BriDgE Quiz

8QUESTION 1: Neither vulnerable, as South, you hold:

sK J K Q J 7 4

cK 8 6

Right- hand opponent opens 1NT. what call would you make?

8QUESTION 2: North- South vulnerable, as South, you hold:

sJ 8 7 5 3

NORTH 1NT

A J 6 3 Q

EAST

Pass

Pass

dSOUTH 1s ?

c10 8 7 what call would you make?

WEST

Pass

8QUESTION 3: East- west vulnerable, as South, you hold:

sJ 9 4

K Q 10 6

EAST 1NT

hhhA K Q 10 7 6 4

SOUTH

Dbl ?

dWEST 1s what call would you make?

NORTH

Pass 8QUESTION 4: Both vulnerable, as South, you hold:

sdc9 7 6 4 3 9 K 7 5 Q J 10 6 WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH 1 1s Dbl* ? * Negative

what call would you make?

8QUESTION 5: North- South vulnerable, as South, you hold:

dK Q 7 6 4 2 8

cA 10 9 7 4

Partner opens 2S, weak, and righthand opponent passes. what call would you make?

8QUESTION 6: East- west vulnerable, as South, you hold:

scA K 7 5 NORTH

1

2s * Negative

dhhhwhat call would you make?

Should the two members of a partnership agree on a preempting style? And do they have to follow it if they do?

It makes sense to agree on a common style so that you know what to expect. But individuals do have their own styles — and as long as you stick to what partner anticipates and tell the opponents what they should expect, I do not see why those styles have to be identical.

How light do you think third- hand openers can be? I have seen some players open 7- counts, but this seems more like a psych to me.

It is a sound principle that since partner is a passed hand, he does not have enough to go flying to the moon when you open light. Most pairs even employ measures, such as Drury, to help them stay low with a fit, but I do not think it wise to open at the one- level with fewer than 9 points. The main reasons to open light at the one- level are to direct the lead or to compete the part- score. Your partner should be allowed to assume a decent minimum in order to help him judge when to compete.

Some of my frequent opponents play intermediate jump overcalls. What are these?

These show a good suit and around 10- 13 points. I tend to believe weak jumps are more useful and more frequent. Some pairs limit the use of intermediate jumps to specific sequences, such as at unfavorable vulnerability. Note that jumps in the balancing seat should be played as intermediate, and jumps over a preempt at the threelevel should be strong.

My partner and I had a disagreement about this hand. I held A- 10, K- J- 9- 7- 6, 7- 4, Q- 9- 7- 3. With no one vulnerable, I saw my right- hand opponent open one heart and my lefthand opponent respond one no- trump. Partner overcalled two spades. Would you make a move?

shdcIt depends on my partner’s style. If he is solid, then I would raise to three spades, expecting him to have a good hand with five spades or a fair one with six. If he is the sort to pre- protect aggressively and get the spades in with the slightest excuse, I think a pass is best.