10 Bridge Conventions You Should Know Quiz

Answer: K Q 10 2 // Q 6 // 8 7 6 // K J 7 4

K Q 10 2 // Q 6 // 8 7 6 // K J 7 4 -- an ideal hand for Stayman. If partner responds Two Spades you intend to raise to game in your 4-4 major-suit fit. Any other response and you will jump to 3NT.

K J 8 4 2 // 6 // K 8 7 6 // A Q 4 -- You have a game-forcing hand with a 5-card major, so you do not need Stayman. You can start either with a jump to Three Spades or, if you play them, with a transfer bid.

K 9 8 5 3 2 // 6 // 8 7 6 2 // J 7 -- Your have a long major and a weak hand. Discovering that partner has four hearts will not help you. Remove yourself to Two Spades (either directly or via a transfer).

K J 9 2 // J 7 6 3 // 7 6 // 10 7 4 -- Whilst a 2-level contract in either major may be better than 1NT if partner has a 4-card major, you cannot handle a Two Diamond response to Stayman. You have to pass.

Answer: 9 2 // A Q J 7 6 3 // J 6 // 10 7 4

9 2 // A Q J 7 6 3 // J 6 // 10 7 4 -- With 6-10 HCP and a good 6-card suit, this hand is an ideal Two Heart opening in any of the first three seats and at any vulnerability.

K Q 9 2 // Q 10 7 6 4 3 // 6 // 7 4 -- This hand has too many flaws. Not only is your heart suit poor but your strong 4-card holding in the other major means that too many things could go awry if you open Two Hearts.

K 2 // A J 10 6 4 3 // Q J 6 // 7 4 -- Count your points. You are too strong to open with a pre-empt. Just open One Heart.

2 // K Q J 9 6 4 3 // J 6 2 // 7 4 -- When pre-empting, you want to steal as much space as possible from your opponents. With a good seven card suit, this hand should be opened at the 3-level, not with a weak two.

Answer: A 2 // K Q J 10 6 4 3 // A K J // 4

A 2 // K Q J 10 6 4 3 // A K J // 4 -- Although you have only 17 HCPs, you can just about make game in your own hand. Opening Two Clubs will allow you to investigate slam and still stop safely in game if partner has nothing.

Q // A J // A Q J 8 5 // K Q J 10 4 -- Yes, you have 20 HCP, but if partner cannot respond to a One Diamond opening bid it is unlikely that you can make game. If, instead, you start with Two Clubs you will be unable to show both of your suits without bypassing 3NT as a possible contract.

A K 8 6 5 3 // 3 // void // A K 7 6 4 2 -- Think about how the auction is likely to proceed. It is extremely unlikely that a 1-level opening will be passed out and you will almost certainly be able to bid both of your suits even if the opponents pre-empt. Consider how poorly placed you are if the auction starts 2C-(2H)-Pass-(4H)-? Now you have to guess. Open One Club (yes, NOT One Spade) and you will then have an easy bid even if the opponents bid as high as Four Hearts on the first round, and you will have shown both of your suits.

A K 7 4 // A K 8 3 // 4 // A K 4 2 -- Experience shows that opening Two Clubs on unbalanced hands with no strong suit makes the subsequent auction very difficult indeed. You are unlikely to be passed out in One Club when your side can make game in a major, although it could happen.

Answer: A K 10 8 7 4 2 // 3 // K Q J 4 // 2

A K 10 8 7 4 2 // 3 // K Q J 4 // 2 -- Partner could easily hold two aces, in which case you will bid, and expect to make, Six Spades. If partner has only one ace, you can safely sign off in Five Spades. It is, of course, possible that partner has no ace, so using Blackwood even on a hand this good is not without risk.

K Q J 9 4 2 // A K 8 3 // void // K 6 2 -- You cannot use Blackwood here as the response will not help you. If partner shows one ace, you will not know if it is the ace of diamonds or one of the useful blacks aces. Exactly what you should bid instead is discussed in one of the later chapters in the book, on control-showing cue-bids.

A K 10 9 4 2 // 8 3 // K Q J 5 // A -- This is the other type of hand on which players frequently misuse Blackwood. Knowing how many aces partner has does not solve your problem: suppose partner shows one ace, you will still not know if the opponents can cash the ace-king of hearts. Again, this type of problem has to be solved by cue-bidding.

Answer: Three Spades

Partner's 2NT bid shows a hand with five spades and the values to invite game. You are, therefore, asked to assess your hand in two ways: firstly, do you prefer spades or no trump and, secondly, do you have enough for game or should you settle for playing a partscore?
The answer to the first question is clear -- with 3-card support for partner's major and a ruffing value (in hearts), you should certainly prefer to play the hand in spades. The second question is how high to bid: your hand could not be much more minimum for the initial opening 1NT. Once partner has failed to insist on game, you have no reason to think of bidding one. Bid Three Spades and expect partner to table dummy in that contract.
Of the alternatives, you would jump to Four Spades with this sort of hand AND extra values (ie the maximum half of the range for your original 1NT opening). Switch the majors on the hand in the question and you would then have a minimum hand with no spade fit, so you should pass 2NT. Without a spade fit but with extra values, you should accept partner's game invitation by raising to 3NT.

Answer: K J 4 2 // A 3 // A J 9 5 // 8 6 3

K J 4 2 // A 3 // A J 9 5 // 8 6 3 -- You have sufficient points to insist on game and 4-card support for partner's spades, so exactly what is required for a Jacoby 2NT response. Be aware, though, that having made this bid your hand is now a complete minimum, so any advancement beyond game is solely down to partner.

A 2 // K Q 3 // Q 10 7 5 // 9 8 6 3 -- Perhaps you used to respond 2NT on this type of hand, showing invitational values with no spade fit. Having agreed to play Jacoby, though, you can no longer do that so you will have to find a different way to bid this collection. Respond Two Clubs intending to rebid 2NT if partner bids Two Hearts and to raise a diamond or spade rebid to the 3-level.

K Q 4 // Q 10 3 // K J 7 // Q J 9 3 -- You may, by conventional agreement with your partner, agree to respond 3NT on this hand type -- the values for game but no real slam interests, with 3-card support and 4333 shape. If you do not have that agreement, you must start, instead, by responding Two Clubs and then showing your 3-card spade support at your next turn.

A Q 5 4 // 3 // A 7 // A K J 9 5 3 -- Yes, you have 4-card spade support and the values for at least game, but that does not mean that you have to respond 2NT. On this hand, you have more descriptive bids available. If you play strong jump shifts, then this hand is a perfect example -- start with Three Clubs and show your strong spade support on the next round, which will allow partner to evaluate the combined trick-taking potential of the two hands. If you play weak jump shifts, you will then have to start with a Two Club response. There will be plenty of time to show your spade support later, though.

Answer: A 5 4 // Q 10 8 6 5 2 // void // K 10 9 3

A 5 4 // Q 10 8 6 5 2 // void // K 10 9 3 -- Although you have only 9 HCPs, your playing strength is more than sufficient to insist on game. If partner has no wastage in diamonds, slam is quite possible even if he is minimum, perhaps something like K 7 // A K 9 7 4 // 8 6 2 // Q J 5. How will your side reach the slam if you do not make a splinter bid?

K 8 5 4 // A Q 5 2 // 5 // J 10 9 3 -- You can take a good thing just too far. This hand is not quite worth insisting on game. Make an invitational limit bid of Three Hearts (or a Bergen response if that is your method).

K Q 5 4 // A K J 2 // 5 // A 8 5 3 -- this hand is too strong for a splinter bid, which should show a maximum of up to about 14 HCP (unless you are extremely strong). To see why this is the case, ask yourself what you are going to do if you splinter and partner just bids Four Hearts. You are not strong enough to bid on because partner can easily have wasted diamond values (something like A 7 // Q 10 9 6 5 // K Q 7 // J 6 4). Because a splinter bid takes up a lot of room, it needs to be limited to fairly narrow parameters. Start, instead, with a Jacoby 2NT response (which is unlimited) and then hope to show your diamond shortage via a cue-bid at your next turn.

A 7 4 // K 10 7 2 // 5 // K Q J 10 3 -- This hand seems to fall within the range for a splinter, but there is another reason for choosing an alternative here. With a strong source of tricks in clubs, your side may be able to make slam on limited values, so it is important to let partner in on the secret. You can make a grand slam opposite 9 8 3 // A Q 9 6 4 // A 7 // A 5 4, but there is no guarantee that partner will even look for a small slam if you splinter. A better approach is to start with a strong jump shift of Three Clubs (or with Two Clubs if you play weak jump shifts) and then to show your heart support on the next round.

Answer: K 9 7 5 2 // 5 // 8 3 // A 9 8 5 3

K 9 7 5 2 // 5 // 8 3 // A 9 8 5 3 -- Don't mess around when you know where you want to play the hand. Making a Two Diamond cue-bid gives opener the chance to show very good diamonds or to introduce his heart suit at a low level. Do you want to have to decide whether to bid on after the opponents have bid at the 5-level? No, you have no idea who the deal belongs to so you want to buy it in Four Spades -- bid it immediately.

A J 4 // K 8 7 2 // 5 3 // K 10 4 3 -- Tell partner that you have spade support and some values. If he can do nothing more than rebid Two Spades you will pass.

A J 4 // A J 7 2 // J 3 // A 10 4 3 -- Again, you start with Two Diamonds to agree spades. Even if partner has a relatively minimum overcall and rebids Two Spades, you are worth one more try for game: you should raise to Three Spades. If partner has nothing at all to spade for his overcall, he will pass, but with a little extra he'll bid game.

K Q 8 4 // A K 7 2 // 8 3 // A Q 3 -- You know that you are always going to bid at least game, but there is no rush. Start with a Two Diamond cue-bid to find out if partner has anything more than a minimum overcall. Perhaps he'll surprise you and have some extra values.

Answer: A K 9 7 5 2 // K 5 // 3 // K Q J 3

A K 9 7 5 2 // K 5 // 3 // K Q J 3 -- You could mess around by bidding Two Diamonds on this hand, but what would be the point? All you really want to know is how many aces partner holds, so just bid Blackwood to find out.

A K Q 2 // K 5 // J 8 3 // J 6 3 2 -- You want to play in game, but which one? The first thing to find out is whether partner holds a diamond stopper. If so, then 3NT is likely to be the best spot. If not, then you will then have to decide between Four Hearts and Five Clubs but there will be plenty of room to investigate.

K Q 10 5 2 // K 5 // A 8 // Q 7 3 2 -- You have the values for game and you have a diamond stopper, so why not just bid 3NT? This time, an advance with a fourth-suit Two Diamonds is better for three reasons. Firstly, you want to find out if partner has 3-card support for your spades, when game in the major is likely to be better. Second, perhaps partner is 5-5 and will rebid Three Clubs, and now game in that suit might be best. Third, what if partner's diamonds are something like Q-x-x? Wouldn't you rather have the lead coming around to him, rather than through his queen? If you bid the fourth-suit and partner can bid notrumps, you can happily raise to game.

K Q 5 2 // 9 //A Q J 3 // A K J 2 -- Are you sure that you know what the final contract should be? You could jump to Six Notrumps or perhaps bid slam in clubs, but what is the hurry? It is quite possible that 7NT is an easy make, or that you can make a grand slam in clubs but not in notrumps. You need room to investigate all of the options on a hand like this. Start with a game-forcing fourth-suit Two Diamonds. You can then show your club fit at your next turn and go from there.

Answer: Seven of hearts

Had Left Hand Opponent's Six diamond bid ended the auction, you would probably have scratched your head for a few seconds and then led your singleton spade, hoping that partner could win with his ace and give you a ruff. Even if that does not happen, your spade lead might set up a trick in that suit so that when partner gains the lead with his ace (the opponents are quite likely to be missing one on this auction), he will have a spade winner to cash.
Using partner's double simply to increase the penalty from 50 to 100 (or 100 to 200) when the contract is going down is a waste of a useful weapon. Imagine his hand here is something like Q J 10 8 6 5 2 // void // 8 4 // A 7 5 4.
Much more useful is to use a double in this situation for partner to say "Do something unusual". What double says is, "Do not lead a trump and do not lead my suit". Usually, it asks for the lead of the first suit bid by dummy, hearts here. Sometimes there is no suit bid by dummy (the auction may be something like 1D-3D-6D), in which case double says "Lead your longest side suit". Most of the time, partner is doubling because he has an unexpected ruff, as in the example hand above. If you lead a heart, he will ruff and his ace of clubs will then defeat the contract. On any other lead (ie the 'normal' spade), declarer will win, draw trumps, discard any spade losers he has on dummy's heart suit, and perhaps concede a trick to the ace of clubs.
Now what a difference that double makes -- from -1430 to +100.
This is known as a "Lead-Directing Double" (also called a Lightner Double after the man who first wrote about the idea). The contract will usually be a slam and the doubler has a first-round ruff available.
Sometimes, the double will be of a freely-bid 3NT, when the double usually asks for the lead of dummy's suit. (Suppose you have AKQJ9x of the suit bid on your right and the opponents reach 3NT -- is partner really going to lead his singleton if you don't ask him to do so?)