Swiss Team Tactics (Zappala)
BIDDING
DON'T MAKE BIDS THAT YOUR PARTNER IS NOT LIKELY TO UNDERSTAND.
Avoid undiscussed conventions or treatments like the plague. Do your partnership learning in club matchpoint games. Bidding misunderstandings have very large IMP downsides.
ON CLOSE DECISIONS, STRETCH TO BID YOUR VULNERABLE GAMES.
The upside of: bidding 4 and making (620) vs. bidding 3 and making 4 (170) is 450. The downside of: bidding 4 and going down 1 (-100) vs. bidding 3 and making (140) is 240. With an upside of 450 vs. a downside of 240, go to game on all close decisions when vulnerable.
DON'T DOUBLE PART SCORES FOR PENALTY.
You just cannot afford to give up a game score in a part score situation. And you have the important side benefit of unambiguous doubles.
WHEN IN DOUBT, BID 4 SPADES OVER THEIR 4 HEARTS.
Upside/downside analysis at both tables shows the desirability of bidding 4S over 4H in close decision situations. And it gives you insurance against the possibility that they make 4H at your table and 4S at the other table.
BID YOUR SLAMS IF THEY HAVE BETTER THAN A 50% CHANCE.
But beware of giving up 650 for -100.
DON'T SACRIFICE UNLESS YOU'RE CONFIDENT THEY ARE MAKING.
MAKE FRISKY RAISES TO THE 2 LEVEL.Good opponents aren't likely to risk a penalty double.
MAKE MORE PREEMPTIVE BIDS WHEN NOT VULNERABLE.
But make sound preempts when vulnerable.
THE FIVE LEVEL BELONGS TO THE OPPONENTS.
Don't bid five of your suit over five of their suit unless you have a very good reason (e.g. you're highly distributional or you have more values than you've shown).
WITH HIGHLY DISTRIBUTIONAL HANDS, TEND TO BID ONE MORE TO KEEP THEM FROM MAKING A BIG SCORE.
This has a secondary benefit of assuring the opponents don't make a high level contract at both tables.
PLAY
AS DECLARER, MAKE YOUR CONTRACT.
Don't risk the contract to make overtricks.
BE BOLD ON DEFENSE.
Risk an overtrick to set their contract. Just defeat the contract - don't worry by how much. Take any risks you need to in order to set the contract. Take the setting trick when you can take it. Don't defer it to try for more tricks. Assume a key card is in partner's hand if that's what's needed to set the contract.
| Next | Previous | Return to Home Page |
