By Peter Rhead
Whoa Partner, You Cannot PASS
Your partner, the dealer, opens One Club and you respond One Spade. Opener, with a minimum hand and nothing else to say, then bids PASS! You are shocked. You have a twenty point hand and your partner opened. You want to shout “Whoa Partner, You Cannot PASS” but in Bridge, you are not allowed to vent your frustration. You must bite your tongue and play your One-Spade contract as if everything was OK and normal and make your underbid Four-Spade game or even a slam!
What your partner does not realize is that he is not following the convention topic of today’s column. Today’s column covers one small part of the convention “Limit Your Hand” which resolves this situation very well. Every player has a responsibility to inform his partner of the value of the hand. This is done by “Limit Your Hand” on each player’s first or second bid. When one player has limited his hand, then and only then, the partner is free to PASS or to set the contract.
You probably use parts of this convention routinely without realizing it. When partner opens and you say two of his suit or One-No-Trump, you have limited your hand to 6-9 points. If you jump to three in his suit, you have limited your hand to 10-12 points.
When you responded to opener’s One-Club bid with One-Spade bid, you correctly did not “Limit Your Hand” with your twenty-point hand. All you did was to guarantee at least six points and at least a four-card Spade suit. However, you could have many more points that six and you could have many more cards than four in the Spade suit. A new suit by you, an unpassed responder, is always forcing. Opener must keep the bidding open.
Opener has three choices to show his minimum hand (12-14 points) after your One-Spade response and he must bid one of them. He may repeat his opening at the minimum level, Two Clubs; or he may repeat your bid at the minimum level, Two Spades; or he may bid One-No-Trump. Any one of these three re-bids by Opener would “Limit His Hand” and keep the bidding open. Now you, responder, with your twenty-point hand are free to set the contract, or to bid a new suit, which again would be forcing, in search of the best contract.
Next Week: When To Stop Bidding and PASS Instead
If you wish to promote an activity in your Bridge group or ask a Bridge question, send the information to [email protected] and I will try to include it in this column.
SOCIAL BRIDGE GAME IN HUNTSVILLE
SUMMIT CENTRE FOR ACTIVE LIVING, THURSDAYS 7PM
In the multi-purpose room 2nd floor (elevator) (back entrance of Summit Centre)
Just come – with or without a partner. Please arrive 10 minutes before game time. For information, contact Donna or Peter Tikuisis at 647 471 1774 or [email protected].
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 in September are Monday evening 7pm at the Port Carling Community Centre, 3 Bailey Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time.
NOTE: For the Winter the game switches to 1pm starting Oct 7. We are still working on whether there are enough players who want a game Oct 14, Thanksgiving at 1pm.
Our annual Pizza Party Mixing Game is Monday, Oct 7 NOON
For information, contact Andree or Scott 705-764-3827 [email protected]
Results for Monday, September 23, 2019; 1. Jeanette & Hans Heeneman 4390 points; 2. Louise Kirbyson & Mavis Hall 3620 points; 3. Irene Bond & DorothyBeckman 3040 points
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games are Tuesday 7pm Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time. For partnerships and information call Jan Roberts 705 635-2522 or email [email protected]
The following winners are for Tuesday, Sep 24, 2019 with 13 pairs playing a Howell Movement 1. Kelly Andresen and Kel Andresen; 2. Susan Marshall and Jan Roberts; 3. Gerry VanLierop and Ron Groulx; 4. Liz Barnes and Bev Howard; 5. Liz Graham and Dorothy Russell; 6. Andrea Killackey and Terry Killackey; 7. Art Insley and Don Evans; 8. Joanne Garvey and Barb Green
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays 7pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive with your partner 10 minutes before game time. For information contact Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following winners are from Monday, Sep 23, 2019 with 16 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 2. Lyn Walisser and Bev Howard; 3. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 4. Mary Whitehead and Helen Pearson; East-West 1. Pat Paterson and Tony Liming; 2. Betty Fagin and Gail Lederer; 3. Art Insley and Don Evans; 4. Frank Vagnoni and Gerry Lawrence
Looking for more bridge tips? You’ll find them here.
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