Greetings from Massachusetts! And Happy Labor Day! I hope you’re having a great weekend.
I’m moving my newsletter to Substack. I think it’s going to be a better experience for everyone. It’ll have an archive of all the old newsletters, plus I’ll be writing about other topics, including theater. You can opt out of any of the sections you’re not interested in. I’m eager for feedback, so please let me know what you think.
I had a nice August with my family on Cape Cod, though it wasn’t without its difficulties. My nephew had to have his tonsils taken out, so he wasn’t allowed to play in the new pool for a couple of weeks. Try telling that to a five-year-old, especially while his sister is splashing around!
On top of that, my father took a nasty fall and ended up in the hospital. He didn’t break anything, miraculously, but he was bruised from head to toe. He still isn’t stable enough to come home, so he’s in a rehab facility. My mom and I are at their condo in Sudbury so we can be close to him.
Other than that, the summer has been wonderful. We played a lot in the pool, went to the beach a few days, and spent a day at Heritage Museum and Gardens, one of our favorite spots in Sandwich.
I started teaching my niece and nephew bridge, and they’re absolutely hooked! I’m trying to find a teacher in the Worcester, MA area if anyone knows someone.
I’ll be heading back to New York in a week or two. Back to real life! I don’t have any tournaments scheduled until the Nationals in Las Vegas in November. It’ll be nice to be in the City for a while. It’s time for theater and concerts and opera to start up again, so I’ll be busy this fall!









Here’s a cool online opportunity one of my students shared with me. Districts 5 and 6 host an online league 2-3 times a year open to anyone, regardless of where they live. It is bracketed, so you can play if you’re a Grand Life Master or have zero masterpoints. Matches are played on Wednesday nights starting September 18. The league runs 9 weeks and costs $180 per team. (No matches during the NABC.) The registration deadline for the Fall league is September 9. All the information you need is on this flyer.
A reminder to check out and provide feedback on two new two-person games designed to get people interested in bridge. Amaresh is 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 on their regular schedule for September. 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):
September 2 Penalty Doubles
September 9 Declarer Play
September 16 Raises in Competition
September 23 Count Signals
September 30 Transfer Lebensohl
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...
Some of my favorite questions are of the “Please confirm that I’m right and my partner is wrong” variety.
Hi, Adam,
In a recent game partner held the following hand: ♠ Jxx ♥ Txx ♦ AQJxxx ♣ x.
Over my first-seat 1♣ opener, he bid 1NT. I refuse to believe bypassing a 6-card diamond suit when responding to partner’s 1♣ opener is strategically the best bid. It is also my observation that many duplicate players systematically refuse to play in a minor. With a different partner we do bypass a 5-card diamond suit in favour of a 1NT bid, and therefore a 1♦ bid shows a 6-card suit. As I’m reviewing this approach I’m asking myself what would I bid with a 6-card diamond suit and 11 HCP. Do you have any suggestions?
I will bypass a 5-card diamond suit to show a 4-card major, but rarely to bid 1NT. I often bid a 4-card diamond suit if I don't want to bid 1NT. (Maybe I have a small doubleton in a major or something like that.) NEVER a 6-card diamond suit. NT bids should generally be for balanced hands. (The big exception there is a forcing/semiforcing 1NT after a 1M opening, which could be any hand not strong enough to make a 2/1 bid.)
Adam
One essential thing to discuss with all conventions is when they apply in competitive auctions.
Dear Adam,
In the auction 1♣ (1♥) 2♦ (P); ?, would 2♠ be a reverse?
2♦ is forcing, so opener needs to bid something. 2♠ is not a reverse, since the auction is already forced to the 3-level. But it suggests an unbalanced hand with clubs and spades and fewer than 3 diamonds (since you aren’t raising), although you could occasionally be stuck with a balanced hand with only 2 diamonds and no heart stopper, like ♠ KQ84 ♥ 754 ♦ 62 ♣ AKT4.
Adam
This one about opener’s 2NT rebid always causes confusion.
Dear Adam,
When does opener’s 2NT show the 18-19 point hand?
The short answer is that opener’s 2NT rebid shows 18-19 when a) it is a jump or b) it is “voluntary.” By voluntary, I mean that opener didn’t have to bid it—they could have passed. Opener always needs a way to show the minimum (12-14) balanced hand. When pass is available, that’s the call you use to show the minimum, so 2NT can show the 18-19 hand. When pass isn’t an option, however, opener might need 2NT to show the minimum balanced hand.
Consider these two auctions:
1♣ Dbl 1♠ 2♥
?
1♣ 1♠ 2♦ Pass
?
Let’s say opener has one of these two hands:
1. ♠ AQ ♥ KQ8 ♦ J72 ♣ JT32
2. ♠ AQ ♥ KQ8 ♦ J72 ♣ AQT6
In the first auction, opener has the option to pass, since the last bid was by an opponent. They can pass with the first hand to show a minimum. A 2NT is “voluntary,” so it shows the 18-19 HCP hand; that’s the bid with the second hand.
In the second auction, responder has made a forcing bid of 2♦; opener cannot pass with the balanced minimum hand. They have to bid something. With a balanced hand with a spade stopper, that must be 2NT. So 2NT here shows the minimum hand (12-14). What do they do with the 18-19 point hand? Partner has shown 10+, so they can bid 3NT.
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!