Modern Mainstream Bidding Techniques

If you look at the West hand

It's All In The Finesses

It is not always easy to find the best

Shill I, Shall I??

There are pros and cons in opening a weak 1NT as you can see when we look at the results on this board ...

Board 25 from Thursday 18/10/2018
Dealer N EW Vul

AKQ4
94
KT93
753
96
AJ82
862
A842
J52
KQT7
J7
QJ96
T873
653
AQ54
KT

A Thorny Issue

Do you play splinters and/or cue bids, and if so, how? Last night provided a wonderful example of the use of the 'splinter' bid.
Board 8 from Thursday 11/10/2018.
Dealer W Nil Vul

95
KT753
T973
J6
A8632
862
AQ5
T2
KQJ4
9
K6
AKQ854
T7
AQJ4
J842
973

The Big Fizzer

Do you play “Michaels” and/or “Unusual No Trump”, and if so, HOW do you play them? When I glanced at the hand records while directing last night, and saw Board 22, I thought: “Wow, there will be some fireworks on this one”. But when I looked at the results this morning, these fireworks turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib.

Board 22 from Thursday 4/10/2018
Dealer E EW Vul

J64
JT875
97
J54
AQT
AQ543
AK762
8752
96
KJ8
QT93
K93
AKQ432
T62
8

Times of Reservation

Do you play the 'Weak No Trump'? And if so, how weak? And how do you avoid the pitfalls?

Board 7 from Thursday 27/09/20118
Dealer S All Vul

KQ97
QT
KQT6
T42
4
63
J9843
AKQJ3
JT862
A7542
5
65
A53
KJ98
A72
987

Silence is Golden

Some points of interest from this fairly innocuous looking deal. They are worth discussing.

Board 4 from Thursday 20/09/2018
Dealer W All Vul

Some Answers ...

Let me now return to the readers' problem set two weeks ago. No reader came up with all the answers I was hoping for, but let me answer my own questions first:

Board 2 from Thursday 6/09/2018
Dealer E NS Vul

97
KQ983
A2
8763
J3
52
QJT75
9542
QT852
A64
83
KQT
AK64
JT7
K964
AJ

Problems Problems ...

There were some amazing deals this week and I have selected one that I will be featuring in the first chapter of my new series “Evil at the Bridge Table”. I will describe the play and then set you another problem to solve.

Board 4 Thursday from Thursday 13/09/2018
Dealer W All Vul

T8532
Q76
J872
5
6
53
KT953
KJT98
QJ74
T84
Q
A7643
AK9
AKJ92
A64
Q2

Reader Challenge

My experience tells me that great defence will always win over good declarer play. But can great defence beat brilliant declarer play? That is the question. I give you this deal because on the surface it looks like great defence can defeat a very good game, yet our clever computer programme “Deep Finesse” tells us that 4H can be made on any defence. I will give you my analysis later, but in the meantime I will show you the full deal and set it as a reader problem.

Board 2 from Thursday 6/09/2018
Dealer E NS Vul

97
KQ983
A2
8763
J3
52
QJT75
9542
QT852
A64
83
KQT
AK64
JT7
K964
AJ

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