By Val Rhead
STOLEN BIDS – “Systems On” in No Trump Bidding
There sometimes are strange things that can happen in Bridge. One of them is that an opponent can steal your bid, or that of your partner, in No-Trump bidding sequences. But there is a simple way to prevent them from taking advantage of their theft, and it doesn’t involve you hiring a lawyer.
One No-Trump is a common opening bid. All you need is 15 to 17 points. In the early years, it also required a fairly balanced hand. The rules for what constitutes acceptable No-Trump distribution have evolved in recent years, and become much more liberal. A doubleton, even two doubletons (as long as one contains a stopper) became acceptable. Now, you even can open One No-Trump holding a singleton as long as it’s an Ace, King or Queen. For this reason, No-Trump opening bids are more frequent than ever.
Why this is important is that a One No-Trump opening does not only lead to No-Trump contracts. It also gives you access to the Stayman and Transfer conventions that provide a great way to find the best contract in either Hearts or Spades, and sometimes in the minors. Using these conventions is easy and I’ve discussed them in this column before. Of course, sometimes your nasty opponents intervene. But when you play “Systems On,” with your partner, you can still use Stayman and Transfers after the interference. Why let the opponents mess up your bidding system if there is a way to combat it?
Assume, you open One No-Trump. Your left-hand opponent bids Two Clubs because he has a Club suit. Your partner wanted to make the Stayman bid of Two Clubs to show that he has at least one four-card major suit, and at least eight points. However, those mean opponents have stolen your team’s bid. Your partner will simply “double” the Two Clubs. This means that Two Clubs is the bid that he wanted to make to ask you if you have a four-card major. When it becomes your turn to bid again, you can respond at the two level in the normal fashion as if your partner had made the Stayman bid of Two Clubs. If you did not have a four-card major, you would answer normally, with a Two-Diamonds bid. If you had a four-card major you would bid it. If both your major suits were at least four cards long, you would first bid Hearts. If your right-hand opponent supports his partner’s Clubs or makes another bid, you have the option of bidding again at the two or three-level or passing.
In the same manner, if your left-hand opponent bid his Diamond suit when partner wanted to transfer to his five-card Heart suit, what does your partner do? He would double the opponent’s bid because the opponent had stolen the Two-Diamond bid that he needed to make to show his Heart suit. If your partner’s five-card suit was Spades, he could bid Two Hearts as a transfer to Spades in the normal fashion. If your partner has a six-card Club suit, and the enemy bid Two Spades, your partner could double the Spade bid showing it as a stolen bid. You could then complete the transfer to Three Clubs.
Bridge players are an inventive lot. New ways of solving bidding problems are being created often. Many of the top players have devised different methods of dealing with the opponents’ interference, other than indicating stolen bids, but those methods can be somewhat complicated. Using stolen bids is one fairly simple method of dealing with opponents’ interference that is widely used by club players.
So, you do not need a lawyer when your opponent steals your bid. You just double the bid to indicate it has been stolen. But make sure you and your partner have an agreement to play No-Trump “Systems On” so you successfully can make this “double”.
If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group or ask a bridge question, send the information to vrhead23@gmail.com and I will try to include it in this column.
NEW SOCIAL BRIDGE GAME IN HUNTSVILLE
Games are at the Active Living Centre on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose room 2nd floor (elevator) at the back entrance of the Canada Summit Centre. Just come – with or without a partner. For information, please contact Donna or Peter Tikuisis at 647 471 1774 or [email protected].
For now, this game will be played following Chicago Rules (allowing both fast and slow games). You will keep your same partner for the entire evening. Cost is $1.50 per person. Parking is outside the North Entrance opposite Heritage Village Railway Station.
PORT CARLING SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB
Games for the Port Carling Social Bridge Club are Monday afternoon 1pm at the Port Carling Community Centre, 3 Bailey Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time.
For information, contact Andree or Scott 705-764-3827 [email protected]
Monday, 1 PM, Feb.18th winners: Tied for First: Barb & John Brown 4290 points and Andree Baillargeon and Scott Staples 4290 points
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games at the Huntsville Club are Tuesday afternoon 1pm, Trinity United Church 33 Main Street (side door, three steps up in the Hearth Room). Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. For information and partnerships call Liz Graham (705)789-7187 or email at [email protected]
The following winners are for Tuesday, Feb 19, 2019 with 8 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Helen Pearson and Jim Smith; 2. Joanne Garvey and Betty Rintoul; 3. Liz Graham and Sandy Graham; 4. Nancy Barber and Val Rhead
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, Feb 18, 2019 with 9 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 2. Betty Rintoul and Hazel Bowes; 3. Frank Vagnoni and Gerry Lawrence; 4. Gerry Flaherty and Vern Foell; 5. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst
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