plays, North just plays the next highest card.
Another Diamond is ruffed.
The Club finesse is again played. West's remaining trump is drawn, and now all the Diamonds are established. 13 tricks made against any defence...
Goodnight, Mr Bond.... |
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| To Bid or Not to Bid? |
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Let Sleeping Bids Lie?
Is it better for South to pass...
...or open in ♣ and be overcalled in ♦?
Taken from a hand played at St Ives Bridge Club.
How would you bid as South?
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Possible Answers...
This hand has 5 possible calls, any one of which could have been correct!
- Pass: The Rule of Fifteen suggests adding HCP to the number of Spades. Less than 15 Pass (too easy for the opponents to overcall in Spades and outbid you)
- 1 Club: you have 13 HCP and a good suit, is any game possible??
- 3 Clubs: you have 7 Spades and partner will assume you have more than 10 HCP
- 4 Clubs: Probably keeps the opponents out! You may well make it, you have 8 tricks if they lead Hearts so only need a couple from partner
- 3NT: Gambling with a solid minor and lack of stops in the other suits. Partner bids 4 Clubs if they can’t stop the suits and if they are void in Clubs or Diamonds. Usually you will be able to work out partner’s suit
If you open 1 Club and the bidding goes as it did at our table:
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
1♣ |
| 1♦ |
1♠ |
2♦ |
3♦ ? |
This is an extension of the Gambling 3NT: "Partner I have a solid minor (Clubs!) and if you can stop Diamonds bid 3NT. Otherwise bid 4 Clubs".
So two ways of getting to 4 Clubs which is the making contract and Pass would not be the top score.
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
? |
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| Hand of the Month - March 2024 |
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♠ ♥ Can You Bid to Slam? ♦ ♣
North/South can make a small slam of 6♥ ... but how?
Email Jim Barker at jimfrances@talktalk.net with your answer.
Then... try and play it to make it!
(The name of the winner with the best answer will be published here on the website).
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Email your answer to Jim Barker
Correct answers will be published here!
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