Julian Foster’s hand commentary provides a good read every week. He reviews the results of our Monday morning session at City and Canada Bay and pick up an interesting hand for commentary. His column starts with the core principle, with key notes as a quick summary and advanced tips if you progress well with this laddered reading.
Julian is a many times NSW representative, he has an impressive bridge career as an individual player and coach!
- Get the side suit going
City and Canada Bay – Monday Morning 28th October 2024. A very common theme when declaring a hand in a trump suit is the need to set up a side suit (usually by ruffing losers in it to make the rest of the suit good). Board 8 last week was a good example of this for North South. The auction will start 1♦ P 1♥. South may now have some choices. He could overcall 1♠ but he may also be able to show a hand with at least 55 in the other two suits – similar to how a Michaels … Continue reading - The power of splinters
City and Canada Bay – Monday Morning 21st October 2024. I am writing this on a plane to South America where I will be away until 14 November. I will try and do a column next Monday but no guarantees! There will then be a gap at the beginning of November. After I return, this column will switch to looking at a hand from the Thursday SBC sessions (which will be using the same boards in the City and in Canada Bay in the same way as Monday currently does). The first Thursday column will therefore be for the 14 … Continue reading - Partscore competitive bidding.
City and Canada Bay – Monday Morning 14th October 2024. Board 25 last week saw one or two East West pairs make game but it was more usually a partscore battle. After pass from North and 1♥ from East the first question is whether South overcalls 2♣ or not. I would – you have a decent 6 card suit which you would want partner to lead and a bit of shape and it takes up bidding space (e.g. removing a 1♠ response). But it’s not without risk – clubs could sit over you and 3 low hearts is a very … Continue reading - SBC Spring Teams Congress (28th Sept) – What would the defenders have done if…..?
Because Monday 7th Oct was a public holiday there was no session at Canada Bay. The column will therefore instead feature a hand from the Sydney Bridge Centre Spring Teams congress which was held on Saturday 28th September. This is a hand from the last match. A lot of the field bid the East West cards on board 19 to 3NT. The challenge was then to make it! As so often, a combination of the auction and the opponents’ actions in the defence give clues. Let’s consider the auction first though. After a pass from South, some Wests no doubt … Continue reading - The power of redouble!
City and Canada Bay – Monday Morning 30th September 2024. Board 21 saw most East West pairs playing in 4♥ and most made it. But on a normal auction they will probably have passed up an enormous opportunity! The normal auction will start P 1♥ x and now it’s up to West. What would you bid? These days a lot of people ignore doubles so West might well have just bid 1♠. Now the auction is likely to continue uncontested with something like 2♥ 4♥ or 2♥ 3♣ 3♠ 4♥. East’s 2♥ rebid should show 6 hearts in this sequence … Continue reading
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