By Val Rhead
A friend asked me recently, “Why do I have to learn all that stuff? The people I play with don’t use Transfers and Michaels and all those other conventions”.
“Well you don’t have to,” I replied. If you play Bridge only once in a while with friends who don’t use many conventions, why bother? What you do need to learn is to bid accurately, as I discussed in last week’s column. Learn how to limit your hand and teach your partners how to do it. Then you’re all set.
But sooner or later, you may decide that you want to improve your game, and maybe some of your friends want to do so also. I don’t believe in loading people down with a lot of bidding conventions that rarely come up. However, there are some conventions that are worth learning. Whichever ones you choose to learn, do so one at a time and learn them well, otherwise they may cause more problems than they solve.
Jerry Helms is a renowned Bridge teacher, and writer in the “Bridge Bulletin,” the magazine published by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL.org.) Jerry has a list on his web site of the conventions that he thinks are basic, and the most beneficial, for all Bridge players. The following conventions are recommended from www.jerryhelms.com
Those that should be learned first, are STAYMAN and JACOBY TRANSFERS. These two conventions are used by you after your partner opens with One No Trump or Two No Trump. They will help you find the “magic eight-card fit” in Hearts or Spades or a minor suit. They are used a lot.
A LIMIT RAISE is a responding jump bid to three of opener’s suit. For example: One Spade by opener followed by Three Spades by you. This shows your partner that you have support for his suit and 10 to 12 points. He will then be in a position to set the contract.
WEAK TWO BIDS by you show your partner that you have a good six-card suit and LESS than opening points. This is very useful because it accurately limits your hand (8-11 points) and describes your distribution. Partner knows that he can extend your pre-empt if he has three of your suit to make it more difficult for the opponents to bid. He also knows that he should not bid to game unless he has at least 16 points. But importantly, if you have a six-card suit and opening points, open with a ONE bid.
BLACKWOOD AND GERBER – These two conventions allow you to find out how many Aces your partner has if you’re contemplating slam. Use Blackwood by bidding Four No Trump when asking for Aces in a SUIT contract. Use Gerber by bidding Four Clubs when asking for Aces in a NO TRUMP contract. You may have to remind your partner that you don’t use Four Clubs to ask for Aces in a suit contract because it gets confusing trying to figure out whether partner is asking for Aces or is bidding Clubs.
Other conventions on Jerry Helms’ list include MICHAELS CUE BID and the UNUSUAL TWO NO TRUMP CUE BID. These two competitive conventions allow you to show two suits at once from which partner can pick one.
“DONT” (Disturb Opponent’s No Trump) is a competitive convention that helps you mess up opponent’s No Trump bidding and may lead to a part score contract for you or a profitable sacrifice. A sacrifice occurs where you go down, but give your opponents a lower score than they would have got by playing their contract. More about DONT in a future column.
So learn a few of these most useful conventions. Learn them well. Teach them to your friends. Your bidding will become less confusing if you are all on the same page. Your Bridge games will become more productive and enjoyable. Conventions can be fun and challenging to the mind. So what is wrong with learning some of “that stuff?”
CONTINUE MAKING PLANS FOR THE LONGEST DAY JUNE 21
REMINDER: Now is the time to book your partner for THE LONGEST DAY Bridge Event in Orillia Wednesday, June 21, 2017 AT 1PM. This special day raises money to fight Alzheimer’s.
Guardian Angels Church
115 West Street North
Orillia, Ontario L3V 5C4
More information will follow here and on Orillia’s website www.orilliabridge.com.
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games at the Huntsville Club are Tuesday 7:15 start, Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For partners and information call Susan Marshall 705 787-5454 or email [email protected]
The following winners are for Tuesday, May 30 with 18 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Beryl Clayson and Paul Clayson; 2. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 3. Mary Hogarth and Albert Eatock; 4. Susan Marshall and Mary Whitehead; 5. Bev Parlett and Barb Forth; East-West 1. Fay MacDonald and Yvonne Cox; 2. Carol Sullivan and Dorothy Russell; 3. Liz Barnes and Bev Howard; 4. Liz Graham and Sandy Graham; 5. Mary Simonett and Kel Andresen
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays 7pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For information or partnerships, call Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following winners are from Monday, May 29 with 21 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Kel Andresen and Jim Smith; 2. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 3. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 4. Fay MacDonald and Mary Whitehead; 5. Carol Anne Robinson and Nancy Barber; 6. Pat Davies and Sue Scott; East-West 1. Andrea Killackey and Terry Killackey; 2. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 3. Art Insley and Don Evans; 4. Ann Cassie and Bruce Cassie; 5. Lyn Walisser and Bev Howard; 6. Anna Wilson and Gil Little
Looking for more bridge tips? You’ll find them here.
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