Responder's Bidding Tools
Robert Todd
Responder's Bidding Tools - Responder’s Unusual ...

TWiB Lesson #592 (8 of 9)

When partner opens the bidding 1-minor (1m), a jump shift to 2-Major (2M) by Responder can be used for a variety of different hand types.  Both the standard approach of a strong jump shift and the common approach of a weak jump shift leave a lot to be desired.  The modern style is for good hands to go slow, which makes a strong jump shift less appealing because it eats up valuable bidding space.  With players responding to a 1m opening bid with 1M more and more aggressively, this makes using a weak jump shift less common…

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Responder's Bidding Tools - Responder’s Unusual 2-Major Jump Shifts and NT Bids
Even More Comp Bidding
Robert Todd
Even More Competitive Bidding - Bergen Raises

TWiB Lesson #572 (6 of 9)

When responding to partner’s 1-Major opening bid, Responder tries to apply the Law of Total Tricks (LOTT) – getting to the size of the partnership’s fit as quickly as possible.  This LOTT bidding is especially effective when our side has a 9+card fit.  Bergen Raises are a set of conventional bids Responder can use when responding to a 1-Major opening bid with 4+card support (at least a 9+card fit).  Let’s see how this system works.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Bergen Raises
Even More Comp Bidding
Robert Todd
Even More Competitive Bidding - Fit -Showing ...

TWiB Lesson #574 (8 of 9)

Jumping in the auction eats up a lot of bidding space, which is likely to make communicating with partner more difficult. Since our jump bid may make future communication more difficult, it should have a specific meaning. When partner opens the bidding, Responder’s jump shifts can be used to show a variety of different types of hands. We need to decide, as a partnership, which ones we want to use. We will choose different agreements for different situations.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Fit -Showing Jumps
Even More Comp Bidding
Robert Todd
Even More Competitive Bidding - Freebids by a ...

TWiB Lesson #575 (9 of 9)

When partner makes a bid, and we choose to bid a suit of our own, this is called a freebid. In most normal situations freebids show values (called positive freebids) and are often forcing 1-round. We’ve all heard the saying -- a new suit is forcing by an unpassed hand.  Unfortunately, this is not always true, but it is often our agreement. Let’s look at freebids made by a passed hand and see how the fact that we are passed changes these situations.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Freebids by a Passed Hand
Adv Same Bidding
Robert Todd
More Advanced Slam Bidding - Jump-Shift System

TWiB Lesson #577 (2 of 9)

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♣.  Let’s look at a system that helps us improve our jump shift methods.

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Jump-Shift System

Even More Competitive Bidding - Cuebids of Many Kinds

Even More Competitive Bidding - Cuebids of Many Kinds

TWiB Lesson #570 (4 of 9)

The modern game continues to create interesting auctions and we need to make sure to discuss how to respond to new situations with partner. Some of the most interesting (and useful) competitive bids are when we use a suit that the opponents have bid – called a Cuebid. There can be many different meanings for bidding the opponent’s suit. Let’s take a look at cuebids of the opponent’s suit in a variety of different auctions and make sure we are on the same page with partner about the meaning of these calls.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Spear

Even More Competitive Bidding - Spear

TWiB Lesson #571 (5 of 9)

When the auction begins 1m – 1NT (both bids by the opponents), it’s rare to compete in a minor suit.  Usually opponents have the minors, since Responder has denied a 4-card Major. In these auctions, it is effective to play a system geared towards the Major suits where we are most likely to have a fit.  Spear is an artificial system that uses all the bids at the 2-level to show different Major suit hands.  This gives more options for competing in the bidding. Let’s see how it works.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Bergen Raises

Even More Competitive Bidding - Bergen Raises

TWiB Lesson #572 (6 of 9)

When responding to partner’s 1-Major opening bid, Responder tries to apply the Law of Total Tricks (LOTT) – getting to the size of the partnership’s fit as quickly as possible.  This LOTT bidding is especially effective when our side has a 9+card fit.  Bergen Raises are a set of conventional bids Responder can use when responding to a 1-Major opening bid with 4+card support (at least a 9+card fit).  Let’s see how this system works.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - 2NT Raises in Competition

Even More Competitive Bidding - 2NT Raises in Competition

TWiB Lesson #573 (7 of 9)

One of my favorite sayings is “2NT is a convention, not a contract.” In specific situations, Responder can use 2NT as conventional raise of Opener’s suit. Sometimes we need to choose between several different conventional methods for competitive auctions. Here we look at our options for how to best use 2NT. If you like conventional raises of partner's suit, then make sure you discuss these auctions with partner.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Fit -Showing Jumps

Even More Competitive Bidding - Fit -Showing Jumps

TWiB Lesson #574 (8 of 9)

Jumping in the auction eats up a lot of bidding space, which is likely to make communicating with partner more difficult. Since our jump bid may make future communication more difficult, it should have a specific meaning. When partner opens the bidding, Responder’s jump shifts can be used to show a variety of different types of hands. We need to decide, as a partnership, which ones we want to use. We will choose different agreements for different situations.

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Even More Competitive Bidding - Freebids by a Passed Hand

Even More Competitive Bidding - Freebids by a Passed Hand

TWiB Lesson #575 (9 of 9)

When partner makes a bid, and we choose to bid a suit of our own, this is called a freebid. In most normal situations freebids show values (called positive freebids) and are often forcing 1-round. We’ve all heard the saying -- a new suit is forcing by an unpassed hand.  Unfortunately, this is not always true, but it is often our agreement. Let’s look at freebids made by a passed hand and see how the fact that we are passed changes these situations.

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Improve Your Card Play - Making Use of an Ace

Improve Your Card Play - Making Use of an Ace

TWiB Lesson #563 (1 of 4)

The Ace is the most powerful card in each suit.  It almost always wins a trick (especially in a notrump contract), but the Ace does much more than simply win one trick.  The Ace controls the suit. When we hold the Ace of a suit, we get to not only win a trick in that suit, we get to decide when we take our trick and gain the lead.  Holding the Ace gives us the power to choose how the play is going to go.

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Improve Your Card Play - Establishing Length

Improve Your Card Play - Establishing Length

TWiB Lesson #564 (2 of 4)

We usually win tricks with little cards (other than in the trump suit) by setting up our long suits. To establish these little cards in our long suits into winners, we need to play the hand well.  This requires using our large cards in the best way possible to establish our little cards. That means we need to play our combinations as best as we can, manage our transportation, and have some good luck in the way the cards divide.

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Improve Your Card Play - Guarding a Suit

Improve Your Card Play - Guarding a Suit

TWiB Lesson #565 (3 of 4)

It is essential to stop the Declarer's attempts to take tricks with small cards in order to properly defend the contract. That means that suits that have potential winners, threat cards, must not be allowed to grow into winners. We attempt to prevent this by covering an honor with an honor (to prevent promotion) and by holding onto our cards in the opponent’s long suits – called guarding the suit.

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Improve Your Card Play - Passive Opening Leads

Improve Your Card Play - Passive Opening Leads

TWiB Lesson #566 (4 of 4)

Active opening leads attempt to "go out and get" our tricks. Passive leads, on the other hand, attempt to just not give anything away or help Declarer. There are many different types of passive leads for many different situations. Here we take a look at several lead types and hands where a passive lead may or may not have the intended effect!

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Kokish Over Strong 2C

More Advanced Slam Bidding - Kokish Over Strong 2C

TWiB Lesson #576 (1 of 9)

Balanced hand bidding is relatively easy. We can usually describe our hand to partner by opening 1NT or rebidding 1NT. This lets partner know both our points and our hand type with either our first bid (when we open 1NT, the best situation) or with our second bid (when we rebid 1NT).  However, if we have a big balanced hand then we need to have tools for describing our hand as well.  These usually involve the use of 2NT – as a rebid, an opening bid, or even a rebid after having opened the bidding 2♣.  But this does not solve all our bidding problems.

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Jump-Shift System

More Advanced Slam Bidding - Jump-Shift System

TWiB Lesson #577 (2 of 9)

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♣.  Let’s look at a system that helps us improve our jump shift methods.

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NT and Balancing Auctions -- Balancing NT & Other Bal Bids

NT and Balancing Auctions -- Balancing NT & Other Bal Bids

TWiB Lesson #559 (2 of 9)

When LHO opens the bidding and the auction passes around to us, we are the last line of defense against the opponents buying the contract at a low level - balancing.  When we balance we “borrow” some of partner’s values and add those points to our hand - usually about 3 points.

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Preempt Keycard

More Advanced Slam Bidding - Preempt Keycard

TWiB Lesson #578 (3 of 9)

When partner opens the bidding with a 2-level or 3-level preemptive opening bid then Responder may have a struggle to find the best final contract without getting the auction too high.  One of the natural pressures is whether Responder risk going past 3NT to look for a fit or a better fit. Given the variability of modern preempts it can be dangerous to reach the 5-level when partner has taken an aggressive action.  Here we look at a tool, called Preempt Keycard, for Responder to ask for Keycards after a preempt, but still keep the auction at a low level.  

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Upgrade to Jacoby 2NT

More Advanced Slam Bidding - Upgrade to Jacoby 2NT

TWiB Lesson #579 (4 of 9)

Jacoby 2NT is a useful convention, but many players choose to try to improve it.  The modern expert 2NT response to a 1M opening showing a limit raise or better (LR+), instead of game forcing, has many different inventors and advocates.  The idea of using 1M – 2NT as LR+ accomplishes a couple of goals: 1) It opens up 1M – 3M to always be a weak call (a valuable tool for making life difficult on the opponents). 2) 1M – 2NT as LR+ approach gives away less information about the Opener’s (soon to be declarer’s) hand than Jacoby 2NT. Let’s see how this works.

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NT and Balancing Auctions -- Range Stayman

NT and Balancing Auctions -- Range Stayman

TWiB Lesson #560 (3 of 9)

A balancing 1NT bid can be a wide-ranging action, about 11-15/16 points.   This 5-point range is much larger than most Notrump bids and leaves partner with a more difficult bidding situation.  Range Stayman is a tool that can help Advancer better determine the values of our hand and if game is a possibility.

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Keycard Blackwood Details – More Queen Asks

More Advanced Slam Bidding - Keycard Blackwood Details – More Queen Asks

TWiB Lesson #580 (5 of 9)

When we move from playing Blackwood to Keycard Blackwood, we improve our slam bidding by including a discussion of the trump King and Queen.  Playing Keycards (let’s say 1430), then partner’s answer to our 4NT ask sometimes tells us if they hold the trump Queen and other times does not.  In the latter case we need to be able to ask partner if they hold the trump Queen, as we do not want to bid a slam missing a Keycard and the trump Queen.  Let’s look at how we ask partner about the trump Queen in a variety of different auctions.

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More Advanced Slam Bidding - Keycard Blackwood Details – More Specific Kings

More Advanced Slam Bidding - Keycard Blackwood Details – More Specific Kings

TWiB Lesson #581 (6 of 9)

Most partnerships start with the agreement that they answer this question by showing their number of Kings. But sometimes, a Grand Slam is not about partner having 2 or 3 Kings, but about them having the right single King. This “right King” is often the one opposite our long suit – allowing us to produce a large number of tricks. To get this information, many partnerships evolved their Kingshowing methods from “number of Kings” to “Specific Kings.” Here we look at how we can use Specific Kings in a variety of our Ace-asking auctions.

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