The EBU members’ magazine – September 2021 – Issue 294

English Bridge INSIDE GUIDE

© All rights reserved
Editorial 5 n
ENGLISH BRIDGE Heffalump Traps – Bakhshi’s questions 7 n
is published four times a year by the
Club Bidding Quiz – Pottage’s questions 7 n
ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION ACOLytes – Sarah Bell 8 l
Broadfields, Bicester Road, Basic Cardplay – Paul Bowyer 10 l
Aylesbury HP19 8AZ
Events Calendar 11 n
( 01296 317200 Fax: 01296 317220 Crocs on Defence – Stephen Kennedy 12 l
[email protected] Traps for the Unwary – Michael Byrne 14 l
Web site: www.ebu.co.uk
Bridge Fiction – David Bird 16 n
________________
Beat Today’s Experts – Bird’s questions 18 n
Editor: Lou Hobhouse Prize Leads Quiz – Mould’s questions 19 n
Raggett House, Bowdens, Somerset, TA10 0DD Heather’s Hints – Heather Dhondy 20 l
( 0790 5038575 Ask Frances – Frances Hinden 22 l
[email protected] Bridge with a Twist – Simon Cochemé 24 n
________________
Heffalump Traps – Bakhshi’s answers 26 n
Editorial Board Ask Robin – Robin Barker 30 n
Jerry Cope (Chairman), Beat Today’s Experts – Bird’s answers 32 n
Lou Hobhouse, Gordon Rainsford, Samantha Kelly Club Bidding Quiz – Pottage’s answers 35 n
________________ May’s Leads Quiz – Mould’s answers 36 n
Advertising Manager World Championship Qualifiers 38 n
Chris Danby at Danby Advertising Obituaries 44 n
Fir Trees, Hall Road, Hainford, Sleuth’s Quiz – Ron Klinger 45 n
Norwich NR10 3LX Helping clubs get back to F2F 46 n
( 01603 898678 National results 48 n
[email protected] EBED & Junior news 51 n
________________
Bridge through the Generations 54 n
Printer: Precision Colour Printing Cheating & Disciplinaries 56 n
________________
Crossword, Caption Competition 60 n
English Bridge is also published online Letters to the Editor 61 n
in the Members’ Area at www.ebu.co.uk Summer Meeting results 62 n
Landmark Promotions 63 n
ARTICLES IN ENGLISH BRIDGE ONLINE EXTRA
ARE COLOUR CODED
Education: Bridge Club Live 65 n
Tame Tricky Taxing Tough Funbridge 66 n
Obituaries 67 n
World Qualifiers - Mixed 68 n
Bowyer’s extra quiz 70 n
EBU News Quiz Features Laws & Ethics Reports
l
n n n n n
Acol Unveiled – Full series – Chris Jagger 71
New material – Chris Jagger 112 l

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 3

4 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk
 English Bridge Ian Payn, Chairman of the EBU

Stepping into the Light click

link

T
he editor has ceded her space to me, in order have received countless emails telling me that Club
that I might reflect on recent times. X would not have survived without the work put in
by Member Y. I cannot thank everyone who put in
I think it’s fair to say that the last eighteen months the hours and love enough, I really can’t. And I’m
or more have been difficult times. A pandemic and not usually lost for words.
the knock-on effects have left us reeling. The threat Now as we crawl through the tunnel, we can see
of catching the wretched virus and becoming the light at the end of it. We can open up again, we
seriously ill or dying has been horrendous - and my can play against real people again, we can connect.
utmost sympathy to all our members who have But we must be ready for some things not to be the
been affected, directly or indirectly. On top of that same.
there has been the difficulty of working from home, Throughout the last year-and-a-half we have
the challenge of unemployment and endless ‘followed the science’ as interpreted by the
changes in regulations and lockdowns – what tier government when issuing their guidelines. These
are we in? What are the tiers? Add to that the closure guidelines have not always been clear and we have
of the hospitality industry (terminal, in too many had no assistance from any government or quasi-
cases to count), the lack of ability to travel because governmental body. So, it’s always been a case of
of stringent quarantine regulations – is it any following the rules and erring on the side of caution
wonder that, for many, mental health is suffering rather than placing our own spin on the guidelines
and the pangs of loneliness suffered have been to bend them to what we wanted them to be. We
agonising. I make, by the way, no comment on the had to resist that temptation.
quality or viability of any government regulation A LIFTING OF THE GUIDELINES
imposed: that’s not what we’re here for. Now that there are no guidelines, what do we do?
In our own little micro-world of bridge, the Well, we still err on the side of caution. Although
effects have been devastating and the ramifications every club has to make its own decisions, we are all
will be around for some time to come. In March aware that we should wash or sanitise our hands
2020, bridge clubs closed. There was no choice in more often and that while the spores are still in the
the matter. Hundreds of clubs across the country air, respecting the space of others is probably no bad
could no longer provide members with the game thing. And I’ll go back to what I wrote in my first
they wanted and, in some cases, needed, simply to piece on the EBU website so long ago. If you go to
get through the day. the club and there are people still wearing masks,
At the EBU (and every other national respect that, even if you personally think it’s a waste
organisation) we had to move quickly to provide of time, or no longer necessary. People have a right
online facilities for members who hadn’t previously to make their own decisions and if it has no
ventured into that form of bridge and provide detrimental effect on you, what’s the problem?
meaningful – if lacking in human contact – games. HEADING TO EASTBOURNE
Looking back, I cannot believe how this was But let’s move on to reality and reality, for me and
achieved so well and so quickly. The efforts of many others, meant a trip to Eastbourne for the
Gordon Rainsford and Jonathan Lillycrop and Summer Meeting. I only played the first weekend –
many others during those early months kept the the Swiss Pairs – but I can tell you that although the
game alive. And every county and every club that attendance was a bit disappointing (unsurprisingly)
managed the transition had their own local hero. I a thoroughly splendid time was had by all. I was

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 5

partnering the Vice-Chair of the EBU, Gillian but nor is it heinous enough to deserve a lifetime’s
Fawcett, and we both thoroughly enjoyed meeting ostracism. Gordon Rainsford has written an article
up with people, playing against real people with real about pursuing cases on page 56. You will see the
cards, real bidding boxes and real glowering across lengths we go to to ensure a fair system. The
the table. Disciplinary Panel is independent, not beholden to
The venue was brilliant, with terrific air the Law & Ethics Committee. They judge the cases
conditioning and, as always, I bought a book from as put before them: they know it’s important not to
Brian Senior (which led to a ridiculous argument be looking for a conviction, but for fairness. If they
because the book only had a US price tag. I thought had a motto, it would be something like ‘Be Fair’.
it equated to about thirty quid and Brian insisted it Only in Latin.
was only twenty-five. Reverse haggling at its best). THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA
The pub next door was busy enough to create a
buzz, but not so busy as to be annoying. I varied my As I write this, England is fielding a superb team
culinary experience – a jacket potato one evening, in the World Teams Championship Qualifiers.
haute cuisine the next. Live dangerously, that’s what Thirty-one European countries are fighting for the
I always say. eight places to play in next year’s Bermuda Bowl.
Gillian and I had made ourselves available in the You may have read some of the mainstream press
cafeteria on the Saturday and Sunday mornings in surrounding the event. All the European teams in
case anyone wanted to come and talk to us about the Round Robin have boycotted playing Italy which
anything. I’d be lying if I said that we were rushed selected a player, Fulvio Fantoni, previously
off our feet, but maybe it’s because the posters convicted of cheating. While bans last a few years,
advertising the fact merely said we’d be available, most countries would never pick a player who has
not why. Perhaps people were worried we were any history of unethical play. Some of our players in
going to sell them EBU bridge masks. But regardless the English Open team suffered first-hand when
of that, a well-run event in (literally) a great pipped to the finish line by teams which included
atmosphere gave some substance to the belief that Fantoni and his previous partner Claudio Nunes. In
face-to-face bridge will eventually get back to how it theory Italy, as the host of the Bermuda Bowl, will
should be. It won’t be the same and some people will qualify regardless of where Italy ends in the Round
now always want to play online, but the important Robin. It is disappointing that Italy has fielded such
thing is to get back on our feet and start to dance as a player and equally disappointing that a statement
best we can. We must embrace the future and realise released by Italy’s bridge federation shows no regret
that online bridge is here to stay and that it’s all part about its poor judgement.
of the same game – it’s just a different part. You can read the match reports from the Qualifiers
for the Open, Womens, Seniors and Mixed on p38.
CHEATING AT BRIDGE
I can’t let this reflection pass, I’m afraid, without ONWARDS & UPWARDS
mentioning the cheating epidemic that has hit us What I have written may have sounded gloomy,
online – you will see on page 57 the many but that’s because it’s been a reflection on gloomy
disciplinary cases. We went from dealing with times. But I’m not gloomy about the future. The last
perhaps two or three cases of dishonest play per year eighteen months have brought out the best in a
to almost forty by last Christmas. The pressure on tremendous lot of people and whether you’re on the
resources was appalling, but thanks to the efforts of EBU staff or any of its committees or sub-
many, many people the situation is back under committees, a club or a county official, a member
control (and will hopefully calm down dramatically who has helped, part of our (now enormous but
as face-to-face makes a return). It’s been a difficult hopefully dwindling) disciplinary process or anyone
balancing act. There are some who think cheating who has helped over the dark days (sometimes just
online is worth no more than a slap on the wrist, by being there) I offer you thanks on behalf of your
there are others who think anyone who cheats at any fellow members. What do we say if someone says
form of bridge should result in a life ban. We are that the future is going to be difficult? I’ll tell you
somewhere in the middle. It’s not a trivial offence, what we say. We’ve done difficult. Bring it on. r

6 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

I
n each of the following hands you are sitting
You are sitting West. What should you bid with
South. You are playing in a teams match with each hand below on the given auction at
IMPs scoring. You should make a plan to give matchpoint pairs? Assume love all except
yourself the best chance of making your contract, where indicated.
even if that means giving up on the possibility of
making overtricks. Hand 1 W N E S
´ K94 1™ 1´ 2®
Hand 1 Hand 2 ™Q ?
´ 94 ´ J5 t KQ976542
™ A973 ™ Q 10 4 ®J
t AKQ862 t K Q 10 8 6 4
® 8 ® 76
Hand 2
N N ´ 10 8 4 2 W N E S
W E W E
S S ™Q84 Pass Pass Pass
t A 10 ?
´ K863 ´ A 10 7 4 ® A J 10 7
™ KQJ5 ™ AJ8
t 7 t J2
® AJ64 ® AK54 Hand 3
W N E S
´ 654
1NT Pass
You are in 6™. West ™ A Q J 10
?
leads the ´Q. East You are in 3NT. West tJ
wins the ´A and leads the ™3. Plan ® K J 10 8 4
returns the ´10. Plan your play.
your play.
Hand 4 W N E S
´ 10 9 8 1™ 3tA
Hand 3 Hand 4 ™ A Q 10 8 4 4™ 5t Dble Pass
´ K 10 ´ K Q 10 6 t9 ?
A
™ KJ ™ A974 ® 10 9 7 4 weak
t Q 10 7 5 3 t AK4
® 8632 ® A8
Hand 5 W N E S
N N ´ A9732 1t Dble
W E W E
S S ™K64 ?
t 10 8 7 3
´ A873 ´ AJ5 ®5
™ A 10 9 8 5 3 ™ 63
t 2 t Q752
® AQ ® KQ74 Hand 6 W N E S
´ K J 10 8 7 2 1t Pass
You are in 4™. West You are in 6NT. West ™A98 1´ Pass 2t Pass
leads the ´4. Plan leads the ™Q. Plan t7 ?
your play. your play. ®K92

David Bakhshi gives the Julian Pottage gives his answers

answers on page 26 on page 35

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 7

 ACOLytes - Common Problems by Sarah Bell

Shading the rules – how many points to reply? click

link

I
f I have fewer than six points and partner has a six count is not the same thing as saying that you
opened, can I respond? Put simply, it depends should never respond with fewer than six points. It’s
what partner has opened! If partner has made a lot like the decision of whether to open the
your strongest opening bid – probably 2® – you bidding – you almost always open if you have a 12
have to respond because their bid is artificial and count but can certainly choose to open on 10 or 11
forcing. If they have opened 2NT, which shows 20- if you have a good reason. You should respond if
22 points, it might well be right to respond with you have a six count but can also do so on four or
fewer than six points. Let’s assume that the question five if you have a good reason.
refers to when partner opens one of a suit – So what constitutes a ‘reason’ to respond light?
1®, 1t, 1™, or 1´. What now? Well, consider the Given that we are light on values, shape is key, as is
two hands below: how useful those minimal high cards rate to be.
Here are some things that would make me fancy my
hand if I were considering responding light:
Hand 1 Hand 2
´ J753 ´ K Q 10 9 6 4 2 D A five+ card suit that I was able to bid at the one
™ Q87 ™ 763 level. The ability to respond in my suit rather than
t J82 t 82 having to bid 1NT is key here. If partner opens 1™
® Q53 ® 3 I would bid 1´ with
´KJ10953 ™87 t52 ®763
If partner opens 1t can you really bid 1´ holding but I wouldn’t bid 1NT with
the first hand, but not the second? It is clear that
´987 ™98 t98 ®KJ10987.
Hand 2 has more playing strength and I hope it’s
intuitive that you need to make a bid with the The reason is that when I respond 1´ my plan is
second hand. It contains a great seven-card spade that spades will probably be trumps, but when I
suit, which partner definitely needs to know about. respond 1NT, 1) partner might pass and 2) if they
The second hand could yield game facing a strong don’t pass we’ll probably end up playing in
balanced hand – something like partner’s first suit (hearts, in this case). My long
´A3 ™AQ10 tKQ864 ®976 suit is only of use if it is the trump suit, so
responding is less attractive when that is unlikely
opposite makes game excellent – but with the first
to happen.
hand you need to be facing a very strong or shapely
hand indeed before there is a realistic chance of a If my suit were only five cards rather than six, this
game making your way. advice still holds but is slightly less strong, because
you aren’t going to insist on it being trumps. You
Partner might have a very strong hand when they
might, however, find a fit, and a decent five-card suit
open at the one level – as many as 21 points! – so
is a reason to upgrade a hand.
there must be some number of points where, if you
hold that opposite you just respond, almost D Good honour structure. Aces are undervalued by
regardless of your hand. That number is widely the Milton Work Point Count and jacks are
taken to be six, and people generally agree that you overvalued. Knowing this means that I’m more
should respond if you have six points. However, likely to take a rosy view of a hand with an ace
saying that you should certainly respond if you have than one with four jacks. Soft honours – queens

8 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 and jacks – are better if they are in your long suits
than if they are singleton or doubleton.
´QJ98 ™92 tQ864 ®975
is a better hand for responding 1´ over a 1®
opening than
´J8765 ™Q tQ864 ®762
D Support for partner. As usual, things are different
if you can support partner. If you have a marginal
hand with great support for partner, for instance
five-card support, or four-card support and a
singleton, you should be keener to respond than
you would be with a similar hand with no fit.
Here are some hands. In each case decide how you
would respond:
Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
Ptnr opens 1™ Ptnr opens 1™ Ptnr opens 1®
´ KQ874 ´ Q5 ´ 76
™54 ™6 ™ 84
t9863 tJ954 t A865432
®63 ®J86543 ® J9

Hand 4 Hand 5
Ptnr opens 1´ Ptnr opens 1´
´ J8 ´ 87654
™8764 ™5 problems. With Jx club, you can always play in
tK986 tA973 clubs if partner also has shape.
®765 ®932
Hand 4 – Pass. Your hand is a pretty normal four
count, with no real reason to treat it as more than
Hand 1 – Bid 1´. This is a clear 1´ response. You that.
have a great five-card suit and if partner rebids
Hand 5 – Bid 4´. With five-card support and a
2® you can give preference back to hearts
singleton you have to bid something. I’d bid 4´.
without it being a huge disaster. If partner rebids
This doesn’t show game values (with a strong
1NT you can go back to 2´ and if they bid 2t or hand you should take the auction more slowly in
2´ you have improved the contract by case partner is huge and you have a slam on. This
responding. is why people play conventions like Jacoby.) but
Hand 2 – Pass. You don’t have enough points to bid just says ‘I have lots of shape, hopefully either this
your suit at the two level so if you respond it’ll is a decent spot or oppo can make something’. If
have to be 1NT, which is undesirable with a weak partner has
and shapely hand. Your honours are in queens ´AK932 ™9743 tK4 ®Q4
and jacks and your queen is doubleton, which all
which is a pretty poor 12 count, game just needs
point towards a downgrade, certainly not an
trumps to break 2-1. If, on that same hand,
upgrade.
trumps are 3-0, oppo are reasonably likely to
Hand 3 – Bid 1t. You have a seven-card suit that make 4™, so there’s still no problem. r
you can bid at the one level. With marginal
responding values you should bid a seven-card ACOLytes may occasionally differ from Bridge for All
suit at the one level if you can. If partner rebids teaching materials produced by EBED. Bridge for All
teaching and practice books can be purchased from
1NT you can return to diamonds and if they are
www.bridge-warehouse.co.uk
unbalanced you won’t have any massive

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 9

 Basic Cardplay
Entries (overtaking) click
link

W
e will continue the theme of looking at To guarantee your contract, you should take the
entries – of being careful to be in the ®A, and play a diamond to the queen. Now you can
right place at the right time. Here, you overtake the tK and knock out the tJ to set up one
need to be careful when planning your play to think spade, three hearts, four diamonds and one club.
about where you want to be when – and why. Here’s the full deal:
Sometimes your plan may involve giving up a
possible winner, as in the following example. South plays 3NT. West leads the ®K

South reaches 3NT after bidding 1NT – 3NT. ´ J 10

™ A7
How should South play the hand after a top club
t A 10 9 8 5
lead from West? ® A764
´ 9632 ´ KQ85
™ 953 click to ™ J 10 8 6
´ J 10 play
™ A7 t 62 t J743
online
t A 10 9 8 5 ® KQJ9 ® 8
Hand 1 ® A764 ´ A74
South plays in 3NT. ™ KQ42
N t KQ
West leads the ®K. W E
S ® 10 5 3 2

´ A74
™ KQ42
Hand 2 has a different theme. South opens 1NT
t KQ
® 10 5 3 2 and West overcalls 2™. North declines the chance to
take a penalty and raises to game. Unsurprisingly,
West leads the ™K. How should you play?
Your initial Count and Plan reveals one spade,
three hearts, three diamonds and one club. If
diamonds break 3-3 or if the jack falls doubleton ´ KQ8
you can make five diamond tricks and ten in all. ™ A73
t A652
However, the target is nine tricks, not ten. For Hand 2 ® 763
sure, you may gamble a little if playing match-point South plays in 3NT.
N
pairs but suppose you are playing a less random West leads the ™K. W E
S
form of the game – teams-of-four, say? Now you
wish to guarantee the contract and care little about ´ J5
a potential overtrick. You might take the ®A ™ 10 8 6
(ducking risks a spade switch), cash the tKQ and t KQ73
cross to the ™A. Now you’ll make eight tricks or ten ® A Q J 10

depending on whether the diamonds break or not.

10 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Your initial Count and Plan reveals one heart,
three (or four) diamonds and one club on top. The
only chance is that the club finesse works. That’s not
CALENDAR
so unlikely; West could well have overcalled 2™ on a OF EVENTS
six card suit and the ´A. Anyway, there’s no better Red – Anticipated F2F Congresses
play.
How, though, might you take three club finesses,
each time starting from table? The answer is that n SEPTEMBER 2021
18-19 Herts/Essex Congress, Realbridge
you need a 3-2 diamond split.
24-26 Open European Trials, Stage 1, YCBC, London
You take the ™A on the second round, say, and 25-26 Surrey GP Weekend, RealBridge
take the club finesse. When it wins, you cash the 25-26 Cumbria & Westmoreland Congress, RealBridge
tKQ and play – careful now! – the t7 to the ace on
table. Now you repeat the club finesse and still have
n OCTOBER 2021
2-3 Great Northern Swiss Pairs, Leeds
an entry to table. You lead the carefully preserved
2-3 Suffolk Congress, RealBridge
t3 to dummy’s t6 so that you are in the right place 8-10 West of England Congress, Weston-super-Mare
at the right time to take the third club finesse. 8-10 NEBA Congress, RealBridge
You make one heart, four diamonds and four 9-10 Gold Cup Finals
clubs for your contract. The full hand is below. r 11-13 British Autumn SIM Pairs
16-17 Premier League 2nd weekend
22-24 Autumn Congress, Warwick
South plays 3NT. West leads the ™K
29-31 Seniors Congress, Kenilworth
´ KQ8 30-31 Malvern Congress, RealBridge
™ A73 30-31 Kent Congress, Tunbridge Wells
t A652
® 763 n NOVEMBER 2021
´ A 10 9 4 ´ 7632 5-11 Children in Need SIMS
click to
™ KQJ952 ™ 4 6-7 Premier League, 3rd weekend
play
t J9 t 10 8 4 11-13 Champions Cup, Pezinok, Slovakia
online
® 9 ® K8542 19-22 Open European Trials, Stage 2, YCBC, London
´ J5 20 Metropolitan Cup, RealBridge
™ 10 8 6 20 Welsh Cup final
t KQ73 21 Cambria Cup final
® A Q J 10 21 Sussex GP event, tba
27-28 Middlesex Congress, RealBridge

n DECEMBER 2021
Have you got it? 10-12 Mixed European Trials, Stage 1, YCBC, London
Paul’s quiz is online page 70 12 Sussex GP event, tba
17-19 Channel Trophy, Leuven, Belgium
17-19 Lady Milne Trials, YCBC, London
27-30 Year-End Congress, London

n JANUARY 2022
7-9 Midland Counties Congress, BBO
7-9 Camrose Trophy, 1st weekend, tbc
10-13 British Winter SIM Pairs
14-16 Mixed European Trials Stage 2, YCBC, London
22-23 National Point-a-Board Teams, tbc
28-30 Teltscher Trophy Trial, tbc
29-30 Dorset GP Congress

n FEBRUARY 2022
2-8 First for Bridge Overseas Congress (provisional)

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 11

 Crocs on Defence by Stephen Kennedy

Discards click
link

D
iscards are tricky things. Players can use
discards to communicate with partner ´ J72
using complicated methods like Attitude, ™ AK72
McKenny, and whatever Revolving is. But we’re not t 964
going to talk about that today. All I’m worried about ® KQ8
is what to discard. ´ AKQ6 Click here to ´ 943
play hand.
Using fancy discard methods to tell partner what ™ J9 Press ‘Play’ to ™ 10 8 4 3
t Q 10 8 5 have a go. t K73
you had for lunch is all well and good, but it isn’t Press ‘Next’ to
® 765 see Stephen ® 943
nearly as important as actually defeating the play it
contract. How many times have you seen an
´ 10 8 5
unmakeable contract sail across the finish line
™ Q65
because of an ill-thought discard? How many times
t AJ2
have you made such a discard? ® A J 10 2
Unfortunately, there aren’t many hard and fast
rules when it comes to discarding. The old adage
Partner kicks things off with the ´AKQ, all
‘keep winners, throw losers’ is certainly sound, but
following, and continues with the 13th spade,
it isn’t always clear which is which. Typically, high
dummy discarding a diamond. We already have to
cards are winners, but then again…
make a discard. Our fourth heart looks like it might
In the following layout, East’s ´9 is a winner. be a winner so we discard a diamond for now.
More specifically, it is stopping dummy’s ´8 from
Declarer discards a heart and partner gets off lead
being a winner.
with the ®7. Declarer wins with dummy’s ®K and
proceeds to cash the suit. Partner and dummy
´ AKQ8 discard a diamond on the fourth club and we have
N
´ J 10 W
S
E
´9742 a decision to make. The following diagram shows
where we have got to.
´ 653

So despite their lowly status, all of your spades ´ J72

could be described as winners, as discarding a single ™ AK72
one would allow the ´8 to make. t 964
In a game where almost anything could be a ® KQ8
winner, it isn’t a surprise that discarding is so ´ AKQ6 ´ 943
difficult. To figure out what is and isn’t a winner, we ™ J9 N ™ 10 8 4 3
W E
often need to apply a little logic. t Q 10 8 5 S t K73
Let’s take a look at the hand in the next column. ® 765 ® 943
You are sitting East. The bidding is simple. ´ 10 8 5
™ Q65
South North t AJ2
1NT1 3NT ® A J 10 2
1
12-14

12 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 If we discard another diamond, our tK will fall You start with a spade but declarer takes it with
under declarer’s tA and he will score the tQ if he the ´A and proceeds to cash seven hearts. Partner
has it. That doesn’t sound good. follows to one heart and then discards nothing but
But a heart discard doesn’t sound good either. If spades. You try the same, but run out of spades a bit
declarer has the ™Q, we need all of our hearts to quicker, so you make do with a couple of diamonds.
stop dummy’s heart from being a winner.
We know that declarer needs one of these queens But when the final heart hits the table, you have
to make up his 12-14 points, so which do we think just three diamonds and three clubs. The position is
is more likely? I’ll be honest with you, I have no shown below. You have to make a discard without
idea. But I do know what to discard. I did say at the knowing what declarer holds. What do you choose?
beginning that you should keep winners and throw
losers.
Think about it. If declarer has the tQ, our tK ´ 8
isn’t a winner. With tAQ, he will simply take a ™ 9652
finesse, and it doesn’t matter if our tK will fall t AK7
under the ace. We should discard a diamond, ® AK762
beating the contract when declarer has the ™Q.
´ 9763 ´ K Q J 10 5 4 2
You see? All we needed to do was apply a little ™ 10 N ™ 8
W E
logic. Now let’s apply even more. This time you are t Q8543 S t 10 9 2
sitting West. ® 10 9 4 ® QJ

´ A
™ AKQJ743
´ 8 t J6
™ 9652 ® 853
t AK7
® AK762
Click here to
´ 9763 play hand.
´ K Q J 10 5 4 2
™ 10 Press ‘Play’ to ™8 Discarding a club seems obvious. Our tQ will be
t Q8543 have a go. t 10 9 2
Press ‘Next’ to an important winner if declarer has the tJ, and our
® 10 9 4 see Stephen ®QJ
play it
®10 doesn’t look like a winner. But that isn’t
´ A technically correct. If declarer has three low clubs,
™ AKQJ743 leaving partner with ®QJ exactly, our ®10 is high
t J6 and our third club is a winner.
® 853
So, it seems there are two positions we can play
for. Surely, partner holding just the tJ is more likely
Dealer East
than partner holding both club honours. Let’s just
W N E S discard a club.
3´ 4™
But before we do that, let’s do some counting.
4´ 4NT1 Pass 5®
Pass 5NT2 Pass 7™ Partner’s 3´ opening promised seven spades so
All Pass
we know that declarer started with only one. And
1
RKCB, 2 Grand Slam try
since partner followed to one heart, we can place
declarer with seven hearts exactly. This leaves him
The auction starts innocently enough, but before with only five cards in clubs and diamonds.
you know it, partner’s weak 3 is swept aside and you
find yourself defending against a treacherous grand On page 15 you can see the possible layouts we’re
slam. worried about: Cont/p15

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 13

 Traps for the unwary by
by Michael
Michael Byrne
Byrne

Competitive or constructive? click

link

O
ne of the hardest things to do is to adjust Hand 1 is a classic dilemma. You want to be able to
your bidding when the opponents bid a confident 2´ but you have lost that ability.
intervene. You might no longer have the The short answer is you have to bid 3´, since you
option of a raise to 2´, 3´ or 4´ and you have to have a fit, all your points in your long suits, and
jam many different hand types into fewer bids than the vital singleton club. This doesn’t show a
usual. strong hand (certainly not the strength that
The general rule is that you should be prepared to would have jumped to 3´ had the next hand
be pushed up one level but not two, and use your passed) but just shows that it is strong in attack
discretion regarding whether or not you want to and doesn’t wish to defend. Whether you are
declare the hand or defend. playing pairs or teams the last thing you want is
This is a typical sort of scenario that you might for 3® to be passed out, a very real possibility if
face after an everyday start to the auction. You are partner is 4·2·4·3 or the like.
sitting West: If partner raises to 4´ it should have a decent
play. With as little as this
West North East South
1™ 2® Dble 3® ´AQ54 ™87 tA1087 ®753
?
there is a fighting chance.

When replying to partner’s negative double Hand 2 should pass. Although the hearts are nice,
the spades are poor and the ®K is worth
assume they hold four spades (the unbid major)
significantly less under the club bidder than it
and it certainly denies four hearts. Apart from that,
would be over it.
you are relatively in the dark. They may or may not
have diamonds. On which of these should we If, by some miracle, 3´ isn’t a terrible contract
compete and on which we should we go quietly? (partner has four spades and a singleton club etc)
then no doubt he will raise to 4´ anyway. This
Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3 time if we pass 3® and partner also passes it out
´ KJ76 ´ 8742 ´ 3 we won’t be worried at all, it is unlikely we can
™ AK954 ™ AK965 ™ KJ965 make anything at all if partner can’t make a
t J65 t J3 t AQ73 second bid.
® 2 ® K3 ® Q 10 6
Hand 3 might look good to slip in a cheeky 3t bid,
Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 6 but don’t forget we have a lot of defence and a
´ K3 ´ Q65 ´ KJ65 misfit is not that unlikely. Partner might well have
™ QJ863 ™AKJ96 ™ A K J 10 6 five spades, and our club holding will often be
t AJ964 tA543 t A32
worth a trick in defence, either by force or
® 5 ®3 ® 5
through gaining a spade ruff. The only time it will
be right to bid 3t is when partner has five of
The main thing we should look at is not (as one them – not that likely. If 3® goes round to
might expect) how many points we hold, but what partner he can compete again if he holds a
our shape is and what message we need to tell singleton, and if he has two clubs we are happy
partner. for him to pass it out.

14 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

Hand 4 must bid 3t. No bleating please about
‘only’ having 11 points. With 5-5 shape and a Discards continued from p13
singleton club, it is a hand rich in attack. The
danger of passing is not only that 3® will be
t AK7
passed out, but that the next hand bids again and ® AK8
we don’t get a second chance to speak on a deal t Q85 N t 10 9 2
W E

where we have a big fit and should be bidding on. ® 10 9 4 S ® Q J

t J6
Hand 5 is definitely going to bid and I’m sure many ® 753
less experienced players would be choosing
between 3t and 3™. Actually both of those are
wrong, we should double and try and bring the
t AK7
spades into play. Double shows some extra values ® AK8
(14+ or so) and tells partner we need help in t Q85 N t 10 9
W E

choosing the suit. Typically we would have three ® 10 9 4 S ® Q J 3

t J62
spades for this, since we would normally bid the
® 75
suit holding four.
The danger of bidding 3t is that if partner is say In the first example, discarding a club is curtains.
5·2·3·3 then he will either pass or bid 3™, and the Partner’s QJ will fall under the AK and dummy’s ®7
eight-card spade fit will go begging. will stand tall. Declarer may have the tJ, but when
Hand 6 wants to jump to 3´ to invite game but that it’s doubleton, it is of no threat to us.
chance was lost when the opponents crowded the In the second example, the opposite is true. A
auction, and a gentle bid of 3´ would show a club discard is perfectly safe as partner can deal with
hand similar to Hand 1. the third round. Since declarer has Jxx, a diamond
Oh well! If we can’t join them we shall have to discard is fatal.
beat them (no, that isn’t a misprint) and we So now that we’ve properly looked at all the
should jump to 4´. We have loads of playing possibilities, which of them should we play for?
strength and need very little to make game. Even
Of course this is the point in the article where I
if partner has an awkward hand with only three
reveal the actual solution. But instead, I think I’ll let
spades such as
you figure it out. I invite you, the reader, to look at
´AQ3 ™Q2 tJ765 ®8743 the second example.
4´ should be a fine contract and make loads of If you were playing this hand in 7™, would you
tricks on a sort of cross ruff. have played it like this? Would you have just cashed
The general rule is to bid when you have a your hearts and hoped that the opponents
positive message you need to convey to partner, discarded incorrectly? Or would you have tried to
and pass if you don’t. Even if you are minimum, ruff the clubs good?
if you have your points in your long suits then With ®AK762 in dummy, we can say for certain
that suggests playing the hand rather than that declarer started with three or more clubs. If he
defending. had started with two, he would have played to ruff
You can’t expect to get every competitive auction clubs in hand, making the contract whenever clubs
break 4-2 or better.
right (no one can) but by erring on the side of
controlled aggression you can at least give yourself a We discard a diamond, confident that our club
fighting chance. r cards are too valuable to let go. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 15

 Bridge Fiction by David Bird

A Rainy Day click

link

W
ednesday and Saturday afternoons at reasonable grand slam! A more adventurous bidder
Cholmeley School were reserved for than Alfred would have raised to 3´, with those four
sport. A freak prolonged downpour had excellent cards.
rendered the football pitches unplayable, however. The small slam was at risk only if there was a loser
No sport would be possible except in the fives in both spades and diamonds. How should she
courts. tackle the play?
‘I’ve arranged a Masters v Boys 24-board match The Headmaster’s wife won the heart lead with
this afternoon,’ the Headmaster declared. ‘We’ll be the ace. She then played a rather surprising card: the
fielding our strongest team: Norma and me, Bellis ´Q. When East showed out, she was able to use the
and Cutforth. The boys can make their own ´1087 to pick up West’s ´J96. The slam was then
arrangements.’ made for the loss of a late trick in diamonds.
The first half of the match saw the Headmaster Neil Phillips gazed in amazement at the elderly
facing the fifth-formers, Hutson and Phillips. This declarer. ‘Great play in the trump suit,’ he exclaimed.
was an early board:
‘Not especially,’ Norma Doulton replied. ‘The slam
was only at risk if you held all four diamonds. If I
assume that’s the case, your partner is a strong
Game All. Dealer North.
´ AK54
favourite, if anyone, to hold all four trumps.’
™53 ‘Wow!’ exclaimed John Hutson. ‘I’ve never heard
t A K 10 5 2 that sort of reasoning before.’
®74
‘Terence Reese used to call it Assumption Play,’
´ J963 ´ –
N
Norma Doulton continued. ‘Before your time, of
™ Q J 10 8 ™ 97642
W E course. You boys have probably never heard of him.’
t – S t J986
® KJ532 ® 10 9 8 6 At the other table, two sixth-formers faced Bertie
´ Q 10 8 7 2 Bellis and Percy Cutforth. The rain was beating on
™AK the windows as the players sorted their cards for the
tQ743 next deal:
®AQ

West North East South

EBU Autumn Congress
John The Neil Norma 22 – 24 October
Hutson Headmaster Phillips Doulton Delta by Marriott, Warwick
1t Pass 1´
Pass 2´ Pass 4NT
Pass 5™ Pass 6´ Two Star Pairs
Player of
All Pass
Swiss Pairs
the Year GP

Norma Doulton used standard Blackwood,

Teams of Four Championships
discovering two aces opposite, and jumped to a Click for more details
small slam. The ™Q was led and she raised an
eyebrow at the dummy that appeared. It was a very

16 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 and cross to the king of trumps. Then you can take
Game All. Dealer South.
´ K62
two discards on dummy’s queen-jack of diamonds.’
™98 ‘So, I had to discard clubs from both hands!’
tQJ762 Walsh-Atkins exclaimed. ‘Do you think the
®875 Headmaster’s wife will find such a difficult play?’
´ 43 ´ 10 7 5
N
Bertie Bellis laughed. ‘I wouldn’t bet against it,’
™ AKQ4 ™ 7532
W E he replied. r
t 10 8 5 3 S t 94
® J 10 4 ® KQ32
´ AQJ98
™ J 10 6
tAK
®A96

West North East South

Percy James Bertie Harry
Cutforth Bucknell Bellis Walsh-Atkins
1´
Pass 2´ Pass 4´
All Pass

The senior Physics master lost no time in leading

out his three top hearts. Harry Walsh-Atkins, who
spent many hours of his time in the school tuck
shop, paused to consider his play from the dummy.
East had played high-low on the first two hearts. He
could hardly be poised to overruff the dummy,
though. If West had started with six hearts headed
by the ace-king-queen, he would have overcalled.
‘Ruff low,’ he said.
When East followed suit, as expected, the
somewhat overweight declarer unblocked the ace-
king of diamonds and returned to dummy by
playing the ace and king of trumps. If the defender
with the last trump held four diamonds, he would
now make an overtrick.
‘Queen of diamonds, please,’ said Harry Walsh-
Atkins. When Bertie Bellis ruffed this trick, declarer
could overruff but was left with two losing clubs.
The game was one down. Bellis and Cutforth shared
a brief glance, but made no comment.
‘I hope they don’t bid 2NT–3NT at the other
table,’ the blonde-haired James Bucknell observed.
‘That’s a lucky make with the hearts 4-4.’
Walsh-Atkins turned towards Bertie Bellis. ‘Was
there any way to make four spades?’ he enquired.
The senior Maths master nodded. ‘Not easy to
see, but you need to discard a club from dummy at
trick three,’ he replied. ‘You win the return, play the
ace-queen of trumps, unblock the top diamonds

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 17

Beat Today’s Experts Beat Today’s Experts
These hands are all from modern events These hands are all from modern events
and David Bird points to some useful lessons and David Bird points to some useful lessons
to be learned from them. Bid them with to be learned from them. Bid them with
your partner and then see how your efforts your partner and then see how your efforts
compare with the experts’ bidding. compare with the experts’ bidding.

SEPTEMBER 2021 SEPTEMBER 2021

WEST HANDS EAST HANDS
(IMP scoring on every deal) (IMP scoring on every deal)
1. Game All ´ AKQ2 1. Game All ´ –
Dealer West ™ 10 8 5 Dealer West ™ A74
t 3 t J942
(Lindsay) ® KJ654 (Hamilton) ® A Q 10 8 7 3

2. E/W Game ´ 753 2. E/W Game ´ K Q 10 8 4 2

Dealer West ™ K Q 10 Dealer West ™ A82
t 10 8 6 4 3 2 t 9
(Myers) ® 2 (Brock) ® AQ6

3. N/S Game ´ A987 3. N/S Game ´ QJ3

Dealer West ™ KQ Dealer West ™ 3
t KQ2 t A J 10 9 7 5 3
(Punch) ® AJ52 (Peterkin) ® 98
* North bids 3™ * North bids 3™

4. Game All ´ K 10 7 5 4. Game All ´ A

Dealer West ™ QJ4 Dealer West ™ AK952
t – t 10 5 4
(Milne) ® AK7542 (O’Brien) ® J 10 8 6
* North bids 1´ * North bids 1´

5. E/W Game ´ QJ9764 5. E/W Game ´ K85

Dealer North ™ 2 Dealer North ™ K J 10 5
t 62 t KQ95
(Pottage) ® Q986 (Ratcliff) ® K 10
* North opens 1t * North opens 1t

6. Love All ´ 9 6. Love All ´ AKQJ7

Dealer East ™ AK4 Dealer East ™ J2
t K87 t 54
(Brock) ® K Q 10 8 5 3 (Myers) ® AJ94
Did you beat the experts? – Page 32 Did you beat the experts? – Page 32
 by Alan Mould

TWO answers - Teams & Pairs

O
pening leads are often subjective and
virtually any opening lead can be successful
some of the time. However, bridge is in Hand 1
many ways a game of percentages and therefore ´ 10
certain leads will gain more often than others. In ™ 9873
each issue you will be given three hands and the t A 10 8 6
bidding on each, and you are asked to choose your ® Q974
opening leads in both teams and pairs from those
South West North East
proposed by our Quizmaster. Answers will be in the
Pass 1® 3™
next issue. In each problem you are on lead as West.
3´ 4t1 4´ 5t
5´ Pass Pass Dble
All Pass
1
Passed hand with heart support & diamonds

After a lively auction in which everyone has had

plenty to say, you have to lead against a doubled
five level contract.
Choose from: (a) ´10; (b) ™8; (c)tA; (d) ®4
HHHHH
Hand 2
SEND IN YOUR ENTRY! ´ AJ42
Please take part – you have a good chance of ™ 10 8 4
winning! Sending an email is easy peasy - but t Q72
don’t forget two answers - teams and pairs. ® A96
[email protected]
South West North East
1™ Pass 2t Pass
A twin-pack of Piatnik playing cards is the prize on 3t Pass 4™ All Pass
offer. For information on Piatnik cards visit
www.gibsonsgames.co.uk/collections/all-cards An unattractive selection to lead from.
Choose from: (a) ´A; (b) a heart; (c) t2; (d) ®A
There are TWO categories in our competition: up
to and including Master, and those with higher HHHHH
ranking. Please indicate the category for which you Hand 3
are entering with your answers. In the event of a tie, ´ 98
the winner from each category will be randomly ™ 9732
selected. The editor’s decision is final. t 7652
® K65
Entries to the Editor, Leads Quiz,
Raggett House, Bowdens, Langport, Somerset, South West North East
TA10 0DD 1t1 Pass
or e-mail [email protected] 1™ Pass 3®2 Pass
by 15 October 2021. 3NT All Pass
Please make sure you include your full postal 1
Precision. 2+ diamonds;
address AND rank even if entering by e-mail 2
Max non-strong club (about 14-15 HCP)
with a good club suit.
ANSWERS TO MAY’S QUIZ: Page 36
Choose from: (a) ´9; (b) a heart; (c) a diamond; (d) ®5

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 19

 Heather’s Hints by Heather Dhondy

Clever play click

link

P
laying teams, West opens 1® and East The ace of diamonds is very likely to be with West
responds 1™. What call do you make with the given the opening bid, and there is a danger that you
will lose three tricks in that suit. A successful heart
South cards?
finesse will enable you to discard one diamond
loser, but is there a way to guarantee the contract?
Game N/S. Play a heart to the ten now. Even if it loses you
´ KQ5 will still make the contract since West cannot attack
™ AJ53 diamonds. When you regain the lead, you will be
t 642 able to discard two losing diamonds from hand on
® 642 the ace and jack of hearts. This was the full deal:
N
W E
S South plays 5´. West led the ®K

´ A J 10 9 7 6 4 3 ´ KQ5
™ K 10 ™ AJ53
t K53 t 642
® – ® 642

´ 8 ´ 2
™ 862 N ™ Q974
W E
West North East South t A 10 7 S t QJ98
1® Pass 1™ 4´ ® A K J 10 9 3 ® Q875
Pass Pass 5® Pass ´ A J 10 9 7 6 4 3
Pass 5´ All Pass ™ K 10
t K53
® –

Jump straight to 4´. You can hope that this will

force the opponents to guess what to do at a high On the actual layout, the finesse works, but it
level. West and North now pass, and East competes makes little difference. Now you can discard one
diamond from hand on the ace of hearts and when
to 5®. Having forced them to guess, you should
the queen fails to drop, you can try a diamond to the
now pass. However your partner competes to 5´,
king for the overtrick but, as you suspected, it fails.
and this ends the auction.
The opponents were going two down in five
West leads the king of clubs, which you ruff, and clubs, so at this vulnerability your side did well to
cross to the king of trumps, both defenders compete further as 300 is poor compensation for
following. How do you plan the play? your vulnerable game.

READ HEATHER’S BULLET POINTS ON THE NEXT PAGE

20 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 consideration is distribution. The North hand
HEATHER’S HINTS
here was very flat, which perhaps suggests
DIf you have a two-way finesse (one that can be
defending, but holding three small clubs (the
taken against either defender), consider which
enemy suit) was actually more promising than
defender can do least damage if you allow them
holding two small since North could now place
to get on lead. Of course, always remember the
bidding too, to decide which defender is more South with a shortage once clubs were supported
likely to hold any key outstanding high cards. at the five level. Other influencing factors would
DWhen you have a high-level decision to take, be the location of high cards. Here, North had
vulnerability and the form of scoring are values in partner’s suit, which suggests bidding
important factors to consider. Another on. r

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LICENSED BRIDGE
Acol Unveiled
Chris Jagger
WHEN you see the ‘LB’ sign in an advertisement in
the magazine, it means that: click
• The organisers of the holiday have applied for, and link

•
received, a licence from the EBU.
They may choose to give Master Points in accordance
with EBU scales.
completes his series on
• These Master Points will be accepted and added to

•
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The bridge will be played in line with EBU regulations
and bye-laws, thus affording all players the protection of
Acol at the highest level
playing within the jurisdiction of the EBU.
All county events advertised have an EBU licence. with four new articles and
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NOTE: Members playing in events licensed by another
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page 71
www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 21
 Ask Frances by Frances Hinden

Respond with a major or minor? click

link

C
hris Phillips asks about whether to respond Many pairs agree to play some form of
with a major or a minor. ‘Suppose partner conventional enquiry after a 1NT rebid, using 2®
and/or 2t as artificial – perhaps called checkback,
opens 1™ and you have four ordinary
XYZ or Crowhurst. If so, make sure you also agree
spades and a decent five- or even six-card diamond
how responder shows a weak hand with a long
suit (and 10+ points). If you bid 1´ and partner minor if they can’t simply bid it.
makes a jump rebid then the diamond suit may
never come out, possibly missing some 6t INVITATIONAL HANDS
opportunities. If you bid 2t and partner bids 2™ That leaves specifically invitational hands with a
then you may start getting too high on a misfit. four-card major and a longer minor. Originally in
The same applies if partner opens 1t and you have Acol, a responder’s reverse was forcing, but not to
a 4-card major and a 6-card club suit.’ game. An example would be:

West East
1™ 2t
If you have a strong enough hand to force to game,
2™ 2´
then you should bid your suits out in the natural
order, longest first. Say partner opens 1™ and you
hold: It used to be that if opener rebid 2NT, 3t or 3™
or even 3´ then responder could pass, allowing
Respond 2t and bid 2´ over a
´ KQ43 responder to bid like this with invitational values
2™ rebid and 3´ over a 2NT
™ 86 only. However, most modern Acol players now treat
rebid. If partner has other rebids this sequence as game forcing. It makes invitational
t AQ964
they won’t have four spades and hands harder to bid, but the game forcing or
® Q3
you may not get to bid the suit, stronger hands (which are more common) are
but you won’t miss a spade fit. easier if opener does not have to jump to show a
good hand in context.
You might sometimes conceal the
´ KQJ8 Responder may not know what the final contract
long minor if you have no
™ Q should be, and may also want to bid 2´ on the
t J 10 7 4 3
interest in playing in a 5-3 fit,
such as with this hand. Respond sequence above with values in
® AQ5 ´ KQ5
1´, planning to bid 3NT next, spades but without four spades,
™ K8
but this is an exception rather than the normal to set up a forcing auction. For
tAQ8643
example, with this hand the
approach. ®75
auction might continue …

If you don’t have enough to respond at the West East

two level (usually fewer than nine points), you have 1™ 2t
to respond 1´. If opener rebids 1NT she should be 2™ 2´
aware that if you now bid a minor, it is weak and 3™/2NT 4™/3NT
likely to be longer than your spade suit. For
example, 1™-1´, 1NT-2t should be treated as non- In this scenario it’s important that opener can’t
forcing with five or more diamonds and usually jump to 4´ over the 2´ bid, however good their
only four spades. hand is, and this means 3´ also has to be forcing.

22 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 GAME FORCES HELP SLAM BIDDING ´ J854
With a truly extreme hand like
this you might choose to conceal
Making responder’s new suit rebid game forcing ™ 7
t
the spade suit and respond 2t
also makes slam bidding easier: AQJ8765
® 3
then rebid 3t to show an
Suppose opener has this hand invitational hand with long
´ 6 and the auction starts: diamonds.
™ AQ9763
t A72 West East Sometimes with a good diamond
® K64 ´ 9854
1™ 2® suit you could also respond 2t
™ 7
2™ 2´ and rebid 2NT. If opener has, say,
t AQJ87
? ® K J 10
a 4·6·1·2 shape and intends to
accept the game try, opener
The hand is far too good to sign off, but 4® looks should bid 3´ and you can still find the fit.
silly if responder was just looking for the right Opposite a 4·5·1·3 shape you may be OK in NT
game, say with this hand: anyway. But in principle, respond 1´ on these
hands and give up on the diamonds opposite a
minimum rebid unless opener bids them.
´ KQJ5
™ J Chris points out that you might miss a slam in
t K83 the minor if opener makes a jump rebid. It’s true
® QJ873 you can never play in diamonds after this auction.

A 3NT bid by opener is a misdescription with only West East

one diamond stop and good clubs, and 3t (fourth 1™ 1´
suit) will make it almost impossible to investigate a 3™
club slam while not getting too high.

Opener Responder After the auction above, 4t by responder would

be treated as a cue bid for hearts by most or, if
´ 6 ´ AQ3 natural, to have at least 5-5 in spades and
™ AQ9763 N ™ 5 diamonds.
W E
t A72 S t K83
® K64 ® A Q 10 8 7 3 If opener rebids 2NT, it’s simplest to play that 3®
or 3t is natural, forcing and 5+ cards with only
four spades. (With five spades and slam interest,
West East 1
Game forcing rebid 3´ first then bid 4m over 3NT if opener
1™ 2® 2
Certain it won’t be passed doesn’t raise.) Again, in old-fashioned Acol
2™ 2´1 3
4th suit - tell me more responder’s three-level bid is non-forcing after 2NT
3®2 3t3 4
Really good hand for clubs from opener, but while that caters for some very
4t4 4NT5 5
RKCB specific weak hands, it’s far more important to get
5®6 5NT7 6
0/3 keycards (must be 3) the game and slam hands right. This is also an
6®8 7
Grand slam try advertisement for playing a 1NT rebid as 15-17 and
8
Sorry, nothing extra a jump to 2NT as 18-19, saving the jump to 3NT as
a suggestion with long hearts.

This means that with the rarer invitational hand, Some pairs like to play some conventional
responder will often have to conceal the long minor. continuations after a jump 2NT rebid, with 3® and
possibly 3t as artificial. That can work well, but
Here you should respond 1´ and
´ A854 make sure you agree with your partner how to bid
then you might raise a 2™ rebid
™ K7 these 9-11 point hands with four spades and a long
to 3™.
t K8763 minor as a minor suit slam is a live possibility
® 73 opposite the right opening hand. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 23

 Bridge with a Twist by Simon Cochemé

Play the King & Play the Fool click

link

L
ook at this layout: first round, so I can make all the hearts by finessing
him for the queen.’ I haven’t come across it in real
life, either as declarer or defender, but I am on the
look-out.
™ J 10 8

™ 94 W
N
E ™K76532
S
´ QJ653
™ AQ ™ AQ843
t 10
® Q3
You are declarer and East has opened 1™. West
´ K8 ´ A
leads the ™9 and … well, of course you should
™ J 10 9 2 N ™ 65
cover, preferably with the jack. If you go undercover t Q83 W E t J9764
and play the ™8, East might realise that he doesn’t ® AKJ9
S
® 87642
need to play the king, because the nine and king are
equals. But if you call for the jack you may find that ´ 10 9 7 4 2
™ K7
East is a firm believer in the saying ‘Cover an
t AK52
honour with an honour’ and presents you with
® 10 5
three tricks in the suit. It really shouldn’t work,
should it? But it might; and what’s the harm in
trying?
You may think that was an idiotic play by East, West North East South
and I wouldn’t disagree, but there actually is a play 1® 2®A Pass 4´
All Pass
known as an Idiot Coup. It comes in two flavours.
The first is when a defender plays declarer for a fool,
typically in this position: The tables are turned in the second, and much
more common, variant of the Idiot Coup. Now it’s
™ A K 10 7 5 declarer’s turn to try and catch a defender out.

™ J6 W
N
E ™Q3 West, playing ‘strong and five’, opens 1®, and
S
North bids 2®, Michaels, showing the majors.
™ 9842 South, with good holdings in three suits, decides to
bid 4´.
Left to his own devices, declarer will make five West kicks off with the ace-king of clubs, and
tricks in the suit. But what if, when he leads a small switches to the ™J. With the ace and king of trumps
card towards dummy, and West goes in with the still out, things are not looking good. But there is
jack? Dummy wins the trick and declarer comes still a chance; declarer wins the heart in hand and
back to hand to play a second heart, West following leads a spade towards dummy. If West makes the
with the ™6. For the coup to be successful, declarer instinctive play of the ´K he will crash his partner’s
must think to himself ‘West split his honours on the ace and the contract will roll home.

24 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 What West should have asked himself is why defenders is not to fall for it more than once. It was
declarer is playing the trump suit like that? If he plays like these that led to the expression ‘Giving the
holds the ace, why isn’t he taking a finesse, or at least game away’.
playing the ace in the hope of dropping a singleton I think we can be more charitable to the East in
king? the following situation, which was first brought to
my attention by Barry Rigal’s book, Breaking the
Rules:
‘To the fool the king
doth take the king of fools’
King Lear, Act 03, Scene 14 t 10 6 4

t Q W
N
E t J97
S

Let us swap the East-West hands: t AK8532

´ QJ653
™ AQ843 It looks as though declarer’s only hope of making
t 10 six tricks in the suit is just bashing out the ace-king,
® Q3 playing for a 2-2 break. But what about starting with
´ A ´ K8 the 10 from dummy? If East plays low, you can
™ 65 N ™ J 10 9 2 revert to plan A; but covering the 10 looks awfully
t J9764 W E t Q83 tempting with East’s holding. If the honours crash
S
® 87642 ® AKJ9 you can go back to dummy and finesse the t8. r

´ 10 9 7 4 2
™ K7
In my May column I asked if anyone had a good
t AK52
® 10 5
doggy joke. My thanks to Denis Gough for this
contribution:
‘Has anyone seen the dog bowl?’
‘Yes. He’s hopeless; but he can field a psyche.’
West North East South
1NT Pass
Pass 2®A Pass 4´
All Pass

GP
This time East opens a weak no trump, passed
round to North who bids 2®, Landy, with the EBU Seniors Congress
majors. Our optimistic South once again bids 4´.
29 – 31 October
West leads the ®7. East takes two club tricks and Chesford Grange, Kenilworth
switches to a diamond. South wins, crosses to the
™Q (leaving some doubt in East’s mind about who
holds the ™K) and calls for the ´Q. He is playing Championship Pairs
through the hand that is known to hold two (or
(qualifying rounds are BP)
more) spades. East – possibly the same East as in our
very first example – remembers his favourite mantra Swiss Pairs
and covers an honour with an honour. The contract Swiss Teams
makes and South’s optimism has been rewarded. Click for more details
The lesson for declarers on these deals is to give
the defenders a chance to go wrong. The lesson for

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 25

 Heffalump Traps by David Bakhshi

Answers from
page 7
click
link

Hand 1 ´ 94
™ A973
t AKQ862
® 8
´ QJ752 ´ A 10
N
™ 10 6 4 2 W E
™ 8
t 10 3 S t J954
® Q9 ® K 10 7 5 3 2
´ K863
™ KQJ5
t7
®AJ64

6™. West leads the ´Q. East wins the ´A and

returns the ´10. If hearts divide 3-2, you will be able to draw
trumps, establish diamonds and get back to dummy
You have bid aggressively to a slam which might not by trumping a black suit, so you can begin with two
be duplicated at the other table, so making your rounds of trumps, and should win with two of the
contract could lead to a substantial reward. high hearts in your hand. When West has four
You have nine top tricks with the spade lead, and hearts, you must stop drawing trumps and play the
extra tricks could be made though length in tA then trump the t2.
diamonds or by trumping clubs or spades in the You can now draw the remaining trumps and run
dummy. Trying to trump three times in the dummy diamonds if they have split no worse than 4-2.
may not be trivial, but diamonds will provide three There is a trap to avoid though. In order to draw
trumps, you need to be able to win the third round
extra tricks if they split 3-3, and two extra tricks if
of hearts in dummy. This can be achieved by
they are 4-2, so this looks to be the most
trumping the t2 with your remaining high heart.
straightforward way to aim for 12 tricks.
You now lead the ™5 towards your hand, finessing
If diamonds split 4-2, you will need to trump a West’s ™10 on the way.
diamond in your hand, then get back to the dummy If East had four hearts, you would need diamonds
to play your remaining winners. Can you afford to to split 3-3, so could finish drawing trumps then
draw trumps first? hope to run six diamond tricks.

26 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Heffalump Traps by David Bakhshi

Hand 2 ´ J5
™ Q 10 4
t K Q 10 8 6 4
® 76
´ K963 ´ Q82
™ K9632 N ™ 75
W E
t 93 S t A75
® J3 ® Q 10 9 8 2
´ A 10 7 4
™ AJ8
t J2
®AK54

3NT. West leads the ™3.

If you won trick one with the ™8, when East plays
You have alighted in a normal looking 3NT
the second round of hearts, you have an impossible
contract, so it is worth taking care to avoid any
dilemma. If you play low then West will win the ™K
accidents that could lead to an adverse swing.
and play a third heart forcing you to beat dummy’s
You have four top tricks, and can expect to win ™Q with your ™A, and if you play the ™A then
five extra tricks from diamonds, so you can plan to West’s ™K will still prevent dummy’s ™Q from
win the first trick in your hand, then lead the tJ. If providing an entry.
either opponent wins this trick you will have an easy
route to 10 tricks, but you can expect the opposition The same would be true if you won the first trick
to hold up the tA. You now continue with the t2 with the ™J.
to the t10, and East can afford to win this trick. However, if you won the first trick with the ™A
East is likely to return a heart at this point, and then you showed great foresight.
the fate of your contract depends on whether you West will now face an impossible problem and
can now gain access to the dummy, and the answer the ™Q will provide access to the dummy when you
to this question hinges on the decision you made at most need it. If East returns a club at trick four, you
trick one. can win the ®K and lead a heart. If East plays a
Many unsuccessful contracts that could have been spade, you can play low, then win any return in
made fail at the first trick, so it is wise to make a hand, and lead a heart to force an entry to the
thorough plan before playing to the first trick. dummy. Continued

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 27

 Heffalump Traps by David Bakhshi

Hand 3 ´ K 10
™ KJ
t Q 10 7 5 3
® 8632
´ J9542 ´ Q6
™ 6 N ™ Q742
W E
t A984 S t KJ6
® K 10 7 ® J954
´ A873
™ A 10 9 8 5 3
t2
®AQ

4™. West leads the ´4.

You have done well to reach a good game with ´7, planning to trump in the dummy. Does it
limited values. Taking care to achieve your target matter which heart you trump with?
may well pay dividends if your opponents fail to If you trump with the ™J, and East is able to
reach 4™ at the other table. overtrump with the ™Q, then lead a trump, you will
You have five top tricks, and will make three or now be unable to trump your last spade and will
four extra tricks through length in hearts. You could only succeed if East has the ®K.
make an extra trick in clubs if East holds the ®K.
On this layout, your contract would be defeated.
The other possibility to consider is trumping spades
in the dummy (the short trump hand). This would However, you are prepared to lose a trick to the
require you to trump with the ™J and the ™K, so ™Q as long as you can trump both of your spades in
would it actually provide extra tricks? the process, so you should trump the ´7 with the
Given the quality of the hearts in your hand, ™K. Needing to get back to hand before dummy’s
trumping with dummy’s hearts will be extra tricks last trump has been drawn, you lead a club, and
since your own hearts will be strong enough to win should resist the temptation to finesse, since West
five tricks as long as hearts split no worse than 4-1. would be able to play a trump if she wins the ®K.
Therefore, trumping twice in the dummy would Having won the ®A, you lead the ´8 and trump
allow you to win seven heart tricks, which in with the ™J. It does not matter whether East
addition to your three black suit winners would overtrumps or not. If she overtrumps, you will now
bring your total to 10 tricks. win all six of your remaining hearts, and if she does
Following this plan, you win the ´K in the not overtrump, you will have won tricks with both
dummy, then lead the ´10 to the ´A and lead the of dummy’s trumps.

28 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Heffalump Traps by David Bakhshi

Hand 4
´ K Q 10 6
™ A974
t AK4
® A8
´ 9743 ´ 82
™ Q J 10 5 N ™ K82
W E
t 93 S t J 10 8 6
® J52 ® 10 9 6 3
´ AJ5
™ 63
t Q752
® KQ74

6NT. West leads the ™Q.

You have reached a slam that might not be bid at the If you now play out your spade winners, you will
other table, so finding a route to 12 tricks could be forced to make a discard from your hand, and
result in a substantial gain for your team. will not have a certain way of knowing which minor
You have 11 top tricks, and can easily win an extra to throw away. You can avoid this issue by first
trick if diamonds split 3-3, or if either opponent testing diamonds. When West discards on the third
started with just three clubs, the ®J109. Are there round, you can now cash your spade winners. If
any possibilities if neither of these chances East has four or more clubs in addition to four
materialise? diamonds, she will have to make at least one discard
If East has at least four cards in both clubs and on the run of the spades. On this layout, she can
diamonds, she will be unable to find a good discard throw her last heart on the third spade, but what
when you play your winning spades. This may lead should she throw on the fourth round of spades?
you to the possibility of ‘squeezing’ your opponent. Knowing that you still hold the t7, she is likely to
As you can lose one trick and still succeed, you throw the ®3. There will be no point keeping the
can exert maximum pressure on East, and lose that t7, but you will now find that your ®7 will be a
trick early in the play. You can let West win the first length winner for your twelfth trick. If East throws
trick with the ™Q. West is now likely to continue her last diamond on the fourth spade, then you will
with a second round of hearts which you win with throw the ®4, and the t7 will win the final trick
dummy’s ™A. instead. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 29

 Ask Robin Compiled by Robin Barker

Trouble at the table click

link

A
concerned player asks - I was playing at my The rules for announcements have changed for
local club duplicate session on BBO and BBO and again for RealBridge. If you are lucky
the following uncontested auction enough to be playing face-to-face, the rules have not
happened (playing 5-card majors): changed.
On BBO, where you alert/announce/explain your
West East own bids, the responder to 1NT should use the
1t 4®A alert/explain box to write ‘hearts’ when they bid 2t.
7´ On RealBridge, with self-alerts, the procedure is the
same as BBO.
Dummy came down with 21 points and five But many clubs use RealBridge to be more like
spades – contract makes. The director was called, face-to-face bridge, with alerts and spoken
and opener said he misclicked – strangely, he did explanations from the partner of the bidder. In this
not request an undo. The director had to accept case, the procedure is that the 1NT opener says
his explanation but said he would keep the deal ‘hearts’ when responder bids 2t.
‘on file’.

P
My question is what redress do I/did I have in hil Collier asks - We had an uncontested
that situation where I strongly suspected unfair auction, starting:
communication? It spoilt the whole session
unfortunately. West East
1NT1 2t2
2™ 3®

I will answer the general question – in the case of 1NT was 12-14, 2t was a transfer, and 3® was
illegal communication between players the TD on natural and not alerted. Before the opening lead
the day has little option but to let the score stand – was made, up popped a request to explain what
you will get no redress. There is almost never the 3® bid was. If that request was not made by
enough evidence from one hand to find foul. the person on lead, it strongly suggests that their
You should communicate with the club or the TD partner on lead should start with a club
and say that you had a ruling on this hand and that (unauthorised information), so that raised a few
you think there is evidence of something illegal and questions:
you wish to report the matter to the club. Q1. Can the player on lead see that a request for an
It is understandable that you find the matter explanation has been made by their partner before
upsetting (and distasteful). We are putting much it's answered?
effort into investigating and prosecuting cheating in Q2. Can the player on lead see an explanation
online bridge. requested by their partner after it's answered, or
do they have to ask entirely independently?

J
anet Handley asks - After a 1NT bid and a 2t
response, who announces ‘Hearts’? I
Yes, this mechanism is open to abuse and can be a
understood it was opener who announced but
source of unauthorised information.
I’m informed this has now changed and responder
announces on making the bid. Q1: No.

30 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Q2: If one opponent ‘asks’ by clicking on your 7+ playing tricks with a long major is a legal
call, then the other opponent will see the agreement for a 2® (or 2t) opening bid.
explanation. If one opponent asks in private chat, There are consequences:
and you reply in private chat to that opponent, then
If there is damage because the other side did not
the other opponent will not see the answer.
bid because they thought the opening bid was
The ‘wrong’ opponent might ‘ask’ at the end of strong and they missed a making contract, then we
the auction because they might not be sure they will could rule that the other side were misinformed and
have a later opportunity – but asking in a way which award an adjusted score. But this is unlikely when
draws attention to a particular call, does create the opening bid was so close to being ‘strong’.
unauthorised information.
Otherwise, the sanction for an illegal agreement is
You should answer questions and provide given in the White Book – as above – award AVE-/
explanations when asked. If it appears there has AVE+. But at club level, where it may be difficult to
been unauthorised information and it is used (for decide there was an illegal agreement, the
instance the opponents lead clubs) you should call appropriate action may be to take a record of the
the TD and explain what you have seen. hand and educate the offending side, but don’t
allow the players to claim ignorance of the

S
tephen Goodwin asked about Benjamin 2® regulations a second time.
bids – one of several questions on this topic
this year.

A
A player opened a Benjamin 2® with 15 points general enquiry – how is your NGS score
and only four controls. Was the bid legal? calculated when playing in the daily BBO
12-board events? Is it compared against
At the club, there was discussion based on
the entire field or just the six pairs you play
‘Duplicate Bridge Rules Simplified’ and Law 40C1
against? There are usually 100+ pairs from
and EBU Blue Book (7C1).
intermediate to world-class and presumably it’s
If the bid is illegal, what are the consequences? just luck who you play against.

NGS for pairs is calculated against the whole

For the purposes of system regulation, the Blue
Book defines ‘controls’: An ace is counted as two field. Although you only play against a few pairs,
controls and a king one. There are 12 controls in your match points come from comparison against
any one deal. all the other tables, so the strength of the entire field
affects your score. r

It is not legal to agree to open 2® as a ‘strong’ bid

R
obin Barker is the EBU’s Deputy Chief
with less than 16 HCP and less than five (high card) Tournament Director. He is editor of
controls. Illegal agreements are handled by the White Book and looks forward to
cancelling the board and awarding AVE-/AVE+. answering your questions. Please email him
However, there are a number of ifs and buts. – [email protected].
D To be illegal it has to be an agreement. So we ask The author, English Bridge and the EBU are
them why they bid 2® and we ask the partner not responsible if the information provided is
what they think of 2®. If they both think 2® is incorrect or incomplete.
the right bid for their partnership, then they have
an agreement.
D It is only illegal as a ‘strong’ opening bid. Blue
Please recycle
Book 7C1 allows a mixture of strong and other
this magazine when you
meanings. The other meanings include long suits
have finished with it
where the suit is not suit opened. So 16+ HCP or

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 31

 ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS ON PAGE 18
by David Bird

Beat Today’s Experts click

link
1. Game All. Dealer West
Our deals come from the 2021 Camrose, and England face
´ 10 7 6 4
Northern Ireland here. Ian Hamilton’s 2t shows a sound
™ KJ3 club raise, but what should he say at his next turn? The
t A Q 10 7 5 opponents’ bidding suggests that West will be short in
® 2 diamonds, so a high club contract may be there; eleven
´ AKQ2 ´ – tricks will surely be safe. The diamond stopper proved
™ 10 8 5 N ™ A74
W E good enough for 3NT, but maybe the England East/West
t 3 S t J942 would aim higher.
® KJ654 ® A Q 10 8 7 3
West North East South
´ J9853 Small P. O’Briain Cooke M.O’Briain
™ Q962 1tA Pass 2®A Pass
t K86 2™A Pass 3® Pass
® 9 4tA Pass 4™ Pass
4´ Pass 4NTA Pass
6® All Pass
West North East South
Lindsay Natt Hamilton Pagan
1t showed 0+ diamonds and 2® was an artificial game
1® 1t 2tA Dble force. 2™ was not some careless typo by an elderly bridge
2´ Pass 3NT All Pass writer; it showed spades. 3® was natural. 4t was a splinter.
4™ and 4´ were cue-bids and 4NT was described as
‘encouraging’. So, it’s ‘Well done, lads,’ and 12 IMPs to
England.
Awards: 6® (10), 3NT/5® (5).

2. E/W Game. Dealer West from: ´A9 ™J96 tKJ75 ®K1098 and eleven tricks are easily
made. No-one at this table was expecting a swing on the
´ 753 ´ K Q 10 8 4 2 board.
™ K Q 10 N ™ A82
W E West North East South
t 10 8 6 4 3 2 t 9
S Short Small Goodman Cooke
® 2 ® AQ6 Pass Pass 1´ Dble
2´ Dble 3´ All Pass

West North East South

Decades ago, 2´ showed a weaker hand when made over a
Myers McQuaker Brock McGowan
Pass Pass 1´ Pass double. Goodman and Short use transfer responses after
2´ Pass 4´ All Pass an opponent’s double and can still use 2´ to show a weak
raise. A 2™ transfer would show a normal raise (around 7-
9 points). When Brian Short chose the weaker option, Alan
England face Scotland, and Sally Brock Goodman bid a pre-emptive 3´, not even a 3™ game-try.
rebids 4´. Of course, she does! Splendid six- Again, South led away from the ®K and eleven tricks were
card trump suit, only five losers, and her side made. That was 10 IMPs to England.
is vulnerable too. South leads a club Awards: 4´ (10), 5´ (7), 3´ (4).

32 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

3. N/S Game. Dealer West England still face Scotland. Sam Punch’s 4™ shows a heart
control and invites a diamond slam. Stephen Peterkin signs
´ K2
™ A J 10 9 8 7 5 2 off in 5t. After a heart lead, declarer had a discard for his
t 8 losing club. If South leads the ®K instead, declarer can win,
® 64
´ A987 ´ QJ3 draw trumps and play a heart or a club for eleven tricks.
N
™ KQ W E ™ 3
West North East South
t KQ2 S t A J 10 9 7 5 3
Natt Goodman Pagan Short
® AJ52 ® 98
1® 4™ 5t Pass
´ 10 6 5 4 6t All Pass
™ 64
t 64 It’s a close decision whether East should bid 5t. Shahzaad
® K Q 10 7 3
Natt certainly can’t be faulted for his raise to 6t. If Ian
Pagan passes originally, Natt would double and he could
West North East South
Punch Brock Peterkin Myers bid 5t then. Some credit for the 11-IMP swing should be
1® 3™ 4t Pass awarded to Alan Goodman for his bold 4™ overcall. How
4™A Pass 5t All Pass
often does it seem that the bolder of two pre-empts picks
up IMPs?
Awards: 5t/4NT (10), 6t/partscores (4), 6NT (2).

4. Game All. Dealer West Ireland face Scotland. Ranald Milne rebids 4t to show a
´ Q8632
raise in hearts, with a diamond shortage. It’s a fine bid!
™ 10 6 3 B.J.O’Brien is encouraged to cue-bid in spades and bids the
t AK96 slam when West shows a void in diamonds. Slams on a
® 9
double fit do not need many high-card points, and an
´ K 10 7 5 N
´ A
™ QJ4 W E ™ AK952 overtrick was duly recorded.
t – S t 10 5 4
® AK7542 ® J 10 8 6
´ J94 West North East South
™ 87 Short P. O’Briain Goodman M. O’Briain
t QJ8732 1® 1´ 2™ 2´
® Q3 4™ All Pass

West North East South

Milne McGowan O’Brien McQuaker West’s 4™ serves to emphasise how superior a 4t rebid is.
1® 1´ 2™ 2´
4t Dble 4´ Pass Goodman had no cause to consider a further move and,
5t Pass 6™ All Pass with 13 tricks an excellent prospect, Scotland stop in game.

Awards: 7™/7® (10), 6™/6® (7), games (4).

Cont/. . .

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 33

5. E/W Game. Dealer North twice as likely to have 15 points as 17. However, I feel on
stronger ground when I look unfavourably at East’s 4´. He
´ QJ9764 ´ K85 has an aceless 15-count. Apart from the three-card trump
™ 2 N ™ K J 10 5 support, he is close to the bottom end of a 1NT overcall.
W E
t 62 S t KQ95
® Q986 ® K 10 West North East South
Anderson Jones Greenwood Dunn
1t Dble 1™
1´ 2™ Pass Pass
West North East South
3´ Pass 3NT Pass
Pottage Hamilton Ratcliff Lindsay
4´ All Pass
1t 1NT Pass
2™A Pass 2´ Pass East/West are seasoned internationals, their shelves loaded
3´ Pass 4´ All Pass with silver trophies. Nevertheless, their auction here was
poor. It makes no sense for West to bid 1´, and then 3´
Wales face Northern Ireland, and both sides when his partner has not spoken again. Why not bid 2´ on
overbid on this deal. ‘Members of the jury, the first round if you like your hand that much? Nor
who was to blame for this?’ Julian Pottage’s should East contemplate bidding 3NT opposite a partner
raise to 3´ seems ambitious to me. who was worth only 1´ in response to a take-out double.
Remember that if East’s 1NT is 15-17, he is Awards: 2´ (10), 3´ (8), 4´ (2).

6. Love All. Dealer East England face Wales, and we end with a slam that was well bid
by both pairs. Brock’s 4t cue-bid showed first- or second-
round control. Myers’ 4´ cue-bid then denied any control in
´ 9 ´ AKQJ7 hearts.
™ AK4 N ™ J2
W E West North East South
t K87 S t 54
® K Q 10 8 5 3 ® AJ94 Dunn Cooke Jones Small
1´ Pass
2® Pass 3NT Pass
4® Pass 4´ Pass
West North East South 4NT Pass 5™ Pass
Brock Ratcliff Myers Pottage 6® All Pass
1´ Pass
2® Pass 4® Pass Dafydd Jones’ 3NT showed 5·2·2·4 shape with 15+ HCP.
4t Pass 4´ Pass
6® All Pass With, for instance, a 5·3·1·4 shape, he would have rebid 3t
(a mini-splinter). Their 1430 responses to RKCB would have
allowed them to stop in 5® if two aces were missing.
Awards: 6NT(W)/6® (10), 6NT(E) (6), 6´ (5), games (4).

Our experts scored 44/60, giving you some chance to emulate them. Perhaps there are some worthwhile
tips hidden in the deals. Let’s see.
TIPS TO REMEMBER
D A splinter bid does not show more than a raise to game. It describes the nature of your hand, in case
partner can see a possible slam.
D When partner limits his hand, remember that any subsequent strong moves are within the context
already shown. r

34 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Club Bidding Quiz by Julian Pottage

Julian’s answers to questions from page 7 click

link

Hand 1 W N E S Hand 4 W N E S
´ K94 1™ 1´ 2® ´ 10 9 8 1™ 3tA
™Q ? ™ A Q 10 8 4 4™ 5t Dble Pass
t KQ976542 t9 ?
®J ® 10 9 7 4 A
weak

Pass. If you bid 5™, you need to write out ‘the five
2t. While usually you would at once support level belongs to the opponents’ one hundred times! It
partner’s major-suit overcall with three-card is so much easier to make three tricks than eleven
support, that is not the main feature of the hand. It and partner has made a decision. At the table, 5™
is extremely unlikely that the bidding will end in was makeable but went down; meanwhile collecting
2t, so you will get the chance to raise spades later. 500 or (on a spade lead or switch) 800 was easy
defending. You have already shown a weakish hand
by bidding 4™ not 4t so you are not ashamed!
Hand 2
´ 10 8 4 2 W N E S
™Q84 Pass Pass Pass
t A 10 ? Hand 5
´ A9732 W N E S
® A J 10 7
™K64
1t Dble
?
t 10 8 7 3
1NT. When debating whether to open in fourth seat ®5
a useful rule is to add your high card points to the
number of your spades and open if the total comes
to 15 or more. While in first or second seat the 1´. Although the take-out doubler is likely to have
presence of the three tens might have been a spade length or at least spade tolerance, your side
decisive factor in opening with 11 points, in fourth could still have a fit in the suit. You can support
seat it is the presence of the four spades. You have a diamonds later if the bidding is at a convenient level
better chance of a plus score if your side has the for you to do so.
spade suit.

W N E S Hand 6
Hand 3 W N E S
1NT Pass ´ K J 10 8 7 2
´ 654 1t Pass
™A98
™ A Q J 10 ? 1´ Pass 2t Pass
t7
tJ ?
®K92
® K J 10 8 4 2®. You do not need to have two
four-card majors to use Stayman
in response to 1NT. If partner has 3´. In Acol the jump rebid in your own suit is
four hearts, your singleton diamond makes it likely invitational but not forcing, which is the message
that at least one more trick will be available in a you want to convey. With the misfit in diamonds
heart contract than in no trumps. you do not want to insist on game. Equally you can’t
just bid 2´, which would not invite game. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 35

 by Alan Mould

Answers to May’s Problems click

link

T
his issue’s problems have all been kindly sent set up finesse positions. At the table, the lead of
in by readers. Problem one comes from the the 10 was disastrous as dummy had AQ8xxx and
prolific Dave Simmons, problem two from declarer Kx so this picked up the entire suit.
John Osmond, and problem three from Sam
(d) ®4: 10 marks. OK, call me boring but this is the
Oestreicher. My thanks to them all and to everyone
unbid suit. And do not tell me declarer always has
who sends in problems.
the AQ because they do not. Declarer will be
Hand 1 bidding 3NT with pretty much any club holding
´ K65 that is a stop on this auction. By the way, a strong
™ AJ7 case can be made for the lead of the ®J here as an
t 10 9 7 3 attempt to start to unblock the suit if it is right,
® KJ4 but I have not got five lead options available to
me.
South West North East
In reality, this is the kind of hand you like at the
1´ Pass 2t Pass
table since nothing let it through.
2´ Pass 3™ Pass
3NT All Pass Pairs Bonus: ™7 – 5 marks. I would lead a low heart
at Pairs as the best of a bad lot and hope it did not
Choose from: (a) ™A; (b) ™7; (c)t3; (d) ®4 cost anything. But really, I just wish I was not on
lead!
This is a truly horrible hand to lead from with Hand 2
nothing but bad alternatives, and my marking ´ AJ84
reflects how close I think it is. What then is the least ™ 84
bad? t 10 7 6
(a) ™A: 8 marks. I quite like this. It lets you retain ® K874
the lead and at least see whether it is right to
continue or switch. It could be disastrous of course, South West North East
but then so could anything else. 1NT1 Pass
2™2 Pass 2´ Pass
(b) ™7: 8 marks. As I said before in this column, 3™ Pass 4™ All Pass
people do not lead dummy’s second suit nearly 1
15-17; 2 transfer
enough. This could be right in many ways
including attacking dummy’s entry to the Choose from: (a) ´A; (b) a heart; (c) a diamond; (d) ®4
diamonds.
(c) t3: 4 marks. Not much worse than leading (a) ´A: 2 marks. This worked at the table (partner
declarer’s suit is leading dummy’s. It is only right had a singleton) but it is the kind of lead that gets
when the hand is about being entirely passive. you in front of the L&E Committee if you do it too
There is also a technical point here. If you are often successfully!
going to lead a diamond you should lead a low
one, not the usual 10. You know there is length (b) a heart: 10 marks. I am not a huge fan of leading
coming down on your left and you do not want to trumps but here I want to try and stop spade ruffs

36 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 with my spade holding so I am sure I would lead a (d) ®9/6: 10 marks. I would lead the ®9, but if your
trump. It was wrong at the table, so it shows what leading methods specify the ®6 then OK. This is
I know. highly unlikely to cost since (a) dummy should not
have much in clubs and (b) your pips are so good
(c) a diamond: 8 marks. If I was not going to lead
that it should not carve up anything. It should start
a trump, I would lead a diamond, particularly with
to set up tricks and so combines aggression and
a strong NT on dummy. That was wrong as well at
safety.
the table.
Pairs Bonus: ®9/6 – 5 marks. The same lead for the
(d) ®4: 2 marks. I would not be leading this through
a strong NT when there are just so many ways it same reasons. r
could be wrong. Tom Townsend has said in his
columns that no one has led away from a king CONGRATULATIONS TO
since 2000, which is going it a bit, but such leads
have certainly fallen out of fashion. Of course, this
THE WINNERS:
was right as partner has the ace. Sigh!
Master: Robin Squire, London
Pairs Bonus: a heart – 5 marks. Same lead for the Open: Irene Holland, Banbury
same reasons.
Sponsored by
Hand 3
´ 7
™ J8764
t J97
® J986

South West North East

1´ Pass 2NT1 Pass
3™ 2
Pass 4t3 Pass
4´ Pass 4NT4 Pass SEND IN YOUR LEAD
5®5 Pass 5´ All Pass CONUNDRUMS
1
Game-forcing spade raise; 2 Shortage;
3
Cue bid; 4 RKCB; 5 1 or 4 keycards Why not take advantage of Alan’s
expertise and send in hands where the
Choose from: (a) ´7; (b) ™6; (c) t7; (d) ®9/6
lead has foxed you? Email the editor,
[email protected] and if suitable, Alan
The opposition have tried for slam and stopped at
would be delighted to use them.
the five-level. What do we know and what is best?
(a) ´7: 1 mark. Nothing but a loaded gun to the
head would get this lead out of me. Singleton
trump leads are very dangerous. Partner on this
occasion held Qxx of spades and was so pleased to
see the trump hit the table.
(b) ™6: 6 marks. Unlikely to do much harm with
declarer holding a shortage, but we are trying to
beat five spades. It seems like we may have to be a
bit more active.
(c) t7: 3 marks. I do not like this much either. If
partner had a really strong holding, he could have
doubled 4t for the lead. And if partner has (say)
Qxx this could let the contract through.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 37

 Battling for eight places
The Online European Qualification Competitions
for the 2021 World Bridge Teams Championships

T
he title for this unique event is quite a about cheating, the players had to gather in a single
mouthful, and the reason for it deserves a venue in their own country, with neutral observers.
short paragraph of explanation. (The two observers for the England event were
The European Championships are held every two from Wales.)
years. The 2020 event, due to be played in Madeira The event was played in late August, with each
in June 2020, was postponed to June 2021, and was category playing a complete Round Robin of
then cancelled early this year. But the European 10-board matches. The categories played different
Championships are more then that; yes, the top boards, which was a shame for spectators and
three teams in each category get gold, silver and
journalists. There were 31 entries in the Open, 20 in
bronze medals, but they and the next five teams also
the Women’s, 24 in the Seniors, and 21 in the
qualify for the following World Championships. So,
Mixed.
to determine the eight qualifiers, a stand-alone
event had to be arranged. The English location was the South Bank
That is enough to justify the use of the word University in London, near Waterloo Station. The
unique, but there was more to it than that. The players gathered in one room and played on laptops
World Championships will be held in on the RealBridge system. The event started at 10:00
Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy, in March-April 2022. every day, but alas that was in European Central
On the assumption that all travel restrictions will Time, and the British teams, together with Ireland
have been lifted, the play there will be face-to-face. and Portugal, had to turn up for a 9:00 am start.
It was a different matter for the qualifying event – Eastern European teams started at 11:00, local time,
that had to be played online. To remove all concerns and so were able to rise and breakfast at leisure.

English teams hard at play in London’s South Bank University, Waterloo

38 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 However, the fifth day was the toughest one – all
OPEN TEAMS
but one of our opponents were among the leaders,
By NPC Paul Barden
and it went badly, starting with a crushing loss to
Switzerland. (Switzerland’s team is controversial. It
Readers with long memories may recall a three- comprises Pierre Zimmermann, the sponsor and
stage trial nearly two years ago to select an England his Swiss partner Fernando Piedra, plus a hired
Open team for the 2020 European Championship. Polish pair Piotr Gawrys & Michal Klukowski, who
Two of the successful pairs fell by the wayside won the Bermuda Bowl in 2015, and a hired Dutch
during the long delays, but the eventual team pair, Sjoert Brink and Bas Drijver, who won the
comprised Ben Norton & Mike Bell, Kieran Dyke & Bermuda Bowl for the Dutch team in 2011. All of
Michael Byrne, and David Bakhshi & Tom them are now ‘Swiss residents’ for bridge purposes.
Townsend. With Claire Robinson as coach, we Previously Zimmermann lived in Monaco and
arrived at the London venue (photo online, p69). hired a different team, including Helgemo and
The EBL had assigned six days to the qualifier, Helness (now back playing for Norway) and the
enough for thirty teams to play a round-robin of infamous Italians Fantoni and Nunes, all
twelve-board matches. Unfortunately Italy, already ‘representing Monaco’ at the time). Still, the hired
guaranteed a place in the Bermuda Bowl as hosts, pairs had to work for their pay. Zimmermann &
chose to enter in pursuit of a place the European Piedra only played three times after Round 9,
Champions’ Cup, for which the event was also a leaving their team mates to play 17 matches with
qualifier. Their team, a club side, wasn’t expected to hardly a break.
be among the leaders, but it brought the entries up Our second match was against Norway. Ben and
to thirty-one, reducing matches to ten boards each. Mike, comfortably the youngest pair on the team,
Then, with three weeks to go, the Italian team was often played the most accurate bridge. They judged
changed to include Fulvio Fantoni, half of what was very well on this board:
once the world’s top ranked partnership. That West’s 3t was invitational: East’s 4™ looks like an
partnership, with Claudio Nunes, ended five years
ago when they were convicted of cheating, by both Love All. Dealer East.
´ A Q 10 8 6 4 3
the EBL and, separately, the ABCL. The EBL
™ 5
conviction was later overturned by the Court of
t QJ84
Arbitration for Sport, but the international bridge
® 2
world, outside Italy, thinks that the ACBL got it
´ 2 ´ KJ5
right and doesn’t want to play against the convicted ™ 10 8
N
™ AQJ932
W E
players. Two well-known pairs, from Germany and t A K 10 7 5 2 S t 93
Norway, withdrew from their teams in protest. ® J 10 7 6 ® 95
The draw was seeded according to past ´ 97
performances, so that teams which had done well in ™ K764
previous Championships played each other towards t 6
® AKQ843
the end. This was not good, since unfancied teams
tend to play their best early on, and we wanted a
good start to give us a buffer for the difficult last few West North East South
days. As it happened, we started below our best, Tor Eivind Mike Christian Ben
lying in 11th place after two days. Grude Bell Bakke Norton
1™ 2®
Meanwhile all eyes were on the Italian team, or 3t 3´ 4™ Pass
rather their opponents. In the first round the Scots Pass Dble All Pass
bravely refused to sit down at their computers to
play Italy. In the second round, Wales chose not to attempt to push North into 4´, but Mike, with a
submit a line-up against them. And so it went on; strong holding in RHO's suit and a singleton in
no one would play against Italy. partner's, suspected the hand was something of a
At the (virtual) table, our form improved, and we misfit. Ben was surely marked with heart length, so
climbed to 4th by the end of the fourth day. Mike chose to double for penalties, expecting Ben

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 39

to pass unless he had a hand unusually suitable for would take a combined swing of at least 27 IMPs
spades. Ben wisely passed and the defence took two across the two matches for us to overtake them. And
clubs, a spade, a diamond ruff, and the king of the RealBridge dealing algorithm gave us a chance:
trumps for +300.
Meanwhile, Kieran and Michael took on the
famous pair returning to the Norwegian team from Game All. Dealer East.
their sojourn in Monaco. Tor Helness judged well ´ J63
not to bid 4´, which was the contract at most tables, ™ 76
but the +100 he scored was still worth five IMPs to t A976532
England. ® Q
´ A ´ 10 5 2
N
™ AKQJ932 W E ™ 10 5 4
t – S t K Q 10
West North East South ® AJ954 ® 8732
Kieran Tor Michael Geir ´ KQ9874
Dyke Helness Byrne Helgemo
™ 8
1™ 2®
t J84
2t 2´ 3™ Pass
® K 10 6
4™ All Pass

Nevertheless we lost the match, and two more, West North East South
finishing the day in ninth place. Since Italy was David Christian Tom Julius
being awarded 12-0 wins in each forfeited match, it Bakhshi Schwerdt Townsend Linde
was bound to finish at or near the top, but given Pass 2´1
their automatic place in the Bermuda Bowl the top 3´A 4´ Pass Pass
6™ All Pass
eight places excluding Italy were due to go through,
1
weak
so ninth place was good enough. We had two more
matches against leading teams on the last day, and a
guaranteed zero against Italy where we had agreed
we’d join the boycott. The EBU had issued a strong David and Tom play 3´ here as showing a game-
statement, expressing its disappointment with the forcing heart-minor two suiter, but North took
Italian Bridge Federation and offering its support away their space by raising spades. Tom had nothing
for whatever our team chose to do. That meant that to say, so David guessed to bid 6™.
we would have to keep up with our rivals while North led the ace of diamonds against 6™. David
playing one fewer match – the teams around us had ruffed, cashed a top trump, then crossed to
already taken their zero against Italy. dummy’s ten, making sure to keep the two of hearts
We started with a big win against Austria, in hand for a second entry. He discarded two clubs
followed by another against the strong French team. on dummy’s diamonds, then led a club off dummy,
Then we had an extended lunch break while not South following low. Now how to play the clubs?
playing Italy, and lost by a few IMPs to Sweden in In theory, the right way to play the suit is to put
the penultimate round. With one match to go, in the nine, which loses only to singleton ten or
against Germany, we were in tenth place, 8.5 VPs doubleton king-queen on your left, out of the
behind Bulgaria and 10.5 behind Hungary. combinations you can pick up. But the theory
We won a game swing on the first board, with assumes that South can have all four clubs, which
accurate defence to 3NT by Tom and David, and seems unlikely after its weak 2 opening, and that
picked up a few more IMPs over the next eight South will play the ten or six at random from K106
boards, but meanwhile Bulgaria were crushing or Q106, which in practice he often does not. So
Turkey and Hungary were more than holding their David made the practical play of the ace of clubs,
own against Greece. With one board to play, we dropping the queen, then crossed to the five
were still in 10th place, one place and 7.6 VPs away of hearts to lead a club towards his jack,
from qualifying, with Hungary in 9th position. It making +1430.

40 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 West North East South N/S Game. Dlr North
Klaus Michael Joerg Kieran
´ KJ842
Reps Byrne Fritsche Dyke
™ 10 8
Pass 2´1
t J9
4®A 4´ 5® Pass
® AJ86
7™ All Pass
1
weak N
W E
S

In the other virtual room, West was able to bid

´ A Q 10 5
4®, showing hearts and clubs forcing. East raised to
™ A75
game, and West now guessed to bid grand – a try t K753
seems more appropriate. Michael led the ace of ® 52
diamonds, getting a nasty moment when two
honours came down in dummy and declarer ruffed,
but he’d done no harm: in due course Kieran made
West North East South
his king of clubs for +100 and 17 IMPs to England. Erna Sally Madeleine Fiona
Cheng Brock Gerstel Brown
Now we needed at least an 11 IMP swing to
Pass Pass 1t
Greece in their match with Hungary. First the Greek
1™ 1´ Pass 2´
West bid 6™ directly over 2´, and declarer followed
Pass 3® Pass 4´
David’s line to make his contract. Then the All Pass
Hungarian West chose to double South’s 2´, then
bid only 4™ over North’s 3t and South’s diamond
raise to 4t. East doubled North’s subsequent 4´, East led the ™2, ducked to West’s ™K. A second
and that was all. The defence took its five tricks, heart went to the ten, queen and ace. Declarer
Greece gained 14 IMPs, and we all had our happiest ruffed a third heart in the North hand, drew trumps
ever moment watching online bridge! My thanks in two rounds, played a club to West’s queen and
and congratulations to all the team for their her ace, and considered the matter. Deciding
unfailing support of one another, their coach, and
eventually that East would have raised to 2™ with
their non-playing captain.
™Qxx and tA, Brock courageously led tJ and ran
it. West won tA and declarer claimed, raising an
WOMENS TEAMS
eyebrow when East’s diamonds proved to have been
By David Burn
tQ10862.
If there were an ascenders’ prize for the second half A decent win against a good team in the second
of qualifying round robins, the English women’s match of the second half and England were finally
team would win it in every major tournament. We in a qualifying position – eighth out of eight teams
always start like snails and are miles off the pace who would progress. With the draw seeded so that
after the first couple of days, then sail serenely
the stronger teams would meet each other in the
through the field to reach the next stage in some
later stages, any of 16 of the 20 starters still had
comfort.
reason to fancy their chances.
The trouble with this in the online EBL qualifying
event was that the first couple of days were actually England held on in the lower reaches of the
half the tournament. So instead of having the best qualifying group until they repeated an experience
part of a week to recover, we needed to find the from the semi-final of the last World
accelerator and keep it pressed. The team for the Championship: being taken to the cleaners by
qualifiers was Sally Brock & Fiona Brown, Nicola Sweden. This dropped them to 10th with three
Smith & Nevena Senior, and Gillian Fawcett & rounds to go, but heads were not going to drop at
Catherine Draper. this stage. A good win in the first of those rounds
In the first match of the third day Sally Brock had moved England back up to 7th and a slice of luck in
to play this hand against Switzerland. the penultimate round came here.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 41

 Seventh with a match to go and needing about 15
Game All. Dealer South.
Victory Points out of 20 to guarantee progression,
´ AQ97
England faced France, who were third and in no
™ J874
t A8654
danger. This was just as well for them, as England
® – racked up a win by 50 IMPs to 1. Never in doubt, as
´ K632 ´ J54 usual.
N
™ 10 6 3 2 W E
™ K
t J 10 S t Q932
® 962 ® J8753 SENIORS TEAMS
´ 10 8 By NPC Simon Cochemé
™ AQ95
t K7
® A K Q 10 4
The team of Gunnar Hallberg & David Mossop,
Paul Hackett & Brian Senior, John Hassett & John
Holland, and coach Alan Mould, played 23 rounds
over the full six days.
Slam in hearts is fair to middling, but England bid Wins over Switzerland and the Netherlands on
1®-1t-1™-4™ by South. Declarer took all the day one put us into a qualifying position, and there
tricks, so when Denmark reached slam at the other we stayed for the next five days.
table a large and potentially fatal adverse swing
We played the leaders, France, in our first match
seemed likely. Gillian Fawcett led the tJ, won with on Thursday, and this was the very first board.
the tA in dummy. Maybe South would try the ™J
next? No – she played a low heart to the king and Love All. Dealer North.
ace. There followed three top clubs on which all of ´ K Q 10 5 4
dummy’s spades below the ace were discarded, and ™ 973
declarer next led a spade to that ace. A diamond to t 10 9 3
the king and a club, ruffed on the table, were ® J 10
´ 8632 ´ A
followed by a diamond in this position: N
™ KQ52 W E
™ A J 10 6
t A54 S t 62
Game All. Dealer South. ® 43 ® AKQ986
´ – ´ J97
™ J8 ™ 84
t 865 t KQJ87
® – ® 752
´ K2 ´ J5
N
™ 10 6 3 W E
™ –
West North East South
t – S t Q9
John Mark John Philippe
® – ® J Hassett Bompis Holland Soulet
´ 10 Pass 1® Pass
™ Q95 1™ Pass 4®A Pass
t 4tA Pass 4NTA Pass
® 10 5´A Pass 7™ All Pass

Declarer chose to ruff with ™9, but Fawcett could The East-West bidding at both tables started 1®-
overruff and play a trump, leaving declarer a trick 1™-4®. If you are not familiar with the 4® bid in
short whatever she did. Down one and 13 IMPs to this situation, it shows a raise in hearts with a good
England instead of 13 the other way, and we were six-card club suit. It is a bit like a splinter bid, where
still in the game. A small puzzle for double dummy support for responder’s suit is implied. The French
analysts: at which point in the above description West merely rebid 4™ (and played there), but John
had the contract become unmakeable? Hassett preferred to cuebid 4t.

42 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 John Holland used RKCB to find out about the Senior followed with the two. Confident that East
three cards he was interested in – tA and ™KQ – had the ´K was working, declarer now played the
and bid the grand slam. The 14 IMP swing helped ®2 to the ten and queen. Hackett won and played
us to a good win, and lifted us to third place. back the ´2, Senior beating dummy’s queen with
his king. He returned his third spade, clearing the
A run of losses on Friday and Saturday morning suit, and Hackett had two spade winners to cash
saw us going into the last match in 10th place and when he got in with the ace of diamonds.
we needed a medium-sized win against 5th placed Declarer could have guaranteed eleven tricks by
Sweden to get back into a qualifying position. playing on diamonds at trick two. After the
England were already 5 IMPs ahead when we played somewhat greedy club finesse had lost, he could still
the third board: ensure ten tricks by playing the eight (or the ace) on
the second round of spades. Senior’s smooth duck
Game All. Dealer North. had painted a misleading picture of the hand.
´ 7 That was another 12 IMPs to England, and we
™ AKQ were still 14 IMPs ahead, and comfortably in the
t J 10 6 5 3 qualifying positions, when the last board was placed
® A K 10 3 on the table. England settled for 5®, but Sweden bid
´ K42 ´ J9653 to a thin 6® missing K-10-8-4 in trumps. If there
N
™ J98654 W E
™ 3 was a trump loser, then declarer needed successful
t 74 S t A98 finesses in two other suits. Alas, ®K-8 were onside
® 94 ® Q765 and Sweden – the only team to bid the slam –
´ A Q 10 8 gained 13 IMPs. Winning by 1 IMP was not enough
™ 10 7 2
and England finished in 10th place.
t KQ2
® J82 It was a disappointing finish which was the
mirror image of the Open team’s success –
qualifying on the very last board when a slam went
down, whereas we failed to qualify on the last board
West North East South
Per Gunnar John Gunnar John when a slam made.
Eliasson Holland Elmroth Hassett You may have noticed that I have broken with the
1t Pass 1´ NPC tradition of referring to the team as we/us
Pass 2® Pass 2™A when we are winning and they/them if they are
Pass 2NT Pass 3NT losing. I am more than happy to be associated with
Pass 4NT All Pass their brave efforts. They deserved a better fate.
East led the ´5 against Holland’s 4NT, the queen
losing to the king. West switched to the ™6, won MIXED TEAMS
with the ace. Declarer knocked out the tA and won By David Bird
East’s return of the ´6 with the ace, claiming his ten
A match report for the Mixed Teams Qualifier can
tricks – one spade, three hearts, four diamonds and
be read online, page 68. r
two clubs.
West North East South Full results on websites below
Brian Anders Paul Johnny
Senior Morath Hackett Ostberg Qualifying teams on page 50
1®A Pass 1´A
Pass 2®A Pass 2tA
BERMUDA BOWL (OPEN)
Pass 2´A Pass 3t
https://tinyurl.com/BermudaBowl
Pass 3NT All Pass VENICE CUP (WOMENS)
https://tinyurl.com/venicecup
At the other table North’s rebid confirmed that he
had started with a strong 1®, and his 2´ bid D’ORSI SENIORS TROPHY
https://tinyurl.com/dorsiseniors
showed a five card diamond suit. North ended at
the helm in a 3NT game and Paul Hackett also led WUHAN CUP (MIXED)
the ´5. Declarer called for dummy’s 10, and Brian https://tinyurl.com/wuhanmixed

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 43

 Phil Lloyd
1954 – 2021 Philip Mason
Phil Lloyd was General Manager of the EBU and 1938 – 2021
Company Secretary for three years from 1998. He Philip was President of Yorkshire CBA, having
was an early supporter of online bridge and been its very successful chairman for 25 years up
oversaw the creation of an online bridge club for to 2015. He was a member of the EBU
the EBU. This merged with the established tournament committee and served with
International Online Bridge Club in 2002 to distinction as its chairman for some years. He was
become Bridge Club Live. an EBU Board member and became its vice
Having initially secured the job as Secretary at chairman. He was also the board’s representative
the EBU, Phil thought that learning the game to Bridge Great Britain. In 2015 he received the
would advance his knowledge of the organisation EBU Silver Award for outstanding contribution
and enrolled on a bridge beginners’ class. and recognition of long service as a volunteer at
Following a few terms of learning he was national and county level.
invited to join the Schapiro sponsor’s team at the Philip was a leading member of Malton Bridge
Spring Foursomes. Astonishingly, the team beat Club for more than fifty years. He introduced
the Helgemo team in the first round. Tournament many new players to the game and taught
Director Max Bavin muttered something about beginners and improvers. One recent student
every dog having his day. The dogs managed to recalled, ‘he was an excellent and patient teacher
win the second round and Phil was brought off with a delightful sense of humour’.
the bench to face the Robson/Forrester team. Philip brought the EBU Northern Summer
In relinquishing the title of super-sub, history Congress to Scarborough, and organised other
prefers not to record the outcome of that match. competitions, including the annual Yorkshire
His team captain graciously observed that Phil Congress, which flourished under his leadership.
knew all the cards but played them in the wrong
order on that occasion.

Austin Barnes
Derek Povah 1945 – 2021
1928 – 2021 Austin Barnes was a former Welsh Camrose
Derek Povah was a long standing member of the International player and major contributor to
Derbyshire bridge world, playing primarily for Lancashire CBA, especially to Bolton BC, and was
Rolls Royce, but also having established Allestree recognised with a Dimmie Fleming Award in
Bridge Club in 1990. He was a great bridge 2019. Aside from bridge, he was a leading world
teacher and was awarded the EBU Dimmie authority on magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Fleming Award in 2011. with 122 research papers at Salford University.

44 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

diamonds. When you regain the lead, you will be

Sleuth’s Quiz
able to discard two losing diamonds from hand on
the ace and jack of hearts. This was the full deal:
by Ron Klinger

Reading the discard click

link

As East figures to have three to four hearts and

Teams: E/W Game. Dealer West.
South still has the tQ, there is a temptation to play
´ K Q 10 9 4 2
™ K75 a third diamond (the tJ, suit-preference for
t 10 9 spades). This defence fails if declarer ruffs with the
® AJ ™K (a certainty) and continues with a heart to the
´ AJ ™9 (not so certain). If South ruffs with the ™K and
™ 4 N
plays a trump to a high heart next, the defence can
t AKJ7632 W E
S
® 10 8 7 prevail.
Where East discarded the ®3 at trick two to ask
for a club switch, there is no strong reason to
In the final of a National Mixed Teams, the bidding disobey partner. West did switch, choosing the
at both tables went:
®8: jack – king – two. The ´A later meant one
down, East-West +50. South had no chance after the
West North East South club switch.
1t 1´ Pass 2™
3t 4™ All Pass At the other table, East pitched the ´5. What was
the message in that? Some play McKenney discards:
Don’t play the suit that I am discarding. A high card
Both Wests began with the tA followed by the tK. asks for the higher suit and a low card for the lower
How do you continue if East, at trick 2, plays (a) suit. Playing that, the ´5 asked for a club switch.
the ®3, low encouraging? or (b) the ´5?
Others play ‘revolving discards’. A high card asks
for the next suit along (the ´8 would ask for a club)
South plays in 4™. West leads the tA
and a low discard asks for the suit below (the ´5
´ K Q 10 9 4 2
would ask for another diamond). Apparently, East’s
™ K75
t 10 9 ´5 discard had neither of these meanings, since
® AJ West switched to the ´A, followed by the ´J.
´ AJ ´ 8765
N Maybe West hoped that East had started with a
™ 4 W E
™ 10 8 6 3
t AKJ7632 S t 8 doubleton spade. That would give South three
® 10 8 7 ® K963 spades. If so, South might have bid 3™ (fit-showing
´ 3
jump) over 1´. The ´K won trick four. Declarer
™ AQJ92
t Q54 drew trumps and had ten tricks, +420, +10 IMPs.
® Q542 After tA, tK, ´A, West needs to switch to a club to
beat 4™. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 45

 A MIGRATION BACK TO F2F?

N
icky Bainbridge is Chair of Rugby Village ‘The long-term viability of clubs remains to be
Bridge Club which has been at the seen. The new normal will be some blend of online
forefront of getting back to in-person and F2F. It will give the folks at BAMSA enough
bridge. She has become an afficionado of watching material for years of research!’ r
out for trends within bridge clubs. She tells us what
is emerging.
NUMBER OF CLUBS BEING MONITORED AND
‘Around 30% of players didn’t take to online. WHAT EVENTS THEY ARE OFFERING
They may not have the technology or the skills, but
many simply didn’t like it. These were generally, but 350
not exclusively, less strong players. Stronger players
took to online in great numbers. Many played more 300
bridge. Previously housebound players returned to
the game. 250

‘As we move from a ‘pandemic’ to an ‘endemic’

phase of Covid, the long-term effect on bridge is 200
impossible to predict. The new normal will be more
diverse than the old. Those planning for the future 150
need to be wary of empirical observations, personal
opinions, loud voices. 100
THE CURRENT PICTURE
‘Last March I started building a list of club 50
websites which I am monitoring. There are now
around 365 clubs in the sample, out of an estimated 01 AUG 08 AUG 15 AUG 22 AUG
1,200 clubs, affiliated and not, which offer duplicate 2021
bridge. It’s been an evolving project. Over the last
four weeks I have focused on the club ‘offer’. D Hybrid Events means the club is offering Face-
‘Writing this at the end of August, I notice that to-Face and Online and some Hybrid Events,
over the last month clubs have changed status in where the same boards are played online and in
various ways. Quite a few have gone from dormant the club. Manchester BC have run one. Brunton
back to face-to-face. Some clubs have dropped and Wantage are intending to from early Sep.
online and gone back to pure face-to-face. Others D Hybrid Club means the club is offering some
have been online and added face-to-face sessions. Face-to-Face and some Online Sessions.
Many are online with no mention of plans for face- D Face-to-Face means the club is only offering
to-face on their website. The trends over the next
Face-to-Face Sessions.
few months will tell us where bridge is heading.
D Online means the club is only offering Online
‘Scoring software also suggests that 136 affiliated Sessions.
clubs are now undertaking some in-person bridge.
D School means the offer is lessons and practice.
CAUTIOUS V CONFIDENT D Dormant means the club website is there, but
‘The return of perhaps 3,000 players so far – and
the club is not offering sessions dedicated to its
growing – to in-person bridge shows the will is
members.
there. Some have been keen to get back to bridge.
Others may not intend to leave their homes anytime D Defunct? means the club website appears to
soon. Most are somewhere in between. have been closed down.

46 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 HELPING CLUBS RE-OPEN
D one section with everyone playing online in the

O
ver the summer the EBU held two ‘Restart
Seminars’ via Zoom, to help clubs which club although some players might be physically
were thinking of re-opening come together located at the club (using tablets or other devices);
for a discussion with other clubs that have already D Playing a Mitchell and having a small number of
gone through the process. online pairs playing N/S. When people in the club
The seminars were well attended by club reach an online table, they play on tablets.
representatives, with the first one having nearly 100 Jacks Morcombe, Bridge Education and Support
people listening in. Officer for EBED, gave a run-down of the upcoming
Chair of Rugby Village Bridge Club, Nicky TD refresher courses. Tim Anderson (Membership
Bainbridge (see p46), talked about the reopening of Development Officer, EBU) and Douglas Wright
her club, with details of best practice, social from 3 Counties Bridge Club talked about the
distancing and risk assessments. Her own club uses opportunities for recruitment of new members.
perspex sheets and has the Douglas advised holding
tables socially distanced ‘taster sessions’ for new
with ventilation. Bidding members online, as well as
boxes were carried by the advertising in local
participants and she newspapers and Parish
recommended clubs fill in a What's On leaflets as these
risk assessment, models of are often cheap and will
which are on the EBU site. reach the local audience.
Appropriate insurance was There was plenty of
also advised. Nicky noted opportunity for questions
that booking to play helps. from club officials. One
It is possible on Bridgewebs recurring theme was
but trybooking.co.uk might vaccine requirements.
be easier. Judging from the Gordon Rainsford
questions, the audience confirmed clubs are
were not too daunted by the generally allowed to make
measures. their own requirements for
HYBRID GAMES attendance as long as they
COMBINING ONLINE & F2F don't fall foul of anti-discrimination legislation.
There were also questions about the different
EBU Club Liaison Officer, Jonathan Lillycrop,
contactless payment systems clubs are using. iZettle
gave a general introduction to hybrid play sessions,
was mentioned along with other contactless card
how they work and the options for clubs. Pianola’s
readers. Some clubs ask members to pay quarterly
James Ward gave a presentation to show how easy
or via bank transfer.
Bridgemate Play is to set up and use for hybrid
sessions. The EBU used this new function to run If you missed the meetings there are recordings of
one of the mid-week competitions at the Summer both available to watch on the EBU YouTube
Meeting – the GCH Fox Pairs was played by channel.
members in Eastbourne as well as online – with The EBU has already held a very successful
scores being ranked across the whole field. Jonathan Summer Meeting. There was no requirement for
gave detailed information about three different proof of vaccination or masks, but people were
hybrid options: asked to social distance as much as possible and
D Two separate sections playing the same hands – masks and hand sanitizer were provided for those
one online and one F2F at the club; that wished to use them. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 47

 CROCKFORDS CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Crockfords Cup has been won by the Lee
team of Graham Sadie, Richard Granville, Mike
Scoltock, Peter Lee & Richard Fedrick. They
prevailed by seven VPs over seven matches in the
final which took place in August. This was a first
victory in the event for all of the Lee team.
The Allfrey team comprising Ed Jones, Tom
Paske, Simon Cope, Peter Crouch & Alexander
Allfrey came second, and the Barden team were
third.
The Crockfords Plate – the consolation Espen Lindqvist and Boye Brogeland at European
competition for those beaten in the early rounds Championships 2014. Photo: Nils Kvangraven
of the Cup - was won by Paul Spencer, Marc Congratulations to Espen Lindqvist and Boye
Chawner, Ross Shine & Stuart McPhee. They Brogeland, winners of the Player of the Year
finished on 82 VPs, with the team of Celia Oram, Championship for 2020/21.
Derek Oram, Peter Lindon & Dee Lindon just one
The Championship awards points for finishing
VP behind in second place.
in the top positions of major competitions, and
Boye and Espen topped the table, both with 20
INTER-COUNTY LEAGUE
Gold points after winning the Point-a-Board
The National Finals of the Inter-County Leagues Teams and the Spring Foursomes.
took place online in mid-July. Champion Teams
The full list of scorers, and information on the
of the various regional leagues in each of the last
two seasons were invited to compete. 2021-22 competition, which starts in October
with the finals of the Gold Cup and the Two Star
Congratulations to Gloucestershire whose 'A' Pairs at the Autumn Congress, can be seen via:
and ‘C’ teams both won their respective divisions. www.ebu.co.uk/competitions/player-of-the-year-
The ‘B’ division was won by Hertfordshire ‘B’. championship
The Gloucestershire ‘A’ team comprised Dan
Gold Points
McIntosh & Paul Denning; Rob Stevens &
Richard Butland; Joe Angseesing & Andrew 1= Boye Brogeland 20
Kambites; Garry Watson & Richard Chamberlain. 1= Espen Lindqvist 20
PACHABO CUP 3= David Bakhshi 18
3= Simon Gillis 18
The Pachabo Cup has been retained by
Manchester, represented by Jeff Morris, John 5= John Carroll 16
Hassett, Alan Mould, John Holland, Catherine 5= Nick Fitzgibbon 16
Draper & Andrew Woodcock. Manchester has
5= Tommy Garvey 16
won the cup four times, in 2015, 2018, 2019 and
2021. John Holland played all four times. 5= Adam Mesbur 16
The Pachabo Cup is contested by the holders of 5= Mark Moran 16
the teams-of-four Championship of each County 5= Fredrick Nystrom 16
Association and 26 counties took part in the event
held in mid-June. It uses a hybrid system of
scoring, combining both 'point-a-board' and
IMPs converted to VPs.
Surrey (Graham Osborne, Frances Hinden,
Mike Scoltock & Jeffrey Allerton) came second
and Hants & Isle of Wight were third.

48 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 SCHAPIRO SPRING FOURSOMES SPRING BANK HOLIDAY CONGRESS
The Gillis Team won the Schapiro Spring The youngest team to ever win the prestigious
Foursomes, one of the great events in the English Swiss Teams triumphed in the Spring Bank
bridge calendar. Team Gillis (Boye Brogeland, Holiday Congress. Sam Anoyrkatis, Harry
Simon Gillis, Fredrik Helness, Tor Helness, Espen Anoyrkatis, Venetia Anoyrkatis & Bjorn Ahl
Lindqvist & Erik Saelensminde) faced tough teamed up to claim first place. Venetia and Bjorn
competition over the gruelling five-day event. in the U16s squad while Sam and Theo are in the
They won the 32-board final against Team U21 squad. The team finished ahead of Capal in
Robinson (Gunnar Hallberg, Simon Hult, Rob second place and Aris in third.
Lawy, Stefan Lindors, Dave Robinson & Tony CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRS
Sowter). The main Championship Pairs was won by Bob
Brown & Alan Hayward. They pipped Alex
The defeated semi-finalists were Team Leslie (vs
Crystol & Sara Moran who came second. Celia
Team Gillis) and Team De Botton (vs Team
Oram & Derek Oram were third.
Robinson).
PUNCHBOWL SWISS PAIRS
The primary consolation event – the Punchbowl – Those not reaching the final, or joining the
was won by the team of Richard Fedrick, Andrew Congress on the second day, contested a Swiss
Southwell, Paul Fegarty, Catherine Curtis & Mike Pairs which was won by Keith Joules & David
Scoltock. They defeated the team of Tim Cope, Beck, with David Strawbridge & Martin Baker in
Michael Alexander, Kathryn Herz, Eckhard second place.
Bohlke, Neville Eber & Chris Bosenberg. IMPROVERS PAIRS
There was also a two-session Improvers Pairs,
HAMILTON CUP won by Barbara Antrobus & Lesley Sixsmith. Ian
The Hamilton Cup – a Swiss Teams for those Marriott & Paul Lindsay finished in second place,
eliminated from the Punchbowl, or joining the with Martyn Moxley & Neville Shorrick in third.
event on Monday – saw the team of Stephen
Peterkin, Sam Punch, Paul Gipson, Alex Gipson,
Mike Ash & Bob Ferrari clinch victory after
beating the team of Nick Sandqvist, Nathalie PREMIER GRAND MASTERS
Shashou, Simon Cope & Natalie Hoff. Congratulations to
Mike Bell, London
Catherine Curtis, Cambs & Hunts
Steve Eginton, Berks & Bucks
SUMMER SENIORS PAIRS on becoming
Premier Grand Masters
The Summer Seniors Congress took place online the English Bridge Union’s highest rank,
in July, via RealBridge. The Championship Pairs
requiring a minimum 1,500 Green Points
Final was won by Mike Ash & Bob Ferrari with
Clive Owen & Brian Senior second and Norman
Selway & Nick Irens third.
The Swiss Pairs was won by James Bond &
Graham Marshall, with George Summers & Tanja Player of
CROCKFORDS CUP
Summers second and Mike Fawcett & Roger the Year
2021/22
Forster third.
The Sansom team of Paul Hackett, John ENTRIES CLOSE 4 OCTOBER
Sansom, Brian Senior & Clive Owen, won the England’s premier open
Swiss Teams. The Bennett team were second, with
the Clinch team in third place. teams-of-four championships

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 49

 NATIONAL SWISS TEAMS CROCKFORDS CUP
The team of Neil Rosen, Anne Rosen, John Atthey, The Crockfords Cup has been won by the Lee
Kay Preddy & Norman Selway were overall team of Graham Sadie, Richard Granville, Mike
winners at the National Swiss Teams Congress, Scoltock, Peter Lee & Richard Fedrick. They
which took place in mid-May. prevailed by seven VPs over seven matches in the
final which took place in August. This was a first
They finished just ahead of the second placed victory in the event for all of the Lee team.
team of John Sansom, Dave Debbage, Paul
The Allfrey team comprising Ed Jones, Tom
Hackett & Croz Croswell. The team of Nick
Paske, Simon Cope, Peter Crouch & Alexander
Sandqvist, Nathalie Shashou, Oliver Powell & Allfrey came second, and the Barden team were
Stephen Kennedy came third. third.
The winners of the consolation Stratification B The Crockfords Plate – the consolation
prize were Nick Stevens, Clive Owen, Frank competition for those beaten in the early rounds
Dixon, Paul Brereton. Two teams tied for second of the Cup - was won by Paul Spencer, Marc
place: Giles Ip, Andy Cope, Aleksandar Lishkov & Chawner, Ross Shine & Stuart McPhee. They
David Joyce; and Warner Solomon, Alex finished on 82 VPs, with the team of Celia Oram,
Maddocks, Stefan Lindfors & Jim Grant. Derek Oram, Peter Lindon & Dee Lindon just one
VP behind in second place.
The competition was run by Warwickshire CBA
on behalf of the EBU.
EUROPE’S WORLD BRIDGE TEAM
GARDEN CITIES TROPHY CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS
Sheffield BC (Yorkshire) has won the Garden BERMUDA BOWL (OPEN)
Cities Trophy, the competition for each county's
1 Switzerland 4 Israel
'teams-of-eight champions'. The final featured the 2 Netherlands 5 Denmark
eight teams which qualified from the Regional 3 Italy (boycotted, but 6 Bulgaria
Finals which took place in April. Tunbridge Wells scored 12 IMPs each 7 Sweden
BC (Kent) was second and The Avenue BC round – automatic 8 Norway
(Sussex) was third. This is Sheffield's third time qualification as hosts) 9 England
winning the competition, with their last win in
VENICE CUP (WOMENS)
1994.
The winning Sheffield team comprised Dave 1 Sweden 5 France
2 Poland 6 Hungary
Robinson, Tony Sowter, Richard Pike, David 3 Russia 7 England
Waxman, Sandy Davies, Bazil Caygill, Arthur 4 Turkey 8 Spain
Hughes and Dave Banks.
D’ORSI SENIORS TROPHY
CORWEN TROPHY 1 Netherlands 5 Sweden
2 Bulgaria 6 Poland
Fred Hotchen & Steve Preston representing Hants
3 France 7 Norway
& Isle of Wight won this year's event which took 4 Denmark 8 Iceland
place over four sessions. The Corwen is the EBU's
inter-county pairs championship for which pairs WUHAN CUP (MIXED)
qualify from their county's pairs championships. 1 France 5 Portugal
This is Fred & Steve's first win of the Corwen 2 Belgium 6 Denmark
3 Romania 7 Israel
Trophy.
4 Germany 8 Poland
Second place was taken by John Hayton & Mike
Jackson from Yorkshire with Stuart Strachan & Match reports on page 40
Eleanor Rice of Hants & Isle of Wight in third.

50 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 U16 PLAY WITH AN EXPERT BRIDGEATHON
The second under-16 Play with the Experts took
place in early May. The winners were Gunnar
Hallberg & Rufus Barnett followed by in second
Nicola Smith & Venetia Anoyrkatis. Third place
went to Barry Myers & Charlotte Bedford.
The event was a great success and played in a
fun and sportspersonlike way. The squad loved
playing and interacting with the experts.
Following the bridge, the squad talked through Nine alumni from Reading School played a
the hands on Zoom led by David Gold. charity Bridgeathon as lockdown finally lifted.
The gang thoroughly enjoyed themselves and
It is hoped that the event will run every few
their first in-person bridge for 18 months.
months. Please get in touch with Claire Robinson,
the Junior Liaison Officer: Organised by Jack Lawrence, in 24 hours they
[email protected] if you are an expert managed to play 245 hands and raised an
who would like to play or if you are interested in incredible £1,768, mostly from people donating to
supporting junior bridge in any way – including see the group perform silly challenges like singing
financially! songs or playing a round wearing hats or in
silence. The players were fundraising for
CHAIRMAN’S CUP
Launchpad Reading – a local homelessness
Congratulations to England’s U26 team who prevention charity. If anyone wishes to give the
reached the semi-finals of the Chairman’s Cup – Bridgeathon some belated support, you can
Sweden’s premier world-class Open bridge event donate directly to the Launchpad Reading
– which was played in early August. website, or to PayPal.me/bridgeathon.
The team comprised Kripa Panchagnula &
Jonathan Clark, Oliver Powell & Stephen
Kennedy, Ewa Wieczorek & Charlie Bucknell. EBED WELCOMES NEW CHAIR
Lee Guy has been appointed as the new Chair of
U17 IN EUROPA TROPHY English Bridge Education & Development. Lee
An English team comprising Bjorn Ahl, Venetia takes over from Andy Margetts, whose term came
Anoyrkatis, Charlotte Bedford, James Cater, to an end in July. During his three-year tenure as
Jamie Fegarty, Thomas Gardner, Lucy Norman Chair, EBED went from strength to strength, with
an almost complete overhaul of staff bringing
and Raphaela Sinclair got through to the semi-
more bridge expertise into the team and the
finals of the U17 Europa Trophy, having topped launch of English Bridge School, an online
the table after the Round Robin in early August. platform dedicated to the teaching and the
The U17 Invitational Europa Trophy was learning of the game. Under Andy’s leadership
played by the ten European nations that qualified EBED also successfully weathered the storm of
for last year’s World Championship in the U16 the pandemic and is ready to navigate the post-
category. That event was first postponed to 2021 Covid bridge world.
and then cancelled. Lee hopes to develop more bridge teachers,
tournament directors and ultimately, bridge
The event was organised by the coaches of the
players, to increase the number of, and lower the
ten teams, spearheaded by England’s Giorgio
average age of, bridge players and bridge club
Provenza, and received financial backing from the participants. Commenting on this strategy Lee
EBL. France scooped the trophy in a very close Guy said, ‘working with the EBU and the whole
final against Israel. England were third after bridge community I am sure this strategy will
beating Sweden by just one IMP in a play-off after help to sustain and grow the game of bridge
losing the semi-finals. which we all love’.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 51

 Bridge at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School
Stuart Haring runs the bridge club

I
am often asked the best way to get young people As the club is established, there are also more
playing bridge. I have run the Bridge Club at experienced players. As well as the beginners’
Habs for the past twelve years, during which lessons, there are sessions for general play. The
time we have won the Schools Cup nine times and beginners can join these and learn from the better
had players represent England at the junior levels. players. To allow the students to play around their
Yet the simple answer is that I don’t know. I do other activities the Bridge Club is available every
know it takes time, effort, enthusiasm and patience. day. Some students will play in several sessions each
THE SCHOOL BRIDGE CLUB week.
COMPETITIONS
The first challenge is to get the students to come
The next challenge is to keep them playing.
to Bridge Club. Our school has a good co-curricular
Competitions are a good incentive for those who
programme and students are encouraged to try out
have been playing for a while. As well as being able
many different clubs. I speak to form tutors and my to play with other young people, it can give a sense
classes to encourage them further. The club is of achievement if they have success and a yardstick
available for complete beginners, so the aim is to to measure their progress and encourage them to
encourage those who might like to try it. learn more. The main problem has been finding
I played card games from a young age and learnt enough competitions for them to play in.
bridge on a family holiday. I played at home before Within school, there is an inter-house
joining the club at school. However, most of the competition once a year. Outside school, there is the
students I teach did not learn at home and some Schools Cup and we have arranged inter-school
have barely seen a pack of playing cards before. The fixtures where possible. However, competitions are
first session is just to introduce tricks and trumps. It infrequent and students cannot see their progress
may take two or three sessions gradually easily.
introducing the concepts before getting
near bridge. Those who have played
games like whist before often help get the
others up to speed.
After that, I use prepared hands so that
in each session there is at most one new
aspect to the bidding. The hands are
designed so the play is simple and uses
recurring themes of card play, like
drawing trumps, leading the top of a
sequence, setting up long suits and
taking finesses which come up
repeatedly. Supervising several tables
simultaneously means progress may be
slower, but I encourage them to play and Schools Cup 2019-20: Winning team from Haberdashers’ Aske’s
enjoy it so they want to come back.

52 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 THE NEXT STEP THE FUTURE
When I was a junior, the England squad was a big Within school, I aim to continue the things which
part of my enjoyment of the game. Not only did I have worked well, including separate sessions for
learn a lot and enjoy the challenge of playing against beginners of different year groups and online
good players, but there was a social scene amongst competitions, while reverting back to general play
the players and they are still my friends today. The amongst mixed year groups to get the students to
best players at school are still invited to the England help each other to learn. As our school is looking
Junior Squad set-up and play regularly there, for closer ties with the neighbouring girls’ school, I
meeting other young players from around the also plan to open the club up to the girls as well.
country as well. I hope playing online will allow young players to
The difficulty has been getting intermediate meet others and encourage them to play in national
players to continue. Without frequent competitions competitions and meet in person at junior events to
and not knowing people who play outside the keep more of them involved.
school, many drift away. I am optimistic we are close to finding a structure
COVID nationally which is getting more young people
interested in bridge and continuing to play beyond
While this year has been difficult in many ways,
their school or local club. I may not know the
the potential crisis of not having face-to-face bridge
answer, but I know it still needs all those volunteers
has also led to opportunities. At school there have
willing to give time, effort, enthusiasm and
been year group bubbles, so each year group stays
patience. r
separate from the other year groups. Many clubs
have not been able to run in this model, but Bridge
Club has continued, with enforced separate sessions
for each of the years 7, 8 and 9. As a result, more
beginners have come along, partly with fewer
alternatives and partly as it seems a less daunting
place when everyone is in the same year group and
starting on an equal footing.  
 



The main Bridge Club has had to move online, 
 
playing on BBO on laptops socially-distanced in 
 
   




school and students joining from home during
lockdown. This has not been ideal, but it has
normalised the idea of playing online outside the -,+*)('&)*'%,$)()#("!*&) **!*'&),)&*),'
school club and is encouraging students to play ('
'&)#($),)$,')#*,#*)) )$*(
#(*')('& ('&#(*' *",+*
more often. I have started to introduce online
duplicates through RealBridge and the students ) *",+*),+)*''* , %', *#*
have really enjoyed the competitive aspect. With ,),)&*
& )()( ($) )('')",+, #*,')('& &
remote teaching, the restrictions on online #*

,)$),),'*),)&$)!'),"!)"+')
communication with students have had to be !($(!'),)"() ( &*&"(*& , &,, "*'*

loosened, allowing this to happen. ',+(,')('&)*(,')()

"" (
",
 !
,'* ,'))


, "( (+ ,
One of the main problems with inter-school
matches was the travel time and the organisation
which went into preparing for it. Playing online
significantly reduces the burden on teachers.
Having had our first online inter-school match just
before the end of term, we look forward to the 

inaugural inter-school online league due to start in

September.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 53

 BRIDGE THROUGH THE GENERATIONS

M
att Brash lives near Malton in Yorkshire, That evening, sitting on a veranda overlooking the
where he has worked as a vet for over sea, we played bridge. My parents were playing with
thirty years. He tells us about keeping in my two older brothers and I sat usefully helping my
touch through bridge and learning the game mother. Halfway through the evening my mother
through the generations. asked me to get a handkerchief from her bedroom.
I first began to learn to play bridge (still learning, On the bedside table lay my father’s new pen. I took
but I bow to the ‘Law of Diminishing Cock-ups’) the cap off and pressed the button to see what would
when I was knee high to a grasshopper. I was six, the happen (what inquisitive six year old wouldn’t?). A
fourth child of parents who were in the Foreign and short spurt of gas shot out, burning my eyes. I let
Commonwealth Office out a howl, and the family
(FCO). At the time we ran in to find me lying on
lived in Saigon (now Ho the floor screaming. The
Chi Minh City), Vietnam. new ‘secret weapon’ was
The Vietnamese war was tear gas, and I had just
on, and so many tested its effectiveness. The
restrictions were in place, FCO had issued its staff
most of which went over with this ‘James Bond’ pen,
my head. There was on the basis it might give
limited television, and one time to escape if
family evenings were often stopped by the Viet Cong.
spent playing bridge. We The rest of the night and
played using a folded Acol following day was spent
bidding sheet, a copy of lying on my bed with wet
which I still have towels over my face, feeling
somewhere. My role was to both foolish and sorry for
sit at my mother’s side, myself in equal measures,
shuffle the cards count her whilst the rest played on
HCP and whisper the beach.
suggested bids into her ear.
From the very beginning I Other strong memories
had learnt where to place from those days were of
the cards after shuffling; frustration as once again a
winning ace was trumped by my grinning father or
‘If a fool you are not quite,
even more gleeful brother, followed by the immortal
place the cards upon the right!’
words;
My first clear bridge memory was during a
‘Many a fool has walked the
weekend trip to the seaside at Vung Tau. With the
war in full swing these trips were arranged by the Embankment for not drawing trumps’.
embassy, and a group of families would travel I had no idea what or where the Embankment
quickly across the countryside in convoy. As we was! Let alone why anyone should walk along it, but
drove to the beach, I noticed a new pen in my it was obviously a ghastly place. Even now when I
father's top pocket. visit London and see the sign ‘Embankment’ on the
‘Dad,’ I said, ‘new pen?’ ‘Aaaah, new secret tube, I smile, think of bridge and hope that not too
weapon’ came back the answer, which only piqued many people are walking up and down, wishing they
my interest. had drawn trumps.

54 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 My grandmother was a fearsome bridge player. chatted bridge. As a complete novice he had entered
She played regularly in bridge clubs in Hastings and us for handicap pairs playing a rather unusual, and
knew the rules! One Christmas, partnering her very basic, system he had developed based upon a
against my two brothers, we were defending a tricky phoney club and strong NT. To my great surprise we
NT contract. My brother had won the trick and was won. I think the club had taken pity upon us, giving
mentally debating his next move. us a particularly good handicap, but it is still the
‘Lose your losers first’ I could hear it going round only competition I have ever won.
his brain. He thought and thought and finally, I soon started playing more regularly and to be
deciding which card to play from dummy, reached honest have never looked back.
over, moved a card, but then changed his mind. When my kids were about six or seven, they
Granny leant forward looked him in the eye and began to show some interest and so we played whist
barked him ‘touched card in dummy must be played’. and Japanese Cut Throat bridge (JCT). Once in
He looked up at her, burst into tears and fled. Bridge their teens and doing their Duke of Edinburgh
can be brutal! Awards, they decided to learn bridge as their ‘skill’. A
In my teens I played social bridge. Very, very social great idea, and so began fun Wednesday evenings,
bridge; glasses of wine, twiglets and peanuts, and with little expectation all round. We would drive to
always that one card with a rip on the back that Stamford Bridge Club revising basic Acol and return
everyone knew was the king of chatting over tricky or fun
spades. hands. Six or seven
There was an element tables, all very
of family cheating; one friendly and
could always tell when understanding.
my mother-in-law had The boys took
a good hand, it seriously and
particularly with lots did well. The
of spades, as she would highlight of
immediately start those two years
tapping her fingernails was our last
along the back of the evening, of
cards in her hand. course, when
These were simple happy everyone had
bridge times. played well with each
But playing bridge is a bit pair hoping for first
like riding a bicycle! Once you've learned the basics place. When the results came out only 0.1%
you can put it down and pick it up again many years separated a family first and second. All four boys
later and it all comes flooding back (always the bid for a girl) have learnt to play – the
other two learning at York and Market Weighton
Careers took over and I didn't pick up cards again
Bridge Clubs.
for a long time and might never have played again if
it hadn’t been for an evening in the pub. Our local, All of these clubs have been incredibly welcoming
the ‘Jolly Farmer’ in Leavening (well worth a visit for and encouraging and provided us with some great
a good honest pub grub), had a notice board for the memories. I continue to play on a Wednesday
locals. ‘Come and Play bridge on a Friday evening’, evening at Malton, with patient partners, and have
and so my bridge started again. even been playing for them in the Yorkshire online
Ellis, the bridge teacher noted that I had played a bridge league.
bit before, and so asked me if I would like to come The kids have now grown up and left home, either
and play at Malton Bridge Club. With heart in at university or in jobs, but the ghastly Covid has
mouth, and having always believed that one should meant we have started playing bridge again, albeit
do things that make you scared, I agreed and off we online. BBO with concurrent Zoom, means that
went. It took twenty minutes to drive there and family bridge is back on again; much doubling, wine
twenty minutes back, and I loved those times as we and nibbles. It’s a great game at every level. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 55

 ONLINE CHEATING

T
he widespread adoption of online bridge end any illicit behaviour rather than letting it
over the last 18 months has been welcomed develop and reach the stage of becoming a
by most of us as the thing that has allowed us disciplinary case.
to keep our game being played, even if some would It is usually only when there are several reports of
have preferred that not to be necessary and a concern, from more than one source, that a more
significant number have chosen to wait until we detailed investigation will take place with a view to
return to live bridge. possibly bringing a disciplinary case against the
It has not been without its problems though, and player/s concerned. At this stage a couple of
in addition to the challenges for our members of volunteers from the Online Ethics Investigation
adjusting to new technology, we have also had to Group (OEIG) will be assigned to look at a whole
deal with a massive increase in disciplinary cases range of hands of the players, usually several
that have arisen from cheating, due to the hundred of them, not pre-selected to be
greater ease of doing this online. There suspicious. They will initially analyse
are those who have looked at the 27 independently of each other, but
rows on our list of currently then compare findings and their
sanctioned members, seen report will go to the EBU
some names they were Prosecution Panel who
surprised by, and wondered decide whether a case should
if they might have simply be heard by an independent
been the victims of unfair Disciplinary Committee,
reports, or been punished following due process with
for having been lucky with a every opportunity for the
successful maverick action. players concerned to put their
Some concern has been side and to be represented if
expressed that they might have they wish.
simply been assumed to be guilty
Furthermore, those who are
once accused.
convicted by the disciplinary panel then have
What may not be clear to those who are not an opportunity to appeal to a fresh committee if
involved in this is quite how much time and care is they have legitimate grounds. It is worth noting that
put into these cases. Firstly, a single report of a a number of cases have been heard which have not
suspicious hand will not usually create any further led to convictions (no details of these are released
action beyond a letter to the players concerned for reasons of confidentiality). There have also been
notifying them of the report that has been received a number of cases that were started, but didn’t get to
and inviting them to offer their comments. It is the point of a disciplinary hearing being held – in
important for those players to know the nature of fact these cases actually out-number those that
concerns that have been expressed, but if there is resulted in convictions. So, while some healthy
nothing untoward or difficult to explain about their scepticism among our members about our
actions that will usually be an end to the matter. processes is understandable, and perhaps even
Even if the actions are harder to explain, our hope laudable, it really is not the case that convictions are
is that having had the matter raised, the players will a foregone conclusion or that members do not have
know to stop anything illicit they might have been an opportunity to defend themselves.
doing. The EBU would certainly prefer players to Gordon Rainsford, EBU CEO

56 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 MEMBER SUSPENDED have made had he not known the layout of the
hands, to the benefit of his bridge scores in
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the
those sessions.
following charges against Ting To (BBO name
ting11) at a hearing in March. The defendant failed to respond to the charges,
which was treated as a denial. A disciplinary
• That when he played in online games on the
hearing was held. The Disciplinary Committee
Bridgebase Online platform organised by the
found the charges proved to their comfortable
Richmond Bridge Club in June and July 2020,
satisfaction, and that the defendant’s conduct
he had knowledge of the layout of the hands constituted an offence under paragraph 3.2(iv) of
obtained either by ‘self-kibitzing’ or by illicit the EBU Disciplinary Rules, being unfair or
communication with a kibitzer. dishonest play. The Committee imposed a
• That he took advantage of this information to sanction of suspension of EBU membership for a
make calls and plays which he was unlikely to period of four years.

MEMBERS SUSPENDED unlikely to have made without such knowledge,

to the benefit of their bridge scores in the
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the
sessions concerned.
following charges against David Green & Hilary
Barnett-Green (BBO names fournine and hils48) The defendants admitted the charges. A
at a hearing in August. disciplinary meeting was held and the
• That when they played in online games on the Disciplinary Committee found the charges proved
Bridgebase Online platform organised by the to their comfortable satisfaction, and that the
Avenue BC and Patcham BC between February defendants’ conduct constituted an offence under
2021 and April 2021, they had knowledge of paragraph 3.2(iv) of the EBU Disciplinary Rules,
some aspects of each other’s hands obtained by being unfair or dishonest play. They considered
illicit communication with each other. the mitigation offered.
• It is alleged that they both took advantage of The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension
this information to make plays which they were of EBU membership for a period of two years.

MEMBER SUSPENDED hands, to the benefit of his bridge scores in

those sessions.
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the
following charges against Malcolm Boyack (BBO The defendant denied the charges. A disciplinary
Name MBoyack)at a hearing in May. hearing was held. The Disciplinary Committee
• That when he played in online games on the found the charges proved to their comfortable
Bridgebase Online platform organised by satisfaction, and that the defendant’s conduct
Cullompton Bridge Club, he had knowledge of
constituted an offence under paragraph 3.2(iv) of
the layout of the hands obtained whilst acting as
the EBU Disciplinary Rules, being unfair or
the director of the sessions concerned.
dishonest play.
• That he took advantage of this information to
make calls and plays which he was unlikely to The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension
have made had he not known the layout of the of EBU membership for a period of three years.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 57

 MEMBERS SUSPENDED have made had they not known the layout of the
hands, to the benefit of their bridge scores in
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the
following charges against Roew Macdonald & those sessions.
Brenda Macdonald at a hearing in May. The defendants admitted the charges. A
• That when they played in online games on the disciplinary meeting was held and the
Bridgebase Online platform organised by the Disciplinary Committee found the charges proved
English Bridge Union and at Bramhill Green to their comfortable satisfaction, and that the
Bridge Club and Brookdale Club, between 1st defendants’ conduct constituted an offence under
October and 31st December 2020 they had
paragraph 3.2(iv) of the EBU Disciplinary Rules,
knowledge of some aspects of each other’s
hands obtained by illicit communication with being unfair or dishonest play. They considered
each other. the mitigation offered.
• That they took advantage of this information to The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension
make calls and plays which they were unlikely to of EBU membership for a period of two years.

MEMBERS SUSPENDED hands, to the benefit of their bridge scores in

those sessions.
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the
following charges against Colin Hearn (BBO The defendants denied the charges. A disciplinary
Name CHearn1) & Jennie Hearn (BBO Name hearing was held and the Disciplinary Committee
Jhearn3) at a hearing in May. found the charges proved to their comfortable
• That when they played in online games on the satisfaction, and that the defendants’ conduct
Bridgebase Online platform organised by the constituted an offence under paragraph 3.2(iv) of
Ned Paul Bridge Club, they had knowledge of
the EBU Disciplinary Rules, being unfair or
some aspects of each other’s hands obtained by
dishonest play. The Committee imposed a
illicit communication with each other.
sanction of suspension of EBU membership for a
• That they took advantage of this information to
period of three years.
make calls and plays which they were unlikely to
have made had they not known the layout of the The decision is currently subject to appeal.

MEMBERS SUSPENDED hands, to the benefit of their bridge scores in

those sessions.
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the
following charges against Michael Quinn (BBO The defendants denied the charges. A disciplinary
name Smiler19) and Norma Quinn (BBO name hearing was held. The Disciplinary Committee
myboys12) at a hearing in March. found the charges proved to their comfortable
satisfaction, and that the defendants’ conduct
• That when they played in online games on the constituted an offence under paragraph 3.2(iv) of
Bridgebase Online platform organised by the the EBU Disciplinary Rules, being unfair or
EBU and by the Horsham Bridge Club between dishonest play. The Committee imposed a
June and September 2020, they had knowledge sanction of suspension of EBU membership for a
of some aspects of each other’s hands obtained period of three years. The defendants appealed
by illicit communication. and the Appeal Committee summarily dismissed
• That they took advantage of this information to the appeal as disclosing no grounds for
make calls and plays which they were unlikely to concluding that the Disciplinary Committee had
have made had they not known the layout of the erred, and they forfeited the deposit.

58 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 MEMBERS SUSPENDED make calls and plays which they were unlikely to
have made had they not known the layout of the
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the hands, to the benefit of their bridge scores in
following charges against Robert Macrae (BBO those sessions.
name rob2121) & Sylvia Desert (BBO Name
The defendants did not contest the charges. A
des6161).
disciplinary meeting was held and the
• That when they played in online games on the Disciplinary Committee found the charges proved
Bridgebase Online platform organised by Tudor to their comfortable satisfaction, and that the
Bridge Club and Border Bridge Club, they had defendants’ conduct constituted an offence under
knowledge of some aspects of each other’s paragraph 3.2(iv) of the EBU Disciplinary Rules,
hands obtained by illicit communication with being unfair or dishonest play.
each other. The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension
• That they took advantage of this information to of EBU membership for a period of two years.

MEMBERS SUSPENDED have made had they not known the layout of the
hands, to the benefit of their bridge scores in
An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the those sessions.
following charges against Vivianne Franklin (BBO
name Rosewood3) & John Franklin (BBO name The defendants denied the charges. A disciplinary
hearing was held. The Disciplinary Committee
Blenmar) at a hearing in May.
found the charges proved to their comfortable
• That when they played in online games on the satisfaction, and that the defendants’ conduct
Bridgebase Online platform organised by the constituted an offence under paragraph 3.2(iv) of
English Bridge Union and Surrey, they had the EBU Disciplinary Rules, being unfair or
knowledge of some aspects of each other’s dishonest play.
hands obtained by illicit communication with
The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension
each other.
of EBU membership for a period of three years
• That they took advantage of this information to and two months (including two months for a
make calls and plays which they were unlikely to breach of their interim playing suspension).

MEMBERS SUSPENDED have made had they not known the layout of the

An EBU Committee recently considered the hands, to the benefit of their bridge scores in
following charges against Terry & Ann Yearsley those sessions.
(BBO Names Terryy46 & Anny48) at a hearing in The defendants admitted the charges. A
early June.
disciplinary meeting was held and the
• That when they played in online games on the
Disciplinary Committee found the charges proved
Bridgebase Online platform organised by
Clevedon & Portishead Bridge Club and in to their comfortable satisfaction, and that the
teams matches such as the Somerset League defendants’ conduct constituted an offence under
between the months of December 2020 and paragraph 3.2(iv) of the EBU Disciplinary Rules,
March 2021 they had knowledge of some being unfair or dishonest play. They considered
aspects of each other’s hands obtained by illicit
the mitigation offered.
communication with each other.
• That they took advantage of this information to The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension
make calls and plays which they were unlikely to of EBU membership for a period of two years.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 59

 CAPTION
CROSSWORD NO 32
COMPETITION
Compiled by MERMAN Answers online, p73
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11 12

13 14

15 16

17 18 19 20

21 22
Send your entries for the cartoon above to
23 24 [email protected] or Editor, Raggett House,
Bowdens, Langport, TA10 0DD by the 20 October.
25
Our gardening theme, like the weather,
26 produced a plethora of slugs. Congratulations to
Stan Powell for my favourite, shown below the
picture. Other close contenders were Graham
ACROSS
1 The Spanish key included in subject that can be viewed
Tenneson’s ‘Up against slippery opponents,
from a distance (10) M.U.D. proved the best start for defence’; Pauline
10 Calm, getting one telling stories — a great many (8) Wyman’s ‘The rewards of slow arrival are never
11 Ironed out, like some mowers (6) watered down’; and Catherine Thorp’s ‘Mary
12 7 minus 5 is understood (4)
13 Court Theatre assumed to have progressed gradually (5) always comes up trumps when providing
15 Edge of unfinished fibre (3) refreshment for visiting teams’.
16 Force hearts in confidence (6)
17 Some made partners go away (6)
20 Woman returned foreign greeting (3)
21 Leaving Europe, a form of audible improvisation (5)
23 Honour skill with racing car (4)
24 Phone call ends in a score draw of sorts (6, two words)
25 Two thousand and one in French fuel stores for people to
share (8)
26 Those most anxious to hear simulation in adverse
conditions (10, two words)

DOWN
2 Frost returns to ruler (4)
3 The plane crash not to be spoken of, however obvious (8)
4 Player has something in auction — an opening (4) Elimination play coming up
5 Maybe two and a half centimetres — that’s a piece of
cake? (5) Our sponsor Fortnum & Mason will be
6 Queer composition in record about what might have come rewarding the winner with some wonderful
before (7)
Handmade English Chocolates. Created entirely
7 Thoughts set aside (5)
8 Officer tricks all the players (9) by hand by Fortnum’s master confectioners,
9 Kids of 14 hear ducks quack (9) these chocolates are made to a unique recipe,
12 Player’s fork’s demanding attention (8) unchanged since the 1920s.
14 Maybe king’s more difficult to get by (7)
18 Pass — it’s time to stick around (5)
19 Rushes into chambers? (5)
21 A student body — or a part of it (4)
22 Don’t open lots of medicine for such ailments (4)
 Send your letters to the editor, Lou Hobhouse
LETTERS TO THE Raggett House, Bowdens, TA10 0DD, or e-mail [email protected]
The editor reserves the right to condense letters. Publication does not mean the
EDITOR EBU agrees with the views expressed or that the comments are factually correct.

BBO NAMES need, as a proportion of the at the first meal break we heard
While BBO is happy for surface area of the Earth, to that a boy from Eton had bid and
individuals to identify represent them all? You’d need made 7´ on the first hand. We
themselves as they see fit I 105 million earths! came about two thirds of the way
strongly believe that for EBU James Palmer down the field.
competitions there should be a By the time the next year came
requirement that their profile
WAITING FOR F2F around I was reading Maths at
I have been organising Royal Holloway where we were
reveals who they are.
Wednesday morning teams joined in our lectures by a 14-
Yes, the EBU know who is
matches for half a dozen clubs - year-old from Eton. I made no
playing, but I’d like to know at
the table and don’t consider a some unaffiliated. Sadly 50% of connection until I was talking
forename to be sufficient – members were not interested in about my introduction to bridge
though that is at least preferable online, dreaming of a F2F with the chairman of our bridge
to the budding Oscar Wilde’s and return. I can now sense the club in about 2000. On hearing
their puerile attempts at scepticism from some about F2F my story, he confirmed that the
humour. Bill March and I envisage combining online boy would have been Simon
social bridge with F2F bridge. It Norton as he was the master in
KIBITZING DELAY is difficult to foresee how F2F charge of bridge at Eton at the
I very much enjoy kibitzing will happen but I suspect clubs time. Simon took an external
experts or my friends, like ours will start off with just a first (he was too young to be
particularly when they are few tables and hopefully build enrolled as an internal member
playing competitive bridge. I am from there. I feel we will not be of the university) while he was
aware that some competitions jumping back just yet and still at school.
have a 30 minute delay so that perhaps wait on others’ Then on p47 is a photo of the
kibitzing is possible without risk experiences. Its too early, I know, 2021 winning team standing in
to the integrity of the game. Can but like everybody I hope the front of the statue of the
the EBU introduce this facility future of bridge clubs is not founder, King Henry VI. In the
for its competitions? compromised and the game background is Lupton Tower,
Richard Zoltie thrives. Steve Cooper built by the provost Dr Roger
Lupton, who originates from the
We do have this 30 minute delay INAUGURAL SCHOOLS CUP same town in Cumbria as my
in all our competitions run on In English Bridge/May 2001/p46 I ancestors. Brian Lupton
RealBridge which have kibitzing read that Eton College won the
enabled. Other platforms do not, Schools Cup in 2021 – the first MEETING FELLOW PLAYERS
as far as I know, have this enabled time since the inaugural Is there any forum for EBU
so it’s not currently available in competition in 1966. How about members to communicate with
our regular daily games or the this for coincidences . . . each other, beyond the letters
Lockdown League. I played in that competition page of the magazine? I found
for Deacons School, www.ebu.co.uk/forum/ but it
SCOURING THE PLANET Peterborough. appears to be intended for
I've been enjoying the recent I believe that our headmaster tournament directors and club
correspondence re mathematical learned of the tournament as he administrators. My original
implausibilities. Imagine you played at Peterborough Bridge motivation – I'm looking to
wanted to depict every possible Club and decided that his school meet other ACOL bridge players
bridge deal as a diagram, but to would enter. He asked if any in Zurich – but I've no idea how
save space you decide to shrink boys were interested and the to contact EBU members to ask
each to one square millimetre. volunteers were taught bridge 'is anyone else in Switzerland?’
How much space would you from scratch. My memory is that Matt Hickford

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 61

 2021 Summer Meeting at Eastbourne
Swiss Pairs for the GCH Fox Consolation Mixed Pairs Champ’ships Sun Swiss Pairs
Harold Poster Cup 10 August 2021 12 August 2021 15 August 2021
1 Simon Few & Keith Nash Including players from 1 Elisabeth Bingham &
6-8 August 2021
2 Phil Thornton & Eastbourne, Caterham, Tony Togneri
1 Claire Robinson &
David Killick Richmond, Wimbledon & 2 Winnie Perry &
Szczepan Smoczynski
3 Ian S Hamilton & Aj Fong Young Chelsea Chimi Notenboom
2 Jeremy Dhondy &
1 Henry Rose & 3 Alan Setchell &
Andy Hughes
Patton Teams Champ’ships Megan Jones Josephine Allen
3 Jeffrey Allerton &
2 Denise Miller &
Frances Hinden 11-12 August 2021
Nigel Clayton Four-Star Teams
4 Alexander Allfrey & 1 Robert Miller, Kathy
3 Maria Whelan &
Andrew Robson Williams, Simon Few, 13-15 August 2021
Vinod Khanna
5 Sue Woodcock & Keith Nash 1 Phil King, Kevin Castner,
Nick Woodcock 2 Hazel Keith, Neil Hubert Ben Norton, Mike Bell
Highest B stratification pair Sati McKenzie, Point-a-Board Teams 2 Graham Osborne,
8= Mark Davies & Mick Woolley, 13 August 2021 Frances Hinden,
Richard Creamer 3 Patricia Hones, 1 Imogen La Chapelle, Michael Byrne,
Highest C stratification pair Cliff Hones, Andy Cope, Kieran Dyke
(Brighton Plate) Andrew Hones, Ian S Hamilton, 3 Paul Hackett,
33 Benjamin Gardner & David Emerson Hastings Campbell David Mossop,
Liam Fegarty 2 Sati McKenzie, Jason Hackett,
Mixed Pivot Teams Hazel Keith, David Willis, Diego Brenner
Friday Speedball Tim Smith 4 Andrew Robson,
11 August 2021
Oliver Lawrence,
6 August 2021 1 Liam Fegarty, Anne
Sat Swiss Pairs Patrick Lawrence,
1 Kath Stynes & Catchpole, Catherine
David Barker
Charles Bucknell Curtis, Jamie Fegarty 14 August 2021
5 Ollie Burgess,
2 James Vickers & 2 Marietta Andree, 1 Simon Few & Keith Nash
Claire Robinson,
Robin Barker Patrick Bohan, 2 Richard Rees & Val Rees
Alex Crystol, Sara Moran,
David Wing, Janet Cahm 3 Marion Hart &
Swiss Teams - Brighton Bowl
GCH Fox Champ Pairs 3 Brian Senior, Gary Hyett, Kenneth Wilshire
1 Mark Hooper,
Ros Wolfarth, Sue Millard
9-10 August 2021 Janet Smith,
1 Rachel Bingham & John Gardner,
Anne Catchpole Four Star Teams Michael Hornung
2 Daniel Miller & 2 Brian Senior, Kay Preddy,
Colin Jones Sandra Penfold,
3 David Barnes & Norman Selway
Janet Barnes
Mixe d Pa
Point-a-Board Teams irs Cham
ps

Patton Tea
m Champs
Mixe d Pivot Teams
Harold Poster Cup

ships
Champion
GCH Fox Swiss Teams - Brighton Bowl

62 English Bridge September 2021

 Landmark Promotions April 2021– August 2021
Fredrik Helness Merseyside & Somerset Eileen Hand
Congratulations to the newly promoted Rosalie Husson
Master Cheshire Grand Master
Premier Grand Masters: Richard Carter Ceri Pierce Anne O'Mahony
Life Master
Mike Bell, London Janette Copp Master Andy Osborn
David Smith
Catherine Curtis, Cambs & Hunts Benjamin Gardner Liz Bradley Gillian Payne
Regional Master Gary Rogerson
Steve Eginton, Berks & Bucks Grahame Hamilton Paul Burgess
Peter Swarbrick Annie Simmons
Dawn Hopson Deric Burns
Grand Masters: Ramsey Thomson
Master Alison Catchpole Warwickshire
Linda Greenland, Yorkshire Janet Thornley Jerry Hopkins Catherine Preston Master
David Harrison, Westmorland Alan Vincent Keith Robins Roger Preston Colin Abrahams
John Williams Hilary Rowland Pam Skelton Alan Begg
David Latchem, Wiltshire
Ann Sutcliffe Frank Thomas Paul Debling
Graham Orsmond, Oxfordshire Lancashire
Pat Towey Hazel Wootton Michael Dewsbury
Ceri Pierce, Somerset Regional Master
Steve Gregson Middlesex Staffs & Effie Richards
Mike Ribbins, Berks & Bucks Regional Master Shropshire Jeremy Roche
Master Valerie Ross-
Ian Walsh, Devon Sue Johnson Regional Master
Bernard Clayton Gilbertson
Martin Church
Avon Channel Essex Norman Cope Norfolk Keith Rowley
Master
Master Andy Cove Life Master Natu Soni
Islands Regional Master Flo Baldwin
Jane Alder Petra Bromfield Caroline Darwen Adrian La Chapelle Miriam Woodman
Master Diego Brenner
Master Rona Egan Regional Master
Gavin Bailey Sheila Calvert Najma Khan Westmorland
Alan Aaronson Geoff Essery Bryan Renouf Ian William
Hilda Ball Grand Master
Cornwall Nikki Headland Christine Hartley Lawrence
Jane Hague Master David Harrison
Master Geoff Phillips Ann Hivey Viv Milne
Stuart Jackson Gill Clarkson Wiltshire
Ian Marriott Graham Taylor Quentin Jefferies Philip Morgan
Richard Mayes Jennifer McCloskey Grand Master
Jackie Royds Arnold Waxler Ged Keary Jenny Rogers
Lesley Mortimer Jane Scarfe Dave Latchem
Judith Williams Gloucester- Val McDermott Ann Sleightholme
John Travers North East Regional Master
Cumbria shire Andrew Robert Suffolk
Bedfordshire McGrae Life Master Scarlet Leatham
Regional Master Master Regional Master Tony Reed
Regional Master Jonathan Bailey Abdul Thabet Audrey Bainbridge Chris Kennedy
David Emerson Terry McCarron Alastair Spence
Linda Barratt Kathleen Tonks Regional Master Joan Watson
Master Laura Valins Master
Berks & Bucks Geoff Bent Mark Stanners Master
Patricia Heaton David Head
Premier Grand Jim Berry Leicestershire Master Jill Bowring
Carole Williamson David Marder
Master Mike Bowman Regional Master Michael Hall Surrey John Sanders
Steve Eginton Derbyshire Caroline Bristol Richard Bell Life Master
Liz Giles Northampton- Gill Spurway
Grand Master Master Master shire David Dawson Meri Stefanovic
Frank Harsent Paul Collins
Mike Ribbins Tricia Alderman Master Regional Master Worcester-
Richard Seymour
Life Master Roy Brough Lincolnshire Alan Cadge shire
Hants and Caroline Beaty
William Astles Jean Rickards Master Lawrence Harvey
I.O.W. John Crampin Master
Barbara Briggs Terence Roberts Jacqueline Pfister Marianne Tudor-
Regional Master Barry Potter Eric Silverstone
John Cadman Theo Rofer Craig
David Heywood London Jane Reeve Master
Wendy Silverstone
Elspeth Caldwell Devon Premier Grand Gill Spencer Yorkshire
Sue Chamberlain
Master Christine Brazier
Grand Master Chris Diston Master Notting- Mary Bushell Grand Master
Francoise Chap- Ian Walsh Mike Bell Linda Greenland
Alan Oliver hamshire Cecilia Chan
man Regional Master Bill Tallis Life Master Life Master
Master Roxanne Day
Nathan Galpin Venetia Anoyrkatis Jane Rhoda Weight Mark Davies Nick Elmslie Tom Cohen
Danuta Hughes Diana Calvert
Magdalena Cisek Herefordshire Thor Erik Hof- Annette Gornall Ken Richardson
Maria Ibos Kathleen Hales
Master Master taniska Alice Harper Liz Wickens
Lydia Lawson
Terry Searle Regional Master Oxfordshire Debbie Heinemann Regional Master
Ellen Davies
David McAleavey Sarah Wenden Roy Cooper Grand Master Patricia Magnus Alan Barnett
George Triantafyl-
Alan McBride Carlos Dabezies Graham Orsmond Eileen Mulvenna Michael P Bowden
Carol McKearney
lidis Hertfordshire Derek Ridyard
Jeremy Hart Regional Master Adrian Ford
Ginny Robinson Direct UK Life Master Bina Shah
Mike Fawcett Lars McBride Ursula Bowler Master
Anita Sulley Regional Master Kanti Shah Ryan Beresford
Master Master Virginia Crouch
David Taylor Bernard Burns Naresh Shah Linda Cartwright
Valerie Blake Alistair Brown David Dobson
Master Carolyn Shakerchi Steve Cartwright
Cambs & Sorin Butiu Shiv Datt Roger Haycock
Hunts Valerie Taylor Alla Connor Carol Stegmann Martin Illingworth
Sussex Richard Clifford
Dorset Peter Connor Ewa Wieczorek
Regional Master Pat Ferguson
Premier Grand Manchester
Life Master Janne Judd Sue Best Kate Gimblett
Master Regional Master Master Rhonda Moss
Michael Hornung Anne McLaughlin Master
Catherine Curtis John Metcalfe Phillip Taylor Barbara Antrobus Gill Pilkington
Denise Boxall
Life Master Master Steve Turner Master Aine Fox Andrew Clay George Pitt
David Wright Terry Carpenter Luigi Wiechula Raymond Barratt Walter Huda Jo Crosland Robin Prestwich
Master Jacqueline Darts Kent Farokh Engineer Dave Rudd Matt Davis Michael John Short
Steve Johnson Robin Khan Regional Master Michael Greaney Stevie Rudd Brian Drabble David Storer
Jim Mynott Fran Melrose Carol Brocklehurst Vanessa James Graham Walcroft Brian Field Ralph Thompson
Gloria Pullan Julian Patten Thomas Gardner Melvin Megitt Yining Yang Margaret Gautama Michael Vucevic

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 63

 Bridge Club Live by Barrie Partridge

Daylight Robbery! click

link

S
ome boards may appear routine, but this deal, from Bridge Club Live’s daily Drop-in-drop-out MP
Pairs, recently gave one declarer an opportunity to apply some psychological pressure.

Game All. Dealer South. India overtook with the ®A while London’s Gilly
´ K754 Cardiff played ®10. Making 11 tricks was worth
™ AK3
60%.
t QJ6
® KQJ However, at one table West led the ™7 taken in
´ 10 3 ´ A2 dummy. A trump to the ´Q was followed by a
™ Q987542 N ™ 10 6 trump to the ´A. East led his remaining heart and
W E
t 983 S
t A542 declarer smoothly threw tK while taking the trick
® 6 ® 97432
in dummy.
´ QJ986
™ J Now declarer led the tQ as if taking a ruffing
t K 10 7 finesse. Despite the fact that East, a reasonable
® A 10 8 5 player, could have counted from what had been
played so far that the tK could not have been a
singleton, he ducked, and was sufficiently
After a Jacoby and RKCB sequence, many Souths
discombobulated by declarer following with the t7,
ended up playing in 5´. Even this can be too high if
that when declarer then led t6 from dummy as if
West finds a club lead, as many did. going to ruff it in hand, he ducked again and was
On a club lead, it is worth South considering a appalled to see the t10 played by declarer. Just
bad club split and noting that a high club can be because a ploy should never work, it doesn’t mean
spared from hand to put defenders off the scent. that you shouldn’t try it! This was worth 98% as
Two South players found this play. A gentleman in another South made 5´ doubled for 100%. r

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you; Leagues, KOs); · Clear playing cards and
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www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 65

 Funbridge Competitions by Marc Smith

Surrender Unto Caesar

T
his hand is from one of the Daily Games on Neither of these lines worked out well for
Funbridge. It raises a number of interesting declarer. A much better strategy is to exit with a
points. The first is how often declarers feel club. After all, West is surely going to get in to cash
the need to get busy, when the best policy is often to them at some point. By rendering unto Caesar what
make the defenders do the work for you. Consider is Caesar’s, though, you gain two advantages. Firstly,
how you would have played at trick two. you are going to see a couple of discards from East
when West cashes his club winners. West is also
going to have to lead something at least a bit
E/W Game. Dealer South. MP Pairs
favourable to you after taking his winners.
´ K82
™ Q986 You have relatively easy discards on the clubs: you
t 875 can afford two hearts and a diamond from hand
® 10 5 4 and two diamonds from dummy. Meanwhile, East
´ Q 10 ´ 7643 throws an encouraging diamond and then a low
™ K 10 4 3
W
N
E
™ A spade. West exits with the t10 and you capture
t 10 2 S t KJ964 East’s king with your ace and sit back to take stock.
® AK762 ® 983
Would East not have been more likely to throw a
´ AJ95
™ J752
heart if he began with 2-4 in the majors? It is
t AQ3 beginning to look like West’s major is hearts, so you
® QJ advance the ™J, catering for East’s presumed
singleton to be the ten.
West’s decision to rise with the ™K defies logic. It
West North East South seems extremely unlikely to me that declarer would
1NT have discarded two hearts from A-J-x-x and then
Dble1 All Pass
1
led the jack from his hand, but rise he did and East
Alerted as showing a 4-card major and a
was left to forlornly complete the trick with his ™A.
5+-card minor
East clears the diamonds but you now play a heart
West leads the ®6 and your jack wins. What would and finesse the eight. It is now East’s turn to
you do at trick two? contribute to declarer’s cause. As a defender, you
may appear to hold only useless cards, but it is still
Which major do you think West holds? You have your job to protect partner’s hand. At the table, East
eight hearts and only seven spades, so the odds are discarded a spade on the second round of hearts,
slightly in favour of spades, but not by much. If and another spade when declarer cashed the ™Q.
West has spades, then the chances are high that East Now, when declarer cashed the ´K and played a
holds the ™10. second spade from dummy, East had only diamonds
The hand was played almost 2,500 times in the left, which solved any decision that declarer might
same contract on a club lead, and more than 90% of have had in spades. The ´A dropped West’s queen
declarers played either a heart at trick two (many and thus declarer scored an overtrick with the ´J.
guessing to play the queen when West played low), The overtrick is necessary as almost 30 declarers
or a spade to the king followed by a spade back to registered +280 on this deal, so making eight tricks
their jack. was worth just over 95% of the matchpoints. r

66 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 OBITUARIES

Addis Page
1943 – 2021
Bridge was a major part of Addis's life, as both
player and administrator. He hugely enjoyed the
game, at club, county, and national level, and kept
the trophy-engraver busy. At the national level, he
Tessa Templeton and his regular partner Nigel Lancaster were
1947 – 2021 frequent visitors to the EBU Summer Festival in
Brighton, supporting both the EBU and the local
Tessa Templeton‘s eponymous bridge club in
brewery in equal measure. He was a Life Member
Bucks grew in just 10 years from a class of bridge
of both Burnham Bridge Club and Berks & Bucks
students to a thriving bridge club with over a
CBA.
thousand members. Tessa’s aim was to run ‘the
friendliest bridge club anywhere’ and this proved Addis gave much back to the bridge world. He
to be a winning formula. While Tessa often said served as Burnham Chairman for several years,
that her club’s success was down to a top-notch Berks & Bucks Chairman for four years, and sat
tea, her members would disagree. They knew that on the EBU's Tournament Committee for some
it was due to Tessa’s warm and caring nature, her 15 years. He was delighted to be asked to serve as
hard work and her determination to maintain the the non-playing captain of the Berks & Bucks
friendly ethos of the club as it grew. Tessa will be Tollemache team in 2010.
sorely missed by every member of Tessa
Templeton’s School of Bridge.

Peter Bowles
1947-2021
Colin Woods Peter was a well-known Devon bridge stalwart
1949 – 2020 frequently representing Devon in the Tollemache
Colin Woods became Treasurer of Cumbria in and Western League matches. He was chairman of
1995 and did a sterling job looking after its Torquay BC and ran lessons in the town for many
finances for 20 years, earning a Dimmie Fleming years.
Award in 2015. He was at the Cumbrian Congress A regular bridge partner, Michael Orriel, recalls
every year, often the first person to welcome the playing in a Dorset GP event in 2017, where they
visitors, with his list of entrants, taking money came fourth. As a Grand Master, Peter was much-
and sorting out the prize money, before becoming amused by the prize-giving where they were
one of the players himself. announced as an ‘up-and-coming pair’.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 67

 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER – MIXED TEAMS – By David Bird

Representing England were: Heather Dhondy & Joe Osborne led the tK and twelve tricks can be
Fawcett, Frances Hinden & Graham Osborne, Kay made on the favourable lie of the cards. Declarer
Preddy & Norman Selway. Jeremy Dhondy was needs to ruff, play the king and ace of trumps and
captain. I would like to start by commending these run the jack of clubs. He can establish the clubs
pairs for their system preparation. Their convention with a ruff, eventually ruffing a spade in dummy for
cards, available on www.ecatsbridgenews.com, the twelfth trick.
impressed me greatly. After ruffing the first trick, McKinnon played the
Twenty-one teams entered the mixed qualifier. king of trumps and ran the eight (a strange play
They would play 10-board matches against each after East had announced length in diamonds and
other team, with the top eight teams qualifying for spades). Eleven tricks were then made.
the World Mixed Championship.
England faced Scotland in round three, West North East South
James Heather Susan Joe
outbidding their opponents on this board: Forsyth Dhondy Aitchison Fawcett
Pass 1® 1t 1™
N/S Game. Dealer West. 2t 4t 5t Dble
´ K87 All Pass
™ K982
t –
® A Q 10 6 3 2
Heather Dhondy knows a good hand when she
´ 10 3 2 ´ QJ94
™ QJ7
N
™ 65 sees one, and her 4t splinter bid was in stark
W E
t J 10 9 S t AK7542 contrast to North’s bidding at the other table. East
® K875 ® 4 sacrificed in 5t, doubled by Joe Fawcett.
´ A65 The England pair’s defence was accurate. The ®J
™ A 10 4 3
won the first trick, declarer ruffing the club
t Q863
continuation. Susan Aitchison played the tA,
® J9
North throwing a club, and continued with a low
trump. Fawcett won with the queen and returned
West North East South the t6 to dummy’s jack. A spade to the nine lost to
Frances Robert Graham Catherine South’s ace. The defenders scored the ace and king
Hinden Mckinnon Osborne Ferguson
Pass 1® 1t Dble of hearts, followed by the spade king. Declarer was
2t 2™ 2´ 3™ down to ´QJ tK7 and a club from Dhondy then
All Pass promoted South’s bare t8. Not even a contract of
1t would have been made! The penalty was 1100
When the bidding starts 1® followed by a 1™ and England gained 14 IMPs.
overcall, many responders like to double with four
After five matches, England had beaten Turkey,
spades and bid 1´ with five or more spades. When
instead the overcall is 1t, it is best to double only Scotland and Spain, losing to Ireland and Portugal.
when you hold both majors. With only one major They were in 8th position out of 21, with the top
you bid 1™ or 1´. eight teams due to qualify.
If South had responded 1™, it is hard to believe In the next two matches, a 10-50 loss to Belgium,
that North would have raised to only 2™ on his five- followed by a 7-41 loss to Croatia, plunged England
loser hand. After the negative double, South’s raise to the icy depths of 19th place. On the first deal of
of 2™ to 3™ was accurate and North’s subsequent the match against Switzerland, there was a
pass somewhat puzzling. penetrating shaft of sunlight:

68 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 N/S Game. Dealer North. West North East South
Christine Heather Bachar Joe
´ 10 Vincent Dhondy Chanab Fawcett
™ KQJ94 Pass 2´A Pass
t K8542 Pass 2NTA Pass 3®
® 32 3t All Pass
´ AJ9 ´ KQ654
N
™ 75 W E
™ 32
t A 10 9 7 3 S t J 2´ showed five spades and at least four cards in a
® QJ5 ® A 10 8 6 4 minor. The range was 4-10 HCP (too wide, as I see
´ 8732 it). Since East’s hand was surely in the strongest 5%
™ A 10 8 6 of all potential 2´ openers, it would have been wise
t Q6
to open 1´ instead.
® K97
West let the 2´ opening run to Dhondy, who
understandably contested with 2NT (showing two
suits). Fawcett bid 3®, in case North held the
West North East South minors. West then bid 3t instead of 3´, somehow
Norman Dmitrij Kay Andrea forming the impression that East’s minor was
Selway Nikolenkov Preddy Haidorfer
diamonds. Two down was the result, England
2™A 2´ 4™
winning 11 IMPs.
4´ All Pass
Sadly, I have no heart-warming tale of recovery to
report. In the last 15 matches, England beat Norway
North’s 2™ was weak, showing hearts and 43-16, Switzerland 29-25, Israel 20-15 and Romania
23-0. They lost to Belgium, Croatia, Wales,
another. The defenders took their two top hearts
Netherlands, Denmark, France, Latvia, Sweden,
against 4´, North switching to the ®3. This could
Poland, Russia and Germany, finishing in 20th place
easily be a singleton, so Preddy rose with the ®A.
out of 21.
She could not afford to unblock one of dummy’s
honours, in case South held ®K972. Kay Preddy and Norman Selway were our best
pair in the Butler cross-IMPing, with +0.08 IMPs
After drawing trumps in four rounds, Preddy per board. The other two pairs scored -0.67 and
played a second club, South rising with the king to -0.71 IMPs per board.
block the suit. A third round of hearts removed
My overall impression of this qualification
declarer’s last trump but… all was well. On this
section was that the standard of mixed bridge has
trick Preddy discarded the blocking ®Q from
improved enormously. Most of England’s
dummy, and ten tricks were made for +620.
opponents played so well! Our team contained
At the other table, it was East who opened on a three strong and well-prepared partnerships. I had
weak two-suiter: expected them to do well, but it was not to be. r

England’s Qualifying Open

Team (from left)
Michael Byrne
Kieran Dyke
Ben Norton
Tom Townsend
Claire Robinson (coach)
Paul Barden (NPC)
David Bakhshi
Mike Bell
Match report, p40

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 69

 Paul Bowyer’s Entries Quiz from p10
´ 863 ´ K862
™ A8752 ™ J7
Hand 1 t AJ t 976
Hand 2
South plays in 3NT. ® KQ8 ® AJ96
South plays in 3NT.
West leads the ´2. West leads the ™K.
N N
W E W E
S S
South North South North
´ AJ5 ´ QJ5
1NT 2t 2NT 3®
™ Q3 ™ A5
2™ 3NT 3t 3NT
t Q 10 9 6 3 t A Q J 10
All Pass All Pass
® A43 ® KQ54

You reach 3NT after a Stayman sequence. West

You reach 3NT after a transfer sequence. West leads leads the ™K, hitting you in your weak spot.
the ´2 and East produces the king. Your Count and Plan reveals only six top tricks
(one heart, one diamond and four clubs). Letting
Your Count and Plan reveals six top tricks (one
the defenders on lead would surely be fatal. You
spade, one heart, one diamond and three clubs).
have to hope that the diamond finesse is successful.
How might you generate three more tricks? Do you have sufficient entries to dummy,
though?
ANSWERS
Hand 1: On this deal you have to play the ´A at trick Hand 2: Oddly, you can guarantee three entries to
one (ducking might provoke an unfortunate heart dummy once West follows to the second round of
switch) and play on diamonds. clubs. You take the ™A (on the first or second
To do that, you must cash the tA and play the round, it makes no odds) and play off the ®KQ.
jack. When East ducks (best defence) you need to Once West follows to the queen you know you can
overtake with the queen to continue with diamonds. overtake it in the dummy. East shows out, but that’s
not important.
This way, with diamonds 4-2, you will make one
spade, one heart, four diamonds and three clubs. You finesse diamonds, cross to the ®9 (the finesse
is marked) and finesse diamonds again. You still
Note that spades should be 4-3 after the revealing have the ®A on table that you can use as the third
lead of the ´2, so the enemy can’t cash more than entry. Over you go to finesse diamonds again and
three spades and one diamond. you chalk up your game. r

South plays 3NT. West leads the ´2 South plays 3NT. West leads the ™K
´ 863 ´ K862
™ A8752 ™ J7
t AJ t 976
® KQ8 ® AJ96
´ Q 10 7 2 ´ K94 ´ 943 ´ A 10 7
click to ™ K Q 10 9 2
click to ™
™ K J 10 9 ™ 64 8643
play play
t 75 t K842 t 4 t K8532
online online
® J72 ® 10 9 6 5 ® 10 8 7 2 ®3
´ AJ5 ´ QJ5
™ Q3 ™ A5
t Q 10 9 6 3 t A Q J 10
® A43 ® KQ54

70 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Acol Unveiled 1 by Chris Jagger

The Weak No Trump click

link

WE ARE DELIGHTED to welcome Chris Jagger to the most common hand types. Does anyone play
our team of contributors. Jeffrey Allerton and 1NT to show a 25-27 point hand? No, it is far too
Chris won the 2018 Open Trials to represent uncommon. Similarly you are more likely to have
England at the European Championships. From 12-14 points than 15-17, so it is better to use 1NT
there they qualified for the Bermuda Bowl in for this purpose. A deal from the last open trials
China, played in September 2019. It is the world’s perfectly demonstrates this pre-emptive effect:
most prestigious bridge tournament. They were the
only pair playing Acol in the trials . . . and the only
pair playing Acol in the whole Bermuda Bowl.
Game All. Dealer West
In this series Chris will pick apart his system,
´ J763
giving us insight into the nuances he derives from ™ KQ7
the conventions they play, and their measures and t J9763
counter-measures to deal with difficult situations. ® A
´ AQ9 ´ –

T
he first thing most new partnerships discuss N
™ 10 4 3 2 ™ J85
is what range of no trump they play. When I t K42
W
S
E
t A Q 10 8
was young, almost everyone played a weak ® QJ3 ® K 10 7 6 5 4
no trump, showing 12-14 points. In much of the ´ K 10 8 5 4 2
country this is still true; it is part of Standard ™ A96
English, and people find it easy to play. t 5
® 982
If you come along to the national trials though,
you find a different story. Here, a lot more of the top
players play the strong no trump, so it is natural to W N E S
1NT Pass 3´A Pass
wonder if the weak no trump still stands up to
3NT All Pass
scrutiny. In my view it definitely does.
ADVANTAGES West opened 1NT. The 3´ bid showed a singleton
Easy to play: Most teachers have realised it is better or void in the suit and both minors (for a later
to teach newcomers the weak no trump as it is issue). We were the only pair in the room making
easier to play. The same should apply for 3NT. The most common result was N/S making 4´
advanced players. It is commonly said that you doubled, after auctions started 1®-(Dble).
pre-empt opponents to make their life difficult, as Makes partner the boss: Once partner knows you
then they are more likely to get things wrong. So have a balanced hand with 12-14 points, they are
why would you choose to play a harder 1NT in a great position to decide what contract to play
system that makes it more likely your side will get in. It leaves the opponents with no idea of their
things wrong? In the long run, no matter how combined strength or shape. They could pass and
good you are, if you give yourself easy bidding miss game, or come in and be hopelessly
problems, you are going to get more of them outgunned. A frequent upside of the weak no
right. You will also feel happier about the trump is opponents missing game with balanced
decisions and save energy for other aspects of the hands, 13 points opposite 12. Using the strong no
game. trump, the lucky opponents know game is
Common hand type: Opening 1NT is a great pre- unlikely, so they focus on simply contesting the
emptive manoeuvre which you want to keep for part score.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 71

Extra length or strength: Making high-level 11 counts, but by no means do we routinely open
contracts needs lots of points, or lots of shape. In 11 counts. Third in hand we pass more 12 counts
a weak no trump system, opening 1® guarantees as we are unlikely to miss game, particularly
either an unbalanced hand, or 15+ points. Either vulnerable when we might get doubled. My
way, later in the auction, particularly pre-emptive partner is more likely to open one of a suit third
auctions, you will be better placed to make a in hand on a weak no trump than I am. But all
contract. If it starts 1®-(3™)-Dble, opener is round, we don’t obsess about getting doubled,
much more likely to be able to make a contract, and we don’t worry overly about point count
as they cannot have a weak no trump. Holding a (good players on the whole are too keen to
weak no trump, it might start 1NT-(3™), and upgrade and downgrade, almost to establish their
then responder, knowing what partner has, is credentials).
much better placed to pass if game is not on, or What shapes: All 4·3·3·3, 4·4·3·2 shapes open 1NT
take some action if it is. if within range, and likewise balanced with a 5-
I am dismayed by the number of IMPs I have lost card minor. With a five card major we open the
because teammates at the other table have suit more often than 1NT, and when we do open
opened 1® and then not competed because 1NT it will depend more on the look of the whole
partner ‘obviously has a weak no trump’. If you hand rather than simply the quality of the major
are so worried about partner having a weak no suit. With 5·4·2·2 we virtually never open 1NT
trump, why not play a weak no trump? It saves on with a five card major unless specifically 4·5·2·2
a later guess. with a no trump look; we are most likely to open
1NT with 2·2·4·5 or 2·4·5·2 shapes, but rarely
Avoids distortions: If you are considering
open 1NT with 4·2·2·5 shape (these hands simply
emulating many of the better players in the
open 1® and rebid 1´). With a balanced hand
country by playing a strong no trump, be aware
and a six card minor we also sometimes open
that you also need to distort many hand-types
1NT, but not often.
into a strong no trump. For example, I saw a
player with Opening 1NT with a singleton: Rare to almost
´54 ™AQ63 tA5 ®AQ962 never and, if we did, it would most likely be a
bid 1®-1´-2® (which I would describe as a brave 1·4·4·4 or 4·4·4·1 shape with a singleton king. My
bid – brave in the sense Sir Humphrey might have memory isn’t as good as it used to be, but I don’t
used in Yes Prime Minister all those years ago). remember us opening 1NT with a singleton.
The player was reluctant to force the bidding up DRAWBACKS
to the three-level by reversing into 2™, and Opening light: The weak no trump is undoubtedly
couldn’t rebid 1NT as this was weak. Their better when non-vulnerable than it is when
partner patiently explained that ‘playing strong vulnerable. Some good players want to be able to
NT, it has to be opened 1NT’. Note the fact there is open a balanced 11-count when vulnerable, and
no choice here – it just has to be that way. find that it is easier to do so playing a strong no
You get a hand that looks like a club opener, feels trump system where they can open 1®.
like a club opener, and indeed smells like a club For this reason people opted for the old
opener, and for some reason you are not allowed fashioned variable no trump. It has some
to open it a club. Playing a weak no trump makes theoretical merit but very little practical merit.
it easy. You open 1® as your heart tells you to do, You need two systems, the ability to remember
and bid hearts over a 1t or 1™ response, or rebid both, and the nous to open the right one at the
1NT after a 1´ response. right time. This makes it much, much harder.
WHAT HANDS OPEN 1NT? Even if you never get it wrong, you will go down
Point count: We open some 11 and 15 counts 1NT, in contracts because of the extra strain it has put
partly for tactical reasons (as it is such a good you under.
pre-emptive manoeuvre), and partly just because Getting doubled: The first time I played a strong
of the value of the hand (for example, hands with no trump I went for a huge penalty, so this
AK and A we would open, as we consider this to argument has never held that much sway with
be a good hand). Non-vulnerable we open more me. Yes, you will sometimes go for a large penalty.

72 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 CROSSWORD NO 60
ACOL UNVEILED 1 Compiled by MERMAN Answers from p60
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
T E L E S C O P I C
On the other hand, you will also collect 380s and 9 10
670s. After all, it is hard to defend against a weak A M I L L I A R D O
1NT-(Dble)-2´. If you have eight points, you 11 12
know nothing about partner’s shape and can’t tell
R I D E O N S E E N
13 14
if you have enough points to make game. C R E P T C T Q A S
Consider this example. What would you bid 15 16
holding ´A82 ™9653 tAQ7 ®764 on the H E M H T H R U S T
following auction. 17 18 19 20
D E P A R T I E V A
21 22
W N E S U N E N O A D L I B
1NT Dble 2´ 23 24
? K A R T O N E A L L
25
E C O M M U N A L E
Hand A. Dealer North 26
´ 10 9 S T R E S S T E S T
™ J87
t J32
® AKQJ5
´ A82 ´ KQ3
N
™ 9653 W E
™ AKQ
t AQ7 S t K 10 8 5
® 764 ® 10 9 8
´ J7654
™ 10 4 2
t 964
® 32

Hand B. Dealer North

´ KQ
™ A87
t K6532
® 985
´ A82 ´ 43
N
™ 9653 W E
™ K Q J 10 2
t AQ7 S t J 10 8
® 764 ® AKQ
´ J 10 9 7 6 5
™ 4
t 94
® J 10 3 2

Making a penalty double seems a reasonable choice,

and indeed, if the full hand was Hand A, you would
be right. 2´ is going for 1100 and you cannot even
make game.
However, if the full hand was as in Hand B, 2´ is
making, while 4™ is making for your side. So
doubling would get you a terrible score.
Which goes back to our earlier points – the weak
no trump is easy to play and makes life difficult for
opponents. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 73

 Acol Unveiled 2 by Chris Jagger

Weak No Trump – Responses 1 click

link

L
ast edition we considered the case for playing with slam interest. We play a degree of complexity
a weak no trump. Now let’s look at what over this, but even without it, it is a great way of
system we play over this. investigating slam when you haven’t got a major fit.
At the two level much of the basics will be For example, the 1NT opener bids 3t with four or
familiar: in essence, Stayman, and four suit five diamonds, 3NT without (and therefore
transfers. At the three level, we play a range of 3·3·3·4), and 4® with a five card club suit.
shortage bids, which will be covered next time. After 1NT-2®, 2t-3®, 3t it is known there is no
major suit fit. Thus responder uses 3™ and 3´ as
STAYMAN – AND CONTINUATIONS cue bids agreeing diamonds (which is great – you
have shown slam interest and agreed diamonds and
W N E S
1NT Pass 2® Pass
yet can still stop in 3NT). If instead responder bids
2t Pass ? 3NT, this is a mild slam try with clubs, while 4® is
a stronger hand with at least four clubs.
After a 2t response to Stayman we have a range of
options:
´ 64 ´ A K 10 7
2™/2´ Weak, 5-card suit with four in the other ™ A42 N ™ K5
major t KJ93
W E
t A52
S
2NT Invitational, and the only way to invite, so ® AQ93 ® K 10 5 2
may or may not have a 4-card major
3® Looking for slam with a balanced hand
(saying nothing about clubs) W N E S
3t 5-5 majors, game forcing (partner bids a 3- 1NT Pass 2® Pass
2t Pass 3® Pass
card major, or 3NT with 2·2 in the majors)
3t Pass 3NT Pass
3™ 5-5 majors, invitational (non forcing)
4® Pass 6® All Pass
3´ 5-4 majors, with five spades, invitational
(with 4-5 majors you start with a transfer).
Normally you might want a combined 33 points
Most of this is self explanatory, and allows you to for 6NT, but with a suit fit less is required. East
bid all those difficult hands that can get overlooked. enquires for a major, and when West denies a major,
For example, without the 3t bid, you would have to asks about minors. West shows his diamond suit
start off transferring to spades and then bidding naturally, but East has no support for this, so bids
3™. This only shows 5-4 in the majors, so when 3NT. West knows that East must have a mild slam
partner bids 3NT you have a difficult choice as to try with clubs (as otherwise why would he have
whether to remove it. Even if partner has used the 3® bid?), so carries on with 4®, and a
guaranteed three cards in a major (and we certainly good slam is reached.
haven’t), it leaves you poorly placed to investigate
slams. By using the 3t bid you can find a fit at the What about the other responses to Stayman? The
three level and still have room to make a slam try principles are the same whichever major opener
below game. responds in:

One essential aspect is the 3® bid. This denies a W N E S

singleton, and is balanced or semi balanced, so 1NT Pass 2® Pass
could include, for example, a 4·2·2·5 shape hand 2™ Pass ?

74 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

2´ Invitational, non forcing with four spades W N E S
2NT Invitational, non forcing without four 1NT Pass 2t Pass
spades 2™ Pass 3® Pass
3® Balanced slam try with interest in a different 3™ Pass 4® Pass
suit 4t Pass 4™ All Pass
3t Slam try in hearts with a balanced hand
3™ Invitational East transfers to hearts and then bids a game
3´ Slam try with four hearts and a singleton in forcing 3®. East shows three card support, and
a minor (a hand with 1·4 in the majors will responder has a mild slam try. We play 3´ is a spade
be covered in the next issue). Opener can singleton, 3NT is 2·5·2·4, and 4® is a diamond
bid 3NT to find out which singleton, or 4™ singleton. Thus responder shows the nature of his
without interest in slam. slam try. AQ opposite the shortage is not a good
3NT Non forcing, but shows four spades holding, but West can perhaps afford to cooperate
4®/t Singleton or void, with 5·5 in the majors. just once over the slam try. East has done enough so
signs off in 4™, staying comfortably low. Note that if
TRANSFERS – AND CONTINUATIONS East’s spades and diamonds were reversed, he would
bid 3´ showing a slam try with the singleton spade.
W N E S
West would then drive to slam.
1NT Pass 2t Pass
2™ Pass ? The 2™ transfer to spades works in a similar way.
Either major suit transfer can be broken with a nice
2´ 5+ hearts, four spades, forcing for one hand and four-card support to 3™/´ if minimum,
round, at least invitational and 2NT if maximum. The principle here is to keep
2NT Non forcing, invitational the breaks quite simple, as generally when bidding
3®/3t 5+ hearts, 4+ minor, natural, game forcing game you want to avoid giving too much
3™ Invitational information to the opponents – it helps them to
3´ Slam try, self agreeing hearts (good 6+ beat the contract. However, slams depend on
hearts), either short in spades or no accuracy, so responder can utilise system if
singleton interested in slam. A full Romex style (which we use
3NT Choice of game on other major sequences where we have shown a fit
4®/4t Slam try, agreeing hearts (good 6+ hearts), by the three level, eg 1™-3™) works as follows:
with a shortage in the bid suit
4NT Invitational to slam, 5·3·3·2. W N E S
1NT Pass 2t Pass
After 1NT-2t, 2™-2´, opener bids 2NT, 3™, 4™,
3™ Pass ?
3´, or 4´ as natural and non forcing. A really good
hand with a fit in either major can bid 3t (which
3´ Long suit (at least four cards) slam try in any
allows responder to investigate slam if interested, or
suit. Opener bids 3NT to find out which suit
bid 4™ if not, without giving away information to
opponents). A good hand without a fit bids 3® 3NT Spade shortage or balanced hand (4® asks,
(which allows responder to bid out his hand, with 4™ showing the balanced slam try)
showing 4·6 or 5·6 in the majors, or 4·5 (3·1) 4®/4t Singletons.
shapes). Over 3®, responder will mostly bid 3NT,
With a long major responder can simply bid 4™ and
but the extra time to get to game is of little use to
defenders, as the hand that can double 3® is on lead 4´ directly. In addition, 4t is a transfer to hearts,
anyway (this is an important principle in a system – allowing a more pre-emptive way to get to game
we are reluctant to add bids that give lead-directing whilst transferring declarership to opener.
double opportunities). An example hand might be Over the 2NT transfer break we play a ‘retransfer’,
as follows: so 1NT-2t-2NT-3t asks partner to bid 3™, either
´ 642 ´ K53 to play, or responder may go on. In addition we play
™ A42 N ™ KQJ96 a modified version of the Romex described above
W E
t AQ93 S t 2 using the extra space created by the transfer break
® KJ3 ® A Q 10 4 being lower.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 75

 4® is a balanced slam try in spades (a hand that
would bid a 3´ single-suited slam try in standard
Acol, with at least six spades and no shortage).
This is an awkward hand simply playing transfers
(there is room to bid the heart single-suited slam
try through 1NT-2t-2™-3´ as above, but there is
not enough space after 1NT-2™-2´).
The minor suit transfers are very different to the
major suit transfers, and we shall consider these
next time, as they are part of a system that focusses
on showing shortages, in order to identify the
right game and potentially slam.
r

76 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Acol Unveiled 3 by Chris Jagger

Weak No Trump System - Responses 2 click

link

L
ast time we considered the two level and four Once a singleton has been shown, opener should
level responses to 1NT. This time we look at bid higher four card majors, and cannot pass a non
the three level responses. Traditionally these game bid, though responder can pass four of a
bids were single-suited slam tries, but this meaning minor. This last part is an important part of
is less important with a transfer system. Most shortage systems, that if you decide you cannot
experts use them instead to reveal singletons, in make 3NT, you don’t force to game in a minor.
order to decide whether to play in 3NT, or to seek a Responder knows what strength they have, so is
fit elsewhere, usually five of a minor. allowed to pass four of a minor, while opener can
never pass four of a minor as responder is
Before moving on it is worth pausing to consider unlimited. Thus:
why singletons are so important. Some people
devise methods to cater for weak doubletons, but ´ A642 ´ K73
there are two important problems with such ™ KJ92 N ™ 6
methods. t J3
W E
t Q82
S
D If you have a weak doubleton that causes 3NT to ® K65 ® A Q 10 7 4 2
fail, often five of the minor will not make either.
W N E S
D The very act of describing the weak doubletons 1NT Pass 2´ Pass
mean that defenders will defend better and beat 3® Pass 3™ Pass
your contracts more often no matter how 3´ Pass 3NT All Pass
accurate your bidding.
Responder transfers to clubs and bids 3™ to show
However, when you have a singleton you are that
his singleton. Opener is happy in 3NT, but first bids
much more likely to make an alternative contract,
and the usefulness for defence is typically less, not 3´ to show the spade suit. Responder doesn’t have
least because if you are weak in that suit they are spades so bids 3NT, allowing opener to pass if this
likely to lead it. (The same applies with voids. For is right opposite a singleton. Opener passes happily
simplicity we shall talk about singletons, but it will and the best game is reached.
always be the case that the bid may be a void instead Had opener had the red suits the other way
of a singleton.) So, after partner opens 1NT:
round, he would have pulled 3NT to a making 5®
2´ Transfer to clubs. Opener bids 2NT without a contract, or possibly just 4® (which responder
fit, and 3® with a fit (we treat this as being would pass). Either way, this is likely to be better
K32 or better, or a decent hand with Q32). than having at least six tricks cashed against 3NT.
Then:
Similarly, when partner opens 1NT, then:
3t Singleton, may have a four card major
2NT Transfer to diamonds. The bidding over this
3™ Singleton, may have four spades
works in the same way, with opener bidding
3´ Singleton, denies four hearts or four 3® without a fit.
diamonds
3NT To play You will note that the difficult hands to show are
hands with both minors, hands with long
4® Six clubs, slam try without a shortage
diamonds and a singleton club (since after the
4t RKCB for clubs transfer there is no bid below 3NT to show the
4NT Natural, invitational to slam, five clubs singleton club), and hands with one spade and four

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 77

hearts (you can show the singleton spade but then East shows both minors over the weak no trump.
there is no way to find a heart fit). Accordingly, the West has a huge hand for diamonds, so rather than
three level works like this (note that while the 3™ simply jumping to 5t, he makes a general slam try
and 3´ bids would be similar to a number of other with 4´. East uses 4NT to show some interest (no
partnerships, 3® and 3t is a rare treatment, suit is agreed yet so 4NT has less use as ace asking).
probably only played by those who have partnered West might jump to 6t, but in fact his partner is
me). So after 1NT: unlimited so he cuebids his ace of hearts. East has
3® Singleton spade and exactly four hearts (any no interest in a grand slam, so offers 6®, still not
minor suit shape) knowing what the trump suit is, which is converted
to 6t.
3t At least five diamonds and singleton club
3™ Singleton heart with at least four cards in each
minor, could be 4·1·4·4 shape ´ 10 5 ´ QJ63
3´ Singleton spade with at least four cards in ™ A Q 10 2 N ™ KJ3
W E
each minor, denying four hearts t KJ43 S t AQ974
® Q75 ® 3
The principles are mostly the same, though over
responder’s 3® there are some extra options: W N E S
3t Neutral bid, allowing responder to use the 1NT Pass 3t Pass
major bids to show ‘linked minors’. That is, 3™ Pass 3´ Pass
4t Pass 4™ All Pass
3™ to show at least five clubs (for example
1·4·3·5 or 1·4·2·6 shapes), and 3´ to show
at least five diamonds. With 1·4·4·4 shape East shows his singleton club and at least five
responder bids 3NT, 4NT or 5NT to show a diamonds in one single bid. Thereafter, both hands
game going hand, slam invite or slam show their major suits, and then the no trump
forcing hand respectively. opener retreats to 4t, not fancying his ®Q75 stop
3™ Agrees hearts. We operate a simple policy in opposite a singleton. East sees the opportunity to
much of our system. If you don’t bid a suit offer 4™ in the good 4-3 fit, and there the matter
you haven’t got it. So here, if you want to rests, likely to make ten tricks. Note that East can
play in hearts, you have to bid it straight offer 4™ because he has the singleton club and three
away. Over this, responder will raise, or card heart support, so can ruff clubs in the short
with a slam try will bid a long minor trump hand. 4´ and 4NT would be slam tries by
naturally. East, as you would not want to play in a 4-3 spade
fit taking the club ruffs in the four card suit. r
3´ Good stopper for 3NT, but also slam
suitable. For example
´AQ85 ™K3 tQ104 ®K754
3NT To play
Here are some examples:

´ 975 ´ 3
™ A92 N ™ Q 10 3
W E
t K Q 10 4 3 S t A872
® K6 ® AQJ74

W N E S
1NT Pass 3´ Pass
4´ Pass 4NT Pass
5™ Pass 6® Pass
6t All Pass

78 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Acol Unveiled 4 by Chris Jagger

Weak No Trump Intervention click

link

P
eople play so many different defences to 1NT of course is far from ideal, as you would like
that you could write a hundred-page system to play some of these hands in 2NT, but that
file to agree the best methods for bidding on is life. If in doubt, bid 2´ rather than
over each one. We take the view that we want a stretching to show an invite.)
decent agreement, but at the same time keeping it 3´ Exactly four spades with a longer minor and
reasonably simple. a singleton or void heart. This sort of hand
Let’s start by considering when people overcall in would prefer not to double 2™, and puts
two of a major, played by most people as natural, or opener in a good position to make the first
at least, showing the suit bid even if they may have decision – whether to play in 4´, 3NT, or
another suit: somewhere else. If the answer is somewhere
else, the minor can be found later.
3NT To play, pretty much shows a heart stop.
West North East South
1NT 2™ ? West North East South
1NT 2™ 2NT Pass
3® Pass ?
Dble Take-out, typically done on about nine or
more points, with a doubleton in their suit
(but would also be done on a 4144 shape). Pass/3t Weak.
With a reasonable four card holding in their 3™/´ Showing the ‘link’ minor, game forcing. So
suit, opener may pass this. Otherwise opener 3™ shows clubs and 3´ shows diamonds. If
will bid 2´ if he has at least four of these, or opponents bid 3™ over 2NT, opener passes
a minor with one suit, or 2NT to show both and responder can then double to show clubs
minors. or bid 3´ to show the diamond hand.
2´ To play. 3NT Both minors, non-forcing but not showing a
2NT Lebensohl, asking partner to bid 3®. It can be heart stop.
weak in either minor, or some strong hands. The nice thing about this system is that all the
See below for continuations. suits can be shown as either weak, invitational or
3®/t Natural invitational, ideally with a six card game forcing, which is ideally what you wish to be
suit. For example, a minimum for this might able to do. The other good thing from a memory
be ´976 ™3 tKQ10652 ®A63 expecting the point of view, is that we play it in all sorts of other
opener to bid 3NT with the tA and a situations.
reasonable hand with a heart stop. For example, if they come in with a 2t transfer to
3™ Transfer to 3´, and at least invitational in hearts, we play the same system, as we do if they
strength. With spade support, opener has an play that 2® shows hearts and another (when, for
easy choice (most hands can bid game or example, 3t over 2® would show an invitational
break to the four level, while a bad hand hand with diamonds). In each case the 2™ cue is
simply bids 3´). Without a spade fit, opener played as a potentially weak hand with shortage in
must choose between 3´ and 3NT, selecting hearts. We also play the same if the auction starts:
the latter with all double stops, the former
West North East South
without a stop, and looking at the nature of 1™/any 1NT 2™
the hand with a single stop and no fit. (This

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 79

 Here’s an example: For example:

´ 98 ´ AK754 ´ 742 ´ 3
™ A85 N ™ 2 ™ Q 10 7 N ™ KJ53
W E W E
t A 10 8 6 S t KJ932 t KJ4 S t A Q 10 7 3
® KJ54 ® Q2 ® AQ92 ® K85

West North East South West North East South

1NT 2™ 3™ Pass 1NT 2´ 3´ Pass
3´ Pass 4t Pass 4® Pass 4t Pass
4NT Pass 5t All Pass 5t All Pass

East shows five spades through his 3™ transfer If instead West had ´K742 ™A1084 tK6 ®Q93 he
and at least invitational values. West has a solid would settle for 4™. He would also bid this on ´742
heart stop but no prospect of nine tricks, so ™AQ108 tK62 ®AJ3, and a good slam will be
contents himself with 3´. Had West bid 3NT, East missed. Clearly with better system we could avoid
would have stopped, but without the 3NT bid, East this (for example, it would be better to play 4® as a
presses on with 4t and reaches the top game. On good hand with a heart fit, and make extra use of
the way West bids 4NT, a slam try with a heart 4t, 4´ and 4NT for other hands), but we take the
control – having not bid 3NT he is not about to bid view that we cannot remember everything and this
4NT to play, so 4™ is reserved to agree spades, while is a quite specific sequence which will not come up
4NT and 5® are both agreeing diamonds. often, and when it does we are already likely to be in
When opponents overcall in spades, you can no a better place than many pairs. There is always a
longer show weak, invitational and game forcing trade off with these things, and given we are not a
hands in every suit, but you can fit them all in apart full-time partnership we have to balance
from the invite in clubs. remembering the system with having the best
possible system.
West North East South
1NT 2´ ? West North East South
1NT 2´ 2NT Pass
3® Pass ?
Dble Take-out, typically done on about nine or
more points, with a doubleton in their suit. Pass/3t/3™ Weak.
With a reasonable four card holding in their 3´ Exactly three hearts and 0 or 1 spades (if they
suit, opener may pass this. Alternatively, bid 3´ over 2NT, opener will pass and
opener can bid a suit (usually showing a five responder can double to still show this hand).
card suit), or bid 2NT with two suits, getting
his partner to choose a suit. In this case, for 3NT Both minors, non-forcing, but not showing a
example, it might proceed 2NT-P-3®-P-3t- spade stop.
P-3™. Doubler bids 3® as his lowest four In a similar way to the 2™ overcall, this system
card suit, which opener converts to 3t to ask applies to any overcall – 2®, 2t or 2™ which shows
his partner to pick a red suit, which he does. spades (either a single suiter or two suiter, but not
2NT Lebensohl, asking partner to bid 3®. It when the second suit is specified). Thus it would
includes a weak hand wanting to compete in apply when people play a 2™ overcall as a transfer to
any other suit, or some strong hands – see spades, or showing five spades and a four card
below for continuations. minor. It also applies to auctions such as (1®)-1NT-
(2´) and (1´)-1NT-(2´).
3®/t Transfers, at least invitational.
Next time we shall consider the other ways
3™ Game forcing with clubs. opponents might intervene, and what happens
3´ Four hearts, a longer minor, and 0/1 spades. when they double 1NT. r

80 English Bridge September 2021

Try Jagger’s System Quiz from www.ebu.co.uk
previous articles online, overleaf
 Jagger’s System Quiz, from articles 1-3

A
rmed with your knowledge of the responses to 1NT, try this quiz with your partner, to see how it
works in practice. You will be pleased to know that opponents have decided to give you a free ride
today, so no opposition bidding.

WEST HANDS EAST HANDS

Hand 1 Dlr W Hand 2 Dlr E Hand 3 Dlr W Hand 1 Dlr W Hand 2 Dlr E Hand 3 Dlr W
´ 64 ´ Q983 ´ KJ83 ´ QJ982 ´ KJ52 ´42
™ KJ53 ™ K9532 ™ A 10 2 ™ 84 ™ Q4 ™6
t Q85 t 93 t 85 t A94 t AJ86 t Q J 10 9 7 6 2
® AQJ8 ® K4 ® KQ42 ® 753 ® Q74 ® A53

Hand 4 Dlr E Hand 5 Dlr W Hand 6 Dlr E Hand 4 Dlr E Hand 5 Dlr W Hand 6 Dlr E
´ KQJ73 ´ Q7 ´ K 10 9 6 4 ´ A5 ´ K J 10 6 4 ´ 53
™A862 ™ KJ6 ™ AQJ53 ™Q54 ™ AQ953 ™ K2
t732 t AQ97 t K5 tKJ64 t 53 t Q J 10 2
®7 ® 8753 ® 9 ®A964 ® 4 ® KQJ74
Hand 7 Dlr W Hand 8 Dlr E Hand 9 Dlr W Hand 7 Dlr W Hand 8 Dlr E Hand 9 Dlr W
´ A842 ´ AQ6 ´ 75 ´ KJ73 ´ K J 10 5 ´ AK62
™ K753 ™ K Q 10 2 ™ 10 5 3 ™ 982 ™ 53 ™ AQ
t Q4 t 87 t AQ75 t AK52 t AQ64 t K 10 2
® K86 ® AK82 ® AK53 ® 93 ® Q75 ® QJ86

Hand 10 Dlr E Hand 11 Dlr W Hand 12 Dlr E Hand 10 Dlr E Hand 11 Dlr W Hand 12 Dlr E
´ AQ73 ´ 42 ´ K Q 10 8 7 6 4 ´ K64 ´ A 10 ´ 53
™ AQJ742 ™ KJ85 ™ K7 ™ K6 ™ A Q 10 6 2 ™ AQ43
t K2 t K732 t Q7 t AQ75 t Q4 t A84
® 5 ® KQ6 ® A2 ® Q 10 9 2 ® AJ75 ® K765

Hand 13 Dlr W Hand 14 Dlr E Hand 15 Dlr W Hand 13 Dlr W Hand 14 Dlr E Hand 15 Dlr W
´ QJ2 ´ 5 ´ AQ64 ´ K85 ´ J76 ´ K5
™K653 ™ AQ64 ™ A Q 10 9 ™ A 10 9 4 ™ KJ32 ™ 2
tA532 t K4 t J3 t4 t A65 t K Q 10 8 2
®K7 ® AK9754 ® 987 ®AQ864 ® QJ2 ® A5432
Hand 16 Dlr W Hand 17 Dlr E Hand 18 Dlr W Hand 16 Dlr W Hand 17 Dlr E Hand 18 Dlr W
´ 9632 ´ KQ2 ´ AJ96 ´ Q754 ´ A J 10 6 ´ Q 10 2
™ AKJ ™ K843 ™ Q82 ™ 2 ™ Q52 ™ K643
t Q76 t KQJ94 t A98 t K J 10 3 t A52 t KQJ
® QJ2 ® 7 ® J87 ® AK65 ® J65 ® K Q 10

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 81

 ANSWERS
1 West East responds 2´ then it is now worth raising to 3´ (and
1NT 2™ some would no doubt bid 4´ straight away, on the
2´ Pass basis that partner will not always be able to judge
whether to accept an invitational bid, given that we
We start with a straightforward one. It is a matter of have a singleton club that they don’t know about).
style whether to transfer out over a no trump but
generally, if in doubt, it is better to do it.
5 West East
1NT 2®
2 West East 2t 3™
1NT 4™ Pass
2® 2´
With 5-5 majors, East starts with Stayman, and
Pass
would simply bid game if partner responds in a
With both majors, it is better to use Stayman. If major. When they don’t, you have the perfect bid –
partner responds in a major you pass, otherwise you an invitational 3™, showing at least five cards in
bid your longer suit. On this occasion partner has each major. West only has a minimum, but with
spades, and you find the much better fit than simply well fitting cards should raise. On a good day 5™ is
transferring out. making here.

3 West East 6 West East

1NT 2NT 1NT
3® 3t 2® 2t
Pass 3t 3NT
Pass
There are two great things about transferring out on
this hand. You are more likely to make 3t than With the minors reversed, you might prefer to open
1NT, but you also pre-empt the opponents using 1t, but with four diamonds and five clubs it is
the 2NT bid. Here they have a nine card heart fit, definitely right to open this hand 1NT. West starts
and may well be able to make 3™, but find it hard to with Stayman, then bids 3t over 2t to show 5-5
come in over 2NT. 3t should make comfortably. majors with a game forcing hand. South signs off in
3NT reaching the top spot.
4 West East
1NT
2® 2t 7 West East
2´ Pass 1NT 2®
2™ 2´
A matter of judgement and optimism on this hand. Pass
You are certainly interested in game, but when
partner denies a fit it is best to sign off in 2´. Note A nice simple auction reaching the right contract. In
that even with partner having fourteen points and fact even 2´ might be too high (one of these days I
nicely fitting honours, without the fit it is unlikely will develop a system to allow us to stop in 1´ after
game is on. If partner responds 2™ I would pass a 1NT opening!). After Stayman, the no trump
though some aggressive players would invite (if one bidder shows the heart suit, and responder can
could invite without going beyond 2™ it would be show the spade suit with an invitational but non-
much more tempting to do so, but you need to bear forcing hand, allowing opener to pass with a
in mind that inviting will lead to some 3™ contracts minimum. It is remarkable how many good pairs
going off, some 4™ contracts going off, and of play 2´ here as forcing, but in truth laziness is the
course some 4™ contracts making). If partner only excuse!

82 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

8 West East second suit, and on finding it is clubs, is interested
1NT in slam. 4t is ‘last train’ rather than a pure cue-bid,
2® 2´ as there is no room, so it is better to use the bid
3® 3t simply to show some slam interest, not specific
3NT Pass about diamonds.
West has a very mild slam invite. A slam will need a 12 West East
fit, so they use Stayman, find there is no major fit, 1NT
and then look for the minor fit. Opener has 4® 4t
diamonds, so responder signs off in 3NT. 4™ 5®
6´ Pass
9 West East
1NT 2® West shows a single suited slam try in spades with
2t 3® the 4® bid, denying a shortage. East cue-bids his
3t 3NT diamond control (ace or king). Many players fall
4® 6® into a compulsory cue-bid trap here, whereas 4™ is
Pass best used to show extra suitability. East might use
Responder finds out there is no major, then asks for Roman Key Card Blackwood at this point, though
a minor. After finding out about diamonds they has nerves about their two low spades, a poor
sign off in 3NT (or they might have made a pushy holding opposite what could be AQ7642 or
4® bid). Opener knows that the club suit is of KQ7642. Instead they cue-bid in clubs, and it is
interest, and with good cards, proceeds over 3NT. West that jumps to slam.
Responder then has an easy raise to slam.
13 West East
10 1NT 2´
West East
3® 3t
1NT
3™ 4™
2t 2™
Pass
2´ 3®
3™ 3´
4® 4t
East shows the club suit, and then 3t is showing a
4NT 5™ singleton diamond, still potentially playing in any
6™ Pass other suit or no trumps. West shows the heart suit
and you play in 4™.
A nice controlled slam auction. Responder starts by
showing five hearts and four spades, at least
invitational values. With a maximum without a fit, 14 West East
opener cannot afford to bid 2NT (which is non- 1NT
forcing), but can bid 3®, specifically showing a 3® 3™
4® 4t
maximum with no fit. This allows responder room
4NT 5™
to show his sixth heart, and a few cue-bids later and 6™ Pass
Roman Key Card Blackwood, the slam is reached.

11 The 3® bid shows a singleton or void spade and

West East
1NT 2t
four hearts. Opener agrees hearts and now
3™ 3´ responder shows the club suit with a slam try.
3NT 4® Opener is happy to cooperate, with no wasted spade
4t 4NT values and a side club fit, and the slam is reached.
5t 6™
Pass

West breaks the transfer to show a minimum with

four card support. Responder shows a slam try with
a second suit, by bidding 3´. Opener asks the

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 83

15 West East
1NT 3™
3´ 3NT
Pass

East shows the shortage straight away when they

have both minor suits. West shows spades as East
could still have this suit as well, and East offers 3NT.
West has an easy pass of this, and nine tricks should
be easy.

16 West East
1NT 3™
3NT Pass

Responder shows his singleton heart and at least

four cards in each minor. Opener now would
normally show his spade suit, but this is not the
time to do this. With such weak spades and good
hearts simply bid 3NT, the most likely game
contract. Sadly system will never obviate the need
for judgment!

17 West East
1NT
3t 3´
3NT 4t
4´ Pass

3t shows a singleton club and at least five

diamonds. East shows the spade suit and removes
3NT without the club stop. Now West offers 4´,
with a good 4-3 spade fit, and East is happy to
accept.

18 West East
1NT 3NT
Pass

A reminder that most hands in life are simple. It is

not a crime to look for a heart fit here, but a strong
balanced hand like this is probably best in 3NT.

84 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Acol Unveiled 5 by Chris Jagger

Weak No Trump Intervention click

link

L
ast time we considered when opponents bid a then we bid as if they have overcalled in that major
natural 2™ or 2´ over our 1NT opener. We (see my previous article in the April issue).
now complete the picture.
If the bid shows two specified suits neither of
which is the suit bid, for example, 2® showing the
West North East South majors, then bidding one of their suits is natural
1NT 2t ? and to play at the two level. 2NT/3®/3t/3™ are
transfer bids, at least invitational if a major. Note
that this means that when responder transfers to a
When the 2t overcall is natural we play normal minor, opener will always complete the transfer (as
Lebensohl, that is: responder may be weak), whereas when responder
Dble Take-out. We would do this lighter than over transfers to a major, opener can bid 3NT or 4 of the
a major, as there are two suits to compete in major, as responder is at least invitational. Double is
at the two level. For example an 8-count with showing values, with a subsequent double being a
4·4·2·3 shape (both majors) would double. defensive take out (so it will not have a singleton).
2™/´ To play. If the bid does not specify any suits (for example
2NT Lebensohl, commanding 3®, which can be the multi-Landy style where 2t shows an overcall
passed, or responder can continue with an in either major), then we play the same as if it shows
invitational 3™ or 3´, or a game forcing 3t, two specified suits.
denying a stop and having at least one major,
or 3NT, denying a stop or a major. West North East South
3® Forcing, with clubs. 1NT 2NT ?

3t Showing a diamond stop and at least one

major. After a 2NT overcall showing the minors:
3™/´ Natural and forcing. 3® This shows five spades and four plus hearts.
4t Both majors. Game-forcing unless it is 5-5 which is
invitational.
In truth there is some redundancy in this, as
many more balanced hands start with a double. 3t/™ Transfers, either weak, or game forcing.
The system is similar when they bid a natural 2® Opener completes the transfer on most
overcall (I think this is correct – how many years is hands, which can be passed.
it since anyone has overcalled a natural 2® against 3´ 5-5 in the majors, game forcing. 4®/4t are
me?). ‘flags’ over this. That is, 4® shows a slam try
If they overcall in 2® or 2t with an artificial in hearts, 4t is a slam try in spades. We have
meaning, then it depends on the meaning as to the a general agreement in our system that
system: whenever we show both majors at the 3´
If the bid specifically shows that suit (for level, the other hand can use such ‘flags’.
example, 2t showing diamonds and a major), we 4®/t Single suited slam try with hearts/spades
treat it as being natural, and bid as above. respectively.
If the bid shows one specified major (possibly If they intervene at the three level, there is less you
with another unspecified suit, for example Asptro), can do, but to increase the amount of hands that

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 85

can take part in the auction (and let’s face it, Redble Diamonds and spades.
everyone likes to bid), we rotate the suits as follows: 2t Diamonds and hearts.
2™ Majors.
West North East South
1NT 3® ? If they do not double 2®, then redouble is no
longer available, and with diamonds and spades,
responder must choose between passing 2® and
3t/™/´ = Hearts/Spades/Diamonds. The first two hoping to show it later (which risks playing in 2®
of these are either competitive hands or game undoubled), or bidding 2t and opener is then not
forcing hands, so they simply ask partner to sure which major his partner has.
complete the transfer. The last bid is game
forcing, and almost insists on partner For example, the following hand came up in the
bidding 3NT with a stop in their suit. Bermuda Bowl. In fact my partner decided to stick
1NT-Dbl, as it was the last board of a tight last set
in the quarter finals, in which USA1 had got
West North East South
everything right against us, so it was not a good
1NT 3t ?
time to be playing for a safe score. Had he wanted to
use the system, the auction would have been as
3™/´ = Spades/Hearts. As above, 3™ could be a
follows:
weak hand with long spades or a game
forcing hand with at least five spades, thus
opener simply completes the transfer. 3´ is ´ K 10 6 4 ´ J973
™ J7 N ™ AQ85
of course game forcing with hearts, as you W E
t AQJ2 t 854
have already gone past 3™. You would of S
® Q J 10 ® 52
course also like to be able to compete in 3™
over 3t, but sadly opponents have pre-
empted you so there is a limit to what you West North East South
can do. At least you can find the right major 1NT Dble Redble Pass
suit games, as well as being able to play in 3´. 2® Pass 2™ Pass
2´

West North East South

1NT Dble ? As it happens taking it out would have worked
better. 1NT went two off when the clubs were
splitting 7-1, while 2´ was going only one off, and
A number of years ago I wrote an article for English was unlikely to be doubled. r
Bridge on whether you should stick in 1NT when it
is doubled, or remove. That is a subject for another
day, but whatever your view it is good to have some Got it? Try the quiz overleaf
system to give you the option of pulling:
2t/™/´ Natural to play, at least a five card suit.
2® Clubs and a higher suit. The no trump bidder
can pull to 2t asking responder to pass or
bid his suit. If they double 2®, opener can
redouble to show a suit of his own, asking his
partner to bid 2t.
Redble Transfer to 2®, with the suit, or with two
suits without clubs. Then:

West North East South

1NT Dble Redble Pass
2® Dble

86 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Jagger’s System Quiz

A
rmed with your knowledge of how to contend with intervention over 1NT, try this quiz with your
partner, to see how it works in practice.

WEST HANDS EAST HANDS

West North East South West North East South

1NT 2™ 1NT 2™

Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3 Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3

´ K753 ´ KQ42 ´ A87 ´ 84 ´ 76 ´ K 10 3
™ 42 ™ KJ83 ™ KJ6 ™ A93 ™ 6 ™ 3
t AQ85 t Q 10 2 t A97 t 742 t AKJ9763 t K Q 10 5 4 3
® K85 ® J5 ® Q853 ® Q J 10 7 2 ® A63 ® K74

Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 4 Hand 5

´ K 10 ´ Q632 ´ 632 ´ K75
™ Q54 ™ A4 ™ KJ92 ™ Q76
t AJ95 t K Q 10 9 t K64 t AJ64
® Q 10 3 2 ® Q53 ® K94 ® KJ7

West North East South West North East South

1NT 2™ 1NT 2™

Hand 6 Hand 7 Hand 6 Hand 7

´ 83 ´ KQJ73 ´ KJ52 ´ A5
™ 2 ™ 82 ™ Q43 ™ KJ4
t KQ953 t A732 t AJ86 t KJ64
® AKJ54 ® K7 ® Q7 ® J964

Hand 8 Hand 9 Hand 8 Hand 9

´ K964 ´ AJ76 ´ QJ53 ´ Q4
™ 53 ™ 7 ™ A42 ™ J53
t A 10 6 t AQ7532 t KQ53 t K64
® K642 ® J2 ® 98 ® AQ753

Questions continue on p104 Questions continue on p104

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 87

 Jagger’s System Quiz
Hand 1 Hand 6
West North East South
West North East South
1NT 2™ 2NT Pass
1NT 2™
3® All Pass
2NT Pass 3® Pass
Ideally you would like a sixth club to compete, but 3NT Pass 4t Pass
in practice most people would wish to bid over 2™, 5t All Pass
and 2NT is the way to get to 3®, without showing
any values. Some worry that 2NT does not show the Responder can show both minors by starting with
club suit, but your prime aim is to stop them 2NT, and then bidding 3NT. Opener removes, and a
playing in 2™. If they compete with 3™, you will be good 5t contract is reached. If opponents compete
very happy, and may beat it. with 3™ over 2NT, then responder will still bid 3NT
Hand 2 showing exactly the same thing.

West North East South

Hand 7
1NT 2™ 2NT Pass
3® Pass 3´ Pass West North East South
3NT All Pass 1NT 2™
3™ Pass 3NT All Pass
2NT is the way to start with a forcing hand with
diamonds, following up with 3´, over which opener 3™ shows at least five spades, and at least
can bid 3NT. If they competed with 3™, 3´ would invitational values. Without a spade fit and a
still show the forcing hand with diamonds. reasonable heart holding, opener chooses 3NT,
which isn’t the greatest contract, but where you’d
Hand 3
expect to play.
West North East South
Hand 8
1NT 2™ 3t Pass
3NT All Pass West North East South
1NT 2™
In real life we rarely get such perfect hands, but here Dble Pass 2´ All Pass
responder can bid an invitational 3t, which opener
will be happy to convert to 3NT. Responder is minimal in values, but with good
Hand 4 shape for a take out double, gets partner to bid 2´.

West North East South

Hand 9
1NT 2™ All Pass West North East South
1NT 2™
East might like to penalise 2™, as it is unlikely to 3´ Pass 4® Pass
make. However, playing a takeout double they have 4t Pass 5t All Pass
to go quietly, not expecting game to be on. In fact if
you did double 2™ for penalties you might well end Responder could show diamonds by starting with
up defending a making 2´, so avoiding being greedy 2NT and then following up with 3´, but this
won’t be so bad. wouldn’t show the spade suit. Instead they show
four spades and a singleton (or void) heart with the
Hand 5
3´ bid. This allows opener to judge whether to play
West North East South in 3NT or not, and having decided not, they bid to
1NT 2™ 3NT All Pass 5t.
Don’t always look for a catch. This looks like a 3NT
bid so keep it simple.
Questions continue overleaf

88 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 WEST HANDS EAST HANDS

West North East South West North East South

1NT 2´ 1NT 2´

Hand 10 Hand 11 Hand 12 Hand 10 Hand 11 Hand 12

´ 42 ´ KQ42 ´ KJ6 ´ A93 ´ 76 ´ 3
™ K753 ™ KJ83 ™ A87 ™ 84 ™ 6 ™ K 10 3
t AQ85 t Q 10 2 t A97 t 742 t AKJ9763 t K Q 10 5 4 3
® K85 ® J5 ® Q853 ® Q J 10 7 2 ® A63 ® K74

West North East South West North East South

1NT 2´ 1NT 2´

Hand 13 Hand 14 Hand 13 Hand 14

´ 2 ´ 82 ´ Q43 ´ KJ4
™ 83 ™ KQJ73 ™ KJ52 ™ A5
t KQ953 t A732 t AJ86 t KJ64
® AKJ54 ® K7 ® Q7 ® J964

W N E S Hand 15 W N E S Hand 15
1NT 2®1 ´ 64 1NT 2®1 ´ K73
1
hearts and another ™ 64 1
hearts and another ™ Q852
t Q J 10 5 3 2 t AK64
® A53 ® 64

W N E S Hand 16 W N E S Hand 16
1NT 2®1 ´ 73 1NT 2®1 ´ Q J 10 9 5 4
1
both majors ™ K86 1
both majors ™ 42
t AQ75 t K2
® KQ64 ® 987

W N E S Hand 17 W N E S Hand 17
1NT 2®1 ´ 42 1NT 2®1 ´ 73
1
both majors ™ K2 1
both majors ™ A86
t Q J 10 9 5 4 t A873
® 987 ® KQ64

W N E S Hand 18 W N E S Hand 18
1NT 2t1 ´ 73 1NT 2t1 ´ 42
1
either hearts or spades ™ A86 1
either hearts or spades ™ K2
t A873 t Q J 10 9 5 4
® KQ64 ® 987

Questions continue on p106 Questions continue on p106

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 89
Hand 10 Hand 15
West North East South West North East South
1NT 2´ 2NT Pass 1NT 2®1
3® All Pass 2NT Pass 3® Pass
3t All Pass
With a weak hand, you compete via Lebensohl, 1
hearts and another
exactly as you would over 2™.
Hand 11 When one suit is specified (in this case hearts), the
system is the same as if they had overcalled in that
West North East South suit. You could bid 2t here, but you would prefer to
1NT 2´ 3® Pass make life difficult for opponents by bidding 2NT.
3NT All Pass Here opponents have a spade fit but may well not
find it.

3® is a transfer to diamonds, with at least Hand 16

invitational values. Opener has a close call, as he has
a fairly poor hand, but with a fit and the nature of West North East South
the hand, 3NT may well be making if 3t is. If 1NT 2®1 2´ All Pass
instead opener bids 3t, then responder can bid 3´ 1
both majors
to ask for a stop.
Hand 12 They have shown two suits, so you can bid one of
their suits naturally.
West North East South Hand 17
1NT 2´ 3® Pass
3NT All Pass
West North East South
Over 2´, responder shows his at least invitational 1NT 2®1
hand in diamonds by bidding a transfer. Opener 3® Pass 3t All Pass
accepts with 3NT. 1
both majors
Hand 13
They have shown both majors, so we play transfers.
West North East South
3® commands partner to bid 3t, as it may be a
1NT 2´
weak hand.
2NT Pass 3® Pass
3NT Pass 4t Pass Hand 18
5t All Pass
West North East South
1NT 2t1 3® Pass
With both minors the auction is very similar to 3t All Pass
when the opponents overcall in hearts. 1
either hearts or spades
Hand 14
With no suits shown, we play four suit transfers.

West North East South

1NT 2´ Continued overleaf
3t Pass 3NT All Pass

3t shows at least five hearts, and at least

invitational values. Without a heart fit and a
reasonable spade holding, opener chooses 3NT.

90 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 WEST HANDS EAST HANDS

W N E S Hand 19 W N E S Hand 19
1NT 2NT1 ´ AQJ7643 1NT 2NT1 ´ K2
1
both minors ™ AQ3 1
both minors ™ K64
t K4 t A653
® 2 ® A543

W N E S Hand 20 W N E S Hand 20
1NT 2NT1 ´ Q4 1NT 2NT1 ´ AK862
1
both minors ™ K753 1
both minors ™ A9862
t 10 7 5 t 64
® AK54 ® 2

W N E S Hand 21 W N E S Hand 21
1NT 3® ´ KQJ64 1NT 3® ´ A987
™ 654 ™ A2
t 3 t 9854
® A532 ® KQ6

W N E S Hand 22 W N E S Hand 22
1NT Dble ´ A J 10 3 1NT Dble ´ 92
™ K 10 7 3 ™ Q962
t KJ4 t Q 10 3 2
® 32 ® 987

ANSWERS
Hand 19 Hand 20

West North East South West North East South

1NT 2NT1 1NT 2NT1 3´ Pass
4t Pass 4™ Pass 4® Pass 4™ All Pass
4NT Pass 5® Pass 1
both minors
5™ Pass 6™ Pass
Responder shows both majors with 3´.
7NT All Pass
1
both minors Hand 21

Responder agrees spades directly by bidding 4t, West North East South
showing a slam try (he could alternatively have 1NT 3®
transferred to spades with 3™, but 4t is much more 3™ Pass 4´ All Pass
descriptive). The rest of the auction will depend on
methods that haven’t been discussed yet, but 3™ is a transfer to spades, and could well be a weak
perhaps 5® shows three of the five key cards, 5™ hand. Normally opener would simply bid 3´, but
shows the queen of trumps and asks what else with a fantastically fitting hand it is worth jumping
opener has, and 6™ shows the king of hearts. Now to game. Continued
responder can count 13 tricks, and takes the
precaution of playing in no trumps.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 91

Hand 22

West North East South

1NT Dble Redble Pass
2® Pass 2t Pass
2™ All Pass

Redoubling 1NT shows either length in clubs, or

two suits without clubs. Opener must bid 2® first,
and then responder bids 2t to show that suit and a
major, which uncovers the heart fit. 2™ is pass or
correct, allowing responder to pass with four hearts,
or bid 2´ with four spades.

92 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Acol Unveiled 6 by Chris Jagger

One of a suit openings click

link

C
hris Jagger continues his series on certainly not a style I would teach beginners,
playing Acol at the very highest level and although this is Standard English).
lays bare his system card. Four card majors, opening the lower suit with
We play a style of one level openers sometimes two four card suits: This style allows you to show
described as four and a half card majors (or even your hand more accurately to partner, and works on
four and three quarters card majors). There is a lot the assumption that when you have the points you
of debate about what the correct style is, and we want to keep the bidding low to allow your side to
shall briefly consider the pros and cons of other bid accurately to game. It does tend to make it easier
methods, in order to explain our own: for opponents, both in bidding and in knowing
Four card majors, opening the higher suit of what to lead against your contracts, as you have
two four card suits (but opening 1™ with 4-4 in shown your hand better. Of all the methods this is
the majors): This style revolves around the the easiest to teach beginners – the benefit of being
importance of the major suit, and believes in able to tell people to bid suits they have, combined
making life as difficult as possible for your with making their later decisions easy, has a lot to be
opponents. For example, if you have a 4234 shape said for it.
and open 1®, it allows opponents an easy
opportunity to bid 1™, while if you open 1´, then Five card majors: This style tends to work well
they would have to overcall at the two level. when you have a five card major, but is hard when
you open 1®, which becomes your most common
It certainly has its advocates, but it also pre-empts
bid, and covers ‘everything else’. I find even top
your side and makes it pretty awkward for yourself.
players seem to struggle after the 1® opening,
I was involved in a debate on this topic in English
particularly in competition. There seems to be a
Bridge, February and December 2008. Both times
terrible fear that partner has two clubs, which has
the following hand was discussed:
led to many a double game swing. For example I
recall these auctions in a teams match:
´ K Q 10 3
™ A 10 Room 1 West North East South
t J43
1® 4™ 5®
® AQ76

Room 2 West North East South

West North East South
1® 4™ Pass
1´ 3t Dble Pass
?
Both contracts made. In Room 2, playing a short
West’s rebid is a really awkward problem. Had club, the comment was that ‘Bidding over 4™ would
you opened 1®, then if they overcall 2t or 3t and have been a disaster if partner only had two clubs’. I
partner doubles, you have a much more suspect people would do better by assuming
comfortable spade rebid. Having opened 1´, your partner has three or even four clubs.
choices are now quite unpleasant. Four and a half card majors: The style we play is
Some very good players do well with this style, like four card majors, opening the lower of two four
but it is not common among the top players. I card suits, except that with 4·3·3·3 or 3·4·3·3
prefer a style that makes my life easy (and it is distributions we open 1® (or of course 1NT if

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 93

within range, which is 12-14). This means that One point of interest lies in the minimum hands
opening 1´ is always a five card suit, and opening with exactly 4·4·4·1 shape, which we open 1t. If
1™ is always a five card suit, or 4-4 majors with a 15- partner responds 2® we rebid 2t. This may sound
19 balanced hand. [Some people dub this ‘Four and horrible, but if you analyse it you find you more
three quarters card majors’, leaving ‘Four and a half often play in the right contract than you do by
card majors’ to refer to a similar style but where the opening the more traditional 1™.
3·4·3·3 hands also open 1™.]
Having opened one of a suit with 15-19 balanced,
With both minors we choose according to the our next job is to rebid no trumps at the
hand. We find this method combines many of the appropriate level, which may mean bypassing a
advantages of the two previous methods, and the major suit. Thus 1®-1™: 1NT would be bid with
fact that when partner opens 1™ he has five of them, 4·3·2·4 and a 16 count, possibly missing a 4-4 major
or else four spades, is often useful information. The fit. On the other hand 1®-1™: 1´ would be
biggest weakness is that it also gives this unbalanced, showing 4-5 in the black suits, or
information to opponents. possibly 4·1·4·4.
For example, what would you open on the LIGHT OPENERS
following:
By today’s standards we don’t open light, though
we are more likely to stretch to open at suitable
Hand 1 Hand 2 positions and vulnerabilities, and according to suit
´ AK75 ´ K7 quality (for example we are more likely to open
™ J532 ™ K Q 10 5 slightly light with AKJ42 than we are with J8643).
t AQ3 t AQ95 For those hands with weak point count but plenty
® K3 ® Q83 of shape, I prefer opening to passing, and try to
persuade my partners that while opening may not
Hand 3 Hand 4
´ AQ753 ´ Q432
be correct, it may be more correct than passing or
™ K2 ™ K32 any other action. I find it strange that people will
t 7 t AK3 happily talk about a one level or two level opening
® KQ743 ® K76 bid ‘misdescribing a hand’, but don’t seem to talk
about a ‘pass misdescribing the hand’.
Similarly we may respond slightly lighter than
Answers: Hand 1 – 1™; Hand 2 – 1t; Hand 3 – 1´.
historical responses, but not much. We do usually
(We haven’t said, but we open a five card major
respond at the one level with a long suit even if very
ahead of a five card minor even with 5-5 in the
blacks.) Hand 4 – 1NT (12-14, or 1® if you feel it is weak, and usually an ace is enough for us to respond
too strong to open 1NT, but it doesn’t look like the on, because of the value of having aces. We are also
greatest of hands to me.) more likely to respond when at favourable
vulnerability (non vulnerable against vulnerable).
In the quiz you may have noticed we always open
the higher suit with 5-5 hands, and in fact nearly
STYLE OF RESPONSES
always open the longest suit, although occasionally, The crucial decision for us in deciding whether to
with, for example, this hand: respond at the two level, is whether we have enough
´2 ™AKJ42 tQ87543 ®9 strength to go to game if partner has a balanced 15-
16 count. Thus a nice nine count would be able to
we would open our heart suit ahead of the respond at the two level, and sequences such as
diamonds. 1™ – 2®, 2NT are game forcing (showing 15-19
WHEN IS ONE OF A SUIT UNBALANCED? points with a balanced hand), as is 1™ – 2®, 3™.
Opening one of a suit is always unbalanced, or After 1™ – 1NT opener passes with a 15-16 balanced
else showing 15-19 points balanced (except in third hand as he knows that game is not on.
seat where we may deviate from the method). In 1™ – 2®, 2t is forcing (but only as far as 2™, and
fact, it is a five card suit if not balanced, with the it does not show extra values, though it may be a
exception of 4·4·4·1 shapes, when we open one of a very strong hand, and one that would jump to 3t if
minor. partner had responded 1´ instead). Therefore

94 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

1™ – 2®, 3t is a splinter bid for clubs. However,
1™ – 1´, 2t is not forcing (but could be a strong
hand but not good enough to game force), while
1™ – 1´, 3t is natural and game forcing.
We do not really play ‘Walsh style’ responses to
1®. We tend to bid suits up the line, but may
bypass a diamond suit. Whether we do this will
depend on the hand type. For example, with
´J854 ™1053 tAQ842 ®2
we would respond 1t to 1®. This is because if we
respond 1´, we might lose a game swing going
several down vulnerable in 2® when partner has
a minimum 2·4·2·5 or 2·2·4·5 shape, and much
better fits are available. However, with
´AQ64 ™32 tJ943 ®965
we would respond 1´. Here we are more likely to
want a spade lead if defending, we want to pre-
empt the heart suit, and we have three clubs so are
very happy not to find a diamond fit.
We shall consider the responses to opening bids
in more detail in the next few articles, with their
continuations. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 95

 Acol Unveiled 7 by Chris Jagger

1NT Responses click

link

C
hris Jagger continues his series on The first four hands are all 1NT responses. You
playing Acol at the very highest level and haven’t enough to bid at the two-level so you
lays bare his system card. content yourself with 1NT.
When partner opens one of a suit, we generally The fifth hand would raise to 2´ (if you reverse
respond 1NT when we do not have a higher suit to the majors and give partner a 1™ opening, it would
bid at the one level, and not enough points to want raise to 2™).
to be in game opposite a balanced 15-16 points.
The last two hands would respond 2®, the first
When partner opens one of a major, we will usually because it wants to raise spades but is too good for
raise with three card support. For example, with: a simple raise, and the second simply because you
´K64 ™A53 t853 ®7642 want to be in game opposite 15-16 balanced. Bear in
mind that with a balanced 16-count partner will
we would raise 1´ to 2´, safe in the knowledge of an
simply pass 1NT. This will occasionally lead to
eight card fit, though we are slightly less likely to
being in 1NT with 16 points opposite nine points,
raise 1™ to 2™, as 1™ could be 4-4 in the majors.
but if you do the maths, this is not just the close
Over a minor suit we may well not raise even with
four-card support, as we play inverted minors percentage shot with a 16 count, but is massively the
(where a raise to the two level is forcing with at least right long term action.
invitational values). For example, consider our reply There are then a wide range of hands that partner
to partner’s 1´ opening: can have for responding 1NT, so it is worth playing
some methods to assist in finding the right game or
part score.
Hand 1 Hand 2
´ 64 ´ 53 THE AUCTION STARTS 1´-1NT
™ Q 10 2 ™ K53 Those people who don’t like artificial methods, or,
t QJ53 t AJ754 like me, simply cannot remember them, will be
® K 10 9 2 ® 753 delighted to know that every rebid from 2t to 3NT
is natural and non-forcing. To add a bit more detail
Hand 3 Hand 4
´ K4 ´ 2
on some of the bids:
™ Q8743 ™ 64 1´-1NT-2™ = Limited to about 16 points, so mostly
t 2 t Q53 you will not need to invite over this.
® Q9874 ® A J 10 7 5 3 2
1´-1NT-2NT-3´ = Shows five hearts and forcing to
Hand 5 Hand 6 game. If you wanted to show spades you would
´ K75 ´ Q75 have raised 1´ straight away. Having not done so,
™ 42 ™ 42 you could bid a non forcing 3™ with six of them,
t Q653 t A643 or with a good hand that might want to play in a
® K754 ® K 10 9 2 5-3 heart fit, use this unusual 3´ bid.
1´-1NT-3®/t/™ = These bids are showing 5-5
Hand 7
´
invitational hands.
J6
™ A64 1´-1NT-3´ = This is as you would expect, except it
t Q J 10 4 is on the strong side of invitational, and will be
® J 10 5 3 based on a good, usually seven card suit. Hands

96 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 with less good suits can invite at the two level, high, probably going one off, though it could be
which is great since an invitational hand may play more off, or it could make on a good day. Under
terribly opposite one spade. these methods opener starts with 2® and rebids 2™.
1´-1NT-2® Responder definitely has no interest, so bids 2´. He
doesn’t need to fear opener might have 5-4 majors,
The excitement comes in the 2® bid, which could as this hand would bid 2NT over 2´, and the heart
be any strength hand with clubs, any game force, fit could then be found.
invitational hands with six spades and strong hands
with 5-4 majors. A major weakness of our style is THE AUCTION STARTS 1™-1NT
the inability to play in 2®. However, it opens up This is an easier auction for exploring game, but
many possibilities. harder to stop in 2™ with the invitational hands.
Mostly, over 2®, responder will simply relay with There simply is not the room to be able to do it, so
2t, though he should show a six card heart suit, or we play methods that allow you some chance of
can show a long minor suit at the three level, or stopping low on the misfitting hands.
both minors with 2NT. He can also bid 2´, but only Once again all bids are natural apart from 2®, but
with a bad hand with two spades and at most three here the reverse into 2´ is also used in a special way,
hearts. as a game force with at least three spades, at least
1´-1NT-2®-2t five hearts, and an unbalanced hand. Responder
normally relays with 2NT, and it works like this:
2™ = 5-4 majors, 17-18 points, or at least
invitational with at least six spades. There is some 1™-1NT-2´-2NT:
complexity over this, but responder denies 3® = singleton diamond, could be 3·5·1·4, 4·5·1·3
interest opposite the hand with six spades by or 3·6·1·3, with 3t asking which.
bidding 2´ (which is converted to 2NT with the
3t = singleton club, 3·5·4·1, 4·5·3·1 or 3·6·3·1, with
5-4 majors hand), or accepts by bidding 2NT to
3™ showing a doubleton heart, 3´ asking for four
find out what opener has.
diamonds or six good hearts.
2´ = 5-4 with clubs, weak hand.
3™ = 4-6 majors, game forcing.
2NT = Game force with 5·2·4·2, 5·1·3·4, 5·1·4·3,
3´ = 5-6 majors game forcing.
5·3·1·4 or 5·3·4·1. It might also show 5·0·4·4
shapes (and always denies four hearts). 3NT = 4·5·2·2 prime suits (points in the long suits).
3® = 5-5 majors or 5-4 majors with a singleton, gf. For example:
3t = 5-5 or 6-4 with diamonds, game-forcing.
3™ = 5-5 in the black suits, game-forcing. ´ AKJ ´ Q 10 4
™ KQ753 N ™ 42
3´ = 6-4 in the black suits, game-forcing. W E
t KQJ4 S t A 10 5 2
3NT = 5·4·2·2 with hearts, offering a choice. ® 3 ® J642
It is worth seeing an example of the 2® rebid in
action: West East
1™ 1NT
´ AQJ864 ´ 3
2´ 2NT
™ K75 N ™ 8643
W E 3t 3™
t AK4 S t QJ5
3NT 4t
® 2 ® K 10 8 7 3
5t Pass

West East
1´ 1NT West starts by showing three or more spades, and
2® 2t East simply bids 2NT to allow partner to show their
2™ 2´ hand further. 3t identifies the club shortage
Pass (singleton or void), 3™ shows a doubleton heart,
After the 1´-1NT start, opener would in normal and 3NT denies a fourth spade or sixth heart –
methods jump to 3´, and play there, uncomfortably hence it must have a fourth diamond. East bids 4t

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 97

 West East
Acol unveiled, continued
1™ 1NT
2® 2t
and West raises. If instead, East had: ?

´ AKJ ´ 865 2™ = hearts and clubs, weak.

™ KQ753 N ™ 2
W E 2´ = hearts and clubs stronger (responder bids 2NT
t KQJ4 S t A5
® 3 ® J 10 9 7 5 4 2
as a relay, and then 3® is 6-4 non-forcing, 3t
1·5·3·4 in principle game forcing, 3™ 6-4 game
forcing, 3NT 2·5·2·4).
West East
1™ 1NT 2NT = hearts and diamonds (similar continuations).
2´ 3®
3® / 3t = 5-5 game forcing.
Pass
3™ = invitational.
Here responder shows a long weak club suit over the
MINOR SUIT OPENINGS
2´ bid, and West decides that perhaps no game is
going to make. In principle 2´ was game forcing – Over minor suit openings it is easier. Much easier. In
fact so easy that I am not sure we have actually got
but there are sequences where you identify the
anything written down in the system file. Therefore
misfit and stop below game.
a reverse is natural and forcing (but not game
Aside from 2´, the main interest is in the 2® bid, forcing), and a jump reverse is a splinter bid
which shows the other game forcing hands, weak agreeing the suit.
hands with clubs, as well as invitational hands with
Of course the simple truth is that the 1NT
hearts. This helps on the game forcing hands, and response is that much more likely after the major
allows some invitational hands to play at the two suit, and there are fewer hand types to show over a
level. It is far from perfect – it sometimes allows you 1NT response to a minor. With infinite time we
to stop in 2™, but not all the time. Responder bids would no doubt do some work on these sequences,
2t on most hands, or 2™ on a misfit wanting to but, though you may feel we clearly do have infinite
play in clubs if opener has hearts and clubs. For time from the rest of the online article, we don’t!r
example:

More detail from Chris overleaf

´ AK3 ´ Q42
™ AJ8654 N ™ 3
W E
t 3 S t J 10 7 5 4
® A53 ® K864

West East
1™ 1NT
2® 2™
Pass

East shows a misfit wanting to play low opposite

an invite with hearts, and in 3® opposite a weak
hand with hearts and clubs. West has an easy pass
and avoids getting too high. It is true that 3™ may
make, but it may not do either. More usually East
will relay with 2t, and then the continuations are as
follows:

98 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 MORE DETAIL AFTER 1NT RESPONSES
by Chris Jagger

GF – Game forcing 5·4(3·1) – Five spades, four hearts three clubs.

NF – Non forcing and 3-1 in minors either way 5·4·3·1 may be specific suits, or
Inv+ – Invitational or GF
M – Major around. 5·4·4·0 starts this way. may simply be talking about any
m – minor 5·4·1·3 – Specifically five spades, 5·4·3·1 distribution (it could be
Prime – points in suits – more
likely to play in suit than NT four hearts, one diamond and specifically 5·3·1·4 or 5·1·4·3 etc)
Rebids after 1´-1NT: short club GF/short club NF/62(32)/agrees
2® = (i) 4+ clubs any strength; (ii) 6+ spades at hearts
least invitational, (iii) 4 hearts, 17+, (iv) any 3™ = asks then 3´/4´ = club shortage
GF NF/max
2t = Natural, NF 3´/3NT/4´ = NF
2™ = Natural, NF max 16HCP 3t = diamond shortage, 6´ Inv+ then 3™ = 5™
2´ = To play forcing
2NT = Natural invite 3™ = 6 spades, 4 hearts, forcing to 3´
3m/™ = Natural invite, at least 5-5. Then 4m over 3´/NT = 6 spades, heart shortage NF
3™ = cue, everything else is NF.
3´ = Strong distributional invitation with good
Continuations after 1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™-2NT
suit (usually 7 spades)
(GF enquiry):
Continuations after 1´-1NT-2®-2t (relay): 3® = 6 spades, then
2™ = 6 spades inv+ or 17-18 with 4 hearts (denies 3t asks, 3™/3´/3NT = short clubs or no
5 hearts) shortage, relay asks/short diamonds/short
2´ = 5 spades and 4+ clubs up to 16, then hearts
2NT/3t = good raise in clubs/long
3™ = 5 hearts
diamonds
3t = 5-4MM with shortage, 3™ asks fragment
2NT = GF 5·2·4·2, 5·3·1·4, 5·3·4·1, 5·1·3·4, 5·1·4·3,
(3´ = 5413, 3NT = 5431)
5·0·4·4
3™/´ = 6 spades, 4 hearts, with a club/diamond
3® = GF with hearts, 5-5+ or 5-4(31)
3®-3t asks then 3™/´/NT = 5-5 (then 3´ = shortage respectively
doubt with doubleton)/5·4·1·3/5·4·3·1. 3NT = 5422 (or 5431 singleton K/A)
3®-3™ = 4™ then 3´/3NT/4m = Other continuations after 1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™
® fragment/t fragment/void 1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™-3m = long minor (less good
3®-3´ = doubt with doubleton suit than direct 3m over 2®, denies 4 hearts
3t = 5-5 or 6-4 GF, 3™ asks then 3´/3NT = or 2 spades)
6-4/5-5. 3t-3´ = doubt with doubleton 1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™-3®-3t = 6 spades, 4 diamonds
3™ = 5-5 with clubs GF then 3´ = doubt with
NF
doubleton
1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™-3®-3™ = asks responder to bid
3´ = 6-4 with clubs GF
3NT if expect to make it opposite Ax/Kx
3NT = 5-4 majors, usually 5422, then 4m = cue
1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™-3®-3´/NT = to play
with heart fit, max

Continuations after 1´-1NT-2®-2t-2™-2´ Continuations after 1´-1NT-2®-2t-2NT-3®

(NF): (enquiry):
2NT = 5-4MM 17-18 then: 3t = 5143 or 5341, 3™ asks then 3´/3NT = club
3m/3™ = to play fragment (5143)/heart fragment (5314)
4m = heart fit values in minor bid 3™/´ = Clubs 5314/5134
3® = club shortage 6´ Inv+ or 6(322) GF then 3NT = 5242 prime (so may wish to play a 5-2 4´
3t = 5 hearts, then 3™/´/3NT/4-level = contract or 5t).

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 99

 Note two things about remembering the system: 4m = Invite
1. 3t above is natural, ie showing 4. 3™ is 4® over 3t = natural 65 forcing in principle
natural but cannot be 4 hearts as that would 4t/™ over 3® = splinter
go a different route, and cannot have 4
diamonds since that would bid 3t, so it is Continuations after Opener’s other rebids
5314. Then 3´ is the remaining hand. 1™/´-1NT-2t-2NT = good raise to 3t (a direct
2. When a fit has not been shown, we show raise is semi constructive - many hands pass
fragments as naturally as possibly, of failing 2t)
that, the lowest bid shows the lowest 1´-1NT-2™-2NT = minors or big raise in hearts
fragment. When a fit has been found we 1M-1NT-2Y-jump to 4 of new minor = splinter
show singletons naturally (ie by bidding the 1M-1NT-2m-2NT/3m-3M/4M = NF/PoC
singleton), if that is possible, or otherwise 1´--1NT-2´--2NT = any 2 suits
up the line. Hence in the sequence 1´-1NT- 1´-1NT-2NT-3´= GF with 5 hearts
2®-2t-2NT-3®-3t-3™-3´ this is showing 1´-1NT-2NT-3™ (or 3®/t) = NF
a club fragment as a fit has not been found
and neither ´ or NT are possible fragments, Intervention after 1´-1NT-2®
so the lowest one shows clubs. 1´-1NT-2®-(dbl)-P/XX/2t = to play opposite
clubs/both red suits/system ON
1´-1NT-2®-2t-2NT-3t = 6+ decent diamonds,
club or heart shortage, 3™ asks (3´ = short After 1´-1NT-2®-(dbl)-P-(P):
clubs) P= clubs
1´-1NT-2®-2t-2NT-3™/3´ = 6+decent clubs,
XX = very strong with 6 spades and club stop
heart/diamond shortage respectively
2t = very strong with 6 spades, no club stop
2™ = 5/4 majors, 17-18, NF
Other 1´-1NT-2® continuations
2´= INV with 6 spades
2NT+ = as after 1´-1NT-2®-2t uncontested
1´-1NT-2®-2™ = 6 hearts then:
2´/NT = 6 spades strong NF (then 3m = 65
1´-1NT-2®-2t-(dbl):
NF)
Pass = 5-4 blacks (so we get to play in a 5-2 or 5-3
3m/3™/3´/4m = 55 GF/Invite/GF/Cue
heart fit)
1´-1NT-2®-2´ = 2+ spades, at most 3 hearts, no XX = 6 spades, INV+ (now essentially system ON
interest. Continuations as to 2t except that if Responder bids 2´ or 2NT)
we don’t show 6-4 hands (can still show 2™ = 5/4 majors 17-18 NF
5431 with hearts), we pass on 5-4 17-18, and 2´ = 5-5 blacks, NF
3´ becomes a normal GF allowing partner 2NT+ = as after 1´-1NT-2®-2t uncontested
to pass below game if really bad.
General principles in other competitive
1´-1NT-2®-2NT = at least 55mm, constructive, sequences:
then: Doubles TO by opener, penalties by responder.
3™ = 55MM GF
Pass is happy to play there. XX takeout, setting up
3´ = 6 spades NF
GF by opener.
4m = natural GF
4™ = splinter agreeing one of the minors If they do anything below 2™ then system on.
then 6 Ace If they double showing that suit later bids in that
4NT = 6 ace suit are cues, a raise (not GF) being shortage with 6
spades.
1´-1NT-2®-3m = long minor, good suit, typically
two of the top three honours, then If they bid 2™ then 2´/NT invites.
3t/™ = 55 GF If competing at 3L then new suits are forcing, 3´ is
3´ = NF invitational

100 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

Rebids after 1™-1NT
1™-1NT-2´ = Strong with at least 3 spades, game 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2´(clubs)-2NT(relay)-3® = 6-
forcing on most sequences. Most hands 4NF
relay, forcing to 3NT (can play 4m). 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2´(clubs)-2NT(relay)-3t =
1™-1NT-2´-2NT-3® = fragment, then 3t asks, 1534 or 0544 in principle GF with 3™ asking
3™/´/NT = 3514 or 4504/4513/3613. 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2´(clubs)-2NT(relay)-3™ = 6-4
1™-1NT-2´-2NT-3t = fragment, then 3™/´ = GF
nat/asks, 3´ expects partner to bid 3NT 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2´(clubs)-2NT(relay)-3´ = 55
unless four diamonds or 6 good hearts. 3™ (two ways to show over 2t)
asks for 3´/NT with 4531/3541. 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2´(clubs)-2NT(relay)-3NT =
1™-1NT-2´-2NT-3™/´/NT = 46/56 Forcing/4522 5224 prime
prime hand. 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2NT(diamonds)-3®(relay)-3t
1™-1NT-2´-other responses = weak, NF, but rare – = 6-4 NF.
99% of time bid 2NT. 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2NT(diamonds)-3®(relay)-3™
1™-1NT-2´-3™/4™ NF, not wanting to reveal = 6-4GF.
partner’s shape 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2NT(diamonds)-3®(relay)-3´
= 1543.
1™-1NT-2NT-3™/´ = 33(43) forcing / 5-5 minors. 1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-2NT(diamonds)-3®(relay)-
1™-1NT-3™-3´ = Doubt about contract, normally
3NT = 5242 prime.
hearts, but could be 5-5 minors. If opener
doesn’t choose 3NT he bids 4m if he is
interested in play in 5m, or 4™ if he wants to
Intervention after 1™-1NT-2®
insist on hearts even opposite the minor
hand.
1™-1NT-2®-(dbl)-P/XX/2t+ = to play opposite
clubs/5+ diamonds/system ON
1™-1NT-3´/4m = Autosplinter (slam interest,
shape unspecific)
After 1™-1NT-2®-(dbl)-P-(P):
1™-1NT-2® = Weak with clubs, invite with hearts, P= clubs
or various GF. XX = very strong with 6 hearts and club stop
1™-1NT-2®-2t/2™ = Either values or doesn’t want 2t = very strong with 6 hearts, no club stop
to play in clubs/misfit raise to 3®. 2™ = INV with 6 hearts
2´+ = as after 1™-1NT-2®-2t uncontested
1™-1NT-2®-2™-3® = To play (other continuations
over 2™ are as below) 1™-1NT-2®-2t-(dbl):
1™-1NT-2®-2t-2™/3™ = 5-4 weak/invite Pass = 5-4 roundeds, (so we get to play in a 5-2 or
1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-3m = 55 GF (except 3® is weak 5-3 heart fit)
over 2™ response) XX = 6 hearts INV+
1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-3´ = 1633 specific, can play 4m 2™ = 5-5 hearts and clubs, no game interest
1™-1NT-2®-2t/™-3NT = 6322 offering (probably 2´+ system ON as after 1™-1NT-2®-2t
never use this in practice!) uncontested

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 101

 Acol Unveiled 8 by Chris Jagger

Raising One of a Major click

link

C
hris Jagger continues his series on So having outlined the principles, how does it work?
playing Acol at the very highest level and
lays bare his system card.
SIMPLE RAISE TO THE 2-LEVEL
Bidding hands with support for partner is an West East West East
important part of the game, because you are a lot or
1™ 2™ 1´ 2´
more likely to make game or slam with a fit than
you are without a fit. It is also important because
opponents are more likely to be competing and able This is a normal limit raise, but with the better
to make something of their own if you have a fit. hands being removed. If it has four-card support, it
will be up to a poor seven count. With three-card
That said, it is not so important that we make support, it might be as high as a bad nine count;
every bid in our system show a fit of some kind, as with a better hand that wants to go to game
some players do – we believe that makes it too hard opposite a 15-16 balanced hand, you respond with a
when you don’t have a fit. Perhaps we are just new suit at the two level rather than raising or
pessimists! Our principle with fits is largely as bidding 1NT. Bidding 1NT would virtually never
follows: have three-card support over 1´ as a 5-3 fit is
D If we play in a part score we want to be as low as known (we play 1´ as always at least five, whereas
possible. That said, with bigger fits, we are 1™ is either five hearts or 4-4 majors with 15-19
prepared to sacrifice playing low if it means we balanced). Over the 1™ opener we still freely raise to
can pre-empt the opposition a little more. 2™ with three-card support unless completely
D In the part score/game zone we try not to show balanced, when we bid 1NT.
our hand too much, but bid largely based on the Having narrowed the range of the raise, we do not
power and size of the fit. This is because if you then need to make as many game tries as some
give away too much information opponents are people, keeping the bidding lower. On top of this we
more likely to beat your game contracts. I am still don’t believe in making marginal game tries. When
scarred by the memory of a hand where we you make an invite, you are more likely to go off in
beautifully showed our hands, and diagnosed that a contract, and on those occasions when partner
game wasn’t making, so played in 3™, going one doesn’t even accept the game try, you are playing
off when opponents got off to the best lead. The one level higher for no great reason.
rest of the field failed to diagnose the misfit, and For example, if 50% of the time partner accepts
played in 4™ making, when opponents led the invite and 50% of the time he rejects it, then
differently. It wasn’t a great score! 50% of the time you have pushed yourself higher
D Above game, by and large slams make because for no reason, and may well go off in the part score.
you have the right cards to make slam, rather than The other 50% of the time you are in game, and
because of the defence. So we believe we need to though this may be worth it, if you only make the
have the machinery to show our hands in order to game 50% of the time then only 25% of the total
reach slam. Sometimes this means that we give time are you doing something better for your side.
away information when we subside in game, but At the same time, 25% of the total time you are
that is a price to pay for bidding the slams. That going off in game, and a certain amount of the
said, there are times we won’t even look for slam remaining 50% of the time, you are going off at the
in order to avoid giving away information for a three-level instead of making the safe two-level
fairly remote chance of slam. contract.
EXAMPLES AND CONTINUATIONS OVERLEAF
102 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk
 ACOL UNVEILED, continued
EXAMPLES OF A SIMPLE RAISE
1™-3™-3´ = Long-suit slam try somewhere; 3NT
´
Raise 1´ to 2´, but respond
Q42 asks what suit (you bid it naturally with a minor,
™ K64
1NT to 1™ (this last one
and 4™ shows a long-suit slam try in spades).
t Q73 partner might disagree with –
there is a fine dividing line 1™-3™-3NT/4®/4t = Slam tries with a singleton or
® J 10 6 5
sometimes). void in the bid suit (3NT shows the spade
shortage).
´ Q42
Bid 2® over 1´, as the hand is This does mean of course that you cannot play
™ 64
too good for a simple raise to hands in 3NT, but it is hard to judge which hands
t K853 2´. If partner rebids two of a should play in 3NT anyway (particularly as the
® A742 red suit, retreat to 2´. Over 1™ opening bid already denies 3·4·3·3 shape).
respond 1NT – you are happy
The idea is the same over 1´-3´, but everything is
to play this hand in 1NT
one step up.
opposite a balanced 15-16
count when you don’t have a fit JUMP RAISE TO GAME
for partner.

´
Raise 1™ to 2™. This may be an West East West East
Q42 or
™ J 10 6 5
eight count with four-card 1™ 4™ 1´ 4´
t Q73 support, but with a totally
® K64 balanced hand, we would keep
the bidding low. These bids are pre-emptive, and largely expect
partner not to go on as they can be very weak. Most
After raising the major everything is essentially weak hands with five-card support, or very
natural, though there are a couple of notes over 1™- distributional hands with four-card support raise
2™ where opener could be 4-4 majors with straight to game. The main exception that may
15-19 points: surprise some people is that we often don’t raise to
1™-2™-2´ = four spades, interest in game. Over this game with a 5·3·3·2 distribution – these hands often
everything is natural, including new suits, which produce one trick less than the trump fit would
are non-forcing. indicate.
PAGAN 3® BID
1™-2™-2NT = Balanced invite with five hearts.
Natural continuations. Many years ago playing with a different partner I
agreed to play a newly devised convention which is
JUMP RAISE TO THREE LEVEL the only time I have ever been charged to play a
system. I seem to recall I coughed up a fiver because
West East
or
West East the convention needed a licence (it was not caught
1™ 3™ 1´ 3´ under the ordinary rules as it was multi-way and
not all options were game forcing).
These bids are semi pre-emptive, showing typically Jeff and I have modified the system, and it now
7-8 (or 9) points with 4·4·3·2 shape, or an works like this. In response to 1™ or 1´, 3® is a
equivalent hand. We wouldn’t tend to bid them on a limit raise with four-card support, or a strong jump
very weak hand, as that would make it hard for shift in clubs without four-card support. Over 1´ it
partner to judge whether to bid game or not. can also be a limit raise with three-card support
We play Romex continuations over this – bidding without four hearts. (This is so that 1´-2t-2™-3´
a slam here is less likely to be about what controls can be forcing – with a limit raise with four hearts
you hold, and more likely to be about how well the you just raise hearts; with a limit raise without four
hands fit. The system works like this: hearts you start by responding 3®.)

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 103

 1™-3®-3t = Asks partner to bid 3™ with the limit Those of you who have been avidly following
raise, or to bid 3NT/4® naturally with clubs, or these articles may guess that after 1´-4®, which is a
3´/4t self-agreeing clubs with a shortage. (Note wide-ranging bid, if it continues 4t then responder
4™ over 3t is rare but natural, showing a hand is not obliged to cue-bid 4™ if minimum (bids are
that felt too strong for an immediate raise to mostly about showing how good or bad the hand
game, too weak for a game forcing raise.) is). We also have the agreement that splinters set up
1™-3®-3™ = Invitational opposite the limit raise. a forcing pass (which some people think goes
Otherwise partner bids as above. without saying, but we don’t!).
JACOBY 2NT
1™-3®-3NT = Natural suggesting a contract.
We play 2NT over one of a major as a game forcing
1™-3®-3t-3™ = Romex continuations as over the raise, with at least four-card support. As you would
direct raise to the three level above. expect we have a fair amount of system over this,
1´-3®-3™ = Asks partner to bid 3´, and then though it shares a lot in common with what many
mostly as above. In addition we have 1´-3®-3t people play. This will be covered in detail in the next
as a slam try asking for more information (for issue.
responses see extra system information online). One point to note is that because we have no way
As is often the case, for the slam hands we try to
to show a club void splinter directly, these hands go
have extra precision available, but try to hide the
via 2NT, so we have modified the continuations to
information when we are only game going.
incorporate this.
SPLINTERS
GAME-FORCING WITH THREE-CARD SUPPORT
We believe it is important to be able to distinguish
singletons from voids, and to avoid having too wide If you do not have a four-card fit, you start off with
a point range for splinters, particularly where there a new suit. There are then a few ways to agree the
is no room to investigate. There is only limited suit cheaply in order to look for slam, depending on
space so we put all club void hands through the the auction.
Jacoby 2NT, as well as all 13+ hands with any void, 1™-1´-2®-3t = three-card game-forcing heart
and 15+ hands with a singleton. (As usual the point raise (not a splinter bid). Over this opener often
ranges are merely an indication.) bids 3™, but can also suggest 3NT, or bid 3´/4®
1™-3´ = Spade splinter 10-14 with a singleton, or to show a shortage in spades/diamonds
10-12 with a void (3NT asks, then 4® = 12-14 respectively.
singleton, 4t = 10-12 void, 4™ = 10-12 1™-2®-2™-3´ = three-card raise, with or without a
singleton). shortage in it. We then play system to unravel
1™-3NT = Diamond singleton 12-14 points, or whether opener has six hearts and whether the 3´
diamond void 10-12 (4® asks with 4t showing does actually have a singleton. It is very similar to
the void). the sequence 1NT-2t-2™-3´ described earlier in
the series.
1™-4® = Club splinter, exactly singleton, 10-14
points. This is wide ranging as opener can make a 1´-2t-2™-3´ = game forcing with three spades, as
slam try with 4t, which is a general try (last an invite without four hearts would have
train), rather than a cue-bid responded 3® directly to 1´, and an invite with
1™-4t = Diamond splinter, exactly singleton, 10-12 four hearts would simply raise to 3™.
points. In summary, four-card raises start by showing the
1´-3NT = Red suit void 10-12 or heart suit hand directly, whereas three-card raises start by
singleton, 12-14 (4® asks, and you respond by bidding at the two level unless they are suitable for
bidding the void or 4´ with the singleton heart). the Pagan 3® bid. To make a two-over-one
response, you need a good enough hand to go to
1´-4® = Club splinter, exactly singleton, 10-14 . game opposite a balanced 15-16 count, so it is
1´-4t = Diamond splinter, exactly singleton, 10-14 almost worth envisaging this hand at the start, when
points. you are planning your campaign.
1´-4™ = Heart splinter, 10-12 points. Extra System Notes overleaf

104 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 ™ OR 2´ - EXTRA SYSTEM NOTES
RAISING 1™
by Chris Jagger

GF – Game forcing 5·4(3·1) – Five spades, four hearts and 3-1 in minors
NF – Non forcing either way around.
Inv+ – Invitational or GF 5·4·1·3 – Specifically five spades, four hearts, one
M – Major diamond and three clubs.
m – minor 5·4·3·1 may be specific suits, or may simply be talking
Prime – points in suits – more likely to play in suit about any 5·4·3·1 distribution (it could be specifically
than NT 5·3·1·4 or 5·1·4·3 etc)

PAGAN 3® BID 4m = Good 5-card suit.

1™-3® = 4-card limit raise in hearts (occasionally 4™ = 31(54).
non-slammy raise to game) or strong jump shift 4´ = 33(4)(3) soft.
in clubs.
1´-3® = 4-card limit raise or 3-card limit raise JACOBY 2NT
without four hearts (occasionally non-slammy Most GF hands with four card support, not
raise to game) or strong jump shift in clubs. qualifying for a splinter, start with 2NT. Opener
1™-3®-3™/3t = inv/enquiry. shows shortages and other distributional features in
1™-3®-3t-3™ = any limit raise hand; 4™ = non- the order clubs/diamonds/other major. Responder
slammy game raise; other responses are strong shows shortages as a stronger version of an
jump hands. immediate splinter and bids the shortage where
possible.
1´-3®-3´ = invite opposite 4-card limit raise.
Opener’s rebids after 1M-2NT (FG raise)
1´-3®-3™ = bid 3´ if invite (or 4´ if GF raise) over
which 3NT suggests spot, less certain about NT 3® = Any minimum, with or without a singleton
than a direct 1´-3®-3NT. 3t = Extra values, no shortage
1´-3®-3t = slam try, over which responder bids 3™ = Extra values, singleton or void ®
3™ with 3-card limit raise, 3´ with 4-card 3´ = Extra values, singleton or void t
support.
3NT = Extra values, singleton in the other major
1´-3®-3NT = suggests a contract, should be pulled
with four unless 4·3·3·3 soft. 4®/t = Void, respectable minimum opening bid

1´-3®-3™-3´-4®/t/™ = void (these are the only 4™ = Void in other major, respectable minimum
slam try hands which start with 3™). opening bid.

1´-3®-3any-4t/™ = strong jump shift with three 4´ = (If spades have been opened.) No shortage, 0-
spades and shortage (minimum Qxx x Axx 2 controls
AKxxxx). 4M+1 = RKCB
1´-3®-3any-3NT/4® = strong jump shift without Higher = Exclusion RKCB
support, NF/F. Continuations after 1M-2NT (FG raise)-3®
1´-3®-3t-3´ then 3NT+ are Romex slam tries. (any minimum)
1´-3®-3t-3™-3NT/4m = own shortage in 3t = Asks about shape (implies slam interest,
hearts/shortage otherwise just jump to 4M).
1´-3®-3t-3™-3´ = enquiry, then: 3™ = Own shortage in ® (15+ with s/ton or 10-12
3NT = neutral, over which 4m = natural slam void in clubs, ask with 3´, then 4M=10-12 with
trial bid. Cont/overleaf

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 105

 void, 3NT = non-serious (15-16) with s/ton, 4®/t shows void in t/other major (13+HCP).
others are cues with a singleton. (Note that no Continuations after 1M-2NT-3™/´/NT and
void club hands start with a direct splinter.) 1M-2NT-3®-3t-3´/NT/4® (specified
3´ = Own shortage in t (now 3NT non-serious shortage)
interest, 4m are serious cues). 3NT = Non serious slam try.
3NT = Own shortage in the other major (15+ since 4M = Discouraging, implies wastage in opener’s
always able to show up to 14 count in direct shortage.
splinter).
4M+1 = RKCB.
4m = Responder’s own void in bid suit (all up to
Other = Cues.
strength, so 13/14+) [May choose to put some
voids through the singleton bid if the void bid JACOBY INTERVENTION
takes up too much room.] If they overcall, X is a singleton, cue a void, bids
natural with control. Pass on all hands without a
4™ = Over spades this is a void in hearts, 13-15.
control plus any hand which wants to defend. Then
4M = Minimum over pass:
Continuations after 1M-2NT (FG raise)-3® Double by responder is to play opposite a stack.
(any minimum)-3t
3NT by responder is natural if the overcall was
3™ = No shortage (11-14). Now 3´ asks again (or below 3M and non-serious slam try over 3M.
responder can cuebid): 3M if available (or 3NT over a 3´ overcall) is ‘non-
3NT = 5332, 4®/t/™ = length in ®/t/other major serious’: a mild slam try guaranteeing a control in
(5·4·2·2 or 6·3·2·2), 4´ = 7·2·2·2 the overcalled suit (opener can cue off Qx having
3´ = Club singleton. denied a control(!)).
Cueing at the 4-level shows extra values as well as a
3NT = Diamond singleton.
control in their suit.
4® = Other major singleton.
If 3M is available as non-serious, direct 3NT by
4t = Club void, subminimum. Opener = 15-17 bal, natural with 2nd round
4™ = Diamond void, subminimum. control and double stop
4´ = Other major void if spades, subminimum. Pass then 3NT by Opener = natural with slow stop
e.g. QJx.
Continuations after 1M-2NT-3t (extras, no
shortage) If they jump overcall below 4M, double is still a
singleton. If they bid 4M-1 then pass is more
3™ asks (used if responder still has slam interest but encouraging than 4M.
no shortage to show either). Then:
If they bid 4M-2 or 4M-3, X singleton (forced even
3´ = 5·3·3·2/4·4·3·2 (3NT over this not serious if a minimum, P denies control but interest, bids
interest). show control and interest. 4M weak, could have a
3NT = length in clubs (5·4·2·2 or 6·3·2·2). control.
4® = length in diamonds (5·4·2·2 or 6·3·2·2). Finally, if they overcall above 4 of our major then
normal forcing pass situation with double
4t = length in other major (5·4·2·2 or 6·3·2·2).
suggesting defending and pass forcing.
4™ = 7·2·2·2. Passed hand response variations after 3rd or
3´ shows responder has a singleton (15+), 3NT asks 4th in hand opening
which singleton (now 4®/t/™ = singleton 2N = sound raise, fit jumps.
®/t/other major).
Pass-1M-2t = denies 3M.
3NT shows own void in clubs (10+HCP – the club
Pass-1M-2® = 2-way Drury, that is, either natural
void is not allowed to do an immediate splinter
with clubs or good raise to 2M.
over 1M). Now 4® = non-serious; 4t/™ =
serious cues. Continued overleaf

106 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

Pass-1™-3´ = unspecified void (3NT asks, then
4m/4™ = void in bid suit/spades).

Pass-1™-3NT/4m = singleton splinter in

spades/bid suit.

Pass-1´-3NT = unspecified void (4® asks).

Pass-1´-4®/t/™ = singleton splinter in bid suit.

If opener bids and rebids the same major at the

2-level

1™-1´-2™-4®/t = splinters (balanced raises with 3

card support start with 3®).

1´-2™-2´-4®/t = splinters (balanced raises with 3

card support start with 3®).

1´-2t-2´-4®/t/™ = 3-card support balanced

slam try in spades/splinter in ®/splinter in ™. [We
use the cheaper 4® bid as the balanced slam try,
because this hand type is more frequent than a
splinter.]

1™-2m-2™-3´ = agrees ™, either balanced raise or

´ splinter.

1™-2m-2™-3´-3NT/4®/t/™ = Any hand with 6+

hearts/suitable opp sgtn/max unsuitable/min
unsuitable. (So the thinking here is that there is a
lot of difference between holding five hearts and
six hearts, so we show the five heart hands
directly, according to how suitable they are
opposite a potential singleton, and how strong
they are.)

1™-2m-2™-3´-3NT-4®/t/™ = singleton
spade/max balanced/min balanced.

1™-2®-2™-4®/t = Diamond splinter / weaker

diamond splinter.

1™-2t-2™-4®/t = Club splinter / weaker club

splinter.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 107

 Acol Unveiled 9 by Chris Jagger

Jacoby 2NT click

link

C
hris Jagger continues his series on method which would be suitable for any aspiring
playing Acol at the very highest level and player. It is close to what we play (though as you
lays bare his system card. might guess we have added some complexity). Note
that we play a weak no trump range – for those
playing a strong no trump some of the point ranges
A 2NT RESPONSE TO 1™ OR 1´ SHOWS A
would need tweaking.
GAME FORCING HAND WITH AT LEAST
FOUR-CARD TRUMP SUPPORT OVERVIEW OF OUR JACOBY METHOD
If you take a walk down the corridors of the Premier The following applies after 1´-2NT:
League, or indeed the World Championships, you 3® = Minimum hands up to about 14 points.
will find a lot of different systems in operation. One
3t = Any balanced hand or semi-balanced hand (ie
area though that many people agree on is the use of
no singleton), with 15+ points.
2NT over one of a major to show a game forcing
hand with at least four-card support. 3™/3´/3NT = Extra values (15+ points) with
singleton (or void) in clubs/diamonds/hearts.
There are a few reasons for this:
4®/4t/4™ = Showing voids, with a decent
D These hands are difficult to show in Acol.
minimum (but usually not much stronger).
Without a convention, you would either simply
have to raise to game, which could easily miss a 4´ = Bad hand, 5·3·3·2 shape, 11-12 points with
slam and leave you with little room to investigate, poor cards.
or you start off with another suit, and hope that After a 1™ opening, exactly the same method
later on everything becomes clear. applies, except that you clearly cannot bid 4´ to
D You need fewer points for slam with a good fit, so show the bad hand (as it would commit you to 5™),
it is useful to be able to show that fit immediately so you have to content yourself with bidding 3® on
and then investigate a potential slam. this hand. Let us consider a hand:
D If you have a large fit then opponents may well
enter the fray, and the sooner you have described ´ K532 ´ A Q 10 6 4
your fit the better. ™ A5 N ™ KQ62
W E
t KJ5 S t A86
Instead, some people play 3NT as a balanced raise ® Q752 ® 4
with four trumps, or use four of a minor in some
way, but really this leaves you very little room to try
to describe the hands and investigate slam. West East
Jacoby is usually played in conjunction with some 1´
2NT 3™
sort of splinter raises (thus for example, 1´-4®
3NT 4t
would show a game going hand with a shortage in
4™ 4´
clubs), with the option to differentiate between
4NT 5´
singletons and voids, but we shall not dwell on these
6´ All Pass
here. For many people hands that are ‘too strong’ for
a splinter would start with a Jacoby raise, as well as
The auction starts easily, the 2NT showing a game
game forcing hands without a singleton. forcing raise, and 3™ being extra values and a
There is no absolutely standard way of continuing singleton club. After this you really don’t need any
after Jacoby, but we give a reasonably common further artificiality, though I suggest one useful

108 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

addition is to use 3NT at any point in the auction to I have long dreamed of having a sequence like this,
show a hand that isn’t absolutely minimum but and in truth your chances are low! By the time 4t is
doesn’t have a lot to spare (what is known as a ‘non- bid, opener is known to have a minimum hand, no
serious slam try’). Here with 11 points working, it is singleton, and either 6-3 or 5-4 in spades and
a good description of West’s hand. The slam is diamonds (and so a doubleton in the other two
reached after a couple of cue bids and RKCB. In all suits). Responder can then use whatever version of
honesty, predicting auctions is a difficult matter, but ace asking bids they play to find out that partner has
it must be easier to bid slams having shown the fit the key cards and the king of diamonds, and then
and with opener having shown extra values and the offers 7t, knowing that this should provide the
shortage in clubs all by the level of 3™. 13th trick if partner has the 5·4·2·2 shape, expecting
partner to convert to 7´ with the 6·2·3·2 shape.
BIDDING AFTER OPENER SHOWS A MINIMUM
After 3®, much of the time responder may just [Note here the value of playing 6t as specifically
bid game, and should be careful to avoid giving showing the king of diamonds, which allows you to
away opener’s hand if there is only a remote confidently bid the grand slam, as opposed to just
possibility of slam (in fact, as well as giving away showing one side suit king, which could be the king
partner’s hand, it may allow opponents to make of clubs and leave you in a rather perilous spot.
lead-directing doubles). However, that is a subject for another day.]
However, if responder is interested in slam they Alternatively, if responder has a hand too strong
can either ask about opener’s hand with 3t, or for a first-round splinter, instead of enquiring with
show their own shortages using higher bids. 3t they can show the shortage as follows:
1´-2NT-3®–3t (asking bid): West East West is showing a
3™ = Hand with no singleton (then 3´ asks, 3NT 1´ singleton
shows a 5·3·3·2 shape, four level bids show 5-4 or 2NT 3® club/diamond/heart
6-3 hands, showing secondary length in clubs/ 3™/3´/3NT
diamonds/hearts respectively).
West East West is showing a void
3´/3NT/4® = Club/diamond/heart shortages club/diamond/heart
1´
(bidding shortages up the line, rather than, say,
2NT 3®
using 4® to show the club shortage. Note that
4®/4t/4™
there is no general agreement among players as to
which way round you should show the Note that the bidding is very similar after a 1™
shortages). opening, although jumping to game in hearts is
4t/4™/4´ = Club/diamond/heart voids (sub- simply to play, so a hand with the spade void has to
minimum strength as otherwise you would have show itself as a singleton.
shown the hand directly over 2NT).
After these bids it is largely as you would expect,
with 3NT (if available) being used to show a ‘non-
´ K764 ´ A Q 10 5 3
serious slam try’, as described above. That is, a hand
™ K72 N ™ A5
W E which isn’t completely slam unsuitable, but is not a
t AQJ6 S t K854
great hand either, and allows partner the room to
® A4 ® 53
go on if they choose.
SPLINTER SYSTEM
West East Any system has to be integrated, so your Jacoby
1´ will depend on what splinters you play. Avid readers
2NT 3® may recall that in our methods we have ways to
3t 3™ show weaker and better splinters (but not 15+
3´ 4t splinters), as well as show voids, though we do not
4NT 5´ have a direct way to show a game raise with a club
5NT 6t void. Thus all our club void hands have to go
7t All Pass through 2NT. Because of that we actually modify
the above responses to fit in those club void hands.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 109

 BIDDING AFTER SHOWING BALANCED HANDS INTERVENTION
Finally, how do you continue after the balanced When Jacoby is bid, many players strive to come
or semi-balanced opening hands with 15-19 points, into the action, aiming to get partner to lead the
which rebid 3t over the Jacoby raise? right suit, taking away room from the opponents
1´-2NT-3t (extras, no shortage)-3™ = Asking bid (you want to stop them using all their fantastic
gadgets to find the best contract), and even finding
(with responses as above to 1´-2NT-3®-3t-3™-
a sacrifice.
3´ except that all bids are one step lower, so, for
example, 3NT shows 6-3 or 5-4 with a secondary To cope with this, it is really useful to allow
club holding). yourself to penalise the opponents, so they don’t feel
they can overstep the mark with impunity, and to
1´-2NT-3t-3´/3NT/4® = 15+ points, shortages in tell partner about your holding in their suit, which
clubs/diamonds/hearts. is key to making slam and also to deciding whether
1´-2NT-3t-4t/4™ = 13+ points, void in to defend or not.
clubs/diamonds (there is no room to show There are many ways to do this, but I suggest an
specifically a heart void, so these hands bid 4® to immediate double of their suit is a singleton, a cue
show the singleton heart). in their suit is a void – it is great to be able to show
the shortage in their suit immediately and
1´-2NT-3t-4´ = Sign off. unambiguously, since it is quite likely they are going
The bidding over 1™ is the same, but there are to raise the ante. Any other bid shows an ace or king
two voids you cannot show directly over the 3t bid, in their suit.
as 4™ is natural. This is perhaps a bit of a flaw in the With no first or second round control in their
system, and with some people I play with we use suit, you pass, which would also be done with a
1´-2NT-3t-3´ as an unspecified splinter with 3NT trump stack (partner will usually reopen with a
asking, so that all the voids can be shown. double). Then 3NT by either player is suggesting a
contract (it is surprising how often you may be able
to judge to abandon your major suit fit and play in
´ QJ962 ´ AK754
no trumps). r
™ AQ62 N ™ KJ3
W E
t – S t 63
® KQ76 ® A53 CHRIS JAGGER’S JACOBY QUIZ
West East Try bidding these hands. East is dealer.
1´
2NT 3t ´ A 10 5 3 ´ KQJ84
4™ 4NT ™ Q64 N ™ 2
1 W E
5t 5™ t K2 S t AQ3
6® 6™ ® K843 ® J652
7´ All Pass

´ A 10 3 2 ´ KQJ84
4™ shows the diamond void with 13+ points, and so ™ A863 N ™ 2
East uses RKCB to find out about the ace of hearts. 2 W E
t K87 S t AQ3
5™ asks for the queen of trumps, and West shows it ® A3 ® J652
and cues in clubs. East confirms all the key cards
and cues the king of hearts, and West can
confidently bid the grand slam. ´ Q 10 6 2 ´ AKJ53
™ AJ3 N ™ K6
You will note that 4™ here is very likely to end in 3 W E
t A2 t QJ5
slam (some 28 points have been shown and one S
® K754 ® AJ2
hand has a void, so even a misfit is quite likely to
produce slam), so the main use is in being able to
bid grand slams more confidently. Answers overleaf

110 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 JAGGER’S JACOBY ANSWERS

´ A 10 5 3 ´ KQJ84
™ Q64 N ™ 2
1 W E
t K2 S t AQ3
® K843 ® J652

West East Once West hears that partner

1´ has a minimum, they have no
2NT 3® further interest in slam and
4´ sign off in game.

´ A 10 3 2 ´ KQJ84
™ A863 N ™ 2
2 W E
t K87 S t AQ3
® A3 ® J652

West East A bare 15 count is not usually

1´ likely to make slam opposite a
2NT 3® minimum, but here there are
3t 4® plenty of aces and if partner
4t 4™ has a fitting singleton you will
4NT 5´ want to have a go. Note the
6´ heart singleton is much better
news than the club singleton
due to West’s shorter clubs. If
you swap East’s hearts and
clubs the slam has virtually no
play. 4® showed a heart
singleton and 4™ was ‘last train’
to keep the bidding open.

´ Q 10 6 2 ´ AKJ53
™ AJ3 N ™ K6
3 W E
t A2 S t QJ5
® K754 ® AJ2

West East 3NT was a non-serious slam

1´ try. Essentially this is a slam bid
2NT 3t on power. Both hands are
3™ 3´ balanced, and in truth there is
3NT 4® not a great way to tell how well
4t 4™ the hands fit, but West finds
4NT 5® out about the 5·3·3·2 shape of
6´ East (from the 3´ bid), and
then shows a respectable
minimum by bidding 3NT.
Once East is still interested in
slam, West’s hand becomes
pretty good. r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 111

 Acol Unveiled 10 by Chris Jagger

Responding to partner click

link

H
ow do we respond when partner opens one Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 6
of a suit? This article is to some extent an ´ A432 ´ A853 ´ Q742
Acol primer, as largely this is what you ™ 53 ™ K6 ™ 86
would expect to play if you sat down opposite a t 643 t KQ4 t K5
strong partner without any discussion. ® J754 ® AK53 ® AJ643
BASIC RESPONSES Hand 7 Hand 8 Hand 9
We always respond with six or more points, and ´ Q742 ´ KJ5432 ´ 75
may respond with five points, particularly if we have ™ K6 ™ 75 ™ 86
an ace. We also usually respond with a six-card suit t K5 t 86 t 876
if we can bid it at the one level. As a result we play ® AJ643 ® 876 ® KJ5432
methods so that if the auction starts, say, 1®-1´-
2NT (the response you tend to expect when you
respond light), we can bail out in 3´. Hand 1 – 1NT. If partner has 16 points, you will
have 25 points, but game will be marginal, and it
We normally bid our longest suit, or lower of two
is better to stay low. (In truth, and an area that is
four-card suits, provided that we can do this at the misunderstood by many better players, even if
one level. To respond at the two level we need you may on balance prefer to be in game opposite
enough points to want to play in game opposite a 16 points, bridge is a game of probabilities, and if
balanced 15-16 points (see previous article). So, if you respond at the two level you will also be
the auction starts 1™-1NT, opener simply passes insisting on game opposite 15 counts, which you
with a balanced 15-16 points, as partner is not would definitely prefer to avoid.)
interested in game, or raises to 2NT with 17-18
balanced. Hand 2 – 2®. You now have enough to drive to
game opposite 15 points, so bid at the two level. If
In addition, we only bypass a four-card major to partner rebids diamonds, you will be happy to
bid a longer minor at the two level if we have pass him.
enough strength to go to game. For example, with
Hand 3 – Pass. This is not a good five count, and
ten points and four spades and five clubs, we
you cannot even bid a suit at the one level, so pass.
respond 1´ over 1™, not 2®. This is because if the
auction starts 1™-2®, 2™ we have not got the Hand 4 – 1´. Aces are good cards – if partner leaps
strength to bid 2´ (which is game forcing), so it is to 3NT he is unlikely to regard the ace as a wasted
better to start by showing the spade suit first, to card. In addition, you have a major suit which you
avoid missing a fit if partner is 4-5 in the majors. can bid at the one level, and you are bypassing
your short suit, hearts, which will make it harder
Let’s have a look at some responses after a 1t for opponents to come in.
opening from partner:
Hand 5 – 1´. No need for heroics. This is a forcing
bid so keep the auction low, which will help in
Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3 investigating the likely slam or grand slam.
´ Q32 ´ Q32 ´ K42
Hand 6 – 1´. You are strong enough to bid at the
™ J42 ™ J42 ™ J42
t 753 t 753 t 865
two level, but not strong enough to go on if it
® AQ62 ® AK62 ® J753
starts 1t-2®-2t. 2´ after 2t would be game
forcing, so you would need to pass, potentially

112 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

missing a spade fit. It is better to respond in your hand with four hearts and five diamonds.
major suit, and in this way find either of your fits. These hands are far from ideal, and you cannot
Hand 7 – 2®. Now you bid your longer suit. You cater for everything. For example, if partner rebids
are going to game so there is time to find the 1NT, then with our continuations (more to follow),
spade fit later. we would have been better-placed responding 1´
Hand 8 – 1´. You have only four points, but the (we can still find a 5-4 spade fit, but might miss a 5-
spades are too long to pass. 3 spade fit and play in a 5-2 heart fit).
At this point it is time to take stock. One can start
Hand 9 – Pass. Yes you have six clubs, but you are
getting very clever with responding, and many
not strong enough to bid 2®, so if you respond
people may wish to backtrack at this point to ‘with
you would have to bid 1NT, which doesn’t show
both minors, your respond 2t over 1™’. The
your hand type or your strength. Better to pass.
principles up to here will serve you well. If you are
RESPONDING WITH TWO FIVE-CARD SUITS going to vary from these principles as we have said
This is an area that many people find difficult. above, then I would suggest do so with caution.
Whilst with 4-4 in two suits you normally respond Always bear in mind your continuations, for
the next suit up (so for example, with hearts and example over 1NT and 2NT rebids, since it is very
clubs, respond 1™ over 1t, rather than 2®), with 5- easy in some methods to find yourself really stuck,
5 you normally respond the higher-ranking suit and wish you’d done something else!
(which may or may not be the next suit). For RESPONDING WITH A MINOR SUIT FIT
example, with both majors you would respond 1´
over 1t. With spades and clubs you would also We play inverted minor suit raises, where raising
respond 1´. the minor to the two level is at least 9 or 10 points,
and forcing to three of the minor. A direct raise to
With both minors, you respond 2t over 1™. [For the three level is 6-8/9 points, usually with five-card
less experienced players this might be a time to skip support (a more balanced hand, with four-card
the next few paragraphs, and they certainly come support without a major, would simply respond
with a health warning!] 1NT). With less than six points, and five-card
This works well on game forcing hands, for support (occasionally four) we can bid 2NT, a pre-
example, with: emptive bid aiming to play in three of a minor. This
bid can work particularly well, not least as some
´K3 ™4 tAJ1042 ®KQ742
opponents think it is a free invitation to come in,
you can start the auction 1™-2t, 2™-3®, nicely thinking, ‘they are weak and have a fit, so it must be
showing both suits. However, it works less well on ok!’ Of course the opening hand may well be an 18-
weaker hands. With: 19 strong balanced hand. Note that inverted minors
´53 ™4 tAJ1042 ®KQ742 only apply when opponents do not bid over your
bid – it is suicidal to play inverted minors after
you only have enough for one bid if partner is weak.
opponents overcall.
If it starts 1™-2t, 2™ you haven’t enough to go on,
but you could be playing in a 5-1 heart fit, having The result of all this is that if the auction starts
missed a 5-4 or even 5-5 club fit. On this hand we 1t-1NT, then the 1NT bidder should not have a
might therefore respond 2®, allowing partner to major suit, but could well have four-card diamond
raise clubs or rebid diamonds. If he rebids 2™ you support, but equally could have 3·3·1·6 shape. What
may still be in a poor fit, but at least you won’t have opener does know is, that if he has five diamonds
missed a big minor suit fit. and four clubs, there is bound to be a fit in one of
the minors.
In a similar way, with 5-5 majors and a weak
hand, we may respond 1™. For example, with: Generally if we raise the minor straight away, we
will not have a major suit, and the only exception to
´A8654 ™QJ865 t3 ®64 this is that we may hide a major with a very weak
we would bid 1™ after which we will always be able hand, and we would hide majors with game forcing
to find a 5-4 major suit fit. If you bid 1´ on this hands with a four-card major. However, with 11
hand, then you cannot really do anything but pass a points and four hearts and four diamonds, we
2t rebid, which may well be a minimum opening respond 1™ over 1t.
Continued

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 Note: This article does not cover responding with 2´, but that would show 9-11 points. On the other
a major suit fit – this has already been covered in the hand, if you had
previous article. It also does not consider how the
´KJ5432 ™75 t876 ®86
auction proceeds after an inverted minor (it is easy
after a 2NT or three of a minor bid, but there are we might respond 1´, happy to give preference back
many more possibilities after the simple raise). to diamonds if partner bids 2®. In sequences where
there is lots of room, such as 1t-1´-1NT, we allow
WEAK JUMP SHIFTS AT THE TWO LEVEL responder still to rebid 2´ weak, even though you
This is a fairly recent addition to our system, might think he should have already responded 2´ to
played by many players who appear to gloss over 1t. This is because there are various hand types,
their weaknesses. The idea is that strong jump shifts such as the one above, where we would choose to
are quite rare and can be bid in other ways, while bid 1´ rather than 2´.
with weak hands it is useful to describe them
straight away, thus pre-empting the opponents. And STRONG JUMP SHIFTS
they can certainly be very effective. It works like We do still play some strong jump shifts, but
this: because jump shifts at the two level are weak jump
1t-2´ = 5-8 points, with at least a six-card suit. raises, and the 3® response to one of a major is two
1t-1´, 2®-2´ = Constructive, with around 9-11 way (see earlier article on raising the major), there are
(or 12) points. only four sequences left:

1t-1´, 2®-3´ = Game forcing, with at least six very 1´-3™, 1´-3t, 1™-3t, 1t-3®.
good spades (the sort of hand that playing strong These show 16+ points with a six-card suit, deny
jump shifts would bid 1t-2´, 3®-3´). Opener three-card support for partner, deny a second suit
can bid 3NT or rebid their first suit (both of these for partner that you want to show, and will have an
natural and discouraging), or cuebid for spades. easy rebid. Thus far, this is what I would expect to
Note the existence of very good spades for the play sitting down with a new partner (although I
second round jump rebid. Without this you bid 4th wouldn’t be sure whether partner might have three-
suit forcing, or if the auction starts 1t-1´-2t we card support for a jump shift).
use an artificial 2™ ‘step one’ bid.
Over this we have slightly codified the responses,
Over the weak jump shift, we play new suits are as there are not many things that opener might
forcing, rebidding your suit is to play, jumps are want to show:
shortages with a slam try, and 2NT is the same as we
play over our weak two opening bids. 1™-3t, 3™ = Neutral bid, denying a three-card fit,
balanced no trump or sixth heart (‘step 1’ as we
One major flaw of the weak jump system is what know it). Over this responder bids 4t or 4® to
to bid on hands like this after partner opens 1t:
set diamonds, 3NT natural (non forcing), and 3´
´Q532 ™A75432 t3 ®53 shows uncertainty.
The values and heart length would suggest 2™, 1™-3t, 3´ = six-card heart suit (‘step 2’, showing
but the presence of the spade suit coupled with the the obvious feature that responder may be
lack of heart pips suggest to me responding 1™. If interested in). Similar bids for responder, but 4®
partner then bids 2®, I think you have to rebid 2™, and 4™ both agree hearts now.
and apologise later to partner for miscounting your
points. 1™-3t, 3NT = Doubleton diamond and at least 15
points, forcing.
You may note that earlier we said we would
respond 1´ to 1t with this: 1™-3t, 4® or 4t = Agrees diamonds, slam try.
´KJ5432 ™75 t86 ®876 1™-3t, 4™ = Good hearts but slam unsuitable.
In fact we would respond 2´, even though we are Note that after 1´-3™ there is not enough room,
slightly weaker than we would like to be. If the so 3´ is either neutral or could be long spades not
auction started 1t-1´, 2® you would want to bid liking hearts. 4®, 4t and 4™ all agree hearts.

114 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

Let’s finish with a few hands. Partner opens 1™: Hand 10 – 2´. If only life was so easy. The hand
that weak jump shifts are made for, quite possibly
talking opponents out of competing in three of a
Hand 10 Hand 11 minor.
´ Q J 10 9 5 3 ´ 3
™ 52 ™ 52 Hand 11 – 3t. Traditional strong jump shift, and
t K5 t AKQJ643 nice to show a strong hand before opponents have
® 987 ® AQ3 time to get their act together in spades.

Hand 12 Hand 13
Hand 12 – 3®. Actually a two-way bid in our style,
´ 3 ´ AKQJ642 that could have been a heart limit raise, but you
™ 52 ™ 52 will carry on to show clubs.
t AQ3 t AQ3 Hand 13 – 1´. This time you have to start low.
® AKQJ643 ® 3
When partner rebids you can bid 3´ (or in some
cases something else) to show this hand. r

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 EW
N

Acol Unveiled 11 by Chris Jagger

The 1NT rebid click

link

O
ur philosophy with balanced hands is very 1®-1™, 1NT
simple. If you are within range, you open a
2® = Relay to 2t. Could have long diamonds
weak no trump, which shows 12-14 points, wanting to play there, or an invitational hand, or
but could be 11 or 15 points. We don’t worry about some game forcing hands. Mostly it is
having weak doubletons, and we don’t worry too invitational.
much about point range. There is a tactical
2t = Transfer to 2™. Either wishing to play in 2™, or
advantage to opening 1NT, so rather than a game forcing hand with at least five hearts.
deliberating at length about whether a 15 count is
2™ = Weak with four spades and at least five hearts
really only worth 14 points, or a 14 count is really
(occasionally may have five spades).
worth 15, we accept that bridge is not an exact
science and plump for what feels right. 2´ = 4-4 majors, invitational (and so non forcing).

If we are out of range, we open the lower of our 2NT = Invitational, in principal denying four
spades or five hearts.
suits (or sometimes 1t with 4-4 in the minors), and
rebid 1NT, bypassing other suits. Thus 1®-1™- 3®/t = four hearts and five-card minor,
1NT-P shows 15-17 points and could miss a 4-4 invitational.
spade fit. This may seem silly when you could have 3™ = Game forcing, with a good six-card suit. (In
rebid 1´ over 1™, but there is a benefit in showing truth there are so many ways to bid this that it is
the nature of your hand, it is better to get the almost redundant.)
stronger hand playing 1NT, and most of the time 3´/4®/4t = Voids, auto-agreeing hearts.
the spade fit can be found later. When it does start Little more needs to be said about the
1t-1™-1´, this is known to be 5-4, and even 1®- continuations to most of these. Note that after 1®-
1™-1´ is known to be 5-4 or else a 4144 hand shape. 1™, 1NT-2t, 2™, if responder doesn’t pass, then it is
Note, we play 1™-1´-1NT as 12-17, for reasons to game forcing. Thus, for example, bidding 3NT is
showing five hearts and offering a choice of games;
be discussed later.
bidding 2NT is forcing and natural (could have a
We also routinely bid 1NT when in range with say four-card minor), while three of a minor is showing
a 1435 shape: 1®-1´-1NT could easily be a 5-5. Jumps are splinters, auto-agreeing hearts, with
singleton spade – surely you would prefer to show exactly a singleton, and a serious slam try. Note we
the strength of the hand rather than overstretch to would only bid 2t, 2™-2NT for a reason, so
2™, which may well push you too high on a misfit. opener’s aim is to describe their hand as accurately
Here you are unlikely to miss a heart fit as, if partner as possible (by showing support, a fifth card in your
has hearts, he must have five spades, and will opened suit, an undisclosed minor, and so on).
continue over 1NT. Likewise a 2326 hand would The complicated bid after a 1NT opener rebid is
usually bid 1®-1´-1NT rather than jumping to 3®. 2®, which compels partner to bid 2t, which can be
passed. Most other continuations show an
The 1NT rebid is a common sequence, so it is invitational hand and are non forcing.
worth having some methods over it. In truth, while
many people play needlessly bad methods over the
1®-1™, 1NT-2®, 2t
1NT rebid, there are plenty of good methods too. 2™ = five hearts, invitational.
Ours is based on transfers. 2´ = four spades, five hearts, invitational.

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2NT = Various game forcing hands, or weak with though with two main differences.
clubs (opener must bid 3® over this). Note this 1®-1´, 1NT
cannot be a natural invite as that would either
2t = Transfer to hearts. Opener should show
raise to 2NT immediately, or rebid 2™ over 2t.
preference for the major (2™ will not necessarily
3® = Invitational hands with five hearts and four or show four-card support).
five clubs.
2´ = Weak hand with five spades and four of
3t = Invitational hands with five hearts and five opener’s minor.
diamonds. More details follow in the system notes.
3™ = Invitational with at least six hearts. Things are actually much more simple after 1®-
3´/4®/4t = Splinters with a singleton, and only 1t, 1NT, when most bids are natural (for example
mild slam interest. 2™ is a natural game force with four hearts and five
diamonds), and 2® is an enquiry. Thus
3NT = 4-4 majors.
1®-1t, 1NT-2®
Before moving on, plan the strategy on the
following hands (answers at the end), in which the 2t = Denies a major if the hand is minimum range.
After this responder can bid 2NT invitational,
auction starts 1®-1™,1NT:
with the major fit being found later if there is
one, or two of a major to show a game forcing
Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
hand with the other major. They can also bid
´ 63 ´ 63 ´ K 10 6 3
3NT to show both majors.
™ A864 ™ AQ864 ™ AQ864
t 10 4 t 10 5 4 t K4 2™/2´ = Natural and minimum. Raising these to
® K J 10 3 2 ® K J 10 ® 95 3™/´ is forcing, as there is no point inviting when
partner’s range is already known.
Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 6
When both majors have been bid the system is
´ K 10 6 3 ´ K 10 6 3 ´ 2
™ AQ86 ™ AJ86 ™ AQJ864
also rather different. 1™-1´, 1NT is 12-17 points
t K43 t 10 4 3 t K42 (could be 11 points), and shows five hearts, as we
® 95 ® 95 ® K53 would raise spades with four spades, or open a
minor suit with 3-4 or 2-4 in the majors (note a
3·4·3·3 shape would open 1®, so 1™ is always five
or 4-4 majors).
The only bid that needs more explanation is the
following sequence (which to some extent you Of course the disadvantage of a wide ranging
might rarely use – there is so much space over 1NT rebid like this is that a lot of the time responder
that you can show a lot of hand types). cannot pass 1NT, so you may wonder whether this
is an effective style. In truth, the only good way out
1®-1™, 1NT-2®, 2t-2NT, 3® of this issue is to open 1NT with all balanced hands
3t = 4·4·4·1 shape with a minor singleton, serious with a five-card heart suit, but this has its own
interest in slam or five of a minor. disadvantages and we would prefer not to have to
3™ = 4-4 majors hand, interest in slam. do this.
3´ = four hearts and four of the unbid minor, some Alternatively some people rebid 2™ on the 12-14
slam interest. hands (which takes you past 1NT anyway, and you
lose the definition that this shows a six-card suit),
3NT = four hearts, one spade, and at least four in or rebid a minor (which again takes you past 1NT
partner’s opened suit (here clubs). Primarily anyway, and has many disadvantages in your
judging in the first instance whether to play in constructive bidding). It is surely better to rebid
3NT. With a stronger hand you can bid 4® 1NT, show the nature of the hand, get to play in
instead of 3NT to force partner to bid. 1NT at least some of the time, safe in the knowledge
When the auction starts 1t-1™, 1NT the that if you weren’t playing a wide range rebid, you
continuations are almost identical, while when wouldn’t get to play in 1NT any of the time with the
partner responds 1´, they are mostly the same, weak hand.

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 1™-1´, 1NT
1NT REBID QUIZ TIME
2® = Range and shape enquiry, used by all hands
interested in game with five spades, and some
other hands. West East
Hands 1-6
shown 1® 1™
2t = Range enquiry, used only on hands with four earlier 1NT
spades or 6+spades.
2™/´ = To play.
Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
2NT/3-level = Invites opposite 11-13 hands ´ 63 ´ 63 ´ K 10 6 3
(balanced/5-5 hands). ™ A864 ™ AQ864 ™ AQ864
t 10 4 t 10 5 4 t K4
4m = Splinter, auto-agreeing spades, with interest
® K J 10 3 2 ® K J 10 ® 95
opposite 11-14. (To agree hearts with a splinter,
go via 2®.) Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 6
´ K 10 6 3 ´ K 10 6 3 ´ 2
1™-1´, 1NT-2® ™ AQ86 ™ AJ86 ™ AQJ864
2t = 11-14 (will include five hearts), then bidding t K43 t 10 4 3 t K42
® 95 ® 95 ® K53
at the two level is to play, at the three level is game
forcing, with 3´ showing 5+ spades.
Hand 7 Hand 8
2™ = 15-16 with five hearts and at most two spades. 1®-1™, 1NT 1®-1´, 1NT
Raising to 3™ is forcing, due to the narrow range ´ 2 ´ KQ842
of the 2™ bid. ™ A642 ™ QJ54
t K653 t A3
2´ = 15-16 points with five hearts and three spades. ® K976 ® 54
Bidding 3™ or 3´ is forcing, due to the narrow
Hand 9 Hand 10
range of the 2´ bid.
1™-1´, 1NT 1™-1´, 1NT
2NT = 16-17 points with five hearts and any ´ AQ742 ´ QJ42
number of spades. ™ J3 ™ 3
t K654 t 4
3™ = 15-17 points with six hearts. ® Q6 ® QJ65432

1™-1´, 1NT-2t, 2™/´/NT = 11-13/14-15/16-17

points, then any bids up to 3t are to play, 3™ and ANSWERS
3´ are natural and game forcing (with 3´
showing at least six – a hand with only five spades
Hand 1 – 1®-1™, 1NT-3® showing an invite with
would start with 2®). 4® and 4t are splinters four hearts.
auto-agreeing spades.
Hand 2 – 1®-1™, 1NT-2t, 2™-3NT, offering a
In truth this system is hardly revolutionary, and choice between 3NT and 4™.
there are many things that would work, not least as Hand 3 – 1®-1™, 1NT-2t, 2™-2´, game forcing
opener is known to have five hearts. We would have with four spades and five hearts. With an invite
preferred to keep 2t as a natural response, but the you would have started with 2®, allowing partner
to pass 2´ with a 4-4 spade fit and a minimum.
2® bid struggled to fit in everything conveniently.
Hand 4 – 1®-1™, 1NT-2®, 2t-3NT, showing 4-4 in
Here are a few more hands where you have to the majors.
plan the auction (Hands 7-10), plus the original six
Hand 5 – 1®-1™, 1NT-2´, 4-4 majors, invitational.
with answers.

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Hand 6 – 1®-1™, 1NT-2t, 2™-3´, showing a CONTINUATIONS AFTER
singleton with a serious slam try in hearts. 1®-1™, 1NT-2®, 2t
Hand 7 – 1®-1™, 1NT-2®, 2t-2NT, 3®-3NT. An Pass = To play.
interesting sequence – 2® forces 2t, and 2NT
2™ = Invitation with 5+ hearts.
forces 3®, now responder can show his singleton
spade with club support. Opener might have 2´ = 4-5 in the majors, invitational.
´543 ™K3 tAQ2 ®AQJ43 2NT = Puppet to 3® (see below), either to play
there, or game forcing. *
when you avoid going off in 3NT, and probably
even bid the cold slam. 3® = Invitational with five hearts, four or five clubs.
Hand 8 – 1®-1´, 1NT-2t, 2™/´-3NT. Use the 2t 3t = 5-5 invitational.
bid to show four hearts, and then remember 3™ = six-card suit, invitational.
partner is only choosing between the two suits, he
3NT = 4-4 in the majors, choice of game between
is not necessarily showing a fit. So you bid 3NT,
3NT and 4´.
having shown your major suit lengths, and let
partner decide. 3´/4m = Auto-splinter, mild slam try (Weaker than
using 2t transfer).
Hand 9 – 1™-1´, 1NT-2®, any bid-3´. It feels like
this sequence shows six spades, but in fact we play 4™ = Mild slam try, no shortage.
it only to be 5+. Most hands with six will go via * 2®, 2t-2NT, 3® (forced) then:
2t.
Pass = To play.
Hand 10 – 1™-1´, 1NT-2t, any bid-3®. This hand
3t = 4-4 in the majors, FG 3-suiter. Now:
looks like a shocker for no trumps. You don’t care
about his point count, but find out anyway, as it 3™ asks, over which 3´ = four clubs, 3NT =
allows you to sign off in 3®. 4t.
3´ = Natural, over which responder may bid
4m slam try with shortage.
3™ = 4-4 in the majors, at least mild slam
interest. [Natural continuations]
EXTRA SYSTEM NOTES 3´ = Slam try with four hearts, four diamonds
(ie the unbid minor).
CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1®-1™, 3NT = 3-suiter with short spades, typically
1NT (15-17) 1·4·4·4, NF.
2® = Puppet to 2t (ie forces partner to bid 2t). 4® = Slam try 1·4·4·4, forcing to 4NT.
Usually will be 5 hearts, invitational. CONTINUATIONS AFTER
2t = Shows 5+ hearts. either sign off or game 1®-1™, 1NT-2t, 2™
forcing. Opener must complete. 3™ = Slam try (then 3NT natural/discouraging).
2™ = 4-5 in the majors, weak. 2´ = Game forcing natural, at least four spades and
2´ = 4-4 in the majors, invitational NF (start with five hearts
2® if game forcing). 2NT = FG lurk with five hearts (expecting partner
2NT = Invitational. to describe his hand).
3®/t = Natural, invitational, with only 4 hearts 3m = 5/5 (can bid 2NT with 5/4 hands)
3™ = Natural FG, choice of games with good 6-card 3NT = Choice of games with 5M, Opener is allowed
suit. No slam interest. to pass with 3M.
3´/4®/t = Void auto-splinters. Splinters = Show a serious slam try (better than
going via 2®).
3NT = To play.
4™ = To play.

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 CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1®-1´, 1NT 2NT = Natural.
(MOSTLY AS AFTER 1®-1™, 1NT ABOVE) 3m = Natural, invitational.
2® = Puppet to 2t, then 2™ is 5-5 majors weak, 3™ 3M/4® = Void auto-splinter.
is 5-5 majors invite.
3NT = Natural.
2t = Transfer to hearts, 5-4+. Opener assumes
initially a weak 5-4. Responder’s continuations CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1™-1´, 1NT
are invitational at two level; FG natural (GOOD 11-17)
patterning out at three level (3´ usually a strong 2® = Range and shape enquiry; 2® then jump to
5·4·2·2, with 6-4 you start by transferring to 4m = splinter for hearts whatever the response.
spades).
2t = Range enquiry, not asking about shape at this
2™ = Transfer to spades. 2™, 2´-3™ shows 6-4, then
stage. Denies five spades, but may have 6+.
3´ agrees spades, 4m cues for hearts.
2™/´ = To play.
2´ = five spades and four clubs, weak.
3™ = 6-5 in majors, FG. 2NT/3-level = Invitational opposite 11-13, 3m
shows 5-5.
After 1m-1´, 1NT-2t, 2´-3®/t (pattern, ie
naturally showing 5431 shape), 3´ by opener is 4m = Auto-splinter, interest opposite 11-14.
definitely 3-card support as a hand with a 4™ = To play (1NT showed a 5th heart).
doubleton spade but doubt about NT can just bid
3™ (having denied four hearts earlier).
AFTER 1™-1´, 1NT-2®
CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1®-1t, 1NT (15-
17) 2t = 11-14, then two level is to play, three level is
GF (inc 3™). 3´ is five spades.
2® = Enquiry. Opener bids a 4-card major only
with a minimum, else 2t. Then over 2t: 2™ = 15-16, five hearts, not three spades. Then 2´ =
to play, 3any = FG.
2M = GF, with other major
2NT = Natural invite with a major; opener bids 2´ = 15-16, 3-5 in majors.
major with a maximum. 2NT/3™ = 16-17 points (any spade length)/six
3® = Natural, FG. hearts, 15-17.
3t = Natural, FG.
3M/4® = Auto-splinter.
AFTER 1™-1´-1NT-2t
3NT = Both majors. 2™/2´/2NT = 11-13/14-15/16-17. Then

Over other 2M responses to 2®, all is the same or 3m = Canapé, to play (so this is the way to
obvious. Eg 3NT over 2™ shows spades, 2®- ‘transfer out’ to 3m, which could be very weak,
2´, 3™ & 2®-2™, 3´ are still auto-splinters, and or a hand that once it finds out the range, wants
2®-2™, 3™ is natural GF. to play here).
2t = Natural, to play. 3´ = Forcing with 6-card suit.
2M = Natural 4-5, GF. 4m = Auto-splinter setting spades. r

120 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 NEW
Acol Unveiled 12 by Chris Jagger

The 2NT rebid click

link

A
fter considering the 1NT rebid, we will 1®-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™
consider the 2NT rebid, which is harder as
3NT = to play (was interested in a 4-4 spade fit).
there is less space. There are two very
different sequences – when partner has responded 3´ = 4-5 in the majors, could be just game or
at the one level, and when he has responded at the looking for slam.
two level. 4®/t = Natural slam try, with exactly 4 hearts.
WHEN PARTNER RESPONDS AT THE 1 LEVEL In summary, if you have four spades you start
with 3t (but this doesn’t guarantee spades). If you
1®-1™, 2NT (18-19 POINTS, BALANCED, have six hearts you start with 3™. If you have exactly
NON FORCING). five hearts and at least four cards in partner’s minor,
3® = Either wants to play in 3™, or any game you start with 3´. Otherwise, if you have exactly five
forcing hand with five hearts (unless it also has hearts you start with 3®, which is also the way to
four spades or four of opener’s suit). Opener bids sign off in 3™.
3t without heart support, and 3™ with. More details are given in the online system file,
3t = Enquiry for spades, either four spades and 4+ but for now, here are some hands to bid, after it
hearts, or slam try with exactly four hearts and a starts 1®-1™, 2NT. Give your next bid and think
minor. how the auction will continue (answers with the
quiz, p122)
3™ = 6+ hearts, forcing.
3´ = five hearts and four clubs (opener’s suit), Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
interest in slam. ´ 543 ´ K642 ´ K642
4®/t = Splinter bid, auto agreeing hearts. ™ QJ6543 ™ A9532 ™ AQ532
t 543 t 53 t 5
AFTER IT STARTS 1®-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t ® 2 ® 64 ® A64
3™ = to play. (Any other bid shows exactly five
Hand 4 Hand 5
hearts.)
´ K64 ´ K64
3´ = 5 hearts and 4 diamonds (the unbid minor), ™ A9532 ™ KQ9754
slam try. t Q53 t A2
3NT = to play (was interested in playing in a 5-3 ® Q4 ® 64
heart fit).
After it starts 1®-1™, 2NT-3®, 3™, a heart fit is So what happens over the 1´ response? Most of
now known, so all bids agree hearts, except 3NT is this is similar, with 3t being used in a similar way
offering a choice of contracts, and 4NT is a non to above. This time, when it has four hearts, it will
forcing slam invite, with known heart fit. automatically have at least five spades, and the
responses are that 3´ shows three spades without
AFTER IT STARTS 1®-1™, 2NT-3t: four hearts, and any other hand bids 3™ (which
3´ = shows four spades (any other hand bids 3™). therefore has either four hearts, or at most two
After this 3NT is a mild slam try without spades spades).
(thus with 4-4 in hearts and diamonds), 4®/t are If it starts 1™-1´, 2NT the system is similar, but
slam try cues for spades. 3t reverts to being natural.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 121

 If it starts 1®-1t, 2NT then the system is entirely opening values (enough to force to game, otherwise
natural (with 3t being forcing), except that 3® is a he would have bid 1™ rather than 2®), so slam is a
relay to 3t (which could then be passed). This definite possibility. Over this, 3´ expresses doubt
allows responder to then show a major by bidding about the fourth suit (which they are likely to lead),
the other major, or show both majors by bidding 4® is natural with interest in slam, and 4t is the
3NT. There are more details in the ensuing system only way to agree hearts (other than bidding 4™),
file. again with interest in slam.
WHEN PARTNER RESPONDS AT THE The final sequence we haven’t considered is
TWO LEVEL 1´-2™, 2NT. We have a fundamental principle in
our system – whenever you bid one major and
In this sequence the 2NT bid is game forcing (as
partner bids the other, we play some complex
the two-level response has shown enough to go to
system to try to cope with the devilish problem of
game opposite a balanced 15-16 count), but it is having both majors!
wide ranging, being in the 15-19 range.
There is in truth a good reason why this is a
1™-2®/t, 2NT problem sequence, which revolves around the
(Note for us opener will have five hearts or 4-4 problems people have in Acol of dealing with heart
majors.) raises in this sequence. For many people there are a
3NT, 3´ and 3™ = all natural. vast number of hands that might raise hearts, with
3™ being non-forcing, and all other hands bidding
3t = Shows a six-card minor, or 5-5 minors, and a 4™ or 4 of a minor, with virtually no room to find
singleton, not in hearts. This is primarily aiming out if slam is on. We shall consider this in the next
to find the right game rather than slam. Opener article.
bids 3NT to play opposite either singleton, or 3´
with 4-4 in the majors (we assume that four
spades is enough of a spade stop, so this should 2NT REBID QUIZ TIME
have weak clubs), or 3™ with five hearts (which
could be weak in spades or clubs – partner bids
3´ with a spade singleton, and 3NT with a club West East
Hands 1-5
singleton). shown 1® 1™
earlier 2NT
3® = Enquiry with slam interest. There is a fair
amount of complexity but in essence: Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
3t = 15-17, any hand shape, after which 3™ asks ´ 543 ´ K642 ´ K642
for three-card support (with 3´ showing ™ QJ6543 ™ A9532 ™ AQ532
support, 3NT denying support, and 4m being t 543 t 53 t 5
support and slam suitable); 3´ shows three ® 2 ® 64 ® A64
hearts.
Hand 4 Hand 5
3™ = 18-19 with five hearts (over which 3´ asks ´ K64 ´ K64
for three-card minor support). ™ A9532 ™ KQ9754
3´ = 18-19, 4432 with three-card support for the t Q53 t A2
minor. ® Q4 ® 64

3NT = 18-19, 4432 with only doubleton support

Hands 6-8 West East
for the minor.
1™ 2t
After 1´-2m, 2NT the bids are similar, though we 2NT
don’t need to find a heart fit, so 3™ is naturalish,
implying shortage in the fourth suit, and 3t is Hand 6 Hand 7 Hand 8
implying shortage in hearts. ´ K64 ´ 753 ´ 42
™ Q53 ™ KQ3 ™ K5
After 1t-2®, 2NT the principles are similar, t AJ853 t Q J 10 6 4 2 t AQ643
though it is worth stressing here that if it starts ® 42 ® 3 ® KJ43
1t-2®, 2NT-3™ responder is known to hold

122 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 1m-1M, 2NT-3® = Sign off or exactly five hearts,
ANSWERS opener bids 3t without support, or shows
support:

Hand 1 – 1®-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t-3™. You simply want 1m-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t/3™ = Not three-card
to play in 3™, so you start with 3®. support/any hand with three-card support.

Hand 2 – 1®-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´, 3NT. You start 1m-1´, 2NT-3®, 3t/3™/3´ = Not three-card
with 3t, which doesn’t show four spades, but asks support/no trumpy hand with three-card
opener to bid them if he has them. He denies this support/three-card support normal bid.
by bidding 3™. You now confirm four spades and 1m-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t-3™/3´/3NT = To play/slam
show the fifth heart, allowing the heart fit to be try with 5+M, 4+in unbid minor/
found if there is one. five hearts NF.
Hand 3 – 1®-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´, 3NT-4®. You 1m-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t-4®/4t/4NT = 1·5·(3·4)
follow the same route as on the previous hand, three-card support for m/5·3·3·2 three-card
but this time when you find no fit, you soldier on support for m/natural, invitational.
showing your club fragment (and thus a singleton
diamond). An amazing sequence to be able to 1m-1´, 2NT-3®, 3t-3™/3´/NT/4®/t/NT =
show the exact shape after partner took up so Slam try with unbid minor/to play/five spades
much room with his leap to 2NT! ·NF/5·13·4/5·3·3·2 3m/natural invite.
Hand 4 – 1®-1™, 2NT-3®, 3™-3NT. You can bid 3®
here, find out about the heart fit, and then offer 1m-1M, 2NT-3OM = Slam try with 5+M, 4+ in
3NT. In truth, you might simply raise this hand to opener’s minor
3NT.
1m-1´, 2NT-3®, 3t-3™ = Slam try with four in
Hand 5 – 1®-1™, 2NT-3™, showing at least six unbid minor – would bid 3t directly over 2NT
hearts, potentially with slam interest. with hearts.
Hand 6 – 1™-2t, 2NT-3™, showing heart support 1m-1™, 2NT-3®, 3™-3´/4m/4om = balanced slam
and no particular desire for slam.
try/natural slam try/natural slam try.
Hand 7 – 1™-2t, 2NT-3t, 3´-4™. You show a
1m-1™, 2NT-3®, 3™-3NT/4NT = Offers a
shortage somewhere; if partner bids 3´ (which
choice/invitational to slam, both with five hearts.
denies five hearts and shows worry about clubs),
you try to find the best contract, opting for the 4- 1m-1´, 2NT-3®, 3™-3´/3NT/4m or 4om/4™/4NT
3 heart fit. In the Spring Foursomes a few years = To play/To play/natural slam try/balanced slam
back this hand was flat in 3NT off the club suit, try/nat invitational
after 1™-2t, 2NT-3™, 3NT. 1m-1´, 2NT-3®, 3´-3NT/4m/4om/4NT =
Hand 8 – 1™-2t, 2NT-3®, 3™-3´, 4® etc. 3® is Balanced slam try (since partner has not bid 3™,
your way to ask about partner’s hand, and after he there is no need to offer 3NT as a
shows 18-19, you can ask if he has three-card contract)/natural slam try/natural slam
support for your diamond suit. try/natural invitational all with five spades.

EXTRA SYSTEM NOTES 1m-1M, 2NT-3t = 2-way: (i) 4(+)OM (maybe

4/4MM after 1™ response) OR (ii) slam try in a
CONTINUATIONS AFTER A ONE LEVEL minor (not 5M).
RESPONSE (2NT SHOWS 18-19 BALANCED)
1m-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™/´ = Denies/shows four
1m-1M, 2NT-3®/3t/3M/3OM = Ask for three- spades. [Doesn’t show or deny three-card heart
card support/enquiry for 4OM/single-suited support at this stage.]
slam try/5M+4 Opener’s minor.
1m-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´ = At least 4-5 in majors.
1®-1´, 2NT-4®/t/™ = Auto-splinter, agreeing (Now 3NT no fit, 4m cue agreeing hearts, 4™
spades. weaker).

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 123

 1m-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™-3NT/4m = To play (4-4 be vital after a 1® opening for finding a club slam,
majors)/natural slam try in bid minor, exactly or a 4·6·2·1 hand that wants to try for slam in
four hearts. hearts, but otherwise would have no way to show
1m-1´, 2NT-3t, 3™/´ = four hearts OR no fit for this hand.
majors/three spades without four hearts. [Don’t 1®-1™, 2NT-3´ (5-4 hearts and clubs), 3NT-
bid 3NT at this stage.] 4®/t/™/´ = Natural/6-4 slam try/to play/3·5·1·4
1m-1´, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´ = 5+/4+ majors. (Now [Note here there is no need to show 1·5·3·4 shape
3NT no fit, 4m cue agreeing hearts, 4™ weaker). with 4t, so it is simply used as the 6-4 hand.]

1m-1´, 2NT-3t, 3™-3NT/4m = Slam try in a 1®-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t-3´ (five hearts, four
minor (exactly four spades) milder/stronger slam diamonds), 3NT-4®/t/´ = 6-4 slam try/5-5/to
try in minor play/3·5·4·1. [Note here that a 1·5·4·3 shape
would bid 4® instead of 3´, so there is no need
1m-1M, 2NT-3t, 3´-3NT/4m/4NT/5NT = Slam for 4® to be patterning out after 3´-3NT.]
try in a minor (not 5M)/cue for
spades/invitational 4M+m/F 4M+m 1®-1™, 2NT-3®, 3t-4®/t = 1·5·4·3/5·3·3·2 with
three-card club support.
1m-1M, 2NT-3t, 3™-4™ = 5-5 majors weak. Note
here with a weak hand with 5-5 majors, you 1®-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´ (4-5 majors), 3NT-4®/t =
might well respond 1™ (to avoid missing a heart 4·5·1·3/4-6 hand.
fit by responding 1´ and having partner rebid 2t 1t-1™, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´, 3NT-4®/t = 4-6
on 2·4·5·2 shape), and you can show this over the majors/4·5·3·1 (can’t show 4·5·1·3 with as limited
2NT rebid. room and not so critical with shortage in
1m-1´, 2NT-3t, 3™-3´, 3NT-4m/4™ = partner’s suit).
Fragment/5-5 forcing.
CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1t-2®, 2NT
After, 1™-1´, 2NT-3® still acts as an enquiry for Similar to 1™-2m, 2NT, with 3® looking for
three-card support, but opener may additionally range and support for clubs or 5-3 diamond fit,
respond 3™ with six (then P/3´ to play, 4® = 5-5, denies a major.
4t = agrees hearts). 1t-2®, 2NT-3´, 4t/™ = Spade support (as below
1™-1´, 2NT-3®, 3t-3any = To play. after 1™).

1®-1t, 2NT-3® = Puppet to 3t (includes hands 1t-2®, 2NT-3™, 3´ = Denies heart support and
trying to sign off), 3t over 2NT is six diamonds, shows some worry about spades. Later 4®/t bids
and no major. are natural.

1®-1t, 2NT-3®, 3t-3M = four-card other major 1t-2®, 2NT-3™, 4t = Only way to try in hearts.
4-4 or no slam interest 4-5 etc (then natural
continuations). CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1™-2®/t, 2NT
1®-1t, 2NT-3®, 3t-3NT/4®/4t/4M = 4·4·4·1 3® = Enquiry with slam interest. All hands only
NF/2·2·5·4/5-3 minors no shortage/shortage with interested in slam opp 18-19 (including 4·3·1·5).
5-4 minors. After any response, 4® on the next round by
1®-1t, 2NT-3®, 3t-4NT = Slam try with some responder is natural, 4M-1 agrees the major.
club support, so expecting 5-3 minors. 3t = 15-17 any. Then
1®-1t, 2NT-3M = natural 4-5 (or 4-6+) with slam 3™ asks for three-card support (3´/NT/4m =
interest. Yes/No/Yes and suitable).
After 1m-1M, 2NT-3OM, 3NT and analogous 3´ shows three hearts. 3´-3NT-4om =
sequences: 4t = natural, 4® = 2-way: fragment or 4·3·1·5 shape agreeing spades.
good 6/4. The rationale for this is that 4t has to be 4® is 5-5 minors when the response was 2t
specific as you have no room to explore after it, (bid immediately rather than asking).
whereas 4® has a crucial extra bid. This allows you
to show for example a 4·5·1·3 hand type, that could 3™ = 18-19 with five hearts. Now

124 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 3´/4®/4t asks for minor CONTINUATIONS AFTER 1´-2®/t, 2NT
support/natural/agrees hearts
1´-2m, 2NT-3®/3t/3™/3´ = Enquiry with slam
3´ = 18-19, 4·4·3·2 with support. Now interest/length in unbid minor, so shortage in
4™ agrees spades, 4® and 4t both hearts/natural, with shortage in the other
natural.
minor/natural.
3NT = 18-19, 4-4 without three-card
1´-2m, 2NT-4m, 4Om/4™ = RKCB for the
support, then 4™ agrees spades. 4® and
4t both natural. minor/auto-splinter/auto-splinter.

3™ = Normal (but don’t use on a hand only wanting 1´-2m, 2NT-3t/™ = Bid fragments as naturally as
slam with 18-19), 3NT = 4-4, 3´ = 15-17, five possible implying a singleton in 4th suit (ie 3™ =
hearts, may want to play in 3NT. natural, 3t = length in unbid minor). Can be
3™, 3NT (15-19 4-4)-4NT/4Om = Natural/agrees weak 5-5 minors hand, a stronger one bids 3®
spades. Both show interest opposite 15-17. then 4®.

3t = Singleton in an unbid suit, 6-card minor or 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 3t = 15-17, then 3™ asks for a fit,
weak 5-5 minors. Denies four spades. 3´ asks for a sixth spade, maybe three-card
support slam try.
3t, 3NT/3™/3´ = Natural (so stops opposite either
singleton)/Asks with five hearts/4-4 (and 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 3t-3´, 3NT (not six spades)-
assumed to have a spade stop therefore, but not a 4®/t/™/´ = Slam try in spades/natural/cue for
club stop). spades/NF mild invite.
3t, 3™-3´/NT = Spade singleton (may have five 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 3™/´/NT/4® = 18-19; three-card
hearts)/club singleton without three hearts. diamond support/six spades/neither/both.
3t, 3™-4®/t/™ = Club singleton with three hearts 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 3™-3´/3NT/4®/4t/4™ =
and good hand/club singleton with three hearts
suitability ask/NF/slam try in spades/natural/cue
and prime minimum/club singleton and bad
for spades.
hand.
3t, 3´-3NT/4® = Spade singleton/club singleton, 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 3´-3NT/4®/4t/4´ = NF/slam
then 4M suggests a 4-3 fit. try in spades/Natural/NF mild inv (as bid 3®).

3t, 3´-3NT, 4m-4NT = 5-5 weak, finding best 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 3NT-4®/4t/4™/4´ =
game. Otherwise 4t over 4® has some slam natural/natural/slam try in spades/NF mild
interest if well fitting, 4M are finding 4-3 fits. invitational (as bid 3®).
3´ = Natural without three hearts (4·3·5·1 go via 1´-2t, 2NT-3®, 4®-4t/4™/4´ = Sets minor/slam
3™ or 3®). try in spades/NF mild invite (as bid 3®).
4m = RKCB self-agreeing the suit. 1´-2t, 2NT-3´ = Essentially all game hands with
4om/™ = Auto-splinters, strong, prepared to play in three-card support (but opener may cue on a
4NT or 5m opposite a misfitting minimum. slammy 18-19 hand). r

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 125

 EW
Acol Unveiled 13
N

by Chris Jagger

2NT rebids & heart raises after 1´-2™ click

link

W
e have looked at 2NT rebids, but did not partner has. In fact many sequences involving both
consider the auction 1´-2™, 2NT, for the majors are different in our system, which helps us to
simple reason that this is a hugely remember that something funny is going on (for
problematic auction in normal Acol. example, 1™-1´, 1NT is 12-17, while our other 1NT
rebids are 15-17). From many years of playing, I
So what is the problem? Consider when the would suggest the most common system lapses are
auction starts 1´-2™. not actually not knowing the system, but forgetting
You might hold in the heat of the battle that there is some system, so
it is useful to have a way to alert yourself to it.
´KQ642 ™KJ2 t543 ®K4
Thus 1´-2™, 2NT becomes game forcing, either
and raise to 3™ (non-forcing), already worried
with 15-19 balanced, or with a heart fit. In fact we
about getting too high, and wishing you could raise also allow it to have six spades and a poor suit (this
to 2™. Or you may hold is not vital, but we had the space to fit it in, and it is
´AQ642 ™KJ42 t54 ®K4 an awkward hand to bid otherwise).
and want to bid 4™, to make sure of not missing a AFTER 1´-2™ THE HEART RAISES
game. If that were the case, what would you bid with WORK LIKE THIS
´AQ642 ™K42 t5 ®AJ53 or 3™ = Non-forcing raise (with 3´ asking bid the
same as in the 2NT system below).
´AK642 ™KJ42 t2 ®AK3?
3NT = 5·4·2·2 17-19, with four hearts, or could
For many people the only bid left is four of a simply be any heart raise that wants to use RKCB.
minor, but this covers a whole range of hands, with
4®/t = Splinters with four-card support, either
very little way to investigate slam over this.
minimum, or driving the five level.
On the first hand you might try to bid 3® first,
4™ = 5·4·2·2 minimum raise to game (13-14 points).
but when partner bids 4® will he realise that 4™ is
offering a contract rather than a cuebid? Will he 2NT = Includes all other heart raises. That is, 5·4·2·2
realise that you have a 14 count rather than the 15-16, or decent 5-4 hands with a singleton in a
same shape with a 19 count? minor, or game forcing raises with three-card
support. (Of course it will more often simply be
Some people try to solve this by playing 3™ is 15-19 balanced, or could be a strong hand with
forcing, but there is a huge range of strength and six weak spades.)
different hand shapes to unravel, with limited space Let’s consider some hands (answers at the end),
to do so. In addition, it forces you to game on hands after 1´-2™:
with no hope of making, particularly in an age
Having crammed the 2NT full of meanings, you
when opening bids are getting lighter.
need some system to unravel it. After 1´-2™, 2NT:
The fundamental problem is that there simply
isn’t enough space. Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
´ AK543 ´ KQ754 ´ AQ754
The way we cope with this problem is to include
™ K642 ™ K75 ™ K75
many hands in the 2NT rebid. The logic behind this
t KQ3 t AQ4 t AQ43
is simple – it is the cheapest game forcing bid, and ® 4 ® K3 ® 3
therefore the one with most space to sort out what

126 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk

 Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 6 and 4®/t to show the shortage hands (eg 4®
´ KQ543 ´ Q98542 ´ K Q 10 5 3 might be 5·3·4·1 17-19 points).
™ KQ54 ™ 3 ™ K5
t A3 t AK4 t KJ4
® K4 ® AQ5 ® AJ4

´ KQ743 ´ 52
™ A4 N ™ KQ87652
3® = Enquiry without three-card spade support. W E
t KJ4 S t A53
3t = Enquiry with three-card spade support. ® A54 ® 2
3™ and 3´ = Showing a 5-5 hand with
clubs/diamonds respectively, generally too weak
for slam unless a super fit. Bidding over these is West East
basically natural, though 3´ over 3™ agrees 1´ 2™
hearts, and 4® over 3´ agrees hearts (which 2NT 3®
become ungainly sequences but at least responder 3t 3´
is narrowly defined). For simplicity, you might 4® 4t
actually want to say you simply never use these 4™ 4´
5t 6™
bids.
3NT = Natural, lack of slam interest.
The auction starts normally, and with a good
4m = Shortage bids, agreeing hearts. hand East explores slam with 3®. His partner
THE 3® ENQUIRY: 1´-2™, 2NT-3® denies a heart fit, and he now bids 3´, showing long
hearts and a slam try. (Note in standard methods
3t = 15-19 without heart support (then 3™ asks for
you would have bid 3™ directly over 2NT, and have
a sixth spade and range, while 3´ shows 6+
one extra bid available for investigating slam. Such
hearts).
is life, but surely not such a loss to all the benefits
3™ = three-card heart support, anything that that have been thrown in?) Opener cooperates with
wanted to force to game after the 2™ response. 4®. His partner can probably take a shot at slam
3´ = three-card heart support, 17+ points. now, but first cooperates with 4t, as opener may
well be able to take control and count 13 tricks.
3NT = six weak spades and doubleton heart (then
When opener subsides in 4™, responder uses 4´ as
4® and 4t agree hearts and spades respectively).
RKCB, finds out about the two aces, and bids slam.
4®/t = Splinters, with four-card support, good From East’s point of view, he is not sure about slam,
raise to game (typically around the 15-17 mark, but it is probably better than 50% (even when it is
but the nature of the cards will be more not making, eg ´Q6543 ™A4 tKQ4 ®AQ4, it will
important than the number of points). be hard for them to lead spades, so the club finesse
4™ = 5·4·2·2, 15-16 points. may make the contract).
After 1´-2™, 3™, or 1´-2™, 2NT-3®, 3™, we play AFTER THE 3t ENQUIRY
the following: This bid shows a three-card spade fit, and the
3´ = Asks, 3NT showing a balanced 5·3·3·2 hand, continuations are easy once you know the
4®/t showing shortages, and 4™ being 6·3·2·2. continuations to the 3® enquiry, as they are almost
(The range for these bids will be about 14-16 or identical – the only catch is that you need to use 4®
15-17 after the 2NT rebid, less than this after the to agree spades and give yourself a chance of finding
direct raise to 3™.) slam. It works as follows:
3NT = Natural, suggesting a contract. 3™ = three-card heart support (as to 3® enquiry),
4®/t = Showing your own shortage, interested in or four-card heart support with short clubs
slam. (shown after the 3´ asking bid by bidding 4™).

After 1´-2™, 2NT-3®, 3´-3NT is the asking bid, 3´ = three-card heart support maximum (as to 3®
and opener bids 4™ with 5·3·3·2 18-19 points, enquiry), with the same continuations.

www.ebu.co.uk September 2021 English Bridge 127

 3NT = Suggesting a contract even though there is a
known spade fit. 1´-2™ QUIZ TIME
4® = Sets spades without an absolute minimum.
West East
4t = Splinter, four-card heart support (as to 3®
1´ 2™
enquiry).
4™ = 5·4·2·2, 15-16 (as to 3® enquiry). Hand 1 Hand 2 Hand 3
4´ = Minimum spade hand. ´ AK543 ´ KQ754 ´ AQ754
™ K642 ™ K75 ™ K75
t KQ3 t AQ4 t AQ43
´ AQJ93 ´ 10 6 4 ® 4 ® K3 ® 3
™ K6 N ™ AQ743
W E Hand 4 Hand 5 Hand 6
t KQ2 S t AJ4
´ KQ543 ´ Q98542 ´ K Q 10 5 3
® Q54 ® 62
™ KQ54 ™ 3 ™ K5
t A3 t AK4 t KJ4
® K4 ® AQ5 ® AJ4
West East
1´ 2™
2NT 3t
4® 4´ ANSWERS

This looks like a normal auction up until 2NT. Hand 1 – 1´-2™, 2NT. Too good for a direct 4®
Then responder uses 3t to show three spades, and splinter, so you start with 2NT, usually bidding
opener is good enough to agree spades by bidding 4® later to show four trumps, extra values, and a
4®. East is not interested and signs off in 4´. shortage in clubs. Note the value of the ´AK in
One important comparison to make is to ask this hand – point ranges are so hard to give as this
what would happen in this hand if you were not is a much better hand than say
using these methods. 1´-2™-2NT-3´-4t-4´. (Or ´AQ543 ™KJ42 tKQ3 ®4
possibly you might simply raise to 4´ given the lack
of aces.) The advantage of this sequence is that you Then again, ´AK1098 would be much more likely
were able to deny a club control to help partner for to provide a source of tricks than AK543.
slam purposes, but the disadvantage is that you have Hand 2 – 1´-2™, 2NT. Strong balanced hands with
rather pinpointed a lack of club control when in fact three-card support start off with 2NT. The
partner wasn’t interested in slam anyway, and the support can come later.
4t slam try leaves less room to investigate slam had Hand 3 – 1´-2™, 2NT. Hands with three-card
he been interested. support either raise to 3™, or go via 2NT, so they
All round, it doesn’t seem that the extra pressure can show their range and singleton. The auction
on the 2NT bid is causing you a lot of problems, might proceed 3®, 3™-3´, 4® to show three-card
which is always a crucial consideration when support, 14-16 points and a singleton club.
thinking of system. On the other hand, there is a Hand 4 – 1´-2™, 3NT, showing 17-19 points with
massive gain in accuracy with all the heart raises, as 5·4·2·2 shape.
well as the small benefit of putting in some of the
six-card spade suits. Hand 5 – 1´-2™, 2NT. Normally with six spades,
you would jump to 3´, but that really doesn’t feel
Let’s go back to those questions . . . right on this weak suit. Opposite K3 you expect
two losers and may have more. At the same time,
it is nice to have the methods to show the sixth
one later.
Hand 6 – 1´-2™, 2NT. Hopefully nobody got this
one wrong. Of course, 2NT most often simply has
a balanced hand without support. r

128 English Bridge September 2021 www.ebu.co.uk