Competitive Bidding
Robert Todd
(568) Snapdragon Doubles

Bridge players keep finding more and more ways to use doubles, especially in low-level competitive auctions.  The traditional double by the Advancer is the responsive double.  This double applies when the opponents have bid and raised a suit and partner has taken some action in the middle (either a takeout double or a suit overcall).  But when Left Hand Opponent (LHO) opens the bidding with a suit, partner overcalls a second suit, and Responder bids a third suit, then a double by Advancer is not a responsive double.  It is a different kind of competitive double called a Snapdragon Double – a fancy name for another double that wants to compete in the bidding.

(568) Snapdragon Doubles
Even More Comp Bidding
Robert Todd
(567) Support Doubles at Many Levels

Our new series of TWiB lessons is a discussion of competitive bidding.  We begin with a look at Support Doubles in unusual auctions and at the higher levels. If we play support doubles, these are important discussions to have with partner. 

(567) Support Doubles at Many Levels
Play of the Hand
Robert Todd
(566) Improve Your Card Play: Passive Opening ...

Active opening leads attempt to "go out and get" our tricks. Passive leads, on the other hand, attempt to just not give anything away or help Declarer. There are many different types of passive leads for many different situations. Here we take a look at several lead types and hands where a passive lead may or may not have the intended effect!

(566) Improve Your Card Play: Passive Opening Leads in Depth
Play of the Hand
Robert Todd
(565) Improve Your Card Play: Guarding a Suit

Declarer likes to try to win tricks with their little cards — setting up their length. As a defender it is our job to try to prevent this from happening. The way we do so is by keeping the cards in their long suits, called guarding a suit.

(565) Improve Your Card Play: Guarding a Suit
Play of the Hand
Robert Todd
(564) Improve Your Card Play: Establishing ...

We usually win tricks with little cards (other than in the trump suit) by setting up our long suits. To establish these little cards in our long suits into winners, we need to play the hand well.  This requires using our large cards in the best way possible to establish our little cards. That means we need to play our combinations as best as we can, manage our transportation, and have some good luck in the way the cards divide. Let’s see how we can properly manage our cards to take our tricks.

(564) Improve Your Card Play: Establishing Length
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(470) Unusual vs. Unusual and Unusual vs. Michaels

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(470) Unusual vs. Unusual and Unusual vs. Michaels

Here we look at times when we have to deal with the opponents 2-suited attacking bids -- Michaels Cuebids and Unusual NT.  Here we look at some special agreements, Unusual vs Unusual and Unusual vs Michaels, to help us compete in the bidding.