LEARNING CENTER

Defending 1NT=. This is -90 for your side. Defending 3= is -110 and playing 2-1 is -100. Imagine the auction started 

West	North	East	South
		1	Pass
1NT	Pass	Pass	?

This would not be the time to be very aggressive. Notice that defending 1NT winds up being your best score. Sure, it's possible 1NT will make 2 (-120), but then 2 might also go down 2(-200). 

3-2. Be VERY careful balancing or bidding too high when you are vulnerable. There's a reason -200 is known as the "death score"--it's worse than the opponents can generally make in a partscore. 

For your side

3= : -140

2NT+1 : -150

2+2 : -170

3-2 : -200

Playing in 3-2. This is the power of vulnerability. If you were vulnerable, this would be the "death score" but non-vulnerable (not quite invulnerable), you can bid aggressively and still score well for going down. 

Playing 3NT+1. You would be happy with any of these scores playing a total points game (Imps or rubber bridge), but at duplicate every point matters. Here, you see the big advantage of notrump. 3NT + 1 is 630, 10 important points better than 4= or even 5+1. This difference is why you strive to play notrump more than 5-of-a-minor. A thought for advanced players: don't "choose" between 3NT and 5-of-a-minor. Instead, choose between 3NT and 6-of-a-minor. 

2x-2 would earn your side 500 points. Not bad, but a zero at matchpoints. 

Playing in 5x-3. This is why sacrificing is so vulnerable-dependent. At this vulnerability going down 3 is better than defending a MAKING game. Be very careful about what's known as a "phantom sacrifice" when you play 5x-3 and the opponents could not make a game. 

Scores (non vul vs vul): 

Playing 5x-3 = -500

Defending 3NT= -600

Defending 4+3 = -710

Defending 5+2 = -710

Defending 3x=. This is sometimes called "doubling the opponents into game" as 3x is worth 470, more than just 2x +1. You want to be pretty sure when you are doubling the opponents, but at the same time, if you never double a making contract, then you aren't doubling enough. 

The scores: 

Defending 1NTx+1: -280

Defending 2x +1 : -280

Defending 3x : -470

Playing 2x-2 : -300

Playing in 6x-6. This would be -1400. Sacrificing at this high a level is not for the faint of heart. That said, IF slam is making for the opponents, you can afford to go down a lot and be right. 

The scores: 

Defending 6= : -1430

Defending 5xx + 1 = -1600 (Note: doubling the opponents and hoping that they don't bid a more profitable place is called a stripe tailed ape double. If the opponents had bid 7 making, you would have been -2210.)

Declaring 6x = -1400

Defending 7 = -2140. Note that 6 is only 1370 (or 1390 making 7) so this sacrifice would be unsuccessful against a minor suit slam.

If the opponents were going to make 7-something, you can go down 8!!! at this vulnerability and still come out ahead.