Issue 20 - Standard American

Editorial by Paul Bowyer

Welcome to V-Blue, the e-magazine for those learning the wonderful game of bridge.

In this edition (issue number 20) we are returning to the all-important topic of defense.

This time we are investigating signals, specifically length-showing signals. What are these and why do you need to know about them?

Well, they are made in dummy’s (or declarer’s) long suit and are used to tell your co-defender how many of the suit you have. This enables your quick-witted and fast-calculating partner (no sarcastic remarks, please) to analyze the suit and, crucially, how long to hold up his high cards.

If this brief description makes little sense then we invite you to try our twelve exemplary deals – you should be clear after you have played those. As ever, VuBridge will be by your shoulder, guiding you carefully through the minefield.

When you have worked your way through these interesting deals you may like to try the “General Series” of eight assorted hands. There’s no particular theme with most of the deals being declarer play problems. Most, that is, not all.... We also have a quiz for you to enjoy: ten more questions on the topic of Cue-bids.

Enjoy yourselves.

Series #2528 - Defense – Showing length - Part I (SA)

This series (and its companion piece to be found elsewhere in this edition) is all about how to isolate declarer from the dummy. To co-operate effectively the defenders need to be able to count the critical suit (usually dummy's long suit) and to do that they have to signal their suit lengths to each other.

How can they do that? Well, the conventional method is for a defender to follow upwards (starting with a small card) with an odd number of cards and to play high-low with an even number of cards, allowing his partner to read the suit lengths. Clear? Well, maybe some example deals will help...

Series #2528 - Defense – Showing length - Part I (SA):

Cue-Bids

We return to the idea of cue-bids as an aid to bidding slams. Later you may see that cue-bids may be used in more prosaic ways for locating the best game contracts but here we are still bitten by the slam bug.

The principle is that when a trump suit has been agreed a bid in a new suit is a cue-bid, showing control of that suit and inviting partner to participate in a slam hunt. Click here to run the Quiz.

Series #2529 - Defense – Showing length - Part II (SA version)


This series is trickier and may have you scratching your heads... Here you are going to see six examples of good hands facing weak ones, a common position where the defenders' best play is to break communications between dummy and declarer.

Series #2529 - Defense – Showing length - Part II (SA):

Series #2524 - General Hands (SA):