PLAYING in the Bermuda Regional? Just want to improve your game? Turn up at the Bermuda Bridge Club on Thursday January 18 at 7:30 p.m for a regional tune-up evening.There will be a sign-up street posted at the club — show up, preferably with your partner, and we will try and get you cool, calm, collected — and prepared for the Regional week ahead.

With the arrival of 2007 most locals will be looking forward to the Regional and the excitement of playing in large fields and against a lot of different partnerships. All of this adds another level of pressure to the game and it becomes even more important that a partnership has all the basic understandings sorted out.

It's surprising how often even long-term partnerships leave some pretty basic understandings forever up in the air, so to help you out I have constructed 15 situations in defence, leads and bidding which occur time and time again at the table. I suggest you set aside a couple of hours with your partner and come to agreement on all of these situations — I think it will help you enormously. I'll be discussing, all these situations on the night.

DEFENCE

1. How do you signal length in a suit? Suggestion: Down the line with an even number — up the line with an odd number.

2. What are your suit preference signals? Option 1 — A high card says you want that suit — a low card discourages.

Option 2 — (recommended). Lavinthal discards — your first discard is in a suit you do not want. The size of the discard indicates which of the other suits you do want.

Example — declared is playing in hearts and is drawing trump. Year first non-trump discard is the 8 of spades. That says you do not want spades and since it is a high card it asks for the higher ranking of the remaining suits — diamonds.

3. What do you lead from three small? Suggestion: Mud (Middle-up-down) unless your partners has bid the suit when you should lead up the line with odd and down the line with an even number

4. What do you lead from four small? Suggestion: Second highest and then next card should be 3rd highest.

LEADS

5 What do you lead from AKXX? Suggestion: Ace

6. What do you lead from KQXX? Suggestion: King

7. What do you lead from KOXX against a suit contract? Suggestion: King

8. Against a no-trump contract? Suggestion: Low, fourth best.

9. What do you lead from KX10X against a suit contract? Suggestion: King.

10. Against a non-trump contract? Again, King, now here your partner has to play their highest card. If it is the Ace your partner must overtake and play back. If it is the Jack, your partner must throw it under your King! I'll explain why on the night!

BIDDING

11. Partner doubles a 5 of hearts, opener — what do you next bids mean?

Suggestion: 2 spades is to play 2NT is weak hand, large suit. Your partner is forced to bid 3 clubs at which stage you bid your suit, or pass if your suit is clubs.

With a good hand you bid a suit after partners double, showing values.

12. opens 1 diamond — partner overcalls a no trump showing 15-18 balanced. Are transfers on? Suggestion — yes. What does 2 clubs from you mean? Suggestion — shows a club suit, weak hand. What does 2 diamonds mean? Suggest it means stayman i.e. a bid of openers suit after partner overcalls INT always asks for the major(s).

13. Partner opens INT, RHQ doubles.

What does 2 club from you mean?

What does 2 diamond from you mean?

What does 2 heart/2 spade from you mean?

What does 2NT from you mean?

What does redouble from you mean?

I'm not providing answers on these because there are many different ways to play this and much depends upon:

1) The range of your opening NT

2) Whether the double is penalties

3) Whether the double is conventional.

You and your partner should, however, agree the meaning of all five responses in each of the two situations.

14. Do you play fourth-suit forcing? If so, is it a one round force or is it a game force?

15. LHO opens 1 diamond. Partner overalls 1 spade. Is a new suit by your forcing? If you are a passed hand? What does 2 diamond from you mean?

Suggestion: If partner overcalls and you bid the opponents suit it asks partner to define her overall. If partner has less than an opening hand, she must rebid her suit even if she only has live. Any other bid, should show an opening hand.

Try these on your own and if you need help I'll see you on January 18.