The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 1 on 11 May
It floats to South who counts 15 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Diamond. West counts 12 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and 1 for the singleton and overcalls 1 Heart. North counts 6 HCPs plus 1 each for the doubletons and competes to to 1 Spade. East counts 7 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and competes to 2 Hearts. South competes to 3 Clubs and West adds 3 points for the supported 6-card suit and ponders whether to compete to 3 Hearts or jump to 4 Hearts. The latter makes for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 2 on 11 May
East counts 12 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Heart. South counts 14 HCPs but his distribution is not suited for an overcall or a double so must pass. West counts 8 HCPs and responds 1 Spade forcing partner to describe. North passes and East drops the points for the singleton in partner's suit and rebids 2 Diamonds.West rebids 2 Spades to limit his hand and show his 6-card suit. All pass and it makes for a decent score. You need the overtrick to get the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 3 on 11 May
South counts 18 HCPs plus 1 for the Doubleton and opens 1 Heart. West counts 12 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and overcalls 1 Spade. North counts 4 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and knows that his 3-card Heart support gives partner a point for his supported 5-card suit so raises to 2 Hearts. East passes and South stops to reevaluate and think. He sees 18 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and 1 for his supported 5-card suit opposite partner's probable 6 or more and jumps to 4 Hearts. It goes down for the bottom. C'est la vie.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 4 on 11 May
West counts 16 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Club. East counts 15 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and responds 1 Diamond to force partner to describe. West is 1 point short for a jump-shift to force game and ponders stretching to 2 Spades but decides to rebid 1 Spade and hopes partner doesn't pass. East rebids 2 Hearts to promise 10 or more points and force partner to describe again. West jumps to 3 No Trump to promise 15 HCPs or more and East sees at least 30 HCPs and jumps to 4 No Trump to invite slam. West has only 1 HCP more than promised and may or may not bid the slam. If he does it makes for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 5 on 11 May
North counts 13 HCPs minus 1 for the flat hand and passes. East counts 13 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Spade. South passes and and West counts 9 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and jumps to 3 Spades promising 10 or more points and 4 or more Spades. East reevaluates to 13 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton plus 1 for the supported 5-card suit and raises to 4 Spades. It makes for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 6 on 11 May
East counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and passes. South counts 12 HCPs and stretches with his 5-card suit and 2 Aces and opens 1 Club. West counts 11 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and overcalls 1 Spade. North passes and East raises to 2 Spades. All pass and it makes for what should be the top but one pair were allowed an overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 7 on 11 May - Revised
West counts 15 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Spade. East counts 11 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and 1 for the 4-card support and responds 2 Clubs to force partner to describe. West rebids 2 Hearts and East jumps to 4 Spades. It makes with an overcall for what should be the top. One pair were allowed an extra overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 8 on 11 May
West counts 18 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 1 Diamond. East counts 10 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and jumps to 3 Diamonds. West rebids 3 No Trump and it makes an overtrick for what should be the top. One pair was allowed to make an extra overtrick to nose them out. Those who bid Diamonds needed to bid and make the slam for a better score.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 9 on 11 May
West counts 18 HCPs plus 1 for the Club doubleton and opens 1 Spade. East counts 13 HCPs and responds 2 Clubs to force partner to describe. West jump-shifts to 3 Diamonds to show his second suit, 19 or more points and to force to game. East stops to think. He sees 32 points or more and a chance for slam. He sees a Spade fit and ponders 6 Spades. He's on the edge and considers invitational bids of 5 Spades or 5 No Trump. If he bids either, West will pass with little more than he's shown. Either makes with 5 No Trump getting the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 10 on 11 May
Let's get back to earth for this board. East counts 14 HCPs plus 1 for the Heart doubleton and opens 1 Spade. South and West pass and North counts 14 HCPs - 1 for the flat hand. His distribution is unsuitable for either an overall or a takeout double so passes as well. It makes with an overtrick for the top. Even though some N/Ss got into the auction for a good result, I think it is an erosion of trust between partners.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 11 on 11 May
It floats to North who counts 12 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Diamond. East counts 10 HCPs plus 3 for the void and overcalls 1 Spade. South counts 9 HCPs and doubles (Negative) to show 6 or more points and 4 or more Hearts, the unbid major. West counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and bids 2 Clubs. North raises to 2 Hearts. If East raises to 3 Clubs, South will raise to 3 Hearts. It makes for a good score but one pair was allowed an overtrick for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 12 on 11 May - Revised
Itt floats to East who counts 14 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Diamond. South counts 15 HCPs and overcalls 1 No Trump. West counts 8 HCPs and raises to 2 Diamonds and North will bid 2 Hearts and make 3 for what should have been the top. One pair was allowed an extra overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 13 on 11 May
The best result should be 2 No Trump by E/W, but I'm not sure how to get there. I'll bid what I would have done and see how it goes. North passes and East counts 15 HCPs plus 1 for the Spade doubleton but can't open 1 No Trump with the unbalanced hand. I would open 1 Club (I have enough to reverse if necessary). South passes and West responds 1 Spade. North passes again and I would reverse to 2 Diamonds which forces the partnership to the level of 3 Clubs. West will know I have a 5-card suit (I didn't bid the Diamonds first) and raise to 3 Clubs. I don't see where either partner introduces No Trump but the majority did and it worked. ??
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 14 on 11 May
It floats to West who counts 15 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 1 No Trump. North passes and East counts 8 HCPs and responds 2 Clubs (Stayman). West rebids 2 Diamonds as directed and East rebids 2 No Trump. All pass and it makes for what should be the top. One pair were allowed an extra overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 15 on 11 May
It floats to East who counts 23 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 2 Clubs, forcing. West responds 2 Diamonds to force partner to describe and he rebids 2 No Trump promising 22-24 HCPs. West counts 10 HCPs and jumps to 4 Clubs (Gerber) to check the Aces since he has none. East responds 4 Diamonds to promise all the Aces. West raises to 6 No Trump and it makes for the top. Where were the rest of you?
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 16 on 11 May
West passes and North counts 10 HCPs plus 3 for the void and opens 1 Heart. East counts 10 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and passes. South counts 18 HCPs plus 3 for the void and responds 1 Spade to force partner to describe. North raises to 2 Hearts to show his 6-card suit. South stops to think. He reevaluates to 18 HCPs plus 5 for the void and 2 for the 5-card support and knows that partner has at least 13 plus 3 for the supported 6-card suit for a combined 41 points. He has 3 Aces and a void and considers the grand slam but can't see 13 sure tricks so settles for the small slam. They make the overtrick for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 17 on 11 May
North counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the singleton Jack and 1 for the doubleton and passes. South counts 21 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and 1 for the doubleton and stops to consider a Forcing Two-Club Opening. He lacks the 22 HCPs and balanced hand to rebid 2 No Trump and the 25 points to bid 2 of a 5-card suit so decides to bid 1 Spade. North now counts 10 points and responds 2 Clubs to show his best suit and 10 or more points. South is concerned about transportation and the lack of Kings so settles for 3 No Trump. It makes with an overtrick for what should be the top. One pair was allowed an extra overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 18 on 11 May
It floats to West who counts 13 HCPs plus 3 for the void and opens 1 Spade. North stops to think and it looks like the opponents might make game if South has nothing and he might make game if partner has very much. He would like to shut out the opponents while possibly making something. The Rule of Two or Three shows 8 sure tricks plus 1 with his unfavorable distribution. This hopefully will shut them out and makes if partner has a trick. He overcalls 3 Clubs and East passes. South stops to think. He knows partner has 8 tricks and he has 2 Aces so he raises to 4 Clubs and West passes. It makes for what should be a top, but four E/Ws failed to get their A-K of Spades and Queen of Hearts, giving two of their opponents the top and the other two next. After all that work!
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 19 on 11 May
It floats to North who counts 12 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Club. East counts 14 HCPs and doubles for takeout. South counts 7 HCPs and responds 1 Spade. West counts 7 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and 1 for the doubleton and advances 3 Diamonds to show his 10 points. North raises to 3 Spades and East raises to 4 Diamonds. It makes with an overtrick for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 20 on 11 May
West uses the Rule of Two or Three to check for a preempt. He has 6 sure tricks plus 2 for the equal vulnerability and can't bid 2 Clubs so passes. North counts 17 HCPs plus 1 for the singleton and opens 1 Diamond. East counts 9 HCPs minus 1 for the flat hand and passes. South counts 6 HCPs and responds 1 Heart. West overcalls 2 Clubs and North raises to 3 Hearts showing 17 points or more and inviting game. South adds a point for his fifth trump but passes. It makes for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 21 on 11 May
North counts 13 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens1 Diamond. East passes and South counts 13 HCPs and responds 1 Heart to force partner to describe. North must respond 1 No Trump and South raises to 3 No Trump. It makes with an overtrick for what should be the top but one pair was allowed an extra overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 22 on 11 May
East counts 13 HCPs plus 1 for the Club doubleton and opens 1 Heart. South counts 10 HCPs plus 3 for the void and overcalls 2 Clubs. West counts 7 HCPs plus 1 for the 4-card support and minus 1 for the flat hand and raises to 2 Hearts. North counts 10 HCPs and competes to 2 Spades. East adds 1 for the supported 5-card suit and competes to 3 Hearts. All pass and it makes for what should be the top. One pair allowed an extra overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 23 on 11 May
West counts 19 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Spade. East counts 13 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and responds 2 Hearts to promise a 5-card suit and 10 or more points and to force partner to describe his hand. West jumps to 3 No Trump to promise 18-19 HCPs and a balanced hand. East sees a total of 31-32 HCPs so invites with 5 No Trump. West has 19 so raises to 6 No Trump. It makes with an overtrick for the top.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 24 on 11 May
It floats to East who counts18 HCPs and opens 1 Diamond. West counts 8 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and responds 1 Heart up the line. East jumps to 3 Hearts to show 17 points or more and the fit. West raises to 4 Hearts with his 9 points and it makes for what should be the top. One pair was allowed to make an overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 25 on 11 May
It floats to West who counts 17 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Diamond. North counts 10 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and overcalls 1 Spade. East must pass and South counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and 1 for the 4-card support and raises to 2 Spades to invite game. West raises to 3 Diamonds and North passes. It make with what should have been the top, but two pairs were allowed an overtrick to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 26 on 11 May
East counts 12 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Diamond. South passes and West counts 5 HCPs plus 1 each for the doubletons and 3 points for the 6-card Diamond fit and raises to 2 Diamonds. North counts 18 HCPs plus 1 for the Spade doubleton and doubles for takeout (Big). East passes and South advances 2 Spades. West passes and North rebids 3 Clubs to show the big double. South ponders whether to pass 3 Clubs or show his better suit. Let's suppose he rebids 3 Hearts and let's partner choose. North likes the Hearts and passes. It makes with an overcall for what should be the top. One pair allowed their opponents to make 3 No Trump plus 1 to nose them out.
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Board 27 on 11 May
South passes and West counts 15 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 1 No Trump. North passes and East counts 7 HCPs and responds 2 Diamonds (Jacoby Transfer) and West rebids 2 Hearts as directed. East reevaluates as 7 HCPs plus 3 for the void and jumps to 4 Hearts. It makes for the top. Good job, Guil and Bob!
The Hidden Secret to Bidding - Responses and Rebids
There was a great renaissance in bridge in the sixties and seventies. The Jacoby Transfer was an instant improvement to No Trump. The Italian systems brought about the Forcing-Two Clubs Openings and the Weak-Two Openings. The basic changes to 1-of-a-suit bidding were as important as any of the above. Many jump bids were changed from wasted bids forcing to game to very useful invitational bids. It became apparent that if you want to force partner to game, you can just bid it yourself.
It also became apparent that the opening one-of-a-suit bid tells partner very little. It can be 13 points or 20 points and a 3-card suit or an 11-card suit. It is the opener's rebid that really is descriptive and responder needs to stay out of the way. The partners need to bid so that one player knows what both have and can set the contract. It can be by responder limiting his hand so that opener knows what both have. It also can be by responder bidding a new suit that forces partner to describe his hand. Opener's rebid is the most important bid of the auction.
A jump-shift by responder merely uses up bidding space and makes it difficult or impossible for opener to describe his hand. Therefore an initial jump-shift by responder has been transformed to a weak bid. Too weak in fact to respond otherwise. The weak jump-shift can be useful when responder doesn't like opener's suit and thinks he may go down. Responder has a long suit with less than 6 points and thinks they will do better in two of his suit than one of opener's suit. He then wants opener to pass unless he has a really good hand. The responder will never make an initial strong jump-shift.
Explanation of Bids
I have discussed this subject under "Alerts, Announcements and Stops are banned" on the back of the guides, but we need a more detailed discussion.
Since some pairs utilize nonstandard conventions, their opponents can ask for an explanation at their turn to bid or later at their turn to play if they see bidding they don't understand.
A request for an explanation of a bid should be directed to the partner of the player who made the bid in question. The proper form of the request is "Please explain" or “Please explain any special agreement”.
The opponent is entitled to a full understanding of the agreement and all questions concerning the agreement should be graciously resolved.
These rules apply only to an understanding of special agreements between partners. This does not include inferences drawn from general bridge knowledge and experience. It especially does not include information as to how a player thought or acted in regard to the agreement. This would be unauthorized information.
If the meaning has not been discussed, "no agreement" is the proper response. If you've forgotten it, say so. You must not say such things as "I am taking it to mean ..."
If an opponent asks you how you took partner's bid, you should not answer. Call the director immediately.
If you bid incorrectly in response to partner's conventional bid and an opponent asks for an explanation, you must explain the agreement. You must make no mention of your misplay.
In other words, you must fully explain the agreement but never explain your thoughts or actions.
Calling the Director
You should be aware of the Club Rules and Pointers on the back of the Guide/Score sheets. Number 4 discusses the calling of the director with any Questions or suspected errors before taking any actions. A recent incident involving a revoke causes me to think that I need to discuss this matter more thoroughly.
Suppose an opponent makes a play causing you to think that there might have been a revoke on this or a prior play. The partner of the suspected revoker can ask partner if he has any cards of the suit led to try to prevent a revoke. Other than that, you must call the director immediately. Do not ask questions, turn over cards or replace a card which has been played. Everyone freezes.
When the director arrives, the player who called will explain what happened on the present play or what he thinks happened on a subsequent play. The director will ask any questions needed to clarify the situation, turn over any relevant prior plays and when he understands the situation will make a ruling. He will determine whether there was an established revoke requiring score adjustment or a revoke which is not established and can be corrected. If he can’t clearly understand what has happened, he can not make a ruling and will have to kill the board, especially if there is a time issue.
Incidentally, revoke is the proper name for this situation. Renege is an obsolete name which is not used.