12. When partner makes a forcing bid, BID. Don’t get creative and decide that since you have a terrible hand you’re going to save partner and pass his forcing auction. Even if you are right on a particular occasion, partner will lose trust in you and next time might try to compensate by masterminding a (wrong) game bid because he’s afraid you’ll pass his forcing bid again.
11. Against strong opponents, pre-empt as often as you can. Even the best of players often have problems handling pre-empts and are forced to guess at a high level.
10. If you make a pre-emptive bid, you must pass throughout the rest of the auction unless your partner forces you to bid. After a pre-emptive bid, your partner is captain and must make all competitive decisions.
9. In competitive auctions, bid as high as you’re willing to go as quickly as you can and then pass thereafter.
Next Friday (March 7), our weekly game will be a Swiss team event. You’ll need to line up a team of 4 before then. When you have your team, call Linda and let her know the team’s members.
Our recommendation is for you to play with the team you’re playing with in the upcoming sectional – if you’re planning on playing in the sectional. If you can’t find your own team, call Linda and she’ll help you.
This should be fun. I’m looking forward to it!
8. When your side has a misfit, get out of the auction quickly. Don’t keep bidding at higher levels just to try and improve on a bad situation. Don’t try to save partner just because you’re short in his suit!
