Strong openings (Part I) by Matthias Huberschwiller

Have you ever wondered, 'do I need to use a strong opening, or is it better to open at the 1-level first'?

Let's check out the 2♣ opening, and further bidding.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A 4
♥ A K Q 9 8 7
♦ K Q J
♣ 8 7

Q: 1 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
?

A: 2♣ - With 9 tricks of your own, you need to open with a strong 2♣. Your partner may pass 1♥, and you could still make a game.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 9 8
♥ 2
♦ A K J 7 2
♣ A Q

Q: 2 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
?

A: 1♠ - You have more HCPs than the last hand, but you have a two-suiter. Except if you have over 22 HCPs, it's better to open a very distributional two-suiter at the 1-level. So here you should open 1♠ (always the higher suit with 5-5 shape).

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K
♥ K Q J 10 9 8 2
♦ 7
♣ A K 5 2

Q: 3 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	Pass	Pass
?

A: 4♥ - Your partner is a passed hand, so the odds of making a slam are very low.

So why not open the contract you want to be in? If West wants to show his probable Spade length, he'll have to do it at the 4-level.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K 9 6 3 2
♥ 8 7
♦ 7 6
♣ 7 6 4 2

Q: 4 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	2♣	Pass
?

A: 2♦ - This is a waiting bid, showing nothing about Diamonds. Wait to hear what your partner has to say.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 7 2
♥ K Q J 8 2
♦ A 7 6
♣ 4 3 2

Q: 5 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	2♣	Pass
?

A: 2♥ - When you have a good 5-card suit of your own, and strength to hope for a slam, you can bid your suit right away.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

Rate yourself:

0 - 40%	We applaud your effort. Review the subject and try again. You'll be surprised how much better you'll do. We're here for you!!
41 - 50%	Buy your mentor a cuppa and ask for clarification on the ones you got wrong. No mentor? Make finding one a priority!
51 - 60%	Nice improvement! One more review and you'll have this down solid!
61 - 80%	What a good job! All that's left is some fine tuning
Over 80%	Wow! It's time for you to become a mentor. Find someone who needs help and share your knowledge!