Bernard Magee Bridge 6

[@tophatst5457]

These are amazing tutorials thanks Bernard 🎩

[@martinepstein3332]

Thanks Bernard for another very useful seminar, hope your dad continues to recover

[@nigelflynn8063]

Thank you for continuing interesting teaching. Leads were one thing I was being asked to concentrate on in the occasional sessions I do with 3rd/4th year groups who have gone through the first two years of courses with me and are now playing regular club duplicate. These have had to be postponed, so your lessons have been very valuable. I will, with respect, still continue to teach slightly differently from you: I still believe it is better for average players and beginners in particular always to play their partner's suit "top downwards" in no-trumps. It means a high card knocks out one of declarer's; partner instantly knows the location of all high cards, so can judge whether it is worth pursuing the suit; and it prevents blocking suits, which otherwise happens all too often at the level I play/teach at. For example if you have KJ98xx, partner has 1043 and there is a singleton on table. If partner leads 10, you know declarer only has AQx, (or poss xx, but that doesn't matter) so the 10 will knock out an honour and it is worth you continuing the suit. But if they lead low, you don't know whether to continue the suit if you get in: if partner has the 10 it is OK, but if they haven't declarer finesses the 10 and makes an extra trick they wouldn't have made (can't lead from dummy.) So if partner always leads their highest, you know the position and can work out whether to continue a suit or switch. And with regard to blocking: top players like yourself can gauge when getting blocked is a danger, newer players cannot. I will never forget playing against a lovely lady at Horsham who sadly died a couple of years ago. I risked 3NT with only Axx in Hearts which had been bid, as I knew we had 28+ points so hoped we'd get away with it. She held 9872 in hearts, singleton 10 on table. On her partner's lead of HK,Q and J she religiously played 9, 8,7. I of course ducked the first two rounds, but to make 9 tricks I had to finesse into her hand, which failed. She then fed her 2 to partner for two more tricks taking the contract down. They scored a 100% top, all the others in 3NT made it because their partner had not unblocked from the start. When I congratulated her on her defence she said "I was taught always play your partner's suit from the top in NT, whether leading or following" so it's not just me who likes to do that! I think the value of knocking out honours, telling partner where the high cards are and avoiding blocking outweigh the advantages of giving count.

[@hilarymitchell5559]

Could you please explain your method of replying to 4 NT? Thank you

[@BernardMageeBridge]

The responses to 4NT are the same as normal Blackwood, but you include the king of trumps in the tally. So there are five 'key'cards': 5C = 0 or 4 5D = 1 (or 5) 5H = 2 5S = 3 The responses are the same as normal Blackwood (except that in theory 5D can show all 5 key-cards) The simplicity of this method recommends it above RKCB which involves more complicated responses and a set of follow up responses which complicate things further. RKCB only gains if you bid regular grand slams.

[@johnlawless6032]

On Ann Hill's hand in Bridge 6, why not use Escalating Gerber, you start at a lower risk level and still end up in 6D? How's Alfie?

[@chriswiggins6599]

Hi Bernard are you planning to do anything on hand evaluation?

[@geoffhall3766]

Hello Bernard. Happy Easter. The business about comments ... I think it has something to do with KZbin waiting until the connection has been terminated for five minutes before comments are allowed. Not sure, but it seems to be the case. Great seminar today - and Alfie was, indeed, a star.

[@williamcowan6103]

I agree Geoff Hall; was going to say the same. Terminating the session and then reloading the page enables comments.

[@nilghosh1286]

Good morning Bernard

[@peterzemroch9947]

Another good session Bernard. For the future, I would be interested in a session on how to respond, on various types of hand, when your partner's (weak) 1NT is doubled by the opposition.

[@royaltenniscourt2090]

Peter, you are asking Bernard, not me, and Bernard may disagree, but my partners and I use the Owen Wriggle, which you can find details of online

[@rogershelley6189]

Hand for possible discussion N KQ984 KQ8542 Q 9 S A7 763 862 AJ653 North is dealer, E/W passed throughout PS I had to subscribe to your channel for a second time to leave this comment

[@geoffhall3766]

1H by N; 2C by S, 2H by N, 4H by S ?? Just a suggestion. 4 losers n N's hand and 9 losers in S. 4H looks like making.

[@hirokocanning1715]

Thank you very much Bernard! Sorry I couldn’t join you live: I had to play team match practice on BBO this morning. I will look into Scrambling 2NT and send this link to my partner. If he agrees, I can add it to the system. If opener had a balanced hand with a H stopper 17-18pts, what is his rebid? He cannot rebid 2NT if using Scrambling 2NT. “X”? Alfie is so cute!

[@maggierider4117]

It is fine just tried. Thank you

[@johnbunyan5834]

Just post the comment at the top of all comments. Works fine.

[@gordonfoster5795]

Hiroko's hand: Why not double to tell partner you have clubs and diamonds?

[@hannahwallace5090]

Sometimes one is left in one no Trump by partner.

[@royaltenniscourt2090]

4S reply is long and weak, no chance of slam, pass