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July 7, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(585) Modified 2-Way Reverse Drury

The concept of having a conventional bid like Drury available to show a limit raise in support of partner’s Major suit when we are a passed hand is a regular part of most partnerships’ passed hand bidding structure.  Given that making a 2/1 bid into a minor suit is not that attractive (or even possible!) by a passed hand, it makes sense to allocate both 2♣ and 2♦ as artificial raises of Opener’s third seat (or fourth seat) Major suit opening bid.  Many partnerships that play Drury play 2-Way Drury, using one bid to show a 3-card limit raise and the other a 4-card limit raise.  But a more sophisticated structure can allow us to describe even more hand types in the same bidding space.

(585) Modified 2-Way Reverse Drury
June 30, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(584) Exclusion Keycard

When we are interested in slam in a suit contract but have a void in one of the side suits, it adds some complexity to our slam bidding.  We may be able to make a slam missing two Aces (or a grand slam missing an Ace), if partner does not have the Ace opposite our void.  When exploring slam, we want to know if partner has that Ace or has the “good Aces”, the ones opposite our losers.  One way that we find out about the location of partner’s Aces is by using control showing bids. This is especially effective if we use them to show first round control (if we play that our control showing bids could be 1st or 2nd round, then we know less about which Aces partner hold).  There is a gadget that we can use in some auctions that allows us to try to solve this problem.  This convention, called Exclusion Keycard, asks partner for their number of Keycards (or Aces if we play Blackwood), excluding one particular Ace – the place where we are void. This Exclusion allows us to find out if partner has enough of the “right Aces” for us to make slam. 

(584) Exclusion Keycard
June 23, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(583) Problems with Kickback Keycard

Kickback is a convention that can make slam bidding easier, in that it gives us more space to ask partner for the Queen of trump, but it can also cause problems for us in the bidding.  Any time we make a game contract (like 4♥ or 4♠) a conventional bid, there is danger that we have an expensive mixup with partner.  Here we look at some classic danger auctions that may come up if we choose to play Kickback and then discuss some of the common partnership agreements or philosophies for how to handle these dangerous auctions.

(583) Problems with Kickback Keycard
May 19, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(578) Preempt Keycard

When we preempts the bidding they cannot have 3 or 4 keycards. So it does not make sense to have a keycard system that shows these. Here we look at an improvement in steps and in how we ask.

(578)  Preempt Keycard
May 12, 2025
Constructive Bidding
Robert Todd
(577) Jump Shift Structure

When Opener makes a jump shift into a new suit with their second bid, it is a strong bid that creates a game forcing auction. This is a good bid because it ensures we reach game, but it is a bad bid because it eats up a lot of bidding space without fully describing our distribution. This is a problem. One of the most difficult opening hands to describe to partner is the unbalanced single-suited (one 6+card suit) hand with 18-19 HCP.  This is one of the strongest hands that does not open the bidding 2♣.  With this hand we usually open our suit at the 1-level and after partner responds at the 1-level, we lie in a minor suit.  If our one suit is a Major, then we show our strength by making a jump shift into 3♣, even when we have very few ♣ (as few as 2 cards.)  With this bid we create a game forcing auction (showing our values), but we distort our shape (partner expects that we have at least 4 cards in the ♣ suit). This can cause some confusion with partner if they have a large fit for our ♣ suit.  We would like to have a way to let partner know that this jump shift is done on a single-suited hand, not on a two-suited hand.  Let’s look at a system that helps us improve our jump shift methods.

(577)  Jump Shift Structure
Robert Todd
October 16, 2023
Play of the Hand

(495) Advanced Card Play: Smother Play

Robert Todd
October 16, 2023
Play of the Hand
(495)  Advanced Card Play: Smother Play

Experienced Declarers keep adding new techniques to their stable to allow them to take more tricks. This week we work on adding another one to your play options — the smoother play.

Tagged: S-PFin, 8, Advanced Card Play

Robert Todd
October 9, 2023
Play of the Hand

(494) Advanced Card Play: Endplays

Robert Todd
October 9, 2023
Play of the Hand
(494)  Advanced Card Play:   Endplays

Taking a finesse that you know is going to fail is losing bridge. Finding options for ways to avoid that is a key to improving your play. Here we look at End-plays, one of the most useful declarer play tools to allow you to avoid a bad finesse.

Tagged: S-PFin, S-PImprove, S-44Fits, 8, Advanced Card Play

Robert Todd
October 2, 2023
Play of the Hand

(493) Advanced Card Play: The Idle Fifth

Robert Todd
October 2, 2023
Play of the Hand
(493)  Advanced Card Play:  The Idle Fifth

Learning to interpret the opponent’s discards is an important skill. In order to do so you must visualize the opponent’s hands. Here we learn how to use the idle 5th concept to help us do so.

Tagged: 5, Advanced Card Play, Card Play Fun Webinars

Robert Todd
September 25, 2023
Play of the Hand

(492) Advanced Card Play: Misfits and Moysians

Robert Todd
September 25, 2023
Play of the Hand
(492)  Advanced Card Play: Misfits and Moysians

Finding a fit makes declaring a hand much easier. When we are playing a hand without a fit it is much more challenging. Here we look at some strategies for playing hands that have less than an 8-card fit.

Tagged: S-44Fits, 5, Advanced Card Play

Robert Todd
September 18, 2023
Play of the Hand

(491) Advanced Card Play: The King-Jack Guess

Robert Todd
September 18, 2023
Play of the Hand
(491)  Advanced Card Play: The King-Jack Guess

When we are defending and the Declaring side holds the King and the Jack in a suit then they will often have to guess the layout of the suit in order to take their most tricks. Here we look at the art of giving them the most difficult guesses we can!

Tagged: 5, Advanced Card Play, Card Play Fun Webinars

Robert Todd
September 11, 2023
Play of the Hand

(490) Advanced Card Play: Optimistic and Pessimistic Declarer Play

Robert Todd
September 11, 2023
Play of the Hand
(490)  Advanced Card Play: Optimistic and Pessimistic Declarer Play

Having the right mindset is an important part of approaching a declarer play problem. When you are in a good contact start to consider “What could go wrong?!?” and when you are in a bad contract start to make assumptions that good things are going to happen for you!

Tagged: 5, Advanced Card Play

Robert Todd
September 4, 2023
Play of the Hand

(489) Advanced Card Play: Combining Chances

Robert Todd
September 4, 2023
Play of the Hand
(489)  Advanced Card Play: Combining Chances

Finding the best line of play as Declarer is always a challenge. Instead of trying to determine the better of line of play A and line of play B the best play is often to choose a combination of the two. Here we look at how to improve you declarer play by combining your chances.

Tagged: S-PFin, S-PImprove, 5, Advanced Card Play

Robert Todd
August 28, 2023
Constructive: Opener, Bidding

(488) Constructive Bidding: Modern Gazzilli

Robert Todd
August 28, 2023
Constructive: Opener, Bidding
(488)   Constructive Bidding:  Modern Gazzilli

The latest upgrade to “modern expert bidding”. If you love gadgets, this is what you should add to your bidding system.

Tagged: 10, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
August 21, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls

(487) Competitive Bidding: When to Overcall a 4-card Suit

Robert Todd
August 21, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls
(487)   Competitive Bidding:   When to Overcall a 4-card Suit

It is frustrating to have a good hand and not be able to get into the auction. Here we look at a less used option for getting into the auction when the opponents open the bidding — overcalling a 4-card suit.

Tagged: 7, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
August 14, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: General

(486) Competitive Bidding: Dealing with 4-Major Jump Overcalls

Robert Todd
August 14, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: General
(486)   Competitive Bidding:  Dealing with 4-Major Jump Overcalls

When we open the bidding the opponents love to preempt and eat up our bidding space. This is especially difficult when their preempt is a jump to game in a Major. Here we look at how to deal with it!

Tagged: S-VsPre, 4, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
August 7, 2023
Competitive: Overcalls, Bidding

(485) Competitive Bidding: Bidding Over the Opponent's 3+Level Preempts

Robert Todd
August 7, 2023
Competitive: Overcalls, Bidding
(485)   Competitive Bidding:  Bidding Over the Opponent's 3+Level Preempts

When the opponents make a high-level preempt it makes our life difficult. Here we look at our options for bidding over them and what risks we have to take.

Tagged: 5, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
July 31, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls

(484) Competitive Bidding: Leaping Michaels

Robert Todd
July 31, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls
(484)   Competitive Bidding:   Leaping Michaels

Against the Opponent’s 2-level preempts we have ways of showing strong hands with two long suits by using a special jump overcall called Leaping Michaels. Here we see how to use it.

Tagged: S-VsPre, 8, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
July 24, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls

(483) Competitive Bidding: Competing Over 2-Level Preempts - Lebensohl

Robert Todd
July 24, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls
(483)  Competitive Bidding:   Competing Over 2-Level Preempts - Lebensohl

Dealing with preempts is extremely difficult. Here we look at an extremely useful tool for dealing with the opponent’s 2-level preempts — an innovative use of 2NT as a convention, not a contract!

Tagged: S-VsPre, 8, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
July 17, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls

(482) Competitive Bidding: Simple Overcalls by Level

Robert Todd
July 17, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls
(482)   Competitive Bidding:  Simple Overcalls by Level

Here we look at Simple Overcalls and how they vary based on situation and level — which is dramatic!

Tagged: S-CompThey, S-Over, 3, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
July 10, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls

(481) Competitive Bidding: Unusual 2NT

Robert Todd
July 10, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls
(481)   Competitive Bidding: Unusual 2NT

There is another valuable tool for competing in the bidding when we have a two suited hand — the unusual NT. Let’s see how this bidding tool is effective in competitive bidding.

Tagged: S-PreMany, S-CompThey, 4, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
July 3, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls

(480) Competitive Bidding: Michaels Cuebid

Robert Todd
July 3, 2023
Bidding, Competitive: Overcalls
(480)   Competitive Bidding: Michaels Cuebid

When the opponent’s open the bidding and we have two long suits it is useful to be able to show them both immediately. This is especially true when we have a weak hand. Here we look at Michaels Cuebids and see how they help us do this!

Tagged: S-PreMany, S-CompThey, 4, More Competitive Bidding 2

Robert Todd
June 26, 2023
Defense

(479) Defensive Carding: Partnership Defense Philosophy

Robert Todd
June 26, 2023
Defense
(479)   Defensive Carding: Partnership Defense Philosophy

In order to defend well you have to work together with partners. Specific agreements are important, but “high-level” agreements are also important. Your philosophy on how we work together and how we signal is the most important part of this.

Tagged: S-DDM, 5, Defensive Carding

Robert Todd
June 19, 2023
Defense

(478) Defensive Carding: Dummy has Qxx+

Robert Todd
June 19, 2023
Defense
(478)   Defensive Carding: Dummy has Qxx+

When Dummy has a holding like Qxx (or longer) it is important to have good agreements about signaling our partner, so they can make a good decision about what to do next. This week we look at this situation in detail - attitude, count, suit preference, what does our card mean!?!

Tagged: S-DOLDS, 5, Defensive Carding

Robert Todd
June 12, 2023
Defense

(477) Defensive Carding: More Suit Preference

Robert Todd
June 12, 2023
Defense
(477)   Defensive Carding:  More Suit Preference

There is more to suit preference signals than just the simple cases are trick 1. Here we look at even more places where you may use these valuable signaling tools.

Tagged: 8, 10, Defensive Carding

Robert Todd
June 5, 2023
Defense

(476) Defensive Carding: Suit Preference Signals

Robert Todd
June 5, 2023
Defense
(476)   Defensive Carding:  Suit Preference Signals

Our goal on defense is to help our partner. Suit Preference Signals are a way to do this by giving painter information about which suit we would like them to shift to (or where we hold good stuff).

Tagged: S-DOLDS, S-DStrat, 5, Defensive Carding

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Fundamentals - High Level Response to 1-Major Openings
Fundamentals - High Level Response to 1-Major Openings

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

When partner opens the bidding with 1-Major then we normally go slow and make a low level response. But we can also use some immediate jumps to high bids to describe some interesting and difficult hands. Let’s look at the meaning of this high-level jump responses.

Webinar Notes

Fundamentals - Other Responses 1-Level Openings
Fundamentals - Other Responses 1-Level Openings

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

Here we look at some other complex auctions and special responses to 1-level opening bids. We focus on some jump shift responses to 1-Major and 1-minor and then turn out focus to NT responses to minor suit openings.

Webinar Notes

Fundamentals - Hand Eval after Responder's Jump Shift
Fundamentals - Hand Eval after Responder's Jump Shift

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

When Responder makes a jump shift, either a weak jump shift or a 3/1 invitational jump shift, then Opener is left to figure out what to do next. Here we look at what types of hands Opener should bid with (like) and when they should be conservative and Pass.

Webinar Notes

Fundamentals - Some Confusing Auctions
Fundamentals - Some Confusing Auctions

July 2025 - Coming Soon!

There are some classic auctions that lead to confusion between partnerships. Ones that you should make sure you and partner agree upon.

Webinar Notes

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