A direct overcall of 1NT over an opening bid of one of a suit shows a generally balanced hand, 16-18 points (or a good 15) and at least one stopper in your opponents' suit. This s... more
8 ever 9 never is a guideline in declarer play to help decide whether or not to take a finesse for the missing Queen when holding the other top honours. With eight cards in the sui... more
Declarer Play in a suit contract involves keeping track of the trump suit, whether you plan to draw trumps immediately or hold off for a few rounds to cross-trump one or more trick... more
We are defending a contract 50% of the time, but do we put in as much effort and concentration as when we are declarer? If we focus more on defensive techniques, getting opponents'... more
Loser on Loser is a technique in bridge where Declarer discards a losing card on a loser, when the defence are winning the trick. We usually think of discarding losers on winners, ... more
We often end up playing in 1NT - probably the most feared contract of all! It crops up frequently and can present problems for both declarer and the defenders. Maybe we could sit b... more
Most bridge lessons on declarer play teach the Rule of 7 to help work out how many times to hold-up a winner in a no trump contract. How useful is the rule, and can we always rely ... more
Learn to Play Bridge: Weak Two Opening Bids are popular in both Acol and Standard bidding systems. The bids are pre-emptive as they take valuable bidding space away from opponents,... more
When partner makes a takeout double, you are expected to bid, even if you don't have any points. This can feel rather daunting, but it's crucial to trust your partner and show your... more
When you learn to play bridge it can be frustrating if you have an opening strength hand but opponents open the bidding. With no good 5-card suit to make an overcall, you may be fo... more