Stellar Bridge

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Author: John Stell Page 4 of 7

Frivolous 3NT

By

On 14 June 2020

In Conventions

I like to call it the frivolous 3NT – but many people will call this convention non-serious 3NT. If we start with an auction with no intervening bidding such as:-

  • 1♠ – 2♣
  • 2♠ – 3♠
  • ?

If we have agreed an 8 card fit in the majors then most of the time it’s going to play better in 4♠, therefore if we give up the 3NT bid as a natural bid, we can use it for something more constructive….The Frivolous 3NT.

Based on the principal of fast arrival 3♠ here can show a better hand. We can now use 3NT as the more useful Frivolous 3NT conventional bid.

So what are the kinds of hand that would bid 3NT, cue bid, or just bid 4♠?

Hands that would bid the Frivolous 3NT

a)b)c)d) We open 1♣
♠ AQ10863
♥ A62
♦ K84
♣ 7		♠ KQ10754
♥ KQ8
♦ 3
♣ K65		♠ AKJ1072
♥ 108
♦ K2
♣ QJ10		♠ KJ876
♥ K2
♦ K106
♣ KJ7
All these Hands bid the Frivolous 3NT

Hands that would Cue Bid

a)b)c)d) We open 1♣
♠ AQ10863
♥ AKQ
♦ Q72
♣ 7		♠ KQ10754
♥ Q8
♦ A72
♣ A5		♠ QJ10972
♥ AK
♦ AQ
♣ Q72		♠ KQJ86
♥ AJ2
♦ K106
♣ A7
All these Hands would cue bid at the lowest available level

Hands that would bid straight to game

a)b)We open 1♣c)We open 1♣d)
♠ KJ10863
♥ KJ
♦ KJ
♣ 732		♠ KQ754
♥ KQ8
♦ Q2
♣ J72		♠ K10972
♥ AK7
♦ Q7
♣ 972		♠ K987432
♥ KQ
♦ QJ
♣ 94
All these Hands would bid straight to game

Which auctions are Frivolous 3NT?

So in all the following Frivolous 3NT applies….

Auction 1

  • 1♠ – 2♣
  • 2♠ – 3♠
  • 3NT

Okay if you cannot spot this as frivolous 3NT you’re in trouble!

Auction 2

  • 1♠ – 2♥
  • 3♥ – 3NT

The Frivolous 3NT convention may be used by either partner as this is a 2/1 game forcing auction.

Auction 3

  • 1♠ – 2♥
  • 3♥ – 3♠
  • 3NT

Frivolous 3NT may be used after an intervening cue bid.

Auction 4

  • 1♠ – 2♣
  • 3♣ – 3♠
  • 3NT

Frivolous 3NT may be used after an intervening raise of responder.

Auction 5

  • 1♠ – 2♦
  • 2NT – 3♠
  • 3NT

Frivolous 3NT applies even if opener rebid a natural 2NT as long as the major is raised.

Auction 6

  • 1♠ – 2NT
  • 3♣ – 3♦
  • 3♠ – 3NT

Frivolous 3NT applies after any game forcing raise of a major, even without a 2/1. Here the responses are to Swedish Jacoby.

What Auctions aren’t frivolous 3NT?

Auction 1

  • 1♠ – 2♣
  • 2♠ – 2NT
  • 3♣ – 3♠
  • 3NT?

Here the 3♠ bid only shows 2 card support so the 3NT can be natural.

Auction 2

  • 1♠ – 2♣
  • 2♥ – 2♠
  • 3NT?

Jumps to 3NT aren’t frivolous…you can simply cue-bid over 2♠ or bid 3♠

Auction 3

  • 1♠ – 2♣
  • 2♥ – 3♠
  • 3NT?

3♠ is a strong picture jump raise therefore the Frivolous 3NT is not needed when the partnership is already known to be in the slam zone. This could be a case of wanting partner to cue bid 4♣ before you bid 4♦

Auction 4

  • 1♠ – 2♦
  • 3♠ – 3NT

The 3♠ bid is similar to the last auction is a strong picture jump suit rebid setting the suit.
Frivolous 3NT is not needed since the partnership is already known to be in the slam zone.

Auction 5

  • 1♠ – 1NT
  • 2♣ – 3♠
  • 3NT

Since the 3♠ is a 3-card limit raise. Here the Frivolous 3NT is off since responder’s 3♠ raise did not create a game force.

Well I hope that wets your appetite!

Picture Jumps

By

On 14 June 2020

In Conventions

Picture jumps are used in the 2/1 bidding system.

Alternatively you can watch a picture jumps video instead.

If we start with an auction, with no intervening bidding such as:-

  • 1♠-2♣
  • 2♥ -?

So here we can bid 2♠ / 3♠ / 4♠ to show different kinds of holdings.

Firstly 2♠

A hand such as:

  • ♠ K107
  • ♥ K5
  • ♦ K76
  • ♣ KJ973

The two spade bid shows 3 card spade support but also denies holding a good 5 card club suit and good spades now making slam less likely.

Secondly 3♠

A hand such as:

  • ♠ KQ7
  • ♥ A5
  • ♦ 876
  • ♣ AKJxx

This raise shows good trump support, a good club suit and an outside control in one of the red suits.

And Finally 4♠

A hand such as:

  • ♠ KQ7
  • ♥ 65
  • ♦ J76
  • ♣ AKJxx

This shows excellent trump support and a great club support but no controls in the other suits.

By having all these different bids set in stone opener is more likely to know whether to go for a slam or not.

Modifying LIN files

By

On 13 June 2020

In Videos

Well someone just asked me a question and I thought the easiest way was to answer it with a video. They basically wanted to know how they could combine their LIN files so they wouldn’t get 4 lots of 6 boards…i.e. 1 to 6.

In other words they wanted 1-24 boards.

You can avoid this by combining the LIN files together using something as simple as Notepad!

RKC Minorwood

By

On 13 June 2020

In Conventions

RKC Minorwood is a bridge convention which looks for all the keycards in a minor suit at a lower level that the normal 4NT RKCB

If you play inverted minors for example then the sequences will fit into this system:

1♣-2♣-4♣

So here 4♣ is RKC minorwood and the responses are:-

  • 4♦ – 1/4 Keycards
  • 4♥ – 0/3 Keycards
  • 4♠ – 2 Keycards
  • 4NT – 2Keycards + Queen of clubs

It’s also possible to play 4♦ as – no you tell me about your keycards and you can play the responses starting at 4♥ instead. But let’s not confuse things!

If the Queen of trumps has not been shown or denied,
then the cheapest non-trump suit becomes the Queen ask, and the next cheapest non-trump suit asks for Kings specifically.
If the Queen has been shown, the cheapest non-trump suit asks for Kings.

4NT / 5♣ bids are sign off.

When replying to the queen ask : The 5NT bid response would show the queen + 2 kings.

1♦-2♦-4♦

So here 4♦ is RKC minorwood

  • 4♥ – 1/4 Keycards
  • 4♠ – 0/3 Keycards
  • 4NT – 2 Keycards
  • 5♣ – 2Keycards + Queen of diamonds

It’s also possible to play 4♥ as – no you tell me about your keycards and you can play the responses starting at 4♠ instead. But let’s not confuse things!

If the Queen of trumps has not been shown or denied,
then the cheapest non-trump suit becomes the Queen ask, and the next cheapest non-trump suit asks for Kings.
If the Queen has been shown, the cheapest non-trump suit asks for Kings.

4NT / 5♦ bids are sign off.

When replying to the queen ask : The 5NT bid response would show the queen + 2 kings.

Spotting Minorwood?

When is Minorwood minorwood?

  1. The 4m bid cannot be construed as competitive.
  2. The partnership is in a GF auction, has reached game (i.e. 3NT), or bypassed any effort to check for 3NT (which covers the 1m (2m/3m) 4m case).
  3. The minor suit fit is explicitly established, implied (e.g. auction started 1♣ 1NT), or one partner has bid the minor enough times that partner’s 4m should imply support (at least Hx or xxx).

Inverted Minors

By

On 13 June 2020

In Conventions

Again this is another bridge convention that people play in different ways…so you really need to make sure that you and your partner are playing it the same way before you agree to play inverted minors.

This version i’m going to describe I play with a prepared club (might only be a 2 card suit) and a 5 card diamond suit (unbalanced) with a strong NT.

So the whole point of inverted minors are that the 2♣ and 2♦ bid replace the 3♣ and 3♦ bids in normal Acol. In simplistic terms at least. However there is more complexity to it than that….

Let’s start with 1♣ – 2♣

This shows 10+ points, a 5 card club suit and is forcing to 2NT or 3♣.

  • 2♦ = 15+ points or natural diamonds
  • 2♥ = A heart stop, and possibly no spade stop or getting ready to show a 5 card suit.
  • 2♠ = A spade stop, and possibly no heart stop or getting ready to show a 5 card spade suit.
  • 2NT – stops in both major less that 15 points
  • 3♣ = I’ve got Clubs and a weak hand.
  • 3♦/♥/♠ = Splinters
  • 3NT = 18/19 points
  • 4♣ = RKC Minorwood

1♦ – 2♦

This shows 10+ points, a 4 card diamond suit and is forcing to 2NT or 3♦.

  • 2♥ = A heart stop, and possibly no spade stop or getting ready to show a 5 card suit.
  • 2♠ = A spade stop, and possibly no heart stop or getting ready to show a 5 card spade suit.
  • 2NT – stops in both major less that 15 points
  • 3♣ = 15+ points or natural clubs
  • 3♦ = Minimum hand with diamonds
  • 3 ♥/♠ = Splinters
  • 3NT = 18/19 points
  • 4♣ = Splinter
  • 4♦ = RKC Minorwood

1 Minor – 3 Minor

This is now straightforward – 5-9 points and shows a 5 card club suit and a 4+ card diamond support

Convert PBN to LIN

By

On 10 June 2020

In Videos

This video will show how you convert PBN files to the LIN file format…

Here is the link to upload your PBN file and dowmload them as a LIN file.

Kokish Game Tries

By

On 10 June 2020

In Conventions

Kokish game tries are similar to trial bids. They come after partner has raised 1 of a Major to 2 of a Major, so:

  • 1♥ – 2♥ and 1♠ – 2♠

So 2♠ would be a kokish game try when the hearts have been raised and 2NT would be a kokish game try when the spades have been raised.

Responder now bids there lowest suit they are happy to accept a game try in…by either having help in that suit because they have a shortage or they have good values in that suit. So Qxx would not be considered that good in the suit where KJxx would be a good holding.

If responder cannot help in any suit they simply bid the major at the 3 level.

If opener doesn’t like the response e.g. 3♣ they can then bid 3♦ or 3♥ and ask for help in the bid suit.

You can also play a direct raise asks for help in the trump suit…but most people play that as a pre-emptive raise.

  • 1♥ – 2♥ – 3♥ and 1♠ – 2♠ – 3♠

The advantage of this system over normal long suit trial bids is if your partner shows no help you haven’t divulged where your weakness is.

How to Upload LIN files to Bridgebase

By

On 10 June 2020

In Videos

So in this video i’m going to show you how to download LIN files and then upload them to Bridgebase. You can then use these as a teaching aid or to practice certain hand types with your bridge friends.

Jacoby 2NT

By

On 10 June 2020

In Conventions

So partner opens 1M (so one of a major suit 5+)….and assuming no intervening bids you now bid 2NT which is Jacoby 2NT. This is a game forcing bid showing 4 card Major support and a good 12 points plus.

Here is a video of me bidding sample Jacoby 2NT hands.

Here is the Jacoby 2NT convention in video format

Just to let you know that some people play different versions of this (see below for nuances)

The responses are:-

  • 3♣ – A hand with singleton/void in clubs – then a cue bid of 4♣ would show a void.
  • 3♦ – A hand with singleton/void in diamonds – then a cue bid of 4♦ would show a void.
  • 3♥ – A hand with singleton/void in hearts – then a cue bid of 4♥ would show a void OR 16+ points if 1♥ was the opening bid.
  • 3♠ – A non-minimum hand with singleton/void in spades – then a cue bid of 4♠ would show a void OR 16+ points if 1♠ was the opening bid.
  • 3NT – Better than minimum hand balanced (14-15 points)
  • 4♣ – A good 5 card suit (2 out of 3 top keycards)
  • 4♦ – A good 5 card suit (2 out of 3 top keycards)
  • 4♥ – A good 5 card suit if 1♠ was the opening bid or a minimum hand if 1♥ was the opening bid
  • 4♠ – A good 5 card suit if 1♥ was the opening bid or a minimum hand if 1♠ was the opening bid. This will show 65 shape in the majors.

One thing you should notice straight away is if you have two 5 card suit then you must have a singleton or void in one of the other two suits…so there must be a priority for these bids:

Priority of Openers Response
  • Bid a 5 card suit (as long as it has 2 out of top 3 honours)
  • Bid a singleton or void
  • Bid 3NT (shows a good 14-15 points)
  • Jump to 4 of a major to show weak (12-13 points)
  • Bid 3 of the major to show 16+

Obviously the last 3 are of equal priority…the point is shape showing bids are most important.

Alternative Versions
  • Some people use the suit bid to show extra length in the trump suit rather than 16+ points.
  • Bidding a second suit with only 4 cards in it rather than 5
  • Bidding a second suit without needing 2 of the top 3…but maybe decent suit such as AJ9xx
  • Playing Swedish Jacoby

Suppose partner gives a positive response then all bids after are considered cue bids or 4NT would be RKCB. It’s possible to play 3NT as ace asking or frivolous/serious 3NT…but when you’ve agreed a 8/9 card fit in a Major….it usually makes sense to play in 4 of the Major therefore you can use the 3NT as non-natural.

For a different version why not check out Swedish Jacoby.

Reverse Drury

By

On 9 June 2020

In Conventions

When your partner decides to bid 1 of a major in the 3rd position in bridge…sometimes their bid can be weaker than a normal opening. It’s called a 3rd in hand opener. You can also do it in 4th position as well…usually when you hold the spade suit.

So we use an artificial bid of 2♣ or 2♦

The bid of 2♣ / 2♦ asks the opener for their strength….and shows either 3 or 4 card support depending on whether they used 2♣ / 2♦.

Very simply opener rebids their major if they are weak and bids anything else to show they have a sound opening bid.

Rebidding 2 of the major shows a hand with sub-opening values and any other bid now shows at least normal opening values.

This prevents the partnership from getting to the 3 level when only a 2 level contract can make.

Example Hands

So all of these hands you could open 1 of a Major in third or 4th

  1. ♠ – AQJ54 ♥ – Q984 ♦ – 6 ♣ – KQ10
  2. ♠ – 4 ♥ – AQ1097 ♦ – A986 ♣ – 974
  3. ♠ – AQJ105 ♥ – J102 ♦ – Q63 ♣ – 32
  4. ♠ – KJ10986 ♥ – A43 ♦ – KQ4 ♣ – 7
  5. ♠ – AK10986 ♥ – KQ3 ♦ – A4 ♣ – K7

After your partner bids 2♣ Reverse Drury, each hand would respond in the following way:-

  1. Bid 2♥ – Normal opening strength and shows 54 shape
  2. Bids 2♥ – weak opener…don’t go on partner
  3. Bids 2♠ – weak opener…don’t go on.
  4. Bids 4♠ – no other suit to show fast arrival…no slam interest
  5. Bids 3♠ – slam interest

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