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Duplicate Bridge results and tips: Useful conventions worth learning, part 136

By Peter Rhead

Limit Your Hand

LIMIT YOUR HAND is a concept we have talked about in the past. It is worth a review here. LIMIT YOUR HAND is to inform your opening partner, by your bid, the value of your hand within about three points. Often you can do this with your first responding bid.

When your partner opens 1NT and you reply Stayman Two Clubs, you LIMIT YOUR HAND to 8-9 points. Partner’s opening 1NT bid is 15-17 points, so he will realize that the partnership may have enough to go to game.

Your partner opens any suit, say One Diamond. If you reply “Two” of that opening suit, you LIMIT YOUR HAND to 6-9 points. Since the One Diamond opener is unlimited, 13-21 points, opener can now determine if game is possible.

When your partner opens One Diamond and you reply with a jump to Three Diamonds, you LIMIT YOUR HAND to four-card support and 10-12 points. Since the One Diamond opening partner is unlimited, 13-21 points, he now bids game or bids to determine if slam is possible.

Guideline One: Either partner should try to limit their hand on their first or second bid.

Guideline Two: If you can support partner’s suit, show it right away.

For more information, read “Raising Partner’s Suit” in Barbara Seagram’s Bridge 25 Ways to Compete in The Bidding, page 21

Next Week: Examples of Limit Your Hand

Remember, as we all fight COVID-19 with social isolation, if you want your Bridge fix, online competition is available for all skill levels. From the ACBL Bridge website, you can hook up either to play live people or to play robots. Either way you test or consolidate various Bridge skills. At ACBL.org just click on “Play Bridge” and follow the prompts for various choices.

If you wish to promote an activity in your Bridge group or ask a Bridge question, send the information to vrhead23@gmail.com and I will try to include it in this column.

Looking for more bridge tips? You’ll find them here.

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