By Val Rhead
HOW TO BID A SLAM
Last week we discussed how to find a possible slam. Accurate and disciplined bidding is essential. If your partner can’t rely on the validity of your bids, you will either get to slam contracts that are impossible to make, or you will miss slams that are a laydown. Make sure that the hand you bid always somewhat resembles the hand that you hold! You don’t want your partner going into a state of shock when you lay your dummy hand onto the table.
First, continue bidding until you sense that a slam is in the wind and you know either the trump suit or that the hand will be played in No Trump. Once you sense a slam, it could be useful to start bidding cue-bids of first-round controls.
A cue-bid is the bid of suit in which, by agreement, you obviously do not plan to play but has useful information for your partner. In the case of slam bidding, a cue-bid is the bid of a suit in which you have first-round control. The suit is headed by an Ace, or in a trump contract, the suit has an Ace or a void. You start bidding these suits up the line, skipping suits in which you do not have first-round control. Your partner in turn bids the next suit in which he has first-round control.
You only bid your probable trump suit when you decide that a successful slam is not possible or you have no more first-round controls. Partner may overrule you and bid the slam or may pass leaving you at the game level.
For example: partner has opened One Heart. You bid Three Hearts, which according to your partnership agreement is a 10 – 12 point limit raise. The partnership now knows that the trump suit is Hearts. Partner has a strong hand and thinks that slam is a good possibility. He cue-bids Three Spades showing first-round control of that suit. The next suit up the line is Clubs. You don’t have a control in Clubs, but you are void in Diamonds. You cue-bid Four Diamonds. If partner bids Four Hearts, he is telling you that he doesn’t think that a slam is there. Perhaps, he has a worthless doubleton in Clubs, so he doesn’t have a control in that suit and he knows that you don’t either. If he does have a control in Clubs, he may be able to bid Six Hearts.
We will continue next week with more slam details “Asking For Aces”.
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.
TOURNAMENT TRAIL: Silver Masterpoints, North Bay Sectional
April 20-22, 2018 at the North Bay Elks Club, 325 Elks Lane
Pairs Friday 1 & 7pm and Saturday 10:30am & 3pm; Sunday Swiss 10am
To confirm the details, read the information flyer: Click on “Tournaments” at http://acbl.org ,your opportunity for fun and to earn silver points.
Stratification based on average:
Open A = 1500+, B = 500-1500, C = 0-500, also 299 game and 0-50 newcomer game
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Please NOTE new time 7pm: Games are now on EVENING PLAY for the Summer, Tuesday 7:00pm Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For partners and information call Liz Graham (705) 789-7187
The following winners are for Tuesday, Apr 17 with 9 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 2. Susan Marshall and Jim Smith; 3. Yvonne Cox and Helen Pearson; 4. Joanne Garvey and Barb Green; 5. Vern Foell and Rod Dixon
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, Apr 16 with 12 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 2. Val Rhead and Joanne Garvey; 3. Kel Andresen and Jim Smith; 4. Gerry Flaherty and Ralph Hair; 5. Els Vandenberg and Isabel Hellberg; 6. Gail Lederer and Hazel Bowes
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