In Acol bridge it is usual to open with a bid of 1NT if you hold a balanced hand and 12 – 14 High Card Points. However, if you hold a 5 card major, it is usually recommended that you open with 1 of that suit. A balanced hand will have 5 3 3 2, […]
Once the opposing partnership have bid a suit are there any circumstances in which you should also bid the suit? A bid of the opponent’s suit is unlikely to be a natural bid, but sometimes it can have a special meaning. The most common reason for making a bid in the opponent’s suit is to […]
The Losing Trick Count is often used by bridge players to get a more accurate value of an unbalanced hand. High Card Points alone don’t necessarily give a true value of the strength of such a hand. It is based on the simple premise that any Aces you hold are unlikely to lose, even if […]
Most beginners will have been taught that you shouldn’t lead away from an ace if you are making the opening lead against a suit contract. This makes many think that leading away from a king might also not be a sensible thing to do. Is this correct though and if not, in which circumstances would […]
Declarer plays not only their own hand but also the dummy hand. Before starting play it is vital to identify which cards will allow you to make entries into each of the hands, so you can lead from the appropriate hand in a suit when needed. Imagine dummy holds the following cards in Spades: A […]
If you are a complete beginner, you will find a series of easy to follow bridge lessons at www.howtoplaybridge.info. The lessons start right at the beginning and guide you gently through the absolute basics of the game. Once you worked your way through these you will keen to know more and that is the perfect time to take your […]
If you hold 15-16 points and a balanced hand, you will open the bidding with a bid of 1 of your longest suit with the aim of rebidding 1NT if your partner makes a 1 of a suit bid. S: K Q 8 H: A 8 2 D: A 8 4 2 C: Q 6 4 […]
Stayman is a common bridge bidding convention and one that is easy to learn, even for beginners. It is used by the responder if their partner has opened the bidding with a bid of 1NT or 2NT. The purpose of using the Stayman convention is to establish whether the partnership has an 8 card fit […]
This bridge bidding convention is used by the defending partnership. More precisely, it is used by the third player (the opener’s partner) in the first round of the game. It is a handy little technique to help help the third player decide which card to play. Using The Rule Of 11 Most commonly, the Rule […]
