Penalty Pass ♥
In this lesson we take a look at the situation where you choose to pass your partner's takeout double. This is known as a 'penalty pass' because you are expected to bid in response to a takeout double but you are electing to pass instead, leaving the double in
Hand of the Week #212 (Solution) ♥
N E S W 1♦ P 1♠ P 3♠ P 4♠ P P P Assuming the opening lead is genuine (and South is not underleading their ♥A!) then we have the following losers: 1, possibly 2 trumps, 2 hearts, no diamonds and no clubs. There was a
Hand of the Week #212 ♥
N E S W 1♦ P 1♠ P 3♠ P 4♠ P P P As the opening bidder, West has the 'dreaded' 4-4-4-1 shape. I would always recommend to open a minor on these kinds of hands as you might have to lie and pretend you are
Hand of the Week #211 (Solution) ♣
N E S W 1NT P P P Given West's opening lead of a low diamond, it would appear we are at the mercy of the opponents at the start of this hand, and that is true to some extent. The opponents are going to win as
Hand of the Week #211 ♣
N E S W 1NT P P P It is the 'dreaded' auction for South as they open 1NT and everyone else passes! Often 1NT is said to be the hardest contract to make as you can sometimes have fewer points than the opponents but you need
Hand of the Week #210 (Solution) ♠
N E S W 1♠ P 4♥* P 4NT P 5♥ P 6♠ P P P If we look at our potential losers in this hand, it is easy to see a route to 12 tricks. We can simply draw the trumps in two rounds, lose dummy's
Hand of the Week #210 ♠
N E S W 1♠ P 4♥* P 4NT P 5♥ P 6♠ P P P With North-South silent throughout the auction, East opens 1♠ and West immediately double jumps to 4♥* which is a splinter, showing a singleton or void in the suit bid (hearts) and
Hand of the Week #209 (Solution) ♦
N E S W 1♦ 1♥ 1♠ P 2♣ P P P First impressions of this hand are probably not pleasing! We have 2 spades to lose, 1 trump and a whole load of losing diamonds in hand to deal with too. The losers in the black
Hand of the Week #209 ♦
N E S W 1♦ 1♥ 1♠ P 2♣ P P P North starts off the bidding with a 1♦ opener, East overcalls 1♥ and South responds 1♠. This North-South pair are playing 'negative doubles' so a double here by South would have shown exactly 4 spades
The Losing Trick Count in Different Situations ♦
The Losing Trick Count is a very powerful tool used to analyse how good your hand is, once you have found a fit with your partner. In this lesson we learn about other times to use the LTC when it might not be obvious!