The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 1 on 26 October
North counts 13 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Spade. East counts 14 HCPs plus 3 for the void and doubles for takeout (Big). South counts 5 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and adds 1 for the 4-card support and responds 2 Spades. West counts 8 HCPs and advances 3 Diamonds. North adds 3 points for the supported 6-card suit and invites with 3 Spades showing the Big Double. East knows that his support for partner's 6-card suit adds 3 points for the supported 6-card suit and sees at least 20 points opposite his 8 and jumps to 5 Hearts to invite slam. North passes and East has no more than promised but likes his hand with the double fit and thinks hard. If he decides to pass, he makes an overtrick for a 4-way tie for the top. If he boldly bids the slam, he makes it for the top by himself for more points.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 2 on 26 October
East counts 17 HCPs plus 1 for each doubleton and opens 1 Heart. South counts 8 HCPs plus 3 for the void and overcalls 1 Spade. West passes and North counts 13 HCPs and knows partner has 11- 16 points. He bids 1 No Trump to show a Heart stopper, poor support for partner's Spades and enough for his bid. All pass and and it makes for the top while 5 pairs go down.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 3 on 26 October
It floats to North who counts 15 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 1 No Trump. All pass and it makes for a decent score. The actual contracts are all over the place. Some were lucky and some were not.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 4 on 26 October
North counts 20 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 2 No Trump. East passes and South doesn't like the singleton so responds 2 Clubs (Stayman) and North responds 2 Hearts to show a 4-card major. South rebids 3 No Trump to show enough for game and the wrong 4-card major. North knows that partner has 4 Spades to corrects to 4 Spades. It makes with an overtrick for the top since no one made 3 No Trump plus 2.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 5 on 26 October
East counts 13 HCPs and opens 1 Heart. South counts 14 HCPs and lacks the distribution for a double or an overcall so passes. West counts 8 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and lacks the 10 points to respond at the 2 level so responds 1 No Trump. All pass and no one was able to make 1 No Trump although it looks like 7 tricks were there: 1 Spade, 4 Hearts, 1 Diamond and 1 Club. The only positive score was 2 Diamonds by West which should have gone down. Yuck!
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 6 on 26 October
East counts 12 HCPs plus 3 for the void and opens 1 Club. South counts 13 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and overcalls 1 Diamond. West counts 6 HCPs and responds 1 Heart (Up the line). North counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the Heart doubleton and jumps to 3 Diamonds with the 6-5 fit. All pass and it makes an overtrick for a good score but one pair was allowed to make an extra overtrick for the top. North went down 1 at 4 Hearts which looks like a suspicious contract.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 7 on 26 October
West counts 12 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Diamond. East counts 16 HCPs minus 1 for the singleton King and responds 2 Clubs promising 10 or more points and at least 5 Clubs and forcing partner to describe his hand. West responds 2 No Trump and East raises to 3 No Trump. It makes with an overtrick for the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 8 on 26 October
North counts 11 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Spade. East counts 13 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and doubles for takeout. South counts 11 HCPs and responds 2 Diamonds. West counts 5 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and passes. North rebids 2 Spades to show his 6-card suit and 13-16 points. East passes and South knows that his adequate support gives partner at least 16 points opposite his 11 points and raises to 4 Hearts. Only one pair bid the game and they went down. Two pairs bid 2 Hearts and were allowed 2 overtricks for the top. I still like the game bid even though it did go down. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp or what's a heaven for?"
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 9 on 26 October
North counts 11 HCPs minus 1 for the flat hand and passes. East counts 12 HCPs minus 1 for the singleton King and passes. South counts 7 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and 1 for the doubleton and lacks the 2 of the top 4 honors for a weak-two bid so passes. West counts 10 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and passes. Why look for trouble?
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 10 on 26 October
East counts 15 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 1 No Trump. West counts 11 HCPs and raises to 3 No Trump. One pair was allowed 2 overtricks for the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 11 on 26 October
This hand is a nightmare to bid with more examples of what you can't do than what you can. I can see North opening 1 Diamond and East overcalling 1 Spade, but after that it's a free for all. The top for E/W is 2 Spades by East down 1 and the top for N/S is 3 Spades by East going down 2. Yuck!
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 12 on 26 October
It floats to East who counts 17 HCPs and opens 1 No Trump. South passes and West counts 11 HCPs and jumps to 3 No Trump. The shadow over this hand is that N/S has 5 tricks in Diamonds. If South leads the Ace of Diamonds and then the Jack, North will take the King and 3 more Diamonds to set them before they get in. If he leads anything else East can take 2 Spades, 3 Hearts and 5 Clubs for an overtrick. If he's greedy and keeps his stoppers to try to set up the Spades, he gives South another chance to get the 5 Diamonds plus a Spade to set you. We help the needy, not the greedy!
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 13 on 26 October
North counts 15 HCPs with a balanced hand and opens 1 No Trump. South counts 11 HCPs plus 3 for the void and wants to be in game. He responds 2 Hearts (Jacoby Transfer) and North rebids 2 Spades as directed. South sees at least 15 HCPs opposite his 14 points and jumps to 3 No Trump to show exactly 5 Spades and enough for game. North corrects to 4 Spades and South adds 3 points for the void and 1 point for the supported 5-card suit. He raises to 5 Spades to invite slam and North adds 1 point for the doubleton and 1 point for the 4-card support and raises to 6 Spades. It makes for the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 14 on 26 October
East counts 13 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Club. West counts 12 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and responds 1 Spade. East rebids 1 No Trump and West rebids 3 Spades to show 10 or more points and 6 Spades. East has a minimum for his bids and passes. It makes for a good score but one pair was allowed to make an overtrick for the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 15 on 26 October
South counts 15 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and 0pens 1 Club. West counts 14 HCPs plus 3 for the void and doubles for takeout (Big). North counts 4 HCPs with an 8-card Spade suit and jumps to 2 Spades a long suit with a hand he would otherwise have to pass. East advances to 3 Diamonds and South jumps to 4 Spades. All pass and it makes with an overtrick for a tie at the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 16 on 26 October
It floats to South who counts 17 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Spade. North counts 8 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and responds 2 Spades. South reevaluates to 19 points for his supported 5-card suit and jumps to 4 Spades. It makes with an overtrick for a tie at the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 17 on 26 October
North counts 15 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Heart. East must pass and South counts 12 HCPs plus 1 and wants to get to game. A jump to 3 Hearts would promise 4 Hearts so he responds 1 Spade to force partner to describe his hand. North can't rebid his 5-card suit and doen't want to raise 2 Spades so rebids 2 Clubs. South sees a double fit and raises to 4 Hearts. North sees 13 points opposite his reevaluated 18 points and invites slam with 5 Hearts. South has a minimum for his bids and passes. It makes with an overtrick for a good score but one pair was allowed an extra overtrick for the top when the defenders didn't take their high Diamond.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 18 on 26 October
East counts 19 HCPs minus 1 for the singleton King and opens 1 Spade. West counts 7 HCPs and responds 2 Spades. East adds 3 points for the supported 6-card suit and jumps to 4 Spades. One pair made it for the bottom when the other 5 Pairs were allowed an overtrick. The defenders should get the Ace of Clubs, King of Diamonds and the King of Hearts.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 19 on 26 October
South counts 14 HCPs plus 3 for the void and opens 1 Spade. West used the Rule of Two or Three but it didn't qualify with the unfavorable vulnerability so passed. North counts 8 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and 2 for the 5-card support and responds 3 Spades. South reevaluates to add 1 for the supported 5-card suit and invites with 5 Spades. North has little more than he promised so probably passes. Four pairs made 12 tricks for a tie at the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 20 on 26 October
West counts 14 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Spade. East counts 13 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton. He sees game but isn't sure about slam. He responds 2 Hearts promising a 5-card suit and forcing partner to describe his hand. West shows his second suit with 3 Diamonds. East stops to consider 4 Spades versus 3 No Trump. With the same points he decides to bid 3 No Trump and West stops to consider 4 Hearts versus 3 No Trump. If both contracts just make the game, 4 Hearts is better. If both contracts make 10 tricks, 3 No Trump is better. Four pairs made 4 Hearts or 4 Spades for the top, but one pair went down for the bottom. One pair made 3 No Trump but didn't get the overtrick so was next to the bottom.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 21 on 26 October
Seven boards in a row have made game. How about this one? North counts 11 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and opens 1 Diamond. East passes and South counts 10 HCPs plus 1 each for the doubletons and responds 1 Heart to force partner to describe. West counts 14 HCPs and overcalls 1 Spade. North rebids 2 Clubs and East competes to 2 Spades. South competes to 3 Diamonds and West competes to 3 Spades. Now it gets tough. North still doesn't know if partner has 4 or 5 Hearts so competes to 4 Diamonds. East and South pass and West may pass or bid 4 Spades. One pair somehow got to 3 Hearts and made a overtrick for the N/S top. One West was allowed to play 2 Spades and made an overtrick for the E/W top. 4 Diamonds made for second for N/S and 3 or 4 Spades down 1 were second for E/W. Hard to get right.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 22 on 26 October
South counts 18 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and opens 1 Club intending to later jump to 2 No Trump to shoe his balanced hand and 18-19 HCPs. North counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the Spades doubleton and responds 1 Diamond. South rebids 2 No Trump as intended and North raises to 3 No Trump. Two pairs made it with 2 overtricks for the top. Easy Peasy!
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 23 on 26 October
South counts 22 HCPs and opens 1 Club. North counts 3 HCPs plus 3 for the void and responds 1 Heart. South rebids 3 No Trump and two pairs were allowed to make it with an overtrick for a good score. One pair made it with 2 overtricks for the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 24 on 26 October
It floats to South who counts 16 HCPs and opens 1 No Trump. North counts 10 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and responds 2 Clubs (Stayman). South rebids 2 Spades and North raises to 4 Spades. Two pairs made it for the top.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 25 on 26 October
North counts 11 HCPs minus 1 for the flat hand and passes. East counts 11 HCPs minus 1 for the flat hand and passes. South counts 8 HCPs plus 1 for the doubleton and passes. West counts 10 HCPs minus 1 for the flat hand and passes.
Suppose West opens 1 Diamond with his 9 points. As far as partner knows, West has a good hand. East must respond with 6 or more points and that presents a new problem. He can't bid a new suit because he doesn't have one. A raise to 2 Diamonds would promise 6-9 points and he has 11 HCPs. A jump raise to 3 Diamonds would promise 10 or more but with a 5-card suit. One No Trump would promise 6-10 points and he has 11 HCPs. A jump to 2 No Trump would promise 13-15 points and stoppers in all unbid suits. With 11-12 points he must decide whether it is more like 10 or 13 points. One No Trump seems closest to reality and it might make.
However it works out, I think it should pass out. Why look for trouble?
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 26 on 26 October
South counts18 HCPs plus 1 each for the doubletons and opens 1 Diamond. West's 6-card suit is too weak for a jump overcall so he passes. North responds 1 Spade and South stops to consider whether to just bid 3 No Trump or to probe for slam. He considers a reverse to 2 Hearts to force partner to 3 Diamonds or higher but he might miss it and pass. He considers a jump-shift to 3 Hearts to force to game but partner might have to choose between Hearts or Diamonds and confuse the issue. He decides to keep it simple and bids 3 No Trump. It should make with 2 overtricks for the top but one pair was allowed to make 3 No Trump by North plus 3. East would surely lead the King of Clubs to set up the Queen. South would sooner or later have to lead the a Spade to West to the Ace.
The Hidden Secret of Bidding - Board 27 on 26 October
South counts 9 HCPs plus 1 for the Spade doubleton and passes. West counts 12 HCPs and opens 1 Diamond. North counts 9 HCPs and passes. East counts 10 HCPs plus 2 for the singleton and responds 1 Spade to force partner to describe his hand. West rebids 1 No Trump and East rebids 3 Spades to show his 6-card suit and 10 or more points. All pass and it makes for what should be the top. Two pairs were allowed to take 10 tricks for the top.
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.