Jean-Pierre DESMOULINSJean-Pierre DESMOULINS

Discover bridge

The last of the 3 great secrets to drive them crazy

Step 23 of 30 in the Getting Started course.

AH playing cardKD playing cardQS playing card

So far, when the opponents opened, you kept quiet. Good news, that's over.

Imagine the opponent opens 1 right before you and you have, in West:

Bidding
SouthWestNorthEast
1?

You can now bid 1, as long as you have at least 7 or 8 HCP and at least 5 cards in the suit.

This allows you to:

  • find a good contract (sometimes you make 4)
  • give your partner a good opening lead if needed
  • disrupt the opponents in the sequence

The opponent to your right opens 1. With this hand, which natural intervention at the 1-level do you choose?

Section quiz

Yes, disrupt them! Because across from you, your partner will be able to support based on the law of trumps. Do you remember that one? You can play safely at a level that depends on your number of trumps (so if our side goes down, we lose fewer points than they would have scored by playing a contract themselves).

This gives:

Bidding
SouthWestNorthEast
11…1
Possible responses
22
33
44
  1. North

    passes or bids

  2. East 2

    3 trumps

  3. East 3

    4 trumps

  4. East 4

    5 trumps

And the points? Normal for 2 (6-10 HCP) but for the rest, it's really weak and to preempt, like 7 HCP maximum. And don't be afraid, look what we can do:

East's hand

Bidding
SouthWestNorthEast
1113

South opens 1, West intervenes with 1, North bids 2. In East, you have five Spades and 4 HCP in a distributed hand. Which preemptive support describes the ten known trumps?

Section quiz
Bidding
SouthWestNorthEast
112

Here's a summary and while I'm at it, some info on the other interventions.

Interventions in brief

  • bidding a suit at the 1-level shows at least 5 cards and at least 7 or 8 HCP. Across from you, support according to the law of trumps.
  • to intervene at the 2-level (like bidding 2 over opponent's 1), you need 6 because it's a bit more dangerous
  • the intervention by 1NT, is like the opening except you need something in the opponent's suit (a stopper so they don't run the whole suit through you); you continue as with the 1NT opening (Stayman, Texas etc)
  • the preempts (suits with a jump): it's like the openings you already know

On the opponent's 1 opening, you consider 1NT. You have the strength and suitable distribution, but only two small Hearts. What is missing to choose this intervention?

Section quiz

In No Trump, North has AKQ5 and South has J2. South is on lead. How to cash the four honors without using another suit?

Reactivating knowledge

No Trump, South on lead; no outside entries.

Go ahead. Intervene properly and make sure to annoy the opponents as much as possible.

Deal 1 Deal 2

Your progress

0/4 quizzes · Saved in this browser only, no account needed.