1. 1. > A Basic Treatise on Breuchre A Hybrid Trick-Taking Card Game Combining the Basic Elements of Bridge and Euchre By: Mark Musetti Patent Pending 2015
2. 2. Table of Contents Section 1: Preface and Acknowledgements (page 3) Section 2: Introduction (page 5) Section 3: Bidding Basics (page 7) Section 4: Playing the Hand (page 9) Section 5: General Bidding Information (page 11) Section 6: Opening Bids (page 13) Section 7: Doubles (page 17) Section 8: Overcalls (page 20) Section 9: Responses to Partners Opening Bid (page 20) Section 10: Cue (Control) Bids (page 25) Section 11: Transfer (Natural and Artificial) Bids (page 30) Section 12: More Example Hands (page 31) Section 13: Closing Notes (page 40) Section 14: Bibliography (page 41) 2
3. 3. Preface and Acknowledgements (Section 1) I am a novice Bridge player, a devout Euchre fan and a lover of game theory and mathematics in general. It is very frustrating in Euchre to have a great hand that is unplayable because I cant play in the suit that is turned up. Worse yet, after the top card was turned down, another person before me could name a suit before I could. There is also less of a reward for bidding accurately as overtricks are not penal in nature (this is the one aspect of Spades that I enjoy). Bridge is an extremely cerebral game, where the bidding is at least as interesting as the play itself. The wide variety of conventions and systems serve to best describe the cards that a team holds in order to make as many tricks as possible (or to earn the best possible score against competing teams in duplicate bridge). However, with 13 tricks to be taken per hand, many otherwise capable card players would be quite daunted by the bidding aspects of the game. Perhaps if there were fewer bids and special situations to develop conventions, bridge would catch on to a greater audience than it currently does. As I tried to catch my second wind three hours into a 12-hour road trip from Ohio to New York, I started thinking about the possibility of marrying the two games based on their unique advantages. Shortly after my wife Jessica took over the driving for me in Pennsylvania, I wrote a first draft of the rules to the game. At that time I hadnt played a Duplicate Bridge game in more than 10 years, but I remembered enough basics to develop some bidding systems and conventions once I returned home from my trip that emphasize trick counts and suit descriptions over point counts and hand distributions. The resulting document is intended to give trick-taking card game enthusiasts an exciting variation of two 3
4. 4. classics while packing all of the excitement of auction bidding into a 5-trick hand. I am especially grateful for the many people along the way who have helped me to transform my dormant thoughts into an epiphany. I am indebted to my wife Jessica for always supporting me and not giving up on me. A huge thank you also goes to my father-in-law Jerry Springer (nearly as famous as the talk show host) for never being afraid to play fast and loose in euchre as my partner. His willingness to bid on hands that no one else (except now myself) would dare bid was the impetus for me to develop the EOT bidding method. My experiences at the American Regional Math League (ARML) competitions, particularly with Ohio coach Jon Graetz, were also instrumental in my developing variations of games based on math theory. Brandon Cromer, a fellow brother in Christ and a computer programmer, has contributed tremendously by both teaching me the basics of Java and converting the complex bidding and playing concepts of Breuchre into exciting computer play. Most of all, I thank God for fearfully and wonderfully making me in His image (Psalm 139:14). He has blessed me with a mind to learn and a heart to serve Him. 4
5. 5. Introduction (Section 2) Goal: To defeat the opposing team by either making your contract or by defeating their contract (contract), or to earn the highest rank among all teams (N/S or E/W) in each hand (duplicate) Objective: In Contract Breuchre, the first team to score least 21 points by at least 2 points wins. In Duplicate Breuchre, the top scoring N/S and E/W teams against all N/S and E/W teams after 16 hands wins. Number of Players: 4 (N-S vs. E-W partnerships (teams)) Cards: Ace, king, queen, jack, 10 and 9 of each suit (24 cards) Definitions: Kitty: The 4 remaining face down cards (unused) Contract: A result that describes the number of tricks to be made in the trump suit (or no trump) Auction: The bidding process that determines which team will arrive at a contract Declarer: The player who first bid the trump (T) or no- trump (NT) suit resulting in that team arriving at their contract, unless the player called that suit at the Loner level. Dummy: Either declarers partner or the hand of declarers partner. Dummy lays down the hand after declarers LHO leads and may not give input about the card play. 5
6. 6. Loner: The declarer who shall attempt to make all 5 tricks in the chosen trump suit (unless no-trump) without help from partner (whose hand is placed face-down into the kitty). Overtricks: All tricks earned above and beyond the contract level agreed upon. For instance, making 4 tricks in a 2 contract results in 2 overtricks for that team. Set: An action used to describe the team that has defeated (set) the contract agreed to by the opposing team. It also describes the team who has gone down in defeat. LHO: Left-hand opponent; also the opening bidder when you deal or the leader of first trick when you are declarer RHO: Right-hand opponent; also the leader of the first trick when you are dummy Right Bower: The highest-ranked trump card (jack in the trump suit); a.k.a the right (JR). Left Bower: The second highest-ranked trump card (other jack in the same color as the trump suit); a.k.a the left (JL). Reneging: Playing the incorrect card during a trick with or without intent Initial Conditions: Player to the right of the dealer cuts cards The first hand shall be dealt by South Dealer deals 5 cards clockwise to each player, 1 at a time, starting from player to dealers left Card Ranks (Bidding Auction and Hand Playing): Card rank for trump suit: JR, JL, A, K, Q, 10 and 9 Card rank for other suit of same color: A, K, Q, 10 and 9 Card rank for plain (off-colored) suits: A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9 Card rank in NT play (all suits): J, A, K, Q, 10, 9 6
7. 7. Bidding Basics (Section 3) Bidding Notation: A player may pass (P), make a bid (shown below), call a double (D) over an existing bid or redouble (DD) over an existing double. The bids, in order from weakest to strongest hand, are: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1NT 2, 2, 2, 2, 2NT 3, 3, 3, 3, 3NT 4, 4, 4, 4, 4NT 5, 5, 5, 5, 5NT L, L, L, L, LNT (L=Loner; NT=No trump) A bid generally tells the table that the partnership expects to make a certain number of the 5 tricks at that trump suit, unless NT is bid. Contract Shorthand: Number of tricks, trump suit (unless NT), doubling characteristic (if applicable), side arriving at auction (e.g. 3D N/S means that the contract was arrived at by N/S at 3 hearts, doubled) Bidding Auction: The person to the left of the dealer bids first and must either pass or bid at a level describing the number of tricks to be taken and the trump suit (or NT). A trump bid must contain at least 1 card in that suit (no initial artificial bids). 7
8. 8. Bidding continues clockwise to the next player, who must pass, double (see conventions) or bid at a higher level. Succeeding bidders must pass, double over a bid, redouble over the opponents double or re-bid at a higher level (e.g. 3 over 2 is acceptable, but 2 over 2 is not). A new bid removes the previously doubled or redoubled bid. If all players pass to open the bidding, the cards are turned in and the next player to the left deals; otherwise 3 consecutive passes ends the bidding for the contract. Example of a Bidding Auction: South deals, West leads the bidding: North East South West 1 Double 2 3 Pass 4 (All pass) Agreed Upon Contract: 4 N/S, West leads Implications: Declarer: South (made first spade bid for team) Dummy: North (declarers partner) Objective: N/S must make at least 4 of the 5 tricks with spades as trump suit in order to make the contract 8
9. 9. Playing the Hand (Section 4) Trick Play: The player to the left of declarer will lead the opening trick. Once the first card (any card) is played, dummy shows the hand face up on the table. Declarer will play each card from dummys hand for all tricks in the round. The dummy need not be present after the lead card has been played. The suit of the first card led is trump unless a card of the trump suit is later played. All players must play a card in the led suit unless there is a void in that suit. The winner of each trick leads the following trick. All 5 tricks must be played out in each hand. Scoring: The number of points that can be earned per contract only depends on the level bid, whether a contract was doubled or redoubled and the number of tricks that the defenders set the team. Level vs. Points: 4 consecutive opening passes: 0 points Contract set at 1, 2 or 3 level: 1 point Contract set at 4 or 5 level: 2 points Loner contract: 4 points Doubling and Redoubling: Doubled contracts earn 2x the points of the original contract and redoubled contracts earn 4x the points of the original contract. 9
10. 10. Making or Defending the Contract: Points are awarded to the side that either makes the contract or successfully defends it. If the opposition is successful, it receives a point total equal to the point value multiplied by a penalty factor (see below) based on the number of tricks they fell short. Down 1 trick: defending team earns 1x the points Down 2 tricks: defending team earns 2x the points Down 3 or more tricks: defending team earns 3x the points Overtricks: 5 points are deducted from the teams score for every 10 overtricks made. Once the points are deducted, 10 overtricks are removed from the total count. Overtricks are not assessed for doubled contracts, redoubled contracts or for reneging (see below). Reneging (Challenges and Consequences): If a players reneging did not affect the previous trick(s), the opposition shall either make that player play another card or end the round without any score and have the next player deal. If the reneging has affected the previous trick(s), the round ends and the challenging team is assessed all the points for that round. The next round continues as normal. An incorrect claim by the challenger shall result in forfeiting all points for that round to the other team. Score Examples: 1) 4 N/S, doubled: This contract is worth 2x2 = 4 points. If N/S goes down 2 tricks, E/W will earn 2x2x2, or 8 points. 10
11. 11. 2) 2 E/W: This contract is worth 1 point. If E/W wins 4 tricks, they earn 1 point with 2 overtricks toward the 10-overtrick penalty. General Bidding Information (Section 5) Unlike most trick-taking games, Bridge is known for its auction bidding, which is the teams way of describing the partners hands. While artificial systems (conventions) may be used to describe a hand, we will use natural bidding systems here unless specifically defined. Artificial bids must also be alerted to the opposing team by having the partner of the bidder state alert, followed by a short description of the bid (example: alert, seeking aces). Because Breuchre can be somewhat less partner-driven due to the increased probability of extreme distributions with only 5 total tricks per hand (as in Euchre), teams need to be able to understand when bidding reflects the partnership and when it reflects a need to obtain information to control a suit. Most hands should have a single player be able to win at least 3 tricks in a given trump suit or in NT without partners help. However when done properly, descriptive bidding conveys information about each others hand, leading to solid winnable contracts. It is because of the propensity for extreme hand distributions that section 9 (responses to partners opening bid) explains the rationale for responses that can differ from Bridge. Equivalent OT (EOT) count: While OT counts guarantee a certain number of tricks that can be taken by that player, some hands should still be bid even without any OT values because of the cheapness of a 1 or 2-trump bid within the framework of a part contract (1 or 2T). Those wishing to bid more liberally or wanting to make a cheap bid from the 3rd or 4th position may wish to consider statistical OT equivalencies, also known as equivalent OT counts or EOT. 11
12. 12. Equivalent OT (EOT) count in trump = 0.5 (Tunc + Asing + Vplain) Where: Tunc = # of non-connected trumps (2 - 4) Asing = # of off suit singleton aces Vplain = # of plain void suits void A-K-9 A J In the above hand, the EOT count (valuation) is ~2.5 tricks in hearts. If the EOT is half-integral (1.5, 2.5), bid the whole number part of the trick count. This revaluation may be used in future bids to better describe the trick-taking ability of the hand by declarer if the player chooses to rebid that suit. EOT counts when considering NT openings are more difficult to determine because good cards may never be able to be played with poor distributions. When the hand contains a 2-1-1-1 distribution, the hand is optimized so that each jack is a guaranteed trick (OT = 1, see OT counts in next paragraph), the J-A suited pair is 2 guaranteed tricks (OT = 2) and the A-K suited pair has an EOT count ~ 1. For instance, the above hand technically has no guaranteed tricks in NT unless play switches to clubs, but it likely has an EOT count of 2 with 2 stoppers, hence a 1NT opening bid could be used (refer to section 6b). This game is more like euchre in terms of opening bids based on outright tricks (OT) as opposed to high-card points (HCP). The OT count is more useful in euchre-style games because there are only 5 tricks in the hand. The 4 cards in the kitty also make HCP counts trickier to deal with, so OT counts are preferred for openings. The 4 main bids (aside from passing) in the auction are: 1) Opening trump and no-trump bidding 2) Take-out and penalty doubles 3) Overcalls in trump and no-trump 12
13. 13. 4) Cue bids (and transfer bids in general) Opening Bids (Section 6) 6a - Opening Trump Bids: Given the following trumps: JR, JL, A, K, Q, 10 and 9 The following sequences guarantee 1 trump trick (OT = 1): JR, JL-A, A-K-Q, K-Q-10-9 The following sequences yield ~1.5 trump tricks (OT ~1.5): JR-A, JR-K-Q, JL-A-Q, A-K-Q The following sequences guarantee 2 trump tricks (OT = 2): JR-JL, JL-A-K, A-K-Q-10 The following sequences yield ~2.5 trump tricks (OT ~2.5): JR-JL- (10 or 9), JR-A-K, JL-A-Q-10, A-K-Q-10 The following sequences guarantee 3 trump tricks (OT = 3): JR-JL-A, JR-JL-K-Q, JL-A-K- (Q, 10 or 9), A-K-Q-10-9 The following sequences guarantee a Loner bid (OT = L), with Q+ referring to an A, K or Q of the suit: JR - JL - (any 3 other trumps) JR - JL - Q+ - (any 1 other trump) - (side ace) 13
14. 14. For estimating opening bids from hands that do not contain solid integral bids (~1.5, ~2.5), conservatively bid the whole number part of the OT count in 1st or 2nd position, but teams may consider rounding the bid up if 3rd or 4th position is the first to bid. Refer to section 5 on EOT counts when wishing to bid more liberally, especially in 3rd or 4th position. If opener has 2 or more equally valued suits but no jack stoppers either bid the lowest valued suit or pass, hoping to support partners suit in a later round. Suppose West holds the following: West: Q void K-9 Q-10 As opener, West may choose to pass since OT = 0, but can bid either diamonds or clubs in the next round if East bids one of the two suits (see section 9, responses to partners opening bid) since the EOT count ~1 in each suit. 6b - Opening No-Trump (NT) Bids: There are only 6 cards for each suit in NT (J, A, K, Q, 10, 9). No- trump opening bids, when most informative to the partnership, are artificial with respect to the OT approach in opening trump bids. For instance, 2NT, because of the lack of trump information given in the description, is much more ambiguous than 2, where high- card strength in diamonds is known. 2NT in the purely systematic sense could signal any of the following (not an exhaustive list): 2 jacks in any 2 unknown suits A-K in 2 different unknown suits 14
15. 15. J-A in the same unknown suit J in 1 unknown suit and A-K in a 2nd unknown suit A systematic 1NT bid is basically useless in terms of information. Furthermore, not having the lead in NT is especially dangerous because declarer is less likely to regain an advantage versus when trumps are in the hand. Therefore, NT openings should be made judiciously and at an artificially lower level than trump openings in order to give partner the opportunity to bid various cuebids in later rounds with the ability to seek a 2 or 4-point contract. Trump openings reflect strength in a single suit with the possibility of 1 or more void suits while NT openings reflect stoppers in multiple suits with 2-1-1-1 or 2-2-1 distribution. Hand Descriptions in NT Openings: 1NT: A stopper (J or A-K) in 2 different colored suits (at least 1 jack; if the stoppers are in the same color, a 2T opening bid is preferred) 2NT: A stopper (J or A-K) in 3 different suits with at least 2 jacks (if the stopper pairs are in the same colored suit, a 2T, 3T or 4T opening bid is preferred) 3NT: At least 4 total stoppers in 3 different suits with at least 2 jacks 4NT: A stopper (J or A-K) in each of the 4 suits with at least 3 jacks LNT: 5 total stoppers with all 4 jacks The hand on the next page describes a NT overcall by North that could easily serve as a strong NT opening. North: J-K 10 J J East: Q K Q A-Q 15
16. 16. South: 10-9 A-Q void 9 West: A 9 A-9 K South deals, West leads the bidding: North East South West 1 2NT Pass 3 Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass Contract: 3NT N/S (West leads 9) While Wests 1 opening was a bit bullish, Norths 2NT overcall in this auction would have been a natural opening bid based on values. Although Souths A-Q isnt a guaranteed stopper to help North reach a 3NT contract before dummys cards are shown, the contract is a virtual lock to make. 16
17. 17. Doubles (Section 7) 7a - Takeout Doubles: The takeout double after an opening bid represents OT strength in another suit without necessarily bidding that suit. This double is not typically considered a penalty double because additional bids almost always occur after the takeout double. An extra benefit is that the doublers partner can name the suit first, allowing that person to be declarer. Because there are only 5 tricks per hand, a takeout double can be somewhat more descriptive than in bridge. Takeout double over initial 1T bid: The bid suggests an OT count of ~2 with at least 1 in the other suit of the same color and shortness in the suit doubled. For instance, the person who doubled 1 is describing a hand with at least 1 diamond stopper and at most 1 heart. This may allow partner to either bid a new suit at a relatively cheap level, jump bid in the same suit, or bid NT if there is a stopper fit within the team. Takeout double over initial 2T bid: The bid suggests an OT count of ~3 with at least 1 stopper in 2 other suits, 1 of which is the other suit of the same color as the suit doubled. A void in the suit doubled is also strongly recommended. For instance, the person who doubled 2 may have 0-1-2-2 distribution and stoppers in clubs and hearts and/or diamonds but may not want to bid 3 because opponent may call a penalty double over such a bid. The below deal shows a situation where a takeout double is properly applied to cheaply value a hand. South could not make a 17
18. 18. 2T overcall in diamonds or clubs because the strength wasnt there but the double over the 1 and 1 bids asked North to bid diamonds or clubs at the 2T or 3T level with any support. Although Souths double was competitive, Wests support of partner in spades thwarted Norths ability to bid at the 3-level and to steal the contract. North: Q Q A-9 10 East: J-10 K Q Q South: void A J-K A-K West: A-K J-9 10 9 South deals, West leads the bidding: North East South West 1 Pass 1 Double 2 Pass Pass Pass Contract: 2 E/W (South leads A) Takeout double over initial 1NT bid: Because a NT opening bid doesnt describe the stopper suits, a double doesnt help convey additional information to partner. A 2T overcall to describe the trump suits strength would be a better overcall (see section 8). A strong NT hand may be initially passed and later doubled for penalty (see penalty doubles). 7b - Penalty Doubles: Doubles for penalty, however, usually take place over a bid at the 4, 5 or L level regardless of trump. In many cases, the penalty aspect refers to a pass (even with a strong hand) in response to partners double because the double can result in more points for 18
19. 19. their side, especially if the other side is set by more than 1 trick. This is better for their score than if they make their contract by calling a higher-level suit. The penalty double is appropriate to use even when there is sufficient strength to defeat the contract by only one trick. The below hand describes Norths rationale for issuing two different types of doubles in the following contract. North: Q Q A-9 10 East: J-10 K-10 Q K South: void A-9 J-10 A West: A-K J K J South deals, West leads the bidding: North East South West 2NT Pass 3 Double1 3NT Pass Pass Double2 Pass Pass Pass Double1 : Lead-directing; shows potential diamond defense to NT Double2 : For penalty, EOT strength has a chance to control suits Contract: 3NT, doubled, E/W (North leads 9) Easts cue bid (see section 10) of 3 showed a jack stopper for West. The artificial bid was fortunate for South as the first (lead- directing) double let partner know that a diamond lead could defend a NT contract. Once 3NT was agreed upon, South, thinking that the correct finesse after trick 2 would defeat the contract, tried the penalty double. Unfortunately, after the first two diamond tricks were taken by N/S, Norths Q was a loser as well as the remaining two tricks, allowing E/W to earn the 2 points. This is a reminder that penalty doubles should only be applied when you are certain that you will set the opponent. South should 19
20. 20. not have doubled 3NT since the other suits were all stopped with jacks but 4NT could have easily been defended based on the hand. Overcalls (Section 8) An overcall of an opponents suit, especially in the 1st round of bidding, can reflect either OT or EOT counts for trump overcalls and stopper information in NT overcalls. The overcall bid should resemble a typical opening bid, as it ought to reflect both the strength and distribution of the hand when possible. When there are 2 suits with equal strength, bid the cheapest level first, hoping to bid later to describe the additional suit. Suppose South holds the following: South: Q void J-A J-K Bidding proceeds (West opens): 1, Pass, Pass, ____ 2 is the cheapest overcall for South to make as a count of ~2 EOT is a fair valuation of the hand. South may choose to bid diamonds later if necessary. Given the same hand, South should make a takeout double with the auction below: Bidding proceeds (West opens): 1, Pass, 1, ____ The below hand describes a jump overcall by North in diamonds, which was useful in making East reconsider bidding 3, when 2 was a sure bid had North had not made the overcall. North: K void J-K-9 10 East: J K Q A-Q South: 10-9 A-Q void 9 West: A 9 A-10 K South deals, West leads the bidding: 20
21. 21. North East South West 1 2 Pass Pass Pass Contract: 2 N/S (South leads A) The below hand is an example of when a 1NT overcall is warranted over 1. A takeout double by South would normally be efficient by conveying to North that both suits (hearts and clubs) have trick-taking strength. North may bid either suit in the next round with any trump support. Note that while a 1NT overcall in either auction is not nearly as descriptive as a double, bidding conventions can be adapted to more completely describe NT overcalls by combining the properties of a NT opening bid and a takeout double when circumstances deem it necessary. Unlike a 1NT response to partners 1T opening (see section 9), a 1NT overcall is a sign of strength, telling North that South has a stopper in both hearts and clubs and either 2-1-1-1 or 2-2-1 distribution. North: 10-9 K-Q void 10 East: J 10 Q A-Q South: K J K J-9 West: A A-9 J K South deals, West leads the bidding: North East South West 1 Pass 1 1NT 3 Pass Pass Pass Contract: 3 E/W (North leads Q) 21
22. 22. Responses to Partners Opening Bid (Section 9) When partner makes an opening bid in trump (xT) or in NT (xNT), there are several responder options, especially if RHO passes. 1) Pass 2) Bid new suit at same level 3) Raise partners trump suit (or NT) 4) Bid new suit (or NT) at new level 1 - Pass: Passing is rarely indicated if partner bids a suit and RHO passes unless partners opening bid is above 1-level, insufficient support in a new trump suit is available for a 2T bid or there is a lack of trump or stopper support available for partner. Suppose South holds the following: South: void Q J-A K-Q Bidding proceeds (West opens): 1, 2, Pass, ____ South should pass with no trump support in spades and no suit that can be bid at the 3T level. 2 - Bid new suit at same level: When responding to partners 1T bid, there are multiple options if strength exists in more than 1 suit. Bidding a new suit at the same level indicates a lack of trump support for partner. If OT or EOT counts are roughly equivalent in different suits, support partners suit if at all possible. If only 1 stopper or guaranteed trump exists in a suit that would force responder to make a 2T bid, a negative 22
23. 23. bid of 1NT should be used to describe where the trump or stopper could be. Suppose East holds the following: East: Q J Q K-Q Bidding proceeds (West opens): 1, 1, ____, Since a natural bidding system is being used here, East could pass here with no solid diamonds because a raise in partners suit to 2 would describe either a diamond stopper or any trump with a void plain suit. However, 1NT is the best response here, indicating a stopper in either hearts or clubs (having a spade stopper would have resulted in a 1 bid). Additional support in a different suit would result in a 2T or 2NT bid. These responses are not intended to be 2-point forcing, nor is partner obliged to bid again. Unlike Bridge, openers hand descriptions are more specific with only 5 cards, so rebidding the long suit has limited benefit unless the hand is revalued using EOT counts with 3 or more lower trumps. 3 - Raise partners trump suit (or NT): If support exists for partners suit in the form of at least 1 trump and at least a plain suit void or singleton ace, a 1-level raise in the same suit is indicated. An opening 1NT bid may be raised to 2NT with 1 jack stopper and a 2-2-1 or 2-1-1-1 distribution while a direct raise to 3NT indicates 2 stoppers (at least 1 jack) and the same distribution, forcing a 2-point contract in 4NT (see section 10) where cuebids are used to determine jacks and fit. A direct raise to 4NT may also employ cue bids to determine whether to stop at 5NT or to try for the 4-point LNT contract. 4 - Bid new suit (or NT) at new level (jump-shift): The description of a hand warranting such a bid is similar to that of bidding a new suit at the same level except that there is a chance of 23
24. 24. arriving at a 2 or 4-point contract. In, Bridge, this bid is referred to as a jump-shift and it is meant to be game forcing based on trumps and HCP. In Breuchre, the jump-shift bid is instead based on OT counts and raises in a new suit are not necessarily game forcing, especially if the team cannot support one another in a particular trump suit. A bid at the 2T level invites partner to either pass with no trump support or to raise suit to the 3-level with at least 2 trumps (1 of which is a stopper) and at least either a plain suit void or singleton ace. A bid of 3T in a new suit allows the opener to consider a 2-point contract with a combination of trump support, plain suit voids and/or singleton aces. Responders 3NT bid to 1T is an artificial loner-seeking bid in a trump suit yet to be revealed to opener that will involve cue bids (see section 10) in the next round. The complex sequence of bids is used in this instance because there is room to relay information under the LT bid. Any 4T bid of any suit in response to openers 1T bid is to be treated as a signoff bid. Any 2NT bid over 1T represents a strong balanced hand with at least 2 off-color stoppers outside of partners bid suit. Partner is encouraged if not forced to try to arrive at a 2-point contract with an equally distributed hand and at least 1 stopper (preferably 2). Other types of transfer bids (section 11) may be employed in this situation to seek 2-point contracts The above situations explain the players jump-shift response to partners trump bid. If the player is responding to partners NT bid with a trump bid, make a natural bid at the xT level since NT bids, even at the 2-level, are not informative enough to convey whether that trump suit contains a stopper. Allow partners next bid decide whether to stay in that suit or to return to NT. A popular bid in Bridge, the Texas transfer, is a natural signoff game bid in either hearts or spades. A Breuchre variant of this is the 4T bid in any suit directly made over partners 1 NT with an EOT count of 3 24
25. 25. 3.5 in that trump suit. Stronger hands should be tried for a loner if EOT counts are higher and if only at most 1 potential loser exists. Cue (Control) Bids (Section 10) Cue bids, also known as control bids, are artificial bids that are primarily used in this game as a way to distinguish 2-point and 4- point contracts. The term control bid is gaining more popularity as it often describes who has particular controls in a suit. Cue bids of a suit already bid by opponents (as employed in Bridge) will not be used here since EOT or OT counts are typically used instead of HCP. The two types of cue bids that will be discussed are basic and advance cue bids. Basic cue bids are made when the team has previously agreed to a suit (implicitly or explicitly) while advance cue bids are used when partner does not yet know the suit. A variant of the Blackwood convention, used in Bridge to determine the possibility of a slam, can be similarly used as a means of cue bidding after certain 2NT (2-point), 3NT or 4NT responses. Cue bids may be used to describe the number of jacks or aces in the hand in 1 or more rounds of bidding leading to the contract agreement. The following partner responses leading to cue bidding in later rounds of the auction will be discussed: 1) 2NT (natural) bid over partners 1T (asking jacks) 2) 3NT (natural) bid over partners 1NT (asking jacks) 3) 3NT (artificial) bid over partners 1T or 2T 4) 4NT (natural) bid over partners 1NT (asking aces) Partnerships may have additional bidding conventions not discussed here to describe hands with the potential for a 2-point or 4-point contract when responder does not know for sure how far the contract should go. For instance, since only 4 tricks need to be made for a 2-point contract, a signoff bid of 4T is sufficient if a contract at LT is not a possibility. 25
26. 26. It is important to note that a 2NT response to 1NT is not a strong bid but merely showing distribution and 1 stopper. More advanced players may use 2NT here as a transfer bid to ask for stopper suits or trump length before settling at 3NT. 1 - 2NT (natural) bid over partners 1T (asking jacks): The 2NT response to partners 1T doesnt assume that opener has a stopper in the trump suit, therefore the 2NT bid is treated like an opening bid and hence very strong, although not strong enough to attempt a loner contract. Opener is expected to bid jacks in the next round (3-level) unless the oppositions bid interferes with the teams ability to cue bid. If opener cannot bid jacks at the 3-level then there are several options: Pass if the opposition makes a preemptive bid at the 4-level or higher Double if the team has the ability to set the opposition Bid 3NT to show 2-1-1-1 or 2-2-1 distribution and a stopper in RHOs suit Use the following cue bids to convey jacks to responder, where the 4-level bid is only used if opponents interrupted the bidding at the 3-level and you still wish to proceed: 3/4: No jacks 3/4: 1 jack 3/4: 2 jacks 3/4: 3 jacks 3NT/4NT: signoff bid regardless of jacks, partner should not rebid Example Hand: North: 10-9 A-Q void 9 26
27. 27. East: Q K Q A-Q South: J-K 10 J J West: A 9 A-9 K South deals, West leads the bidding: North East South West 1 1 Pass 2NT Pass 3 Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass Contract: 3NT N/S (West leads A) Note that this deal is nearly identical to the one in the NT openings discussion (section 6b) but with North and Souths hands switched. Norths lack of jacks doesnt matter very much since its strongest suit (hearts) doesnt easily transfer over to Souths hand. 4NT could easily go down with the proper lead from West, but 3NT should be safe with any lead because of Souths 3 jack stoppers. 2 - 3NT (natural) bid over partners 1NT (asking jacks): In the below auction, South gives North the opportunity to bid to play beyond the 1-point contract by asking for jacks. West: K A-K void A-9 North: J-10 J-Q void 10 East: A-Q-9 void K-10 void South: void void J-A-Q J-K West North East South Pass 1NT 2 3NT Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass Pass Pass 27
28. 28. N/S settles at 4NT, while East opens with A. The 3NT bid by South suggests a balanced fit for N/S and a chance to find jacks by using the artificial 4-bid as listed above. North conveyed to South that there were 2 jacks, thus a 4NT contract was a safe place for N/S to signoff at for 2 points. South also now knows that N/S has all 4 jacks. It is worthy to note that had North taken the trick with the J in trick 1, N/S would likely have gone down 1 due to poor distribution by South (3-2-0-0 is not ideal for a 3NT bid but the opposing jacks were worth the risk). South assumed (correctly) that the 1NT bid contained the other two jacks, meaning that 3NT was a guaranteed contract but convention dictated that 4NT had to be played. Safer alternatives for South included passing since 3 was not a sure thing and 2NT with the poor distribution. 3 - 3NT (artificial) bid over partners 1T or 2T: The artificial 3NT bid does not indicate distribution as much as a very strong trump hand that is capable of attaining LT status in at least 1 of every 3 instances and 5T at least 2 of every 3 instances. The cue bids that take place here represent a combination of artificial and natural bids. Note that any strong trump hand that doesnt have a reasonable chance of achieving an LT contract should use the 4T jump shift bid over openers 1T in a different suit. When 3NT is bid directly over 1T or 2T, the following sequence shall take place: Opener: 1T (natural) Partner: 3NT (artificial) Opener: 4 (artificial, asks partner to display trump suit) Partner: 4 (diamonds), 4 (hearts), 4 (spades) or 4NT (clubs) Opener: 5 (0 trump), 5 (1+ trump) 28
29. 29. Partner: 1) Pass at 5 without trump support 2) Signoff at 5, 5 or 5 without trump support 3) Signoff at LT with trump support This sequence of cuebids is used to relay information to each other. The first pair of bids conveys to opener what the trump suit is while the second pair of bids conveys trump card support. As little as 1 trump card on partners side should be sufficient for the natural 4T bidder to greatly improve the odds of arriving at and winning a loner contract. 4 - 4NT (natural) bid over partners 1NT (asking aces): Because a 1NT bid assumes 2 off-color stoppers (and almost always a jack) and solid distribution, the very strong 4NT response allows the team to safely settle at 5NT if responder does not like openers cue bid. The 4NT response is also natural, showing 2-1- 1-1 distribution and stoppers in at least 3 of responders (but often all 4) suits. Since it is virtually guaranteed that the team has all 4 jacks in this scenario, the 4NT bid is asking opener for aces. 5: No aces 5: 1 ace 5: 2 aces 5: 3 aces 5NT: Signoff bid regardless of aces (only in the event of poor distribution); partner should not rebid LNT: Partner, liking openers ace count, expects to be able to make the loner contract 29
30. 30. Transfer Bids (Section 11) The artificial bids discussed in section 10 when investigating 2- point or 4-point contracts did not necessarily indicate neither the suit that the contract was intended to be played at nor the suit of the first round control. Transfer bids are intended to describe the suit of a stopper (control) once certain bids are made. The transfer bid sequences that will be discussed in this section are: 1) Responses to 2NT openings 2) Responses to 3NT and 4NT openings 3) Responses to 4T over 1NT 1 - Responses to 2NT openings: The very strong opening 2NT bid is forcing partner to respond when the opponent between the teammates has passed. This bid is truly a 3-bid with vulnerability attached in case play cannot return to openers best suits. Responder should make the next bid at the cheapest level to indicate either a jack or 2 of the top 3 honors in that suit, showing first round controls in case of a spurious lead by the opposition. Subsequent bids should also display controls at the cheapest level, generally leading to a 3NT or 4NT signoff unless partner has a very strong trump suit and seeks a loner contract (see section 10, artificial bids). A 3NT response to 2NT is always considered negative and is meant to be a signoff bid in order to reduce the risk of being set by more than 1 trick. The hand below shows communication within the partnership in order to arrive at a 2-point NT contract. West: J-K A-K J void North: 10-9 J-Q void 10 30
31. 31. East: A-Q void K J-K South: void 10 A-Q A-Q West North East South 2NT Pass 3 Pass 3 Pass 3NT Pass 4NT Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 4NT, while North opens with J. Easts club control was convincing enough to let West know that a 2-point contract could be had since all four suits within the partnership had a stopper. Although the J lead initially put a scare into E/W, Norths best hope for defeating the contract, a Q lead, put E/W at ease because the remaining tricks were guaranteed winners with the top 4 honors split 2-2 in spades. 2 - Responses to 3NT and 4NT openings: An opening bid of 3NT is essentially forcing a 2-point contract for the partnership, although a loner NT contract is not likely. An opening bid of 4NT is forcing since a 2-point contract has already been established and a loner NT contract is a distinct possibility. Responses to 3NT should be the cheapest bid in the suit containing either the jack or the A-K stopper. Responses to 4NT should be the cheapest bid in the suit containing either a jack or any 2 of the top 4 honors. If such a control bid cannot be made, a pass is indicated in both cases. The hand below shows how correct bidding within the partnership keeps E/W from arriving at a loser LNT contract. West: J J J J-Q North: 10-9 A-Q void 10 East: Q K-9 K K 31
32. 32. South: void 10 A-Q A-9 West North East South 4NT Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 4NT while North opens with A. Statistics would support that West had a greater than a 50% chance of making the LNT contract without knowing any information a priori. However, the smaller likelihood of E/W going down 1 trick was still a scary proposition as a 16-point turnaround could have taken place. West wisely did not make the gamble to immediately open LNT. East provided the critical input needed to reassure West that the conservative decision was the right one to make. However, had Easts hand contained the A-K, the correct control bid would have been 5, letting West know that LNT was a guarantee to make. Even if Easts hand had only contained the A-x or K-x (where x = 10 or 9), the odds in favor of West making the LNT contract would be approximately 3:1, a fair risk- reward bid unless losing the round also meant losing the game. 3 - Responses to 4T over 1NT: The situation described here is similar to the artificial 3NT response by partner over openers 1T in that partner may have cards in the trump suit to support a LT bid later in the auction. Since the 4T bidder doesnt assume any trump values in partners hand, it is an invitation to seek first and possibly second round controls for the purpose of seeking a loner contract. In essence, the 4T bid is treated like an opening bid and is strong in trump suit support and perhaps singleton aces. The person who bids 4T will be attempting the LT contract and therefore needs to make that bid (recall that the player that makes 32
33. 33. the last bid at the loner level is the one to play alone). While a complex artificial bid structure exists for 3NT over 1T (see section 10, artificial bids), a simpler and natural control bid structure can be created in this instance. There is room for more than one round of bidding because it is generally assumed that 5T can be made by the partnership, however it is mandatory to continue the auction for at least one additional round (2 bids) unless a spurious bid from the opponents occurs. Since it is understood that a NT contract is no longer being sought, the only cards of interest to the 4T bidder are the plain suit aces and trump cards. Bids by opener should be made accordingly. In order to make room for extra bids, the 4T bidder may also use a transfer bid to show a singleton ace. The below hand is an example of the deft strategy of transfer bidding to correctly arrive at a LT contract, even when the opponents try to hijack the hand. West: void 9 A-K J-Q North: void J-A J K-10 East: J-A-Q-10 void Q void South: K-9 10 10 A West North East South 1NT 3 4 Pass 5 Double L Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at L while South opens with A. This auction has several interesting twists. Norths 3 bid did not scare off East, who had an even stronger hand in spades. Since South could not bid 4 (and 5 would go down), West used the 5 bid to show off the A-K of diamonds. East correctly assumed based on a priori knowledge of 1NT opening criteria that a 33
34. 34. diamond bid would only be shown by West if the A-K pair was present, as a jack would be of no value. Easts correct assumption was further supported by Norths decision to double 5, which would only occur if North had a jack or ace. East, thrilled to see this development, went right to L since the Q would be a winner on the last trick. Had the diamond information not been made available to East, E/W could still have arrived safely at 5 and have been virtually guaranteed to take all five tricks. 34
35. 35. More Example Auctions (Section 12) In each hand, West leads the bidding: 1) Couldnt quite arrive at the loner contract West: void J-K J-10-9 void North: 10-9 Q A J East: A-K 10-9 void Q South: void void K-Q K-10-9 West North East South 4 Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 4, while North opens with Q. Note that the 4 open by West is an invite to a L contract, where any bid by East shows an ace in the indicated suit (see special bid responses). 2) Just shy of the 2-point NT contract West: A K-Q Q Q North: K-10-9 9 K void East: J A J-10 10 South: Q J-10 A 9 West North East South Pass 1 1NT 2 2NT Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 3NT, while South opens with J. Note that while West was 4-suited and had decent support, there were no stoppers 35
36. 36. to force a bid beyond 3NT. Easts singleton ace as opposed to J-A in either suit would give an opportunity to signoff at 4NT. 3) To double or not to double, that is the question. West: 9 A-K void A-K North: K 9 10 J-10 East: A-10 void J-Q-9 void South: void J-Q-10 void Q-9 West North East South 1 Pass 1 1 2NT Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 3NT, while North opens with 9. While South had a 3-2 distribution, Norths weakness in all suits except perhaps clubs (according to the 1st round of bidding) gave South no reason to either bid at the 3-trick level or to set E/W at 3NT, doubled. Souths 3-2 distribution, helpful when bidding hearts, is practically useless in making a double for takeout or penalty without a bid suit from North. It could be argued that Wests hand was too weak to open with 1, but with a void suit and an A-K, one could estimate ~1 OT, which is equivalent to meeting the requirement for a 1 opening bid. West was also shrewd enough to make the 2nd bid in NT because of 2 stoppers in suits different from East. Oddly enough, West had the same argument for a 1 opening bid, which would have likely ended at the same contract. West North East South 1 Pass 2 2 3 Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass 36
37. 37. 4) No guarantees, but worth the risk. West: K void void J-K-Q-9 North: 10 Q-9 A-Q void East: J-A A K 10 South: Q K-10 10 A West North East South 3 Pass 5 Pass L Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at L, while North opens with A. The 3 open by West is a clear invite to a 4-5 level contract in clubs, but Easts hand has all the potential stoppers (clubs and multiple aces) against Wests possible loner bid. Hence, Easts 5 bid practically forces West to go alone if the supporting cards are strong enough. The king of spades is therefore likely to hold up in the 5th and final trick of play. Even though statistics favor making the loner contract, some teams will be spooked by going down 4 or 8 points if the contract is not converted, especially if a losing team makes a last- gasp effort to double such a contract. Some teams will therefore play it safe and stop at 5 for the 2 points. 5) EOT vs. OT: What if West opened stronger? West: void A-K-9 A J North: J-Q void Q-9 K East: 10 10 J-K Q South: A-9 void 10 A-10 West North East South 1 1 2 2 37
38. 38. 3 3 Pass Pass Pass N/S settles at 3, while East opens with Q. Would N/S arrive at the contract had West opened with 2? While West has an OT count of 0, the EOT count is valued at 2 with a 0-3-1-1 distribution and a singleton ace. This would make a good weak 2 bid from 3rd or 4th position or when using a jump bid overcall. Had West opened with 2, the auction might look like the following: West North East South 2 Pass Pass Pass Now N/S settles at 2, while North opens with K. Neither North nor South has the strength to overcall 2 with 2 because each player has 1-1.5 spade tricks, keeping them from communicating as when West allowed this by opening with 1. E/W therefore can win the contract cheaply and without a fight from N/S. 6) Keep the opposition out of the bidding war when possible. West: A-10 K-10 A void North: void A-9 J-10 10 East: void J K-Q J-9 South: Q void 9 A-K-Q West North East South Pass 1 1NT 2 3 Double Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 3, doubled, while North opens with 9. According to conventional bidding practices, West wisely passes from the first chair based on an OT count of zero. The next 2 bids were standard responses (Souths EOT count was 2 in clubs) but then 38
39. 39. West had to decide whether to bid a suit or to double for takeout with support in the non-club suits. Since the 1NT bid by East assumed 1 heart stopper, West bid 3 based on an additional singleton ace and a void suit. A penalty double by North is reasonable here given the ability to win 2 heart tricks, needing only a club trick by South to set E/W. In fact, E/W goes down 1 because of the 3-0 split in hearts between North and South. While Easts 1NT response was a safe and correct overcall to make, would a jump overcall of 2 have given E/W the opportunity to find a diamond fit instead? West North East South Pass 1 2 Pass 3 Pass Pass Pass E/W settles at 3 while South opens with A. Easts 2 overcall has the immediate benefit of not allowing South to limp into the auction with a relatively cheap 2 or 2 bid (with any supporting diamond values. West, having an EOT count of 1 in diamonds, makes a comfortable 3 bid. North, now having to decide whether a 3 bid would result in a penalty double from the opposition, bows out without any knowledge of reasonable support from South, leaving E/W with an easy 1-point contract to make. 7) Finding the right suit: should a 1NT opening be used instead? West: void A-10 A-10 K North: A-K Q-9 K void East: Q-10-9 K void 9 South: J void J-Q Q-10 West North East South Pass Pass 1 2 39
40. 40. Pass 2 Pass Pass Pass N/S settles at 2 while West opens with A. 40