1 Preliminary

I did a complete analysis of every contract in a recent Larkhill Friday competition and discovered that 33% of contracts failed, producing a minus score,  whilst 15% made enough tricks for game but hadn’t bid it, a total of 48% inaccurate bidding, leaving 30% making the contract exactly, and  22% making their contracts with overtricks. That’s a 52% success rate. This may be a one-off result, but clearly there is a need for greater accuracy in our bidding.  I’m going to do my best to help you improve the situation. Forgive me if you already know some of the things I’ll be saying, but I want to make sure important basics are covered.  So here goes for starters:

Are we minimum?

Opening the bidding at the one level requires a nominal 12 points and responding to it requires a nominal 6 points. (exceptions aside) These are minimal figures and clearly we often have more, so I want to specify upper limits so we know more accurately where to go. Here we are: Opener 12-14, responder 6-9. N.B. These figures apply to suits as well as NT.  If both partners are within those limits then the partnership is minimum and the following guidelines apply:

1. Opener is entitled to two bids. Indeed if his opening suit gets a different suit from partner, then he must find a rebid. (Tip: never open a suit until you have decided your rebid,)
2. Responder is entitled to only one bid, with this unusual exception: 1C-1D-1H-1S. This reverse bidding is safe at the one level.
3. Assuming no fit has been found, a contract of one or two will probably make; a contract of three will probably not. (Agreed trump suits have their own rules. If a proper fit is found, we can go higher than the 2-level if the system decrees that.  I’ll deal with trump fits later,)

The 2-spade bar

Minimum openers should go no higher than 2S. If responder is presented with two suits from partner, he should give preference, and this does not count as a real bid, it equals a pass in strength.

This gives rise to the long-established principle: The three-level belongs to the opponents. If your side is minimum and the opponents bid three, don’t outbid them. They are on dangerous ground and it is probably best to let them get on with it and present you with a plus score. If you now outbid them the odds are you will get a minus score,, so you had better be sure this is right.

Don’t be the second side to bid three unless you are sure to make it.