Baze After Stayman Slam Tool
Playing in Baltimore with Kathy last week we lost one match where we stopped in game and the opponents bid a slam. Here’s what happened: She opened 1NT (14+ to 17, but in practice she never does it with fewer…
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Clarifications From Today’s Lesson
Hi all. I want to clarify a few items from today’s lesson. The potential for confusion was a bit higher today than usual because there were some treatments with alternatives. Furthermore, the choice in one area influences the choice in…
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“Williamsburg” Two Diamond Opening
In my regular partnership with Tom Smith we play an interesting Roman-style three-suited 2D opener with a broad range, 11-20 HCP. This seems to have a few adherents in the Virginia Peninsula Unit 110. When the hand has 11-15 HCP…
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Bergen Raises
I’m not going to go into depth here, but some of my students are experimenting with Bergen Raises. This is just a quick summary of the convention, which applies after your partner opens 1 of a major suit. When you…
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Inverted Minor Raise: How Weak is “Weak”
Ken from Norfolk writes: A question arose recently in play; to wit: if I play inverted minors how weak is weak? I was told by the opposition that it is less than 6. I had assume it was 6-9 as it ‘inverted’…
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Rebidding Responder’s Major after Opener’s 1NT Rebid
Example auction: 1D – 1S – 1NT. Should responder bid 2S on a 5 card suit and a minimal hand? I used to be of the opinion that responder should not, normally. Then I read the Robinson’s Roundtable article on…
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Opener’s New Suit Rebid Doesn’t Limit His Hand Very Much
In Standard American or 2/1, opening 1 of a suit and rebidding 2 of a lower ranking suit doesn’t really limit opener’s strength very much. All we know is that opener doesn’t have enough to make a game-forcing jump shift….
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Which Minor to Open With 4-4
The main question in deciding which minor to open is whether you want to rebid NT or not. If you aren’t going to rebid NT, say because you have a small singleton then you should probably open 1D. You won’t…
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Doubling and Bidding Your Own Suit: Right and Wrong
At the club last night we had two auctions featuring a takeout doubler bidding his/her suit after partner’s response. The first hand was bid by our opponents, who got to the right spot in the…
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