Bridge Corner: February 16, 2017

Hello and welcome to the Tidewater Bridge Unit (TBU).
YOU are invited to play in the American Bridge Association’s Nationwide Game on March 1, 2017. Every participant wins points!!!
In our last article, we examined/explained rebids by opener. Today, we will cover rebids by responder and “overcalls.”
Rebids by opener and responder. There are three types of opening hands and three types of responding hands: minimum, invitational, and game forcing. Here is what the hands look like:

Strength – Opener – Responder
Minimum 12-16 6-10
Invitational 16-18 10-12
Game-forcing 19+ 13+

Minimum calls by responder are:
1. Rebidding your suit cheaply
1Diamond – Pass – 1Heart – Pass – 2Diam. – Pass – 2Hearts

2. Raising opener’s second suit cheaply
1D-P-1H-P-1S-P-2S

3. Rebidding No Trump cheaply
1D-P-1H-P-1S-P-1NT

4. Showing a preference for partner’s first suit cheaply 1H-P-1S-P-2D-P-2H
5. Passing partner’s minimum rebid 1D-P-1H-P-2H-P
6. Bidding a suit lower than your first after partner rebids 1NT 1D-P-1H-P-1NT-P-2C

Invitational rebids by responder are:
1. Jumping in your suit 1D-P-1H-P-1N-P-3H

2. Jumping in partner’s suit 1D-P-1H-P-1S-P-3S

3. Jumping in No Trump 1D-P-1H-P-1S-P-2NT

4. Taking any action over a minimum suit raise 1D-P-1H-P-2H-P-2S or 2NT, 3C, 3D, and 3H

Responder’s game forcing bids are:
1, Jumping to game 1C-P-1H-P-2H-P-4H.

2. If there is possibility of slam, or you don’t 1C-P-1H-P-2H-P-2S know which game would be best, bid a new suit (unless partner’s rebid was 1NT)

Overcalls: In bridge, the pair that opens the bidding tends to win the auction most of the time. There are several reasons to overcall: 1) overcalling allows your side to get in on the auction when the opponents have opened first, 2) the overcaller can let partner know what to lead if partner has the opening lead, and 3) overcalling can obstruct your opponents’ bidding, making it a little more difficult for them to find their correct contract.

Requirements of an overcall: the overcaller should have at least 8 HCP at the one level and at least 10 HCP at the two level. On either level, 16 HCP should be the maximum for suit overcalls. The overcaller should have a good suit with at least five cards, and if less than 13 HCP, the suit should contain at least one of the top two (Ace, King) or at least two of the top four honors (Ace, King, Queen, Jack). A 1 NT overcall should have almost exactly the same hand as if you had opened 1 No Trump (15-17 HCP, no singleton, no void). As an overcall, the NT hand must have at least one stopper (Axx, Kxx, OJxx) in the opener’s suit.

Winning Pairs
February 7, 2017
Section A Game

Barbara Whitfield – Cindy Burrell-Jones
Delores J. Burney – Gloria Maddux
Betty L.Warren – Grace W. Setzer
Anthony Witherspoon – Sue D. Witherspoon
Rosemary Whitehurst – Oneida Lacey
Helen Lake – Elva N. Taylor

Winning Pairs
February 8, 2017
Section A Game

Olethia Everett – Harriet F. Goodrich
Elva N. Taylor – Harold M. Kiefer
Barbara Whitfield – Wilma Horne
Rosemary Whitehurst – Oneida Lacey
Delores J. Burney – Gloria Maddux

Happy Birthday To:
Mammie Cooper
February 17

TIDEWATER BRIDGE UNIT UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Tuesday, Feb. 21
Cooke-Suburban Bridge game
10:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$4 – $5

Wednesday, Feb. 22
Bon-Ton bridge game
10:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$4 – $5

All activities are located at the Berkley Senior Center, 925 S. Main Street, Norfolk, Va.

For additional information on classes, games, or tournaments, please call Delores Burney at (757) 321-0825 or Lawrence Owes at (757) 553-2601.