Number: 182 UK £3.95 Europe €5.00 February 2018 Bernard Magee’s Acol Bidding Quiz This month we are dealing with hands where your opponents have bid your suit. You are West in the BRIDGEauctions below, playing ‘Standard Acol’ with a weak no-trump (12-14 points) and four-card majors. 1. Dealer South. Love All. 4. Dealer East. Love All. 7. Dealer North. Love All. 10. Dealer South. Love All. ♠ 7 6 ♠ 7 6 ♠ 7 6 5 ♠ 4 2 ♥ A Q J 6 5 4 3 N ♥ A 3 2 N ♥ A 9 8 4 3 2 N ♥ 7 6 N ♦ 5 W E ♦ A Q J 6 5 W E ♦ 10 6 W E ♦ A K 3 W E ♣ A 5 3 S ♣ 7 6 5 S ♣ 4 2 S ♣ A Q J 6 5 3 S West North East South West North East South West North East South West North East South 1♥ 1♠ 2♦ 1♥ 2♥1 Pass 1♣1 ? ? ? 1A two-suited hand: ? 1Strong club: 16+ spades and a minor points, any shape 2. Dealer North. Love All. 5. Dealer North. Love All. 8. Dealer East. Love All. 11. Dealer North. N/S Game. ♠ A K J 6 5 ♠ Q J 8 7 6 5 ♠ 9 8 3 ♠ 2 ♥ K 4 3 N ♥ A 4 N ♥ A Q 9 7 4 3 N ♥ 4 3 N ♦ 7 6 W E ♦ 7 6 W E ♦ J 6 5 W E ♦ K Q J 7 6 W E ♣ Q 3 2 S ♣ 5 4 3 S ♣ 2 S ♣ Q J 10 9 4 S West North East South West North East South West North East South West North East South 1NT Pass 2♥1 1♠ Dbl Pass 1♣ 1♥ 2♣1 Pass 2♦2 ? 1Transfer to spades ? Pass 1♠ 2♣ Pass ? ? 1The strongest bid 2Negative 3. Dealer North. Love All. 6. Dealer North. Love All. 9. Dealer East. N/S Game. 12. Dealer South. Love All. ♠ A K 8 7 ♠ 4 3 2 ♠ A Q J 5 ♠ Q J 6 ♥ A 9 8 7 6 N ♥ A J 8 7 6 5 N ♥ A Q J 6 N ♥ Q J 10 9 8 7 N ♦ A 2 W E ♦ 9 8 W E ♦ 9 3 2 W E ♦ A 7 W E ♣ 7 6 S ♣ K 2 S ♣ 7 6 S ♣ 4 2 S West North East South West North East South West North East South West North East South 1♥ Pass 1♠ 1♥ 1♠ 1NT 1NT 2♣1 1♥ ? ? ? 1Landy: both majors Pass 1NT Pass Pass ? Answers on page 41 Answers on page 43 Answers on page 45 Answers on page 47 Features this month include: ADVERTISERS’ BRIDGE 1 Bidding Quiz by Bernard Magee INDEX 5 Mr Bridge 2 The Aegean Experience Ryden Grange, Knaphill, & Alexandria with 7 Bidding Quiz by Bernard Magee Surrey GU21 2TH Voyages to Antiquity ( 01483 489961 9 When Should You Use Stayman? by Mike Lawrence 3 Clive Goff’s Stamps [email protected] 10 Gisborne’s Unlucky Guess by David Bird 4 Cruises 2018 on www.mrbridge.co.uk 12 Facsimile Packs by Paul Bostock Columbus with shop: www.mrbridge.co.uk/ 14 David Stevenson Answers Your Questions Cruise & Maritime mrbridge-shop 16 The Diaries of Wendy Wensum 6 Croatia 2018 Publisher and 17 The Mr Bridge Christmas Quiz by Mike Orriel Mr Bridge Managing Editor 8 UK Events Mr Bridge 17 Defence Quiz by Julian Pottage 12 Charity Events Bridge Consultant 18 Grand Slam Opened at the Seven-Level – Part Two 13 Club Insurance Bernard Magee by Shireen Mohandes 13 Travel Insurance bernardmagee 19 Declarer Play Quiz by David Huggett @mrbridge.co.uk 20 Bernard Magee DVDs 20 The Mr Bridge Christmas Quiz Answers Set 7 Cartoons & Illustrations by Mike Orriel Marguerite Lihou 21 Defence Quiz Answers by Julian Pottage 22 Bernard Magee DVDs www.margueritelihou.co.uk Sets 1-3 22 Drawing Trumps by Bernard Magee Technical Consultant 23 Bernard Magee DVDs Tony Gordon 24 More Tips by Bernard Magee Sets 4-6 Typesetting & Design 29 Declarer Play Answers by David Huggett 24 QPlus 12 Ruth Edmondson 30 Adapting Your Style and System by Andrew Kambites [email protected] 25 Cruise the Danube to 32 Adapting Your Style and System Quiz Vienna & Budapest with Proof Readers by Andrew Kambites The River Cruise Line Julian Pottage 33 The Future by Jeremy Dhondy 29 Duplicate Bridge Mike Orriel Rules Simplified Catrina Shackleton 35 Answers to Adapting Your Style and System Richard Wheen by Andrew Kambites 41 Bernard Magee’s Tutorial Software Customer Services 36 Cross-Ruffingby Michael Byrne Catrina Shackleton 38 Julian Pottage Answers Your Questions 43 Declarer Play [email protected] with Bernard Magee 41 Bidding Quiz Answers (1-3) by Bernard Magee Events & Cruises 44 Defence 42 Catching Up with Sally Brock with Bernard Magee ( 01483 489961 Jessica Galt 43 Bidding Quiz Answers (4-6) by Bernard Magee 45 Acol Bidding [email protected] 44 Sally’s Slam Clinic with Bernard Magee Megan Riccio 45 Bidding Quiz Answers (7-9) by Bernard Magee 50 Designs for Bridge [email protected] Tables Sophie Pierrepont 46 What are Inverted Minor Raises? [email protected] by Julian Pottage 51 Moorish Odyssey with Voyages to Antiquity Clubs & Charities 47 Bidding Quiz Answers (10-12) by Bernard Magee Maggie Axtell 48 Early Season Snow by John Barr 52 Swedish Waterways & [email protected] Cities with Fred.Olsen 49 Seven Days by Sally Brock Address Changes ( 01483 485342 Elizabeth Bryan REDUCE THE COST OF YOUR POSTAGE [email protected] Postage stamps for sale at 90% of face-value, all mint with full gum. Quotations for commercial quantities available on request. Printed in the UK by The Magazine Values supplied in 100s, higher values available as well as Printing Company 1st and 2nd class (eg 2nd class: 100x38p+100x18p). www.magprint.co.uk ( 020 8422 4906 e-mail: [email protected] BRIDGE February 2018 Page 3 AS PROMISED I recently wrote to David Stevenson with a question on bridge laws and was pleasantly surprised to receive a rapid personal reply BERNARD to my query. I had thought that I would have to wait until my letter was published MAGEE before receiving an answer. Similarly, a few weeks later, Julian Pottage kindly replied to me on a bidding question, TUTORIAL DVDS again by return. Right at the end of my column last month was a My reason for writing this letter, other than to say Coming stop press announcement. Set 8 Soon Congratulations to thank you, is that I recall Helen and Bernard Magee your asking a few months 43 TEAMS OF FOUR on the birth of their son ago for more questions, as This form of the game is the most common at international Alfred James Forrest Magee, not many had been level and is great fun to play at club level and even in the forthcoming at the time. I home. I will discuss the basic format and then look at the weighing in at 7lb 14oz. tactics you might use in the bidding and play. He arrived on 6 December. was just thinking that if you were to make it clear in the 44 GAME TRIES magazine that all questions When your partner raises your suit to the two-level, you are answered personally and have a variety of options available to you, in order to find immediately, irrespective of out whether game is a sensible option. I will talk about whether or not they are major suit game tries to find better games and minor suit published, then that might game tries, when you consider the option of a no-trump be a stimulus for a more contract. regular supply of readers’ questions. This is just a 45 DISRUPTING DECLARER suggestion which I hope you A defender needs to try and predict what declarer might will accept in the spirit in want to do. Your job is then to disrupt declarer’s plan. Stop him ruffing, stop him establishing suits and generally try which it is intended. to put him off, by using only your cards, of course. Colin Jones, MASTERPOINTED Kingston, Surrey. 46 DEFENDING SLAMS Making the right plays against slams can make a huge Responding to demand we SEE THE difference. Knowing when to attack and when to lie low: are organising a few events CENTREFOLD should you lead an ace or not? We will not just consider during the coming year slam contracts, but also other high level contracts in where masterpoints will be Following the success of competitive auctions. awarded to the winners. our river cruises last 47 OVERCALLING The first two of these will October, Bernard Magee and his team are once again Duplicate bridge is so much more competitive now and be on mv. Columbus, see it is important you are part of this. Knowing the reasons sailing down the Danube. the adjacent advertisement. for overcalling and understanding them will allow you to Gary Conrad will host the To make a river cruise compete more and at the right time. British Isles and Cities and work, it is necessary to fill 48 PRESSING THE DEFENCE Sandy Bell will host the the whole ship with bridge European Cities cruise. players and their friends. As declarer there are ways you can make life more awkward for the defenders, particularly by disguising holdings in This is because of the your hand for a little longer. I will be exploring a number READERS LETTERS limited space given to of tactics that will help you to exploit the defenders, lounges and bars on these including the dreaded squeeze.