Bridge Game, Bridge Lessons at RonKlingerBridge.com

Try this problem:

East dealer : Both vulnerable

West	North	East	South
- - -	- - -	1	Pass
2	Pass	3 (1)	Pass
?

(1) Long suit trial bid

What would you do as West with:

(Solution later)

We had a poor day yesterday, with an 11-19 loss to team 7, followed by an 11-19 loss to team 1, but recovered with a 24-6 win to be just over average for the day. We are lying third, with three matches to go, but the leader board is tightly bunched:

In the Women’s after Round 6:

For more results, see the www.abf.com.au website.

Back to today’s problem:

These are the basic principles for long suit trials.
(1) With one loser in the trial suit, you should accept the invitation.
(2) With three losers in the trial suit, you should reject the invitation.
(3) With two losers in the trial suit, accept if maximum, reject if minimum.:

Today’s problem arose on Board 10 from Round 4 yesterday.

South dealer : E-W vulnerable

West has two losers in the trial suit and so you should accept if maximum. If are simply a point-counter then for a 6-9 range, 8 HCP is maximum. If you also take into account hand shape, then a normal 1 : 2 raise has 9 losers, occasionally 8. As the West hand has ten losers, it is sub-minimum for a 2 raise. After 3, West would like to revert to 2, but should certainly sign off in 3.

You might fairly chastise East’s ambition in looking for game, but East has a 6-loser hand and one should strive for a vulnerable game at Imps. East would look silly to pass 2 and make perhaps make ten easy tricks opposite:

Qxx       or     Qxx   or similar useful holdings.
Axxx              xxx
xxxx              Axxx
Kx                 Kxx

Use the loser count for trial bids and your decisions will be more accurate than those obtained by mere point-counters.