Of Slams and Captains

In all the time we’ve been playing bridge, my partner Christine and I can’t recall ever having had a stretch of games like this. At a club pairs game on Tuesday of this past week, we bid and made no fewer than five Slams on pre-dealt boards, more than anyone else in the field across three sections – … [Read more...]

Slam Fiends

I guess you might call my partner Christine and I real Slam fiends. Once we smell the possibility of a Slam, we usually bid it. Sometimes we go down, but many times we get Slams that no other pairs find – that’s always an incredible adrenaline high. A case in point was last Thursday’s Cinco de … [Read more...]

Trust Your Partner

Whether you play with one or more regular partners, the ability to be a good partner is probably the most important skill any bridge player can develop. To be consistently successful in duplicate bridge, you have to have developed an unerring confidence in your partner – that he or she will not … [Read more...]

When you have nothing: When to bid, when to pass

Having nothing doesn't always mean that you're off the hook and you can just sit back during the auction and pass all the time. There are occasions when you have to bid -- and then there are occasions when you'd better pass, even when your partner wants you to bid. It is admittedly different to … [Read more...]

Roman Key Cards, 1430 and 1340

Return to the Bridge Burglar's Guide to Bridge Bidding Conventions To minimize the possibility of going too high too fast, there are other variations of the Blackwood system using 4 NT as asking for Aces that attempt to convey more relevant information right away and still keep the bid as low as … [Read more...]

Blackwood bridge convention

Return to the Bridge Burglar's Guide to Bridge Bidding Conventions To explore the opportunity of playing a Slam, which can earn the partnership big points bonuses, one player in the partnership usually needs to have at least a stronger-than-average opening like a One No-Trump bid (minimum 15 … [Read more...]