Author Archives: Julian Foster

Occasionally a board comes along that everyone should bid to a grand slam. Today’s hand is like that. But sometimes people over complicate matters! 4NT Blackwood is of course the most famous slam going convention. In its simplest original form … Continue reading →

A pre-empt forces you to start bidding at a much higher level which naturally makes it harder to reach the best contract. On the other hand, a pre-empt can often help declarer figure out the shape of the hand and … Continue reading →

Sometimes your contract looks completely hopeless. At that point you have to consider is there any chance left? Today’s hand was an example where there was – but it’s not that easy to see. It’s also so obscure that it’s … Continue reading →

On some hands it’s essential to play no-trumps from one direction. Today’s hand (taken from the Newcastle Congress played the weekend of June 13-14) is an example. 3NT played by West is hopeless because North can lead ♦Q and the … Continue reading →