WHEN a player has passed, considerable judgment is required in responding to Partner's opening bid.
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Exactly the right message needs to be conveyed to Partner.
As Partner is now entitled to 'pass' any responding bid made, the partnership does not want to left in an unmakeable contract that results in a poor score.
After all, Partner may have opened with a minimum hand. And alternatively, if a successful game contract is a possibility, Partner must be informed of that.
Let's say in first or second seat one of the following hands are held, and for some unbeknown reason they were 'passed' at the first bidding opportunity. Partner then opened 1 spade.
- Hand 1: Spades 92, Hearts KQT8763, Diamonds AT4, Clubs 6.
- Hand 2: Spades 32, Hearts 73, Diamonds 74, Clubs AKQT974.
A bid of 2 hearts or 2 clubs does not tell Partner the strength of the hand.
The best bids would be to bid 'Three' of these suits, inviting Partner to go to game if s/he is holding more than a minimum opening hand.
After all, each of these hands should have seven winning tricks. Partner does not have to contribute much to make a game contract.
Winners’ circle
IT is not easy to win a session at the Bathurst Bridge Club – it is even harder to win both the outright and the handicap competitions in the one event, but a number of members have done that in recent Bridge sessions.
So congratulations to Kevin Wilds, Doreen Kjeldsen, Anne Hunter, Sheila Thompson, Jenny Patton, Alan Sims, Peter Horwood, Barbara Woolf, Marie Dennis, Trish Burke, Phil Cummings, Dick Ellis, Maureen Pike, and Joy and John Adams.