Every bridge player should be acquainted with the priorities for choosing the final contract. The first priority is an eight-card or longer major-suit trump fit; second is notrump if the two hands are balanced or nearly balanced; and the last is to play in a minor suit. This lesson explains some of the finer points necessary to become a consistent winner. It shows where to bend the bidding rules slightly to gain an advantage.
Positional Values Some honor holdings — particularly A-Q, K-x and Q-x — may be worth an extra trick when the opening lead comes around to them.
Holding A-Q, K-x or Q-x in an unbid suit, look for an opportunity to become declarer, especially in notrump.
West
1
North
Pass
East
2 NT
South
Pass
3 NT
K 8 2 Q 7 2 A K 9 3 J 10 2
A J 3 K 3 10 5 2 A 9 8 5 4
Holding K-x in hearts East grabs the opportunity to declare the most likely contract. Note that if East made his normal response of 2
, he would become the dummy in notrump.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
2 NT
3 NT
Q 7 A Q 10 6 3 Q 8 2 K 8 2
A 8 3 4 2 A J 9 4 3 A 9 5
In West’s view his spade holding may not even provide a stopper, but the positional value warrants the stab at notrump. If the
Q had turned out to be worthless, you would probably fail at a suit bid also.
Choosing the Better Fit If you discover a fit in two suits, you should consider how the play may go. Usually the more even suit should be trumps so the lopsided suit can provide discards. With a fit in both majors (or both minors) prefer the more evenly divided suit as trumps (4-4 over 5-3).
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
Q J 10 8 2
A K 3 A 8 6 5 J 8 4 2 7 2
2
4
K Q 4 3 5 3 A 8
With hearts trump you will win 11 tricks with normal breaks; but with spades trump there is no way to win more than 10. Also, note that if hearts break 4-1 you might still make 4
while 4 is doomed to fail.
West
1 NT
2
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
A 8 5 3 A 10 8 6 5 4
K 9 7 2 K 3 A Q A 8 6 4 3
4
2 7 2
East could jump directly to 4 , but it costs nothing to use Stayman first and a better contract is found. Also note West’s choice of opening bids.
Exception: When a major suit is extremely strong (6+ cards with K-Q-J) or extremely long (7+), it should usually be trumps.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
K 6 3 K Q J 10 7 6
2 NT
A 9 8 5 2 5 4 K J 3 A Q 8
4
8 K 4 3
East chooses 4 instead of 4 because of his extreme heart strength. Note that in spades a trump trick would always be lost, but in hearts you have a chance to discard a spade on the K.
Notrump with Major Fit Sometimes, especially at matchpoint scoring, it is desirable to play in notrump with an eight-card or longer major-suit fit. There is no way to be certain, but look for these characteristics:
No singleton or void suit
No obvious way to gain a trick by ruffing
Stoppers in the unbid suits with secondary honors
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2 NT*
South
Pass
A 8 4 Q J 4 K Q 6 2
3 NT
K Q J 7 5 10 7 2 A 4 A 7 2
Q 10 3
Because of his flat shape and secondary honors, East elects not to support spades unless his partner showed dissatisfaction with notrump. h (Older style of bidding.) Occasionally the player with the long major suit must cooperate by not insisting to play in his trump suit. Instead he abides by his partner’s decision to play in notrump.
West
1 NT
3 NT
North
Pass
Pass
East
3
South
Pass
3 2 A K Q 8 5 4
* Pass
K Q 9 4 J 7 2 K J 3 A Q 8
10 9 2
J 5
*not playing transfers. West is supposed to raise to 4 holding three trumps, but he takes exception with his flat shape and abundant stoppers and to protect his Club holding. East has no singleton or void so he accepts the decision
Seven-Card Major Fit If an eight-card major-suit trump fit does not exist and notrump is undesirable because of a weak side suit, it might be advantageous to play in a major suit with only seven combined trumps. If other options are unattractive, consider raising a five-card major with a doubleton honor.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
Pass
A K 7 5 3 A 2 K 10 9 6 9 4
Q 2 9 4 A 8 3 K Q 8 6 5 2
2 4
2
The key bid is 2 , which is preferable to rebidding 3 with an unsubstantial suit. The opening bidder also uses good judgment not to bid notrump because his heart stopper is primary.
When your major suit is divided 4-3, the risk is slightly greater because of the likelihood that an opponent will have equal trump length. Look for these characteristics:
The four-card suit is sturdy — at least two of the top four honors.
The hand with three trumps has the shortness in the weak side suit so that enemy “taps” will not shorten the longer hand.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
Pass
East
1
South
Pass
Pass
K Q 8 2 K 8 4 A 9 8 6 5 3
J 3 A Q 10 2 K Q 7 2 9 8 2
1 3
3 4
Notice that declarer’s hearts are strong (to draw trumps) and the club ruffs can be taken in the dummy. 4 will yield a better score than 5 (also makeable).
ü At least a nine-card trump fit
ü A singleton or void suit
ü Lack of secondary honors in the side suits
Minor-Suit Contracts Minor-suit contracts are avoided, but this does not mean excluded. (Some players overdo this aversion to minors.) The characteristics of a good minor-suit contract are: b
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
Pass
East
1
South
Pass
Pass
Pass
2 3 NT
5
2 A J 9 7 3 K 10 2 A Q 10 2
A 9 6 5 3 2 4 3 K J 8 7 3
3 4
The key bid is 4 . Dummy’s hand contains all of the desired characteristics. 5 might fail with repeated trump leads, but note that 3 NT is almost sure to fail.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
Pass
A 2 A 5 3 J 10 9 4 3 K Q 7
9 3 9 4 K Q 8 2
3
3 3
A 10 9 8 3
5
After 3 opener expects a nine-card diamond fit and his major suits contain no secondary values. Rather than be committal, he shows his heart stopper; responder then places the contract.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
Passbbb
2 A 6 4
3
A K 9 5 3 5 2 K 10 2 Q 10 3
Pass
Q J 9 8 7 4
K J 4
This case is less clear-cut because responder does have some secondary values in clubs; but the expected lead is a heart. Opener should pass 4
.
Overbid or Underbid Sometimes you will have a close decision whether to pass or bid for game. There is no simple solution for this — you must consider each situation as it occurs at the table. You can improve your judgment by keeping these factors in mind:
High cards in partner’s suit improve your hand; high cards except the ace in an unbid suit or enemy suit may be useless.
Intermediate cards (tens, nines and eights) improve your hand, especially in the trump suit or your long suit at notrump.
Extreme shape (especially with a void in an unbid or enemy suit) suggests an overbid; flat shape (especially 4-3-3-3) suggests an underbid.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
Pass
K 10 9 7 3
2 NT
4
Q J 2 8 2 A K 9 7 2 7 6 3
3
A 9 3 Q 6 A 8 2
Opener has a minimum hand but he takes the aggressive push to game because of his good trump texture and fitting card (
Q) in partner’s suit.
West
1
North
Pass
Pass
East
2
South
Pass
Pass
A 7 6 5 4
2 NT
Pass
3
A K 3 4 3 Q 8 2
Q J 2 8 2 A K 9 7 2 7 6 3
Here opener has the same point count as in example 13, yet he passes because he lacks trump texture and his
Q may be useless. Compare the chances of making game in examples 13 and 14.
Penalty Cards
Generally speaking, any card illegally exposed by a defender, even accidentally, becomes a penalty card. This is another complicated area. There are two sorts of penalty cards: major penalty cards and minor penalty cards. This has nothing to do with the suit they are in!
A minor penalty card is any single accidentally exposed card below a ten.
If you deliberately expose a card, for example by leading out of turn, or accidentally expose an honor (10 or above), or have two or more penalty cards for any reason, then all your penalty cards are major penalty cards.
Any penalty card must remain exposed. A major penalty card must be played at the first legal opportunity. This means that if you end up on lead you must lead your major penalty card. If you have two or more penalty cards which can be played, declarer can choose which.
If you only have a minor penalty card, you may elect to play an honor (10 or above) in the same suit instead of your penalty card. If you are on lead or discarding, you may play a different suit. In either case, your penalty card stays down.
If you are on lead and partner has one or more major penalty cards you must ask declarer, before you lead, if he wishes to impose a lead penalty. If you lead without asking, your lead is illegal and it too becomes a major penalty card! Declarer has three options:
B
He can require you to lead the suit of (any one of) your partner's major penalty cards. If so, your partner picks up all penalty cards of the nominated suit. They cease to be penalty cards. Note that if you don't have a card of the nominated suit that's declarer's tough luck. Your partner still picks up any penalty cards in that suit and you can lead what you like.
He can forbid you from leading one or more of the suits in which your partner has major penalty cards. If so, your partner may pick up all penalty cards in the forbidden suits. For as long as you remain on lead you may not lead any of the prohibited suits (unless you only have cards in the forbidden suits, in which case you can lead what you like).
He can allow you to lead whatever you like, in which case all partner's penalty cards remain down as penalty cards.
Note that these lead restrictions do not apply if partner only has a minor penalty card but the fact that partner has the minor penalty card is Unauthorized Information. That means you can't use it as the basis for any decisions. The subject of Unauthorized (or Extraneous) information is discussed briefly in the section Pause for Thought.
The whole business of penalty cards and Unauthorized Information is another strange, and in some ways contradictory, area. The fact that partner has that particular card, or that he wanted to play it, is Unauthorized Information to you but the fact that he must play it at the first opportunity is Authorized Information. In other words, you're not allowed to know that partner has, say, the King of Diamonds but you are allowed to know that if you were to lead a diamond then partner will have to play the card you're not allowed to know he's got!
Confused? I certainly am. The best advice, as ever, is if you are in doubt as to what you are, or are not, allowed to take into consideration then call the director.