Unit 214: Hattiesburg Duplicate Bridge

Warren Buffet on bridge:  "It's good to learn from your mistakes.  It's better to learn from other people's mistakes."

As educational liaison,  Deanna Stewart wants to share her insights, and sometimes mistakes, into unique hands and bidding situations. 

She will post a new bidding scenario that aims to help intermediate players learn about hand evaluation, bidding nuiassances and consideration in play of the hand.  

Archives of previous lessons can be found in the Newsfeed.

I am South. The bidding goes pass, 1c,1s,3d X. East then bids 4 clubs. I doubled. West made a weak jump shift. That implies that they can not play anything but diamonds. Yes, you have six clubs in the east; but running only increases the level of play. Sometimes you get doubled and go down. Unless you have a clue that the other suit is the place to play , pass and go down two  in three diamonds doubled instead of down three in four clubs doubled. PASS. You can’t run far enough with this bidding sequence!

I am South. Bidding goes: Pass, 1 club, 1 spade, Three diamonds, x, four clubs x. When is a double penalty? How high do you play a negative or responsive double? 

Let’s look at the bidding. North passes ( less than opening values), East can open with one club. I bid 1 spade. Now West makes a weak jump shift. My partner can deduce from this bidding that I likely have opening values. My partner has King doubleton of my suit and a stiff club along with five diamonds to the KQJ. Safe double. When east tries to run, I can easily double their suit. I now know my partner has values and tricks in diamonds. I have a stiff diamond and can ruff diamonds. I have five clubs behind the opener to the Ace 10. 

You are north and dealer. You open the bidding 1 club. LHO doubles. Your partner bids 1 spade. RHO bids two hearts. What do you bid?

This is your hand.

Xx, Kxx, Kxxx, KQJ10.  You have a flat 12 points. You do not have support for your partner's spades. My partner bid two no trump with this hand. Why is that wrong? How many points do I have? How does my partner know? 

Ahhhhh, I did not redouble. A redouble tells your partner you have 10+ points. Now my partner knows that I am capped at nine points. With a weak stopper in hearts, she went down three in two no trump with my six point hand. 

Pass. Pass. Pass. Stay out of trouble! Leave the next decision to me. 

We are proud to welcome our latest group of bridge students. We started lessons January 22nd. We will go for six weeks. We have six new faces and one popping in for a refresher ( Sonya Woodard). 

Please welcome: Victoria Harris, Sharon Coats, Dixie Coats, Loryn Davis, Martha Davis, Rebecca Altymer. 

Pictured below with Deanna Stewart are: Victoria Harris, Martha Davis, Deanna, Dixie Coats and Sharon Coats.