Phone A Friend

Both sides vulnerable, you are the dealer.
♠ 10 3 ♥ A K 9 8 3 ♦ J 9 8 ♣ A 10 2

You	LHO	Partner	RHO
1 ♥	Pass	2 ♦	4 ♠
?

Partner's 2 ♦ bid is natural and forcing to game (2/1 Game Force). What now?

ANSWER: Phone a friend; Pass. This leaves it for partner to decide. You thus create a "forcing pass" auction, partner must either bid or double at her turn.

A minimum opening bid, marginal support for partner's diamonds, two fast spade losers... you have no particular reason to think that your side can make eleven tricks. And with at most three defensive tricks, doubling does not appeal either. Fortunately, partner has another bid coming. She could have a wide range of hands for her 2 ♦ bid. If the right action is not clear from your side of the table, force partner to decide.

THE PRINCIPLE: When your side is in a game-forcing auction, or has bid game freely, the opponents do not get to buy the contract undoubled. Either your side bids one more, or you double the opponents' contract. If you have a clear preference for bidding or doubling, go ahead and do so; otherwise let partner make the decision. Your Pass -- a "forcing pass" -- forces partner to either bid or double at her turn. If partner is bidding another suit, your pass implies at least some tolerance for that suit.

MORE PRINCIPLE: "Pass and pull" shows extra values. That is, if you Pass now and then bid on after partner's penalty double -- "pulling" the double -- you indicate that your hand is even stronger than needed to simply bid.

When partner makes a forcing pass: Pass is just as forcing as if she had bid a new suit as responder, or made a jump-shift rebid as opener, or cue-bid the opponents' suit. She is counting on you to either bid or double. She is fine with your decision either way; just do not Pass and let the opponents steal the hand undoubled.

Forcing pass auctions as described here are considered standard bidding; these bids and passes should not be Alerted. 

Want to read more? Here are two previous posts about forcing passes.

-- Ray 

Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Listening To The Rabbi

West Deals E-W Vul	♠ J 5 ♥ J 10 9 8 ♦ Q 9 5 4 ♣ K 7 6
	N W E S
	♠ 6 4 ♥ A Q 6 5 4 3 ♦ K J ♣ A Q J

West	North	East	You
1 ♠	Pass	Pass	2 ♥
2 ♠	3 ♥	Pass	4 ♥
All pass

East overtook the ♠ K lead with the ♠ A, and returned the ♠ 7 back to West's queen.

West cashed the ♦ A and continued with a low diamond to your king.

You can't afford any more losers. How do you play the heart suit?

With a ten-card suit missing only the king, the textbook play is to finesse the queen for a fifty-fifty chance of success. So, how do you play the heart suit?

ANSWER: Play the ♥ A. Your only hope is that the ♥ K is singleton. Were you listening when East told you that she doesn't have the king of hearts?

Recall that East passed after her partner opened 1 ♠, yet she showed up with the doubleton ♠ A. If she had two or three hearts with the king, surely she would have bid 1 NT with that 7 HCP hand. If East had the singleton ♥ K, she might not have bid 1 NT; but in that case the king will drop anyway. So there is no point in finessing East for the king.

THE PRINCIPLE: When the bidding and the play indicate that a player does not have a particular card, then it must be in her partner's hand.

This deal combines two themes we have seen before:

• Declarer's ARCH: In this case, Review the auction, recalling that East passed her partner's opening bid.
• Room Measurement: Yet East did have the ♠ A and another spade. There is no room (no "point count room") left in her hand for the ♥ K.

West has played the king and queen of spades, and the ace of diamonds. Based on her opening bid, and her rebid across from a passed hand, that is yet another clue that West has the heart king. If West has the guarded king, there is no hope for your contract. Your only chance is to play for the singleton king on your left.

	♠ J 5 ♥ J 10 9 8 ♦ Q 9 5 4 ♣ K 7 6
♠ K Q 10 9 8 3 2 ♥ K ♦ A 7 3 ♣ 10 2	N W E S	♠ A 7 ♥ 7 2 ♦ 10 8 6 2 ♣ 9 8 5 4 3
	♠ 6 4 ♥ A Q 6 5 4 3 ♦ K J ♣ A Q J

BONUS MOMENT: When the king is singleton offside, play the ace. That is known as "The Rabbi's Rule," attributed to a New York City bridge player nicknamed "The Rabbi" who was well-known for (ahem) pontificating on a variety of bridge topics.

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Time For: QLR Plus

Time For: Introducing bidding conventions that may not be familiar to local players, but are nearly universal in common usage such as ACBL Bridge Bulletin Standard. Whether or not you adopt the convention -- I suggest that you do! --  at the very least you should know enough about it to understand the opponents' usage.

QLR Plus! It sounds like some magical household cleaning product on a late night television infomercial. Alas, I made up the name just for the catchy mnemonic. But the underlying convention is the standard way of showing a strong raise in a competitive auction.

A cue bid of the opponents' suit shows a very good raise for partner, usually four or more cards in support, with at least game-invitational values. The cue bid is forcing for one round. All jump raises are weak.

That is, a Q-bid in a competitive auction shows a "Limit Raise or Better" for partner. That is, in a competitive auction "Q=LR+" and all jump raises are weak. "QLR Plus" Got it?

Look At QLR Plus In Action!

• ♠ 10 ♥ K J 8 7 5 ♦ J 6 2 ♣ J 8 4 3
  Partner opens 1 ♥ and your right-hand opponent overcalls 1 ♠.
  Bid 4 ♥ just as if there had been no overcall. If the opponents then bid 4 ♠, partner will know you have a weak hand and can judge accordingly.
• ♠ 10 6 ♥ A Q 8 ♦ Q 6 5 3 ♣ K 10 6 2
  Partner opens 1 ♥ and your right-hand opponent overcalls 1 ♠.
  Bid 2 ♠ showing the heart fit and at least 10 points. If the opponents then bid 3 ♠ or 4 ♠, partner will know you have a good hand and can judge accordingly. Yes, you would like to have a fourth heart, but any other call is a worse description of your hand.
• ♠ 10 6 ♥ A Q 8 7 5 ♦ J 6 ♣ A K 6 2
  Partner opens 1 ♥ and your right-hand opponent overcalls 1 ♠.
  Bid 2 ♠ showing the heart fit and at least 10 points. Yes, the same bid as the previous example. With this hand though, make sure your side gets to game later in the auction.
• ♠ 10 6 ♥ K J 8 7 ♦ J 6 2 ♣ J 8 4 3.
  Partner opens 1 ♥ and your right-hand opponent overcalls 1 ♠.
  Bid 3 ♥ showing a weak hand with four hearts.
• ♠ 10 6 ♥ K J 8 7 ♦ K 6 2 ♣ J 10 4 3.
  Partner opens 1 ♥ and your right-hand opponent overcalls 1 ♠.
  Bid 2 ♥ showing a plain vanilla heart fit. You might bid 3 ♥ later in the auction, showing the fourth heart and some useful side values.

QLR Plus Creates A One Round Force! Opener must ensure that responder has the opportunity to make another call. Opener rebids as if responder made a limit raise; with no game interest, opener just signs off in three of the suit. If responder has game-going values, responder must pick up the baton and carry on to game (or higher).

QLR Plus Can Ask For Stoppers! When we have a major suit fit, we don't investigate notrump contracts. But when we have a minor suit fit, the question "can we play in notrump" is always on the table; the cue bid implicitly asks about a stopper. If opener has a stopper in the opponents' suit, she should show it by rebidding notrump instead of rebidding the minor.

QLR Plus Works For Overcalls Too! If partner overcalls, your cue bid of the opponents' suit shows a fit for partner with a limit raise or better. Your jump raises are therefore weak, intended as preemptive. If partner overcalled on a bare minimum, she can sign off one level lower than if you had to give a jump raise to show a good hand. (Note: Partner should proceed with caution after your cue bid. You might have an awkward strong hand with no clear direction forward, the traditional use for a cue bid across from an overcall.)

QLR Plus is Safe and Easy to Use! Even your most inept partners will realize that you don't want to play in the opponents' suit.

QLR Plus Needs No Alerting!  Cue bids do not require an Alert unless they carry a very unusual or unexpected meaning. The cue bid as a strong raise is the commonly expected meaning, so no Alert is due. However, you must give a full explanation if the opponents ask: the cue bid is a raise with at least game-invitational values, a jump raise is weak preemptive.

So, there you have it: New Improved Dual-Action QLR Plus, now with StopperAsk and Preemptive Jump Raises! Simply the best way to clean up those messy competitive auctions. Not sold in stores. Operators are standing by: Call Now! 1-800-QLR-PLUS!

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Who Do You Trust?

In a rubber bridge game with some good players, you cut a new partner. The two of you have not played together before. With no partnership discussion other than "five card majors, weak twos, transfers" you are East and receive this unexciting collection.

♠ A 10 8 6 ♥ 6 4 3 ♦ 9 7 6 2 ♣ 7 3

West	North	YOU	South
	Pass	Pass	1 ♥
2 ♣	2 ♥	Pass	Pass
3 ♣	3 ♥	All pass

North Deals E-W Vul	♠ K J 3 ♥ K 10 2 ♦ J 10 8 4 ♣ J 10 5
	N W E S	♠ A 10 8 6 ♥ 6 4 3 ♦ 9 7 6 2 ♣ 7 3

Partner leads the ♦ A. What does your partnership normally lead from ace-king against a suit contract?

ANSWER: Good question! Don't you wish you had discussed that? Back when Eisenhower was President, leading the king from ace-king was considered standard. The ace might be the more common agreement nowadays, but not by a wide margin. Without an agreement, you'll just have to guess for now.

You play the ♦ 2 hoping that partner gets the message about your terrible diamond suit. Declarer follows suit with the ♦ 3. Alas, partner continues with the ♦ K and declarer plays the ♦ Q from her hand.

Partner cashes the ♣ A, you follow suit with the ♣ 7 and declarer plays the ♣ K. Then partner leads the ♠ 9 and declarer plays low from dummy.

What is going on?

ANSWER: Partner is screaming for a diamond ruff, so give it to her. Rise with your ♠ A and give partner the diamond ruff she worked so hard to get. Don't let declarer's ♦ Q talk you out of the winning play.

Partner deliberately set up declarer's diamond suit, ignoring the advice of your ♦ 2 signal. Then she cashed her ♣ A, dropping declarer's king and making it clear that a club return is wrong. If she wanted to force declarer in clubs, she could have continued clubs herself. But she eliminated clubs as a choice for you, and then -- only then -- did partner lead a spade to find you with the ♠ A.

But declarer played the ♦ Q, isn't declarer out of diamonds? There is still one diamond unaccounted for. Look at dummy's ♦ J 10 of diamonds. Dropping the ♦ Q wouldn't cost declarer anything.

THE PRINCIPLE: The opponents are out to get you. Partner is the one on your side. Trust your partner. 

	♠ K J 3 ♥ K 10 2 ♦ J 10 8 4 ♣ J 10 5
♠ 9 7 ♥ 9 7 ♦ A K ♣ A Q 9 8 6 4 2	N W E S	♠ A 10 8 6 ♥ 6 4 3 ♦ 9 7 6 2 ♣ 7 3
	♠ Q 5 4 2 ♥ A Q J 8 5 ♦ Q 5 3 ♣ K

Declarer's play of the ♦ Q on the second round of diamonds is an automatic play, though of course she must play it in tempo to have a chance of misleading anyone. If you don't play the ♠ A and return a diamond for partner to ruff, declarer will make her contract.

BONUS MINUTE: Which diamond did you play on the second trick, to partner's king? I hope you played the ♦ 9 as a suit-preference signal for spades. Partner knows you didn't have a doubleton diamond, since you didn't play high-low to her ace and king. Partner knows you don't have the queen, because you discouraged diamonds on the first trick. Partner knows you have a choice of which diamond to play at trick two. You aren't interested in a club ruff, because declarer will be ruffing behind you; partner certainly has at least six clubs for her bidding. So play a high diamond to suggest interest in the higher-ranking suit, spades.

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Playing against very good opponents, you (West) hold
  ♠ 6 3  ♥ J 8 7 2  ♦ J 10 9 5  ♣ 8 6 2

You	North	East	South
Pass	1 ♣	Pass	1 ♠
Pass	1 NT	Pass	2 ♦*
Pass	2 ♠	Pass	4 NT*
Pass	5 ♠*	Pass	6 ♠
All pass

South's 2 ♦ bid was artificial, indicating a five-card spade suit; North's response showed exactly three spades. The 4 NT bid asked about key cards (the four aces and the king of trump); North showed two key cards and the ♠ Q.

You led the ♦ J; partner played the ♦ 2 and declarer won the trick with the ♦ Q.

POP QUIZ: Does partner have an ace? If so, which one?  (Answer is at the end)

	♠ K Q 8 ♥ K Q 3 ♦ 8 7 4 ♣ A 10 5 3
♠ 6 3 ♥ J 8 7 2 ♦ J 10 9 5 ♣ 8 6 2	N W E S

Declarer led to the ♠ K, then played the ♠ Q and the third spade to the ♠ A from her hand. Partner followed suit with the 2, 7, and 9. What do you discard on the third round of spades? Discarding a diamond loses if declarer started with ace-king-queen-fourth of diamonds. Discarding the ♥ 2 loses if declarer started with four hearts, and might give declarer a hint about the location of the ♥ A. You won't be taking any tricks with that club suit. What do you discard?

ANSWER: Don't discard the ♣ 2! This is the wrong time to announce that you have useless clubs to spare. The ♣ A 10 in dummy is a warning that declarer has choices if she is missing the ♣ Q or the ♣ J. The ♣ 2 gives declarer a big hint that partner holds any missing club honors. You don't want to help her decide which way to play clubs; loose lips sink ships!

Playing the ♥ 2 to tell partner that you don't have the ♥ A is a waste of time. Partner probably has it, and she knows that you know that. Discarding from either red suit could be wrong if declarer started with four in that suit; your choice in that regard is purely a guess.

So, don't give declarer any clues in the side suits; discard the ♦ 10, the card you are known to hold, and also promising the ♦ 9. 

THE PRINCIPLE: The enemy is listening. Many articles in this series have highlighted the importance of defensive signaling. But even a seemingly innocuous discard can reveal an important bit of information to declarer . When faced with a difficult discarding problem, it is usually best to play the card you are known to hold.

	♠ K Q 8 ♥ K Q 3 ♦ 8 7 4 ♣ A 10 5 3
♠ 6 3 ♥ J 8 7 2 ♦ J 10 9 5 ♣ 8 6 2	N W E S	♠ 9 7 2 ♥ A 10 6 5 ♦ 6 3 2 ♣ Q 9 7
	♠ A J 10 5 4 ♥ 9 4 ♦ A K Q ♣ K J 4

Declarer must find the ♣ Q in order to make six spades. If you and your partner follow suit in clubs smoothly in tempo, declarer is pretty much on a guess. But if you suggest that you have useless clubs to spare, declarer will realize that partner is a favorite to have the queen. I'd rather make declarer guess; a 50-50 chance to set the contract is better than no chance at all!

POP QUIZ ANSWER: In a 4 NT Blackwood (or key card) sequence, asker normally bids 5 NT if all aces or key cards are accounted for. Your opponents are good players and would know that, so South's failure to bid 5 NT suggests that they are missing one key card. The ♠ K and the ♣ A are in dummy. If partner had the ♦ A, she would have played it to the first trick. It seems unlikely that South would blast into a key card sequence missing the ace-king-queen of trump. Partner probably has the ♥A.

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Time For: Lebensohl

Time For: Introducing bidding conventions that may not be familiar to local players, but are nearly universal in common usage such as ACBL Bridge Bulletin Standard. Whether or not you adopt the convention -- I suggest that you do! --  at the very least you should know enough about it to understand the opponents' usage.

When our side opens 1 NT, the default assumption is that we can play in notrump unless we find an appropriate fit for a suit contract. But if the opponents enter the auction with a suit overcall, we can't rely on that default without making sure we have a stopper in their suit (or suits). After a 1NT opening and an overcall, there are five missions that responder might need to accomplish:

1. Show a long suit (5+ cards) with ability to distinguish between nonforcing, invitational, and game forcing hands as much possible
2. Inquire about 4-4 fits, especially in the major suits (e.g., Stayman)
3. Show a stopper in the opponent's suit
4. Ask partner if she has a stopper in the opponent's suit
5. Collect a juicy penalty when the opponents are bidding on trash.

The standard way to do all these things is via a convention called Lebensohl (sometimes shown as "lebensohl" without capitalization). There are some variations, what follows is by far the most commonly used.

First of all, a double by responder is for penalties; the opponents have wandered in where they don't belong, and we are going to slap their hands soundly.

Lebensohl only applies if the opponents have overcalled. A new suit by responder is nonforcing at the two-level, and game-forcing at the three-level. For other auctions, responder denies a stopper in the opponent's suit unless responder bids 2NT immediately.

• an immediate 3NT bid shows values for game, but denies a stopper in the opponent's suit. If opener does not have a stopper, the partnership scrambles by bidding four-card suits up the line
• an immediate cue-bid asks for four-card majors and shows values for game, but denies a stopper in the opponent's suit. If opener does not have a four-card major or a stopper, opener scrambles.

The key bid in Lebensohl is the 2 NT response. The 2 NT bid is artificial, a "puppet" for 3 ♣. That is, opener must bid 3 ♣, and responder will then bid again to clarify the hand. After the 2 NT-3 ♣ sequence:

• a delayed 3NT bid shows values for game and shows a stopper in the opponent's suit. Opener passes.
• a delayed cue-bid asks for four-card majors, and shows a stopper in the opponent's suit. Opener shows a four-card major if she has one, otherwise bids 3NT safely.
• three of a suit (lower-ranking than overcaller's) is natural and non-forcing
• three of a suit (higher-ranking than overcaller's) is natural and invitational
• responder can pass with a weak hand and at least six clubs

To remember which sequence shows a stopper, the direct bid or the delayed bids (via 2NT), I like the mnemonic "slow shows, and direct denies". Another way to think of it is analogous to the Principle of Fast Arrival, where the slower route shows some extra values (a stopper, in this case).

Time for some examples. We are playing a strong 1NT opener (15-17 HCP) and our right-hand opponent overcalls a natural 2 ♥ .

 1 NT - (2 ♥) - ?
♠ K x x x ♥ x x ♦ Q x x ♣ J x x x
Pass: the normal bid with nothing.

♠ K J x x x ♥ x x ♦ Q x x ♣ J x x
Bid 2 ♠, nonforcing

♠ K Q x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x ♣ K x x x

Bid 3 ♥: asking for a four-card spade suit and denying a heart stopper

♠ K Q x x ♥ K x ♦ A x x ♣ x x x x
Bid 2 NT, then 3 ♥ over 3 ♣: asking for a four-card spade suit and showing a heart stopper

♠ K Q J x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x ♣ K x x

Bid 3 ♠: natural and forcing to game

♠ K Q x x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x ♣ x x x x

Bid 2 NT, then 3 ♠ over 3 ♣: natural and invitational

♠ x x x ♥ x x ♦ x ♣ K x x x x x x
Bid 2 NT, then Pass over 3 ♣

♠ x x x ♥ x x ♦ K x x x x x x ♣ x
Bid 2 NT, then 3 ♦ over 3 ♣: nonforcing

♠ A x  ♥ K J 10 x ♦ x x x x ♣ A x x x

Double: this should be fun!

Playing Lebensohl, the following bid sequences must be Alerted after our 1NT opening and the opponents two-level overcall. If an explanation is requested, you can use the following:

• 2NT  "puppet for 3 ♣, usually promises another bid"
• 2NT - 3 ♣   "forced by the 2NT call"
• 2NT - 3 ♣ - 3suit   "nonforcing" or "invitational" as appropriate
• 3NT   "values for game, denies a stopper"

Note that cue-bids in this sequence do not require an Alert. If an explanation is requested, state that the cue-bid asks for a four-card major, and either shows or denies a stopper (depending on the sequence).

NOTE: Many partnerships do not play Lebensohl after a 2 ♣ overcall, since the opponents have not taken away any bidding space. Also note that most experts nowadays play the double as a negative double for the unbid suits, leaving opener the option to convert for penalties. Make sure you and your partner have an agreement one way or the other.

BONUS MINUTE: Why not just play "stolen bid" doubles? Yes, stolen bid doubles are simple and easy to remember. But with stolen bid doubles:

• You don't have a way to ask opener for a stopper, unless you give up the ability to ask partner for a four-card major.  
• You can't play a lower-ranking suit at the three-level.
• You can't show higher-ranking suits in all three shades of nonforcing, invitational, or game forcing
• You encourage the opponents to interfere in your auction with impunity. 
• Like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you have lost both arms but gamely fight on... "it's just a flesh wound!"

EXTRA BONUS MINUTE: Lebensohl has been standard among experienced players for decades, but there is a convention that I like even better: Rubinsohl. I think it is technically superior and much simpler to play and remember. The Wikipedia page for Rubinsohl is a good introduction.

-- Ray 

Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Tell Them What They Know

	♠ 5 ♥ K 9 7 4 2 ♦ 9 4 3 ♣ A 10 9 8
	N W E S	♠ K J 6 ♥ Q J 5 3 ♦ A Q 10 5 ♣ K 7

West	North	YOU	South
			1 ♠
Pass	1 NT1	Pass	2 ♠
All pass

forcing one round

The first three tricks went:

• Partner's fourth-best ♣ 4 to your king
• Your ♣ 7, declarer's ♣ J, partner's ♣ Q, dummy's ♣ A
• ♠ 5 from dummy, you played low, declarer's ♠ Q held, partner played the ♠ 2

Then declarer played the ♠ A, partner the ♠ 7, and declarer discards a heart from dummy. You have the king and jack of spades. Whichever spade you play, the other one is good. Does it make a difference which spade you play?

ANSWER: Play the ♠ K. Don't give away the spade suit position to declarer by playing the ♠ J.

It would be easy to just play the ♠ J by rote, thinking that it doesn't matter. If you've read previous articles here about helping partner figure out your hand, it might be tempting to play the ♠ J as a suit-preference signal for diamonds. But partner doesn't know for sure that you hold the king; from her perspective, declarer might have started with the ♠ AKQ and is just adding some confusion for the defense (always a good idea for declarer!).

If you play the ♠ J, declarer (who already knows you have the king) will realize that you started with exactly three spades. If declarer has exactly six spades she will clear both remaining spades by leading one more round. But if she thinks partner might have started with four spades to the jack-ten or jack-nine, clearing spades might not be an appealing line of play.

THE PRINCIPLE: All else equal, play the card you are known to hold. This is an important principle for declarer as well as for defenders. When playing to a trick where the opponents already know that you have a specific card in that suit, don't choose some other equivalent card in the suit. Don't reveal extra information about your hand without the clear expectation of some extra benefit.

The complete hand:

	♠ 5 ♥ K 9 7 4 2 ♦ 9 4 3 ♣ A 10 9 8
♠ 9 7 2 ♥ 10 8 6 ♦ J 8 2 ♣ Q 6 5 4	N W E S	♠ K J 6 ♥ Q J 5 3 ♦ A Q 10 5 ♣ K 7
	♠ A Q 10 8 4 3 ♥ A ♦ K 7 6 ♣ J 3 2

-- Ray 

Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)