Why Can’t The English

I am writing this blog because I think there must be a serious flaw in the way people learn (or are taught) to bid.

I am not going to talk about playing the cards just yet but perhaps the biggest problem with card playing is that I suspect many people are never provided with much instruction in that arena and don’t use the available tools to teach themselves.  But back to bidding…

This is not a complaint, just an observation (and a worry).  Playing with people (as partners and opponents) who classified themselves as experts, I ran into these amusing bids. (Okay so they aren’t experts but presumably they have been playing for a few years, are likely life masters etc…)

All of these happened within about 10 total hands yesterday.  Each of these was done by a different player.

Here’s one which I will label hand evaluation.  This area is very abused.

S K3 H KJ86 D K984 C K104

At favorable colors your partner passes and RHO bids 1C.  You double and vulnerable LHO bids 2S.  Partner passes again and LHO bids 3S.  Is this your moment to act?  Maybe you don’t think this is the worst example you have seen but I hate bidding on this hand.  Partner can’t have much and you have just enough defense to probably prevent the opponents from making anything.  As it turns out, if you double you will get a minus in four of a minor (they actually played diamonds) and 3S is not making.  I was the 2S bidder on this hand.

This one I will call … abuse of negative doubles and failure to support partner.

S KJ93

H 10854

D K753

C J

With everyone white your partner opens 1H.  Your opponent overcalls 2C and you bid ?  Anyone for negative double?  I wonder what the guy would say when writing this up for the master solver’s club… “I knew we had a 5-4 heart fit but perhaps the 4-4 in spades will play better”.

Here is another hand which includes hand misevaluation and misrepresentation and failure to understand when you can bid notrump

S KQ62

H K1083

D K72

C 73

Nobody vulnerable, LHO passes and partner opens 1D.  You bid 1H and LHO 1S.  Partner makes a support double and it is your turn.  What do you bid?  I give 2NT the nod myself but I could hear an argument for 1NT.  Perhaps you are thinking that this player passed the double or bid 3NT or some number of hearts.  Not there yet…. Try again.  The choice was 2D. 2D was cold but then so was 3NT.  Partner had a balanced 14 count.  Passing the double was just fine (although I am not advocating that choice … no, no no).

This all happened in one short session on one day.

So to misquote Henry Higgins…”Why can’t the bridge players learn to bid”… Maybe I could find a young unruly bridge player and … no somebody did that story already at a nationals.

If you think I am being too harsh… okay but