Hampton Roads Community News

Bridge Corner – April 19, 2026

This week’s Bridge Corner challenges players to apply beginner bidding strategies while highlighting local Tidewater Bridge Club games, winners, and opportunities to learn and compete in Norfolk and Portsmouth.
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Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner. In our last session, there was a review of the previous 6 sessions covering beginning bridge basics. Using this prior information, let’s bid a hand:

Questions:

1) Which suit do North and South like best? Who would suggest this suit first?

2) Why would it benefit them to find they like this suit?

3) How many tricks can North estimate taking? How about South?

4) How many tricks can North and South take as a partnership?

5) Which suit do East and West like best? Who would suggest this suit first?

6) How many tricks can East estimate taking? How about West?

7) How many tricks can East and West take as a partnership?

8) Which partnership predicted the most tricks? In which contract?

9) Who first mentioned the suit that is trump? Who is the declarer?

10) Who makes the opening lead?

11) Which hand is dummy?

12) What is the declarer’s plan to make the contract?

Answers:

1) North – South like the Spade suit best. South would suggest Spades first.

2) Because between North and South hands combined, there are NINE Spades between them: the opponents have only four Spades.

3) North can estimate taking three tricks. South can estimate taking six or seven tricks.

4) As a partnership, North and South can predict taking 10 tricks.

5) East and West like the Diamond suit best. West would probably bid Diamonds first.

6) East can take one or two tricks. West can take three or four tricks.

7) East and West can estimate taking six tricks.

8) North -South calculated the higher number of tricks in Spades.

9) South mentioned the trump suit (Spades) first; therefore, South is declarer.

10) The player to the left of Declarer ALWAYS leads. Declarer is South, therefore West leads.

11) North’s hand is dummy and is placed face up on the table.

12) The first time South wins a trick after West makes the opening lead, South plays the trump suit (Spades) until the opponents run out of Spades. South then takes the winners in the combined North – South hands. South should win/take 10 tricks.

TIDEWATER DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB

COME LEARN, PLAY, HAVE FUN!

Richard A. Tucker

Memorial Library

2350 Berkley Ave., Extension

Norfolk, VA 23523

Wednesdays 10 A.M – 2 P.M.

The dates for the

next four games are: