In the level 1 course, I want to work on some expert fundamentals. If you are an experienced player, you should not stop reading, thinking this will be too easy. I'll try to make the concepts in this course as easy and digestible as possible, but lots of experienced players, even at the very highest level, do not have sound fundamental skills. Getting the basics correct is far more important than learning learning complex ideas. It is basic ideas that will be working hard for you, earning you good scores, every time you sit down at the table.
the level 1 course will look at the following themes in order
1. Finding a major fit - put majors at the front of your mind. There are a lot of practical implications of this, for example what do you bid here?
Many experts would say that 1♠ is the correct bid, and that should be more understandable when we discuss the logic behind prioritising major suits. But be careful, if we change the hand slightly, say
Now most would argue for a 1♦ response. We will talk about why, and what has changed, in future articles.
2. Getting familiar with No Trump bidding, knowing when to prioritise it.
"When in doubt, bid 3NT". 3NT is a very attractive game, experts play in that contract a lot more than intermediate players. A discussion of when it is appropriate to play there, and generally how to understand the best contract for you, will be looked at.
3. Don't forget about the minors, when are they useful?
With points 1 and 2 covering the majors and NT, it would be remiss to say that the minors do not play an important role in the bidding. They certainly do, but its about understanding when it is time to be bidding a minor, and when it is not.
4. When your side is bidding, how high should you bid? This is a very important question. Some of the simple rules are well known, for example that you need 25 points for game. This is an area where a few extra simple rules will make a world of difference to your game.
5. When both sides are bidding, how much should I compete? Most bridge auctions are competitive where both sides are trying to fight for the trump suit. Some important ideas and rules will help you get the better of these situations.
Hope you enjoy the articles
Paul
Bridge is a partnership game. It's almost always a good idea to treat bidding like a conversation. Don't just decide on your own, have a discussion about it. Consult partner, bring them into the decision making process.
This hand came up in the US team trials recently
At one table, the player decided to leave his partner out of the discussion and just bid 4♠. At the other table, the player started with 2♠, and when his partner showed support(!) and a good hand, a laydown slam was easily reached.
With the void, and excellent cards, its fairly reasonable to imagine this hand being slam worthy opposite partner, with say good clubs and the Ace of spades.
If the hand was average and uninteresting, for example
Bidding 4♠ is reasonable, the hand has lots of spades and is nothing special (not great slam prospects), which is what you have shown.
It is generally a good idea to treat bidding as a conversation, don’t shut your partner out of it. Jumping straight to game (and basically telling your partner that you don’t care what they have) is generally not appropriate, unless slam is very unlikely and you are sure the contract you are bidding is sensible.