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Bridge 101 - #1 (Declaration Basics)

In my previous post, I talked about the basic concepts, rules, and play of the hand in bridge. The topic of this article is the fundamentals of declaration in bridge.

In bridge, the goal is to reach a mutual decision with your partner and either go on the attack or defend. If you are the attacking side, your aim is to fulfill your contract. If you are the defending side, you try to defeat the opponents' contract.

What is Declaration?

In bridge, after the cards are dealt, the bidding (declaration) phase begins. The purpose of this phase is to determine under what conditions the attacking side will take how many tricks. For example: "If diamonds are trump, we will take 9 tricks." You can think of this determination process as an auction. The parties present their bids (offers), and at the end of the declaration, one side earns the right to determine the course of the game. The winning bid in the auction is called the contract.

The declaration has two main questions: "How many tricks will we take?" and "What will be the trump?" When making our declaration, the number of tricks we promise to take is called the level, and the choice of trump (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) or no trump (sans atout, no trumps) is called the suit.

Since there are a total of 13 tricks and the goal is to take the most tricks, there is no point in entering the auction unless we can take at least 7 tricks, right? Therefore, we always add 6 to the number of tricks we promise to take. For example, when you say, "1 diamond," you are stating, "If diamonds are trump, we can take 6+1 = 7 tricks."

During an auction, you are required to make a higher bid than the previous one. But which bid is higher, and which is lower? This is where the level and suit information come into play.

If you recall, the rank of suits was as follows: Spades♠, Hearts♥, Diamonds♦, Clubs♣. Since the minimum number of tricks to be taken must be 7 - meaning you must take more tricks than your opponent - the rank of levels is as follows: 7 (i.e., taking all 13 tricks), 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

When comparing two bids, you first look at the level (number) and then the suit (color). No trump (sans atout) is superior to all suits.

Contract Ranking in Bridge (Most valuable at the top):

7 NT (No Trumps, 6+7 = 13 tricks)
7 Pik♠
7 Kör♥
7 Karo♦
7 Trefl♣
6 Pik♠
6 Kör♥
6 Karo♦
6 Trefl♣
.............
1 NT
1 Pik♠
1 Kör♥
1 Karo♦
1 Trefl♣

In bridge, spades and hearts are considered major suits, while diamonds and clubs are minor suits. As can be understood from the table above, you should aim to play either no trump or with major suits whenever possible. This approach will earn you more points. In other words, instead of making 3 clubs, if you make 3 hearts, you will score more points.

If you do not want to make a bid, you can say pass. In addition to what is mentioned above, we have two more terms: double (dbl) and redouble (rdbl). A double or "doubling" means: "I don't think you can fulfill this bid. If you succeed, you will earn double the points; if you fail, we will earn double the points." Essentially, it is a way to raise the stakes. A redouble, on the other hand, is something you can do when your opponent doubles against you. It means: "You may think we can't fulfill this bid, but you are wrong. If we succeed, we will earn four times the points; if we fail, you will earn four times the points." Here, you also need to consider: "Why does my partner think they can't fulfill this contract? What are they trying to tell me?"

In a declaration, if there are 3 consecutive passes, the declaration phase is considered complete.

Scoring in Bridge

As mentioned earlier, we should aim for no trump games or major suits whenever possible. Why?

First, let's clarify. In bridge, there is no problem with winning more tricks than your declared bid. For example: You bid 4 spades, meaning spades are trump and you promise to take 10 tricks. If you take 12 tricks, there is no issue. If you take 9 tricks, you fail. However, taking 12 tricks after bidding 4 spades is different from taking 12 tricks after bidding 6 spades. In one case, your promise is lower. Similarly, taking 10 tricks after bidding 4 spades is different from taking 10 tricks after bidding 4 diamonds, because spades are a major suit, while diamonds are a minor suit.

Minor suits, i.e., clubs and diamonds, give you 20 points. You calculate your points based on the level of your bid, not the number of tricks you take. For example, if you bid 2 diamonds (diamonds as trump, promising 8 tricks) and take 12 tricks, your score is still calculated as 2 x 20 = 40 points.

Major suits, i.e., hearts and spades, give you 30 points. If you successfully fulfill a 2 spades contract, you earn 2 x 30 = 60 points.

No trump (NT) games are also worth 30 points, but with an additional +10 points. For instance, if you play 2NT, you earn 2 x 30 + 10 = 70 points.

Let's break it down further:

Part-score: When you multiply the level of the contract by its point value, and the result is less than 100, this is called a part-score. It gives you a 50-point bonus. Additional overtricks are added after this bonus.

Game (Zone): If the calculated score is 100 or more, this is called a game. The bonus determination is slightly different. If a game contract was previously played and succeeded, the pair is considered in the zone. In this case, they receive a 500-point bonus. If they have not played or failed a game contract before, they receive a 300-point bonus. Overtricks are added after this bonus.

Slam: A game contract at the 6-level is called a slam. If you successfully bid and make a slam and are in the zone, you receive a 750-point bonus. If you are not in the zone, you earn a 500-point bonus. These bonuses are added on top of the game bonus.

Grand Slam: If the contract is at the 7-level, meaning you promise to win all 13 tricks, this is a grand slam. The bonus is 1500 points in the zone and 1000 points out of the zone. These bonuses are added on top of the game bonus.

As you can see, because bonuses are involved, thinking "I'll make the smallest bid and win, no need to go higher" can cost you. Let's look at an example:

  • You bid 2NT, meaning no trump, and you promise to take 8 tricks.
  • The game is played, and you take 10 tricks.
  • Your score: 2 (level) x 30 (for NT) + 10 (for NT) = 70 points.
  • 70 < 100, so you did not reach the game. This is a part-score. You get a 50-point bonus. 70 + 50 = 120 points.
  • You promised 8 tricks, took 10. For the 2 extra tricks, you earn 2 x 30 (for NT) = 60 points. Total: 180 points.

Summary: You bid 2NT, took 10 tricks, and scored a total of 180 points.

Now let's change the scenario:

  • You bid 3NT, meaning no trump, and you promise to take 9 tricks.
  • The game is played, and you take 10 tricks.
  • Your score: 3 (level) x 30 (for NT) + 10 (for NT) = 100 points.
  • Since you reached 100 points, you are in the game. You get a bonus of 300 or 500 points depending on your zone status. Assuming 300, your score is 100 + 300 = 400 points.
  • You promised 9 tricks, took 10. For the extra trick, you earn 1 x 30 (for NT) = 30 points. Total: 400 + 30 = 430 points.

Summary: You bid 3NT, took 10 tricks, and scored a total of 430 points. If you were in the zone, this would be 630 points.

In cases of doubles or redoubles, the bonus is not doubled. However, regardless of your contract, if you fail, you lose points: 50 per trick if not in the zone, 100 per trick if in the zone. For example, if you bid 3NT (promising 9 tricks) and take only 7, you lose 2 x 100 = 200 points in the zone or 2 x 50 = 100 points out of the zone.

Deciding on a Bid

Before making a bid, you need to do some calculations. For example, you might want the trump suit to be a suit in which you and your partner together hold at least 8 cards—this situation is called a fit. But how can you determine that?

First, let's focus on our own hand. Some cards are more valuable than others, as we know. A, K, Q, J, and 10 are called high cards (or honours). Among these, the 10 has no point value. However:

  • Ace (A) = 4 points
  • King (K) = 3 points
  • Queen (Q) = 2 points
  • Jack (J) = 1 point

This is how you calculate high card points. Cards that are not honours are called spot cards.

Another factor that can help determine your points is the long suit bonus. For every card beyond four in a single suit, you add one point to your total.

Example Hand:

Suit Cards Points
Spades ♠ A, K, J, 9 Ace 4 + King 3 + Jack 1 = 8 points
Hearts ♥ Q, 10, 9, 8, 4, 3 Queen 2 + 2 long suit points = 4 points
Diamonds ♦ 8, 2
Clubs ♣ 2

You can generally make an opening bid with 12–20 points. You would also select your longest suit as the trump suit. In this example hand, the total is 12 points, and hearts are the longest suit with 6 cards. Hearts are a major suit, and opening in a major suit signals: "I have at least 12 points and at least 5 cards in the suit I opened." Thus, you can open with 1♥. This is called the Standard 5 Card Major opening.

When trump suits come into play, you replace long suit points with short suit points, because the fewer cards you hold in a suit, the more opportunities you have to trump those cards.

  • Doubleton: +1 point for having exactly 2 cards in a suit
  • Singleton: +2 points for having exactly 1 card in a suit
  • Void (Şikan): +3 points for having no cards in a suit

If you are in a position to decide the trump suit, remove your long suit points from your calculations and add your short suit points instead. In the example hand above, short suit points were not calculated because we assume hearts will be the trump suit. However, we don't yet know if our partner has 3 hearts to form a fit. Therefore, we haven't finalized the trump suit and cannot use short suit points yet.

As we mentioned earlier, the goal of the game is to win as many tricks as possible. As the cards in play are evaluated, their likelihood of winning tricks increases. While this is statistical and not guaranteed, such point evaluations help inform our bidding. Through bidding, we also gain insights into our partner's hand. Generally, the following table applies:

Contract Type Total Combined Points
Grand Slam 37+ points
Slam 33–37 points
3NT 26–32 points
4 Major (Spades/Hearts) 26–32 points
5 Minor (Diamonds/Clubs) 29–32 points
Part-Score 20–25 points

During the Bidding Process:

  • The player who makes the first bid is the opener.
  • The partner of the opener is the responder.
  • The opponents of the opening pair are the overcallers.
  • The player who has the last opportunity to bid after all others have passed is the balancer.

If all four players pass, the game is canceled, and the cards are reshuffled and redealt.

Level 1 Openings

1 NT Opening

The 1 NT opening is the first type you should consider because its requirements are clear and strict. The first condition is that your hand must be balanced. Balanced distributions include: 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2.

If your hand is balanced, you have 15–17 points, and no 5-card major, you can open with 1 NT.

If your partner opens with 1 NT and you also have a balanced hand, you continue the bid in NT. If you don't have a balanced hand, you bid your longest suit as a potential trump and ask if your partner can support it.

We mentioned earlier that 26–32 combined points are ideal for a 3 NT contract. For example, if your partner opens with 1 NT (at least 15 points and a balanced hand) and you have 14 points and a balanced hand, your combined points total at least 29, sufficient for 3 NT. You can directly bid 3 NT, entering the game zone.

1 Major Opening

If you have at least 5 cards in a major suit (hearts ♥ or spades ♠) and 12–20 points, you can open with 1 Major. For example, this could occur when your hand satisfies the criteria from our first example. If you cannot open in NT or a major, consider a minor opening.

1 Minor Opening

With 12–20 points, you can open with 1 Minor. This bid indicates you have at least 3 cards in the minor suit you're bidding.

  • If your two minor suits have unequal counts, open the longer suit.
  • If your minor suits are equal:
  • In a 5-5 situation, open the more expensive suit (diamonds ♦).
  • In a 4-4 situation, also open diamonds ♦.
  • In a 3-3 situation, open the cheaper suit (clubs ♣).

Responding to a 1-Level Opening

If your partner opens with 1 Major, they have at least 12 points and 5 cards in that suit. Respond based on your hand:

  1. 2 Major: 6–10 points and at least 3 cards in the shown major.
  2. 3 Major: 10–12 points and at least 3 cards in the shown major.
  3. 4 Major: 13+ points and at least 4 cards in the shown major.

If you have enough points but weak support for the trump suit, bid a new suit to suggest an alternative. If you cannot bid a new suit due to lack of strength or length, bid a minor suit to indicate you are unable to set the trump suit.

If your partner opens with 1 Minor, they have at least 12 points and 3 cards in that suit. They also lack a 5-card major (otherwise, they would have opened in a major). Your responses:

  1. If you have a 4-card major, bid it to indicate the possibility of playing in a major.
  2. If you don't have a 4-card major, support their minor suit:
  3. 2 Minor: 6–10 points and at least 5 cards in their shown minor.
  4. 3 Minor: 10–12 points and at least 5 cards in their shown minor.
  5. If neither major nor minor fits:
  6. Bid a new suit (requires at least 6 points and 4 cards in the suit).
  7. 2 Minor: Required at lease 11 points and 5 cards. - 5-5 draw: Choose diamonds. - 4-4 drawr: Choose clubs.

Lowering the suit can give you more flexibility. Against 2 clubs, you can get 2 diamonds. But against 2 diamonds, declaration must go to major suits.

If you can't offer any trumps, you can offer no trumps.

  1. 6-10 points.
  2. 11-12 points and balanced hand.
  3. 13-15 points and balanced hand.

Responding with NT conveys: "I don't have a suitable suit for trumps, but I have a balanced and strong hand."

Summary

Opening:

  1. 1 NT: Balanced hand (4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2) + no 5-card major + 15–17 points.
  2. 1 Major: At least 5 cards in a major suit + 12–20 points.
  3. 1 Minor: At least 3 cards in a minor suit + 12–20 points.
  4. If none of these conditions apply, pass.

Responding to 1 opening:

  1. 2 Major: 6–10 points + at least 3 cards in the shown major.
  2. 3 Major: 10–12 points + at least 3 cards in the shown major.
  3. 4 Major: 13+ points + at least 4 cards in the shown major.
  4. If unable to support the major suit, bid a new suit or a minor.
  5. 2 Minor: 6–10 points + at least 5 cards in the shown minor.
  6. 3 Minor: 10–12 points + at least 5 cards in the shown minor.
  7. New Suit: At least 6 points + 4 cards in the new suit.
  8. 1 NT: 6–10 points, no new suit to offer.
  9. 2 NT: 11–12 points, balanced hand, no new suit.
  10. 3 NT: 13–15 points, balanced hand, no new suit.

References

1 - Adım Adım Briç, Deklarasyon Hakkında Bilmek İstedikleriniz, Erdinç Erbil (Available for free from the Turkish Bridge Federation website.)