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Enjoy the sunny days to discover the 20 most popular articles among the community of Funbridge subscribers:
Bridge problem: The escape
Can you solve this bridge problem?
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Crash!
To have good results in matchpoint pairs, in every deal you have to aim at getting a better (or at least the same) score than the majority of your competitors.
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Dominique Fonteneau’s Tournament Analysis – April 2024
There were 614 of you present for the monthly Funbridge ambassador tournament of the 6th April 2024. Thanks to you, the tournament was a success. I hope to see even more of you in May. Congratulations to the top 6: As for me, I scored 63%. 47 of you surpassed me and won 25 Diamonds ♦️! Below is my analysis of some of the deals. First deal: Doubled contract – Trumps breaking badly I opened a standard 1♣ and then raised to 2♠ to find myself declaring 4♠, doubled for penalties by West. My partner was not soft to directly end the auction by bidding game with only…
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Bridge problem: Charlie, Bravo, Tango
Find out a new bridge problem by Jean-Paul Meyer.
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Raises of one of a major openings after intervention
The principle of the five-card major system is to find a fit in a major as fast as possible. The current French system offers a big diversity of fit showing answers, depending on reposnder's strength and number of Trumps.
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Direct raises of one of a major openings
The principle of the five-cards major system is to find a fit in a major as fast as possible. The current French system offers a bg diversity of fit showing answers, depending on responder’s strength and number of Trumps. Summary: The leson With weak or intermediate hands (less than 12 or 13 points), showing the fit in partner’s major has the priority over any other bids. The direct raises are weak and depend on your number of trumps. › On the two-level with at least three trumps and 6-10 points (distribution included) ♠ J 10 3♥ 5♦ 10 8 7…
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Reasons purely inadmissible
North-South have reached a very poor contract. As so often, each of the two players considers that his partner is reponsible for the accident. And you, what do you think? Problem 1 The facts Ten tricks without any effort. One of the two players has underestimated or incorrectly bid his cards. Arguments South: “This is the only trial bid that leads me to devaluate my hand and respond with a negative 3♠. 3♣ specifically asks me to look at how many Club losers I can cover. With your balanced distribution, the only sensible bid is 2NT – then I show…
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Analysis by The Professor – January 2024
1,154 of you took part in January 2024’s monthly Funbridge tournament « The Professor ». Thanks to you, this tournament was a success. I hope to see even more of you in February. Congratulations to the top 6: As for me, I scored 61%. Below is my analysis of a few deals. Deal 1: Duck the King! Many of you did not open 1D with the South hand. That is exactly what Argine advises you to do. Sure, you only have 11 HCP; but the 6-4 distribution and the intermediate cards in your long suits should cause you to reevaluate this as…
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Bridge problem: Counting the points
Your hand sitting South Bidding Dealer North. All vulnerable. Card play Lead: ♣A. East follows with the 4 to the lead and West switches to the ♦10.You try the Queen, East wins with the King and cashes the ♣Q beforeplaying another ♣ towards West’s King. West plays a small ♥.What do you think? Solution At the stage we are at, you have already lost four tricks (three ♣ and a ♦) and it is essential, to start with, that you don’t give up two ♥. How do you decide between small or the King from the dummy? By counting the…
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A suicide endplay
You have probably heard of a Suicide Squeeze. Playing in a notrump contract, the idea is to break the defensive communications by giving a defender the lead with a choice of only losing options. He can either exit without cashing all of his winners, allowing you to set up your tricks in peace, or he can cash his winners and in doing so squeeze his partner. It’s a fairly rare beast, but not unknown. This month’s deal from a Funbridge team game features a comparable situation, but a defender is given the choice between endplaying either himself or his partner. …
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Tom Drijver’s Tournament Analysis – December 2023
Did you play Tom Drijver’s tournament in December? Our Funbridge ambassador and Dutch champion shares his top tips with you in this article. Thanks to you, the tournament was a success! You can find the video of this tournament on Funbridge’s YouTube channel. I hope you will enjoy it. Winning a drink* *In the Netherlands, some students have agreed that the declarer’s partner receives a beer if the declarer has won the final trick. You are sitting South in a 10-board tournament scored by MPs. After your 2 diamond overcall, your partner bid the opponents’ suit. This is a cue bid…
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Avoid Those Nasty Guesses
We’ve all played contracts that you know can be made provided you guess right. The fate of the contract may depend on a two-way finesse for a queen, a finesse-or-drop guess, deciding which finesse to take, or judging whether to take a finesse or play for a squeeze to have worked. Declarer’s 3NT contract on this month’s deal from a Funbridge Team Game can always be made if declarer guesses well in the endgame. However, can you see how to avoid taking a guess at all? Both Vul, dealer South, IMPs A regular Stayman auction quickly installs you in 3NT.…
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Analysis by The Professor – December 2023
1,216 of you were present for December 2023‘s monthly Funbridge tournament: The Professor. Thanks to you, the tournament was a success. I hope to see you return in even greater numbers in January. Congratulations to the top 6: I myself scored 66%. Below is my analysis of a few deals. First deal: Going after a top I played in 4♥, as did everyone. On this deal, we will almost always make ten tricks, losing a ♦ and two ♣. This deal is therefore not that interesting. And yet… There are two minuscule chances of making an eleventh trick without getting…
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Analysis by The Professor – November 2023
There were 1,256 participants in the monthly Funbridge tournament by The Professor in November. You made it a success. I hope that many of you will attend the next event in December. Congratulations to the top 6 players! I personally scored 78%. I am sharing with you my analysis of a few deals. Deal 1: Deciding at the 5-level With a strong hand and a ♦ singleton, you must make a reopening take-out double over the 3♦ pre-empt. Things can go wrong, but passing is much more dangerous. Remember: The singleton in the opponents’ suit is the main reason why…
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A powerful system: Transfer over opener’s jump rebid of 2NT
In the French standard system, when we start 1m-1M-2NT, the other minor elongates responder’s major, but that’s about it. It is possible to go much further in the description of all sorts of hands under the condition of adopting a system that combines transfer and double relay responses. Attention, it requires that you and your partner are on exactly the same page, or you can experience disasters
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Count your tricks
Many players went wrong on this deal from a Funbridge Teams Tournament. See if you would have done better.
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Bridge problem: There is no use in bidding, you need to play (well)
An illustrious bridge champion and well-known journalist, Jean-Paul Meyer was one of the « greats » of the bridge world. With this bridge problem, rediscover the expertise of a player who left a lasting impact on people’s memories. Your hand sitting South Bidding Dealer South. North-South vulnerable. Card play Lead: ♠K. When this deal was displayed on the screen in the National Trials, kibitzers, understandably, thought that the difficult part for North-South was to reach this excellent slam. De facto 6♦ was only bid at two tables out of seven. The ♠ lead is won with the Ace and a ♥ is…
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Double Stayman and its consequences
Bridge changes, constantly. Even the most basic convention, Stayman, must evolve in order to adapt to the changes. Now that it is common to open 1NT with a five-card major, you have to be able to find an eight-card fit. To do so, it was necessary to add a second Stayman to the classic one, which itself is slightly modified: Puppet Stayman. 1- Preambule The increase of 1NT openings with a five-card major and the search for confidentiality (avoiding unnecessarily describing opener’s distribution) led to improving the response system facing 1NT openings with the introduction of double Stayman: the usual…
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Bridge Problem: A Bad Bid
An illustrious bridge champion and well-known journalist, Jean-Paul Meyer was one of the « greats » of the bridge world. With this bridge problem, rediscover the expertise of a player who left a lasting impact on people’s memories. Your hand sitting South Bidding Dealer East. Game all. Card play Lead: ♦6. North’s conclusion is probably hasty. With more sophisticated bidding, 4♠, which constitutes a preferable contract, would have been reached. However, your 3NT contract has good chances of success as long as you take some precautions. Solution So, South overcalled with 1NT after East’s 1♦ opening. Instead of signing off in 3NT,…
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Find the lead
The game has already started, what did you lead as West? Deal 1 Solution: deal 1 ♦3: You lead partner’s suit, Diamonds, giving count, so you lead the 2 or 3 according to your agreements. My advice: when partner opens 1♦, 1♥ or 1♠, give count. If the opening was 1♣, lead fourth best. Count your points: ♦3: 10 pts♦2: 7 pts♣Q: 4 pts Close solution Deal 2 Solution: deal 2 ♣2:You know about a side-suit in dummy, Diamonds. Without any opposition in trumps or the side-suit, put a low Club on the table without hesitation, hoping you’ll establish enough…
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