My friend Patty bought a game for me a couple of years ago.
I think she found it on Ebay. Since JD had no interest in learning the game (GASP!) and Moon was too little, I stored it on the shelf for later. Turns out, later is NOW.
It’s actually very simple. There are holders for the “dummy”. Each dummy gets 6 cards face down, and 7 face up where everyone can see them. Then I look at my hand and my dummies and bid. My opponent looks at her hand and the 7 face up cards in her dummy and bids. Whoever bids the highest get’s the contract. Then you play as normal. When you play from the dummy, you can then turn the card underneath facing up. If you are void in the dummy, TRUMP a suit, then turn up the card only to find the suit you just trumped – no biggie. There is no reneging in Bridge for Two.
Yes, I totally get that I just lost 99% of you.
It’s been great playing with Moon. I usually just let her pick her best suit and set trump. Then we play. It’s fun to see her thinking through if she’s on the board or in her hand, and I constantly ask her how many trumps are still out, etc. It’s a great learning tool! (Don’t ask me why her shoes are on the table. I have no good answer.)
Speaking of learning, here’s a hand that Patty and I played at the club this past week. I flubbed it, so maybe one of you (DAN-O) can tell me what to do. I held:
S: J10
H: A
D: AKQ10x
C: KJxxx
Dude on my right opens 2 spades and I double. Leftie passes and my partner bids 3 hearts. Then I bid 4 diamonds and she passes. Board goes down and she holds
S: Kx
H: QJ10xx
D: Jxx
C: AQx
Of course we made 5. Everyone else was in game – our only 0 of the night. We still came in 2nd but dang! So, should I double or bid my diamonds? How do I mention clubs without her thinking it’s Gerber? Why did that wacko have to bid 2 spades? If he doesn’t open, how do I bid it?
For those of you who don’t play bridge, see what you are MISSING? Come on people, get in the game!
Lost my interest first sentence.
I guess that means you’re not the “one”.
Lost me too with that bridge talk, but love seeing Rachel……..
A.G. was that slap stick comedy?
Zolli – you bidding was just fine. Your double followed by a introducing new suit on your next bid shows a big hand – you have 18HCP and more than 20 pts when you count distribution. Your partner, on the hand, was a wimp here. With a full opener opposite the big hand you promise, partner owes you a raise to 5 diamonds at the minimum. I would have bid your hand EXACTLY like you did, and if I am your partner I am bidding 6 no trump after your 4 diamonds, and I expect to make it on the likely spade lead, taking 1 spade, 1 heart, 5 diamonds, and 5 clubs for my 12 tricks.
You get a “A” for your bid.
Partner gets “D-“.
By the way, I am probably going down one if I don’t get the spade lead. If I get a heart lead, I’m dead.
Mister 2 spades has to have six spades to the ace, and at least one if not both the other missing facecards (KH, QS), to have enough to preempt. If I’m in 6!N, he may not want to lead away from the K of hearts or the A of spades. If he leads a minor
I’m cashing the 10 tricks in the minors and then my only chance will be to lead the J of spades from dummy and pray that the Q is on my right, so that the trick goes J-Q-K-A and then my 10 of spades is the 12th trick.
By the way, a BRIDGE POST! Totally Cool!
Was I the intended audience you meant by “Interesting to at least one person” ?
Even cooler!
Whew. Yes, you’re the ONE bridge person that reads on a semi-regular basis. I was afraid I’d have to leave this post up for another week. Thanks for answering. My partner and I don’t get to play duplicate often and we were a little off. Normally, she’ll go to slam with the least bit of encouragement. YOU should start a bridge blog. I’d read it everyday. My people won’t tolerate such things. 🙁