Bridge news sheet 259

This week’s bridge news sheet No. 259 has 6 articles. First of all, you hold ♠974 ♥6 ♦AKQ8764 ♣32, what do you open? This is a classic Gambling 3NT opening. There’s the usual Dave column with the best way to play a 3NT contract. Then partner opens 1♥ and you hold ♠9742 ♥AK6 ♦QJ7 ♣J105 – if you bid 1♠ then partner bids 1NT – do you make a try with 3♥? Beware of the 4333 type shape! Then there are two articles on what a particular bidding sequence means (and how it went wrong).

Bridge news sheet 258

Lots of activity this week. First of all, we are moving. See the Map of the Bowling Green, Pattaya, for the new location. Then there’s the usual complaints about alerts etc. I will make it very clear – even though you have pre-alerted the opponents that you play Precision ♣, the 1♣, 1♦, 1NT and 2♣ bids still need to be alerted (1NT may be announced as 13-15). There are six articles this week. Two on giving preference; one where two cuebids meant that everybody at the table bid ♥‘s; two where partner failed to respond with 6 points and game was missed; and Dave’s play problem.

Bridge news sheet 257

This week’s bridge news sheet No. 257 has 4 articles. First of all, you hold ♠AKQ105 ♥105 ♦43 ♣J942 and partner opens a strong 1NT ; you transfer and partner bids 2♠, what now? – 3NT, 4♠ or 3♣ ? Then there’s another article which is a bit controversial. RHO opens 1♣ and you hold ♠K4 ♥J2 ♦J102 ♣KQJ752 – you ask if the opponents are playing a short ♣ and then overcall 2♣ – cheating? Then there are two opening bid problems – what do you open with Hand A: ♠A ♥AQJ10985 ♦AK ♣– and with Hand D: ♠AKJ105 ♥AK102 ♦AJ6 ♣5 ?

Bridge questions

The Pattaya bridge club web site has a page of common bridge questions (FAQS) where many frequently asked questions are answered. I get lots of e-mails asking various questions about bridge bidding and other aspects of the game. So I have also set up this post; if you have a general bridge question then simply click the ‘comments’ link below and ask it. Your query will appear on this website immediately and I’ll answer it within 24 hrs.
The Pattaya bridge club also has a number of interesting pages that answer many questions. To know if a bid is forcing (in Standard American or Acol) check out Is It Forcing. The When RHO doubles page give you the standard meanins of bids when partner opens and RHO makes a take-out double. There is also a page specifically on doubles – take-out, panalty or what? And what does a 3NT rebid by opener mean?

Cappelletti and Multi-Landy defenses to 1NT

I recently wrote an article comparing the Cappelletti and Multi-Landy defenses to One NoTrump. It is fairly clear that Multi Landy is far superior. Multi Landy has been in common use in Europe for decades – but not in the USA where the inferior Cappelletti is widely played. See the comments section below for the reason that Multi-Landy is not commom in the USA – It is apparently not sanctioned by the ACBL!!!

History of the card game bridge

It is believed that the card game of bridge originated in the Middle East in the 19th century. Auction bridge, one form of the game, was developed by the British in India and later was popular in the UK and the United States. It is sometimes still played but has largely been replaced by contract bridge, which achieved popularity after important innovations were made in 1925 by Harold S. Vanderbilt. Its phenomenal popularity owed much to the activities of Ely and Josaphine Culbertson. The craze subsided but was later revived; books, tournaments, and newspaper columns on bridge abounded. Milton Work devised the honour count system to evaluate a hand for bidding and this was made popular by the teachings and ‘the blue book’ of Ely Culbertson. The point count system introduced by Charles H.Goren in the 1940’s has generally been replaced by Milton Work’s honour count system (A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1). Once bridge had become faily popular, a number of bridge bidding conventions were invented. Stayman and Blackwood were amongst the first and now there are thousands.

bidding at bridge: the jump cue bid overcall

Board 20 from 24-9-07 was quite interesting.

You hold ♠J98 ♥3 ♦Q10 ♣AKQJ1096

(a) What do you open?

(b) What do you bid if RHO opens 1♥ in front of you?

To see what happened at the Pattaya bridge club, have a read of news-sheet 256.

To know the answer to question (b) refer to Jump cue bid overcall.

Bridge books for sale

This is a list of recommended bridge books available through Amazon and other outlets on the internet or through your local bookstore.
Bergen for the Defense – Marty Bergen
Bergen’s Best Bridge Quizzes, Volume 1 – Marty Bergen
Bergen’s Best Bridge Tips – Marty Bergen
Better Bidding With Bergen Vol I, Uncontested Auctions – Marty Bergen
Better Bidding With Bergen Vol II, Competitive Auctions – Marty Bergen
Better Rebidding with Bergen (Points Schmoints Series) – Marty Bergen
Declarer Play the Bergen Way – Marty Bergen
Hand Evaluation – Marty Bergen
Negative Doubles: A must read for every partnership – Marty Bergen
To Open, or Not to Open: Featuring the Rule of 20 (Points Schmoints) – Marty Bergen
Points Schmoints!: Bergen’s Winning Bridge Secrets – Marty Bergen
More POINTS SCHMOINTS! – Marty Bergen
Negative Doubles: A must read for every partnership – Marty Bergen
Understanding 1NT Forcing – Marty Bergen
Off-road Declarer Play: Unusual Ways to Play a Bridge Hand – David Bird
The Complete Book of Bols Bridge Tips – Sally Brock
Standard Bidding With Sayc – Ned Downey
Bridge Baron Companion – How to Get the Most Out of Your Computer Bridge Game – Donald Farwell
Negative, responsive, and other competitive doubles – Harold Feldheim
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge – Henry Francis
Contract Bridge for Beginners: A Simple Concise Guide on Bidding and Play for the Novice (Including Point Count Bidding) – Charles H. Goren
Goren’s New Bridge Complete – Charles H. Goren
ACBL Bridge Series: Bidding – Audrey Grant
Bridge At A Glance – Audrey Grant
Bridge Basics 1 (The Official Better Bridge Series) – Audrey Grant
Bridge Basics 2: Competitive Bidding – Audrey Grant
Bridge Basics 3: Popular Conventions (The Official Better Bridge Series) – Audrey Grant
Commonly Used Conventions (ACBL Bridge) – Audrey Grant
Defense, Second Edition: The Heart Series (ACBL Bridge) – Audrey Grant
Play Of The Hand: Introduction to Bridge (ACBL Bridge) – Audrey Grant
How the Experts Win at Bridge – Burt Hall
Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century – Max Hardy
Advanced Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century – Max Hardy
Two-Over-One Game Force – Max Hardy
Bridge For Dummies  – Eddie Kantar
Eddie Kantar Teaches Modern Bridge Defense – Eddie Kantar
Roman Keycard Blackwood: Slam Bidding for the 21st Century – Eddie Kantar
Persistent Human Bridge Errors – Danny Kleinman
The Fun Way to Serious Bridge – Harry Lampert
Complete Book on Hand Evaluation – Mike Lawrence
How to Read Your Opponents’ Cards – Mike Lawrence
The Backwash Squeeze and Other Improbable Feats: A Newcomer’s Journey into the World of Bridge – Edward McPherson
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Bridge, 2nd Edition (The Complete Idiot’s Guide) – H. Anthony Medley
Bridge for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to One of the Most Challenging Card Games – Paul Mendelson
My System: The Unbalanced Diamond – Marshall Miles
Defence at Bridge – Victor Mollo
Victor Mollo’s Bridge Club: How to Turn Masterful Plays into Monstrous Points – Victor Mollo
Success at bridge – Victor The Bridge Player’s Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game – Julian Pottage
No Trump bidding, Stayman and transfers – Terry Quested
Bridge for Bright Beginners – Terence Reese
The ABCs of Bridge – William S. Root
How to Defend a Bridge Hand – William S. Root
How To Play A Bridge Hand – William S. Root

Negative doubles (Championship bridge series) – Alvin Roth

25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know – Barbara Seagram
Bridge: 25 Ways to Be a Better Defender (25) – Barbara Seagrem
Five Weeks to Winning Bridge – Alfred Sheinwold
Why You Lose at Bridge – S. J. Simon
Watson’s Classic Book on The Play of the Hand at Bridge – Louis H. Watson
The New York Times Bridge Book: An Anecdotal History of the Development, Personalities, and Strategies of the World’s Most Popular Card Game (New York Times Bridge Series) – Alan Truscott

The Bridge in the menagerie series: –

Bridge in the fourth dimension: Further adventures of the Hideous Hog – Victor Mollo
Bridge In The Fifth Dimension – Victor Mollo
Destiny at Bay: The Latest from the Bridge Menagerie – Victor Mollo
Masters and Monsters – Victor Mollo
Murder In The Menagerie – Victor Mollo