5 card majors is the main system used by bridge players in the USA, Canada and much of the rest of the world. (One of the main alternatives is Acol bridge, the system played in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.) The basic premise of 5 card major bridge bidding is that the opening bidder […]
A bridge holiday is a great way of improving your bridge play and having fun at the same time. You will lots of new people, enjoy a stay a good hotel with good food and new sights to see in your free time. There are lots of holidays that experienced bridge players can enjoy – […]
As the name suggests, Fourth suit forcing is a “forcing” bid which means your partner has to bid again and tell you something more about their hand. It is used by the responder when three suits have already been bid (opener bid a suit, responder changed suit, opener changed suit again). At this point a […]
When you first start learning to play bridge you need to learn the bridge terminology. It can be confusing, but like all jargon with a little perseverence and practice you will soon be comfortable with all the terms. This is not a definitive guide to all bridge terms. It would be too long and too […]
What is Slam Bidding? There are two kinds of slam in a game of bridge: a grand slam and a small slam. What is a grand slam in bridge? Achieving a grand slam means that your partnership has bid for and won all 13 tricks in a game. What is a small slam in bridge? […]
Anyone who enjoys playing a game of bridge at home should own a set of bridge bidding boxes. Why use bridge bidding boxes? They make bidding easier Everyone can see your bid There is no chance of your bid being misheard They make it easier to remember each player’s bid if a player takes their […]
Where possible, you are aiming to play the game in a major suit contract, as more tricks are required to make game in a minor suit. Bid A 4 Card Major, if you have one. When partner has opened with a bid of a minor suit we should bid a 4 card major at the […]
Valuing Your Hand At the start of each game of bridge, each players counts up the points in their hand before the bidding begins. There are two types of points that you will count. High Card Points (HCPs) and Long/Short Suit Points. HIGH CARD POINTS (HCP) To work out the number of HCPs in your […]
A change of suit response to a minor suit at the two level only requires you to hold 4 cards in the minor suit. For a change of suit response to a major suit at the two level you should hold 5 cards in the suit. Your partner has opened with a bid of 1 […]
As the defender in a game of bridge, sometimes you might find that it is difficult to work out which cards the declarer’s partner holds. Have you ever found this? If you have, it’s because the partnership have worked out how to conceal their best cards from you. It’s a useful skill to have and […]