Greetings from Cape Cod! I'm here with family for the rest of the summer. We just put in a pool, so my niece and nephew are on cloud nine. My nephew is having his tonsils removed today, so we're sending him good vibes.
I had a great time with friends in Michigan—except the part where I got Covid—and then a fun tournament in Toronto. I had one good result at the NABC in Toronto: seventh place in the Mixed Board-a-Match with my teammates Julie Arbit, Greg Humphreys, and Jenni Carmichael. The rest of the tournament was disappointing, bridge-wise, but Toronto was a great location for the NABC: great food, wonderful weather, good playing site. And it's always great to catch up with far-flung friends. The only downside was that two of the host hotels were a 15-minute walk from the convention center. Fortunately, the weather was so beautiful it didn't matter—it was actually nice to get a little walk in every day.
I wasn't able to attend the American Bridge Teachers' Association conference in Toronto because I got Covid. But I was awarded the ABTA's highest recognition of Master Teacher. And my latest book, Parrish the Thought Volume II: Modern Defensive Thinking, won a Book of the Year award! A big thanks to all of you who helped read the book when it was in draft form gave me such good feedback. The first book in the Parrish the Thought series, Preempts and Overcalls, won the same award in 2022. I guess the pressure is on for 2026!
My friend Amaresh, who developed the games Kida and Hool, has two new two-person games he's testing out. They're designed to get people interested in bridge. He's really eager for feedback on both games from people of all ages and skill levels. You can learn more about them and how to play and give feedback here.
My Monday "Expert Thought Process" and Thursday "Thinking Through Declarer Play" classes are back on their regular schedule for August. You can get information about both classes here: https://learnbridgeonline.com/adam-parrish/
Upcoming topics in my Monday class are (schedule always subject to change if things take extra time):
August 12 Counting as declarer
August 19 Two-Tiered Splinters
August 26 Defense
If you have topics you'd like to see me cover in the Monday class or hands that you think would be interesting, please send them along. You can send me an email (adam@adamparrishbridge.com).
I hope you're all well and playing lots of bridge! As always, feel free to email me with questions. Speaking of questions...
Everybody's favorite topic: Gerber!
Hi, Adam,
I have a question about the meaning of “first and last notrump” in reference to using Gerber.
My interpretation is that a 4♣ bid over a 1NT {i.e., 1NT-(P)-4♣} or 2NT {i.e., 2NT-(P)-4♣} opening (“first notrump”) is Gerber. Similarly, a 4♣ bid over a subsequent NT bid, “last notrump”, {i.e., 1♦-(P)-2NT-(P)-4♣} is Gerber.
My partner feels that once partner makes a 1NT or 2NT opening, any subsequent jump to 4♣ is Gerber. Take, for instance, 1NT-(P)-2♣-(P), 2♥-(P)-4♣. While this could be Gerber it could also be a splinter bid or Reverse Baze.
Can you help?
Gerber has to be over a natural 1NT or 2NT bid. That of course includes opening bids. Also opener's rebid. 1m-1M, 2NT. 2♣-2♦, 2NT. It’s never over 3NT; in that case 4♣ is a natural slam try or a control bid. For example, 1♣-1♥, 3♣-3NT, 4♣. This is NOT Gerber. It’s a natural slam try. (Or a keycard ask if you play Minorwood.)
I've never seen Gerber used over responder's NT bid, but I guess 1m-2NT, 4♣ would be Gerber.
The Stayman auction you gave should not be Gerber, because the last bid wasn't NT. That's a Splinter or Baze, depending on your system.
Adam
I get a lot of "What would you bid?" questions.
Dear Adam,
Playing MPs at favorable vulnerability you hold this motley collection as dealer:
♠ J94 ♥ J82 ♦ A73 ♣ J982
Pass – Pass – 1♦ – Dbl
?
In the game there were three common calls: Pass and 1NT being most common, with 2♦ trailing a bit.
I am interested in what you would bid here. And what would be your minimum requirements for a free bid of 1NT?
Freely bidding 1NT generally shows about 8-10 HCP. This hand isn't strong enough. I also wouldn't raise diamonds with 3. So I just pass. 1NT and 2♦ have preemptive value, since advancer can't show a major at the 1-level. But they really distort your hand, and partner will expect more from you. (Either more HCP or more diamonds.)
Adam
Transfer responses to a 1♣ opening are becoming popular; it's good to know what to do over them.
Dear Adam,
How do you defend when your opponents play transfer responses to 1♣?
The transfer gives you two takeout bids: doubling and “accepting” their transfer. For example, if they bid (1♣) Pass (1♥) and the 1♥ bid shows spades, you can bid 1♠ as some sort of takeout bid. (You could play it as natural, but most don’t.)
There are two basic approaches here. The simple one is that double shows the suit they bid for the transfer (i.e., lead directing) and "accepting" their transfer is like a takeout double. So in the auction above, doubling would show hearts, while bidding 1♠ would be like a Takeout Double, showing hearts and diamonds. (And maybe clubs.)
Another option is to differentiate two- and three-suited takeout hands, since the 1♣ opening is suspect in these systems. (They open all balanced hands 1♣, so they might have only a doubleton club.) I like to play that accepting their transfer is two-suited takeout (in this case, hearts and diamonds), and doubling is three-suited takeout (hearts, diamonds, and clubs). I find that easy to remember, since bidding their suit looks a little like a Michaels Cuebid to me, which shows two suits.
Adam
That's all for now. I encourage you to send me questions about my column or anything else at adam@adamparrishbridge.com. Maybe they'll end up in the next newsletter!
Stay safe!