Control Bidding and Slams: Contract Bridge Lesson

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Click here to view Part 1 of the video commentary

Free Membership – Click here to view Part 2 of the video commentary

Premium/ULTRA – Click here to view Part 3 of the video commentary

Are you in control?  How much control do you like?  How about sharing control with your partner – is that important?

Well, Bridge is a partnership game and controls are the foundation of sound slam contracts.  So once we have found a trump fit with partner and are ready to explore slam, one way or the other prudent Bridge players will double check their aggregate controls on the road to slam nirvana.   In today’s poll and blog posting we develop a foundational to build our slam bidding framework.  As you would suspect, while slam bidding controls do have their place it’s critical to know when and how to apply them.

Slam Contracts – The Three Way Triad:

1. Classic Trump-oriented Slam – Major or minor suit slam

2. Balanced Slam – Notrump, typically with 33/37 points to make slam/grandslam

3. Slam “Magic” – Major or minor slams with very distribution one or two suited hand

Controls: Aces, Voids, King-Queen, Singletons, King + others

Two Ways to Count Controls:

1. Basic – Two Controls per suit
Ace, King, Singleton = 1 control each
Ace-King, Void = 2 controls each

2. Advanced: Three Controls per suit
Ace-King, Void = 3 controls
Ace+ = 2 controls
King, Singleton = 1 control

Typical Usage of Controls – Suit Slams, where Voids and Singletons highlight extra value as controls
Caution – Suit shortage is a liability in a Notrump contract [Read more…]