1-P-1-P

1nt-P-3

 

1-P-1-P

1nt-P-2

 

Here responder is trying to sign off - they are trying to make a strongly discouraging drop dead bid - a bid that in this auction should always be passed - both partners have limited their hands. This auction happened on 15 tables in the under 50 room and on 5 tables the opener with a minimum and 3 little spades bid 3 spades. 3 spades had no chances.

 

These are all examples where both partners are not speaking the same language.

 

The main components of that language are that opener can make bids that are:

 

Game forcing

Forcing for 1 round

Inviting game

Not forcing

An attempt to sign off / limit the openers hand

 

Responder can make bids that are:

 

Game forcing

Forcing for 1 eound

Inviting game

Not forcing

An attempt to sign off / strongly discouraging  - limit responders hand

Drop dead

 

Now if both parners are speaking the same langauge and know when bids are forcing they don't have to jump to high too quickly for fear of being passed or they don't get too high raising partners strongly discouraging bids without the values to do so because they've missed games in the past.

 

What I thought I would try to do was to write up in a series over a few weeks how the 'language of bidding' gets defined and a set of genral principles we can use to try to tell when bids are forcing, game forcing, invite, drop dead and so on.

 

I'll do this in a number of parts...maybe one part a week. I'd be interested in any feedback about whether doing this is worthwhile. If not I'll drop the idea (sorry Morgann).