If you’ve ever read the column “It’s Your Call” in the ACBL Bridge Bulletin, you know the title of this article is true. In that column, experts handle tough bidding situations. It is comforting to see that even experts do not agree.
With that disclaimer, we introduce our Hand Analysis – Bidding feature. From time to time we’ll be looking at hands that pose challenging bidding issues. We’ll show you how we chose to navigate the waters.
Basic Bidding Principles
Keep in mind that there are many approaches, and we simply present ours. However, our advice will strictly adhere to our basic bidding principles:
- Trust your partner. In a competitive bidding situation, the opponents will do their best to derail your bidding, in order to keep you from getting to your optimal contract. Believe your partner’s bidding.
- Refrain from continuing to bid unless you have something new to say. Each bid you or your partner makes should add additional information to the picture you have created about your combined hands. If you have nothing more to say, pass!
- Choose your bids carefully. Your bid should describe your hand as closely as possible, without overstating or understating your hand. Your intent is to not mislead your partner.
- Draw inferences from your partner’s bidding. Keep in mind that your partner tells you as much by what what she doesn’t bid, as by what she does bid.
Stay tuned!