2/1 Game Forcing
Robert Todd
(624) 2/1 GF Discussion Template

hen we agree to play 2/1 GF as our bidding system, then that is not the end of our decision-making process. We need to discuss our follow-up bidding and other initial agreements. The goal is this article is to give you a list of questions to discuss with your partners, to make sure that you are getting the most out of your 2/1 GF system. Let’s start out with a list of the question and then we’ll do some discussions of options below.

(624) 2/1 GF Discussion Template
Play
Robert Todd
(623) Card Play: Goals with Your Cards – Seat ...

Getting the most out of the cards we hold is our goal when we are the Declarer or when we are defending a hand. That means we want to use our cards to allow us to take as many tricks as possible, while making it as difficult as possible for the opponents to take tricks. Let’s take a look at how we try to accomplish these feats based on when we play to a trick – our perspective will be different in each of these situations.

(623) Card Play: Goals with Your Cards – Seat Based
Play
Robert Todd
(622) Suit Play: Getting Rid of Potential Loser

When we play our hand in a suit contract, we analyze our hand in terms of losers.  First, we identify the losers that we have little to no chance of getting rid of. Next, we try to find the potential losers that we may be able to avoid losing. Once we have identified these potential losers, then we need to make a plan for how not to lose these tricks. Often, there is only one way to dispose of this loser.  But sometimes we will have options for how we may dispose of losers. Options mean choices. And choices can lead to difficult decisions.  Let’s look at some of the options that we may have for disposing of our losers and try to figure out how to make good choices.

(622) Suit Play: Getting Rid of Potential Loser
Play
Robert Todd
(621) Suit Play: Types of Losers

When we play a hand in a suit contract, then we tend to focus on our numbers of losers. We usually count (or approximate) these losers from the long trump side and use the other hand as an asset for helping us dispose of these losers. But not all losers are equally difficult to get rid of. Here, we look at the different types of losers we may have and which we are most likely to lose, and which we may have a chance of escaping.

(621) Suit Play: Types of Losers
Notrump Fundamentals
Robert Todd
(620) NT Play: Developing Winners – Choice of ...

Once we learn the core techniques of NT declarer play, promotion, length, and finesse, then we need to develop the skills of implementing each of them to take tricks when they come up at the table.  But unfortunately, declarer play is not always as simple as finding one of these techniques and putting it to use. Sometimes we have multiple techniques to choose from, and we need to construct a line of play that is going to be successful. Let’s look at how each of these works.

(620) NT Play: Developing Winners – Choice of Techniques

4

(622) Suit Play: Getting Rid of Potential Loser

(622) Suit Play: Getting Rid of Potential Loser

When we play our hand in a suit contract, we analyze our hand in terms of losers.  First, we identify the losers that we have little to no chance of getting rid of. Next, we try to find the potential losers that we may be able to avoid losing. Once we have identified these potential losers, then we need to make a plan for how not to lose these tricks. Often, there is only one way to dispose of this loser.  But sometimes we will have options for how we may dispose of losers. Options mean choices. And choices can lead to difficult decisions.  Let’s look at some of the options that we may have for disposing of our losers and try to figure out how to make good choices.

Tagged:

,

(562) NT and Balancing Auctions: Other Balancing Actions

,
(562) NT and Balancing Auctions: Other Balancing Actions

When our left-hand opponent opens the bidding and the auction passes around to us, we have a big decision to make – should we get into this auction, or should we leave the opponents to play at the 1-level? We have a variety of bidding tools to help us compete in the bidding, but we need to use our judgment about when to compete in the bidding and when to keep quiet.  Here we look at some of the classic bidding situations where we have a difficult decision and then overview some of our bidding tools in these auctions.

Tagged:

, ,

(513) Thinking and Responding: 1-minor - 1NT Auctions and Follow-Ups

, ,
(513) Thinking and Responding: 1-minor - 1NT Auctions and Follow-Ups

When we open the bidding partner often responds with 1NT. It is important for us to have good agreements about common auctions. Here we look at auctions that start with a minor and hear partner respond 1NT. We look at what to expect and how the auction might continue.