Page 24 - ABF Newsletter June 2024

TEACHING TIPS with Ian Dalziel A NEW MEANING FOR DOUBLE DUMMY “I don’t like playing notrump contracts,” is a com- mon cry from beginners – even from some who have been playing for years. They even admit to avoiding bidding notrumps for that reason which, of course, means that they don’t get any better. In fact, playing a notrump contract is actually easier than a suit con- tract, because all the notrump skills can be used in suit contracts – though not the other way round, as the trump suit adds another dimension. There are six basic techniques for playing in no- trumps. These are: • suit establishment • unblocking • overtaking • preserving entries • ducking • the hold-up. I cover these topics over several lessons, and anyone who grasps these skills will never fear playing in no- trumps again. In my previous articles on declarer play, I demon- strated my flash cards and wallet pairs, where the students worked in twos, getting much more prac- tice than playing in fours. When teaching notrumps, however, I use normal play with wallets after a short spoken lesson. There is no bidding, the contract is specified (usually 3NT), South is always declarer and they take turns to be South. These wallets don’t include finessing, as that over- complicates the issue, so finessing is taught sepa- rately. There is no need for a ‘human’ dummy, so they practice in tables of three where possible. This means their turn to be declarer comes around more often. Declarer plays dummy’s cards, and a defender turns them over after each trick. Both de- clarer’s and dummy’s cards are stacked from declarer’s left to right, so that the play can be more easily reviewed if required. Now comes the radical bit: declarer and dummy’s hands are face-up on the table during the play. Al- though there are two dummies, it’s not ‘double dummy play’ as the word is normally used – the de- fenders’ hands are hidden. From declarer’s point of view, it makes no difference; he sees only two hands, as would be the case in a game. Defenders, however, see three hands so can ‘work out’ the fourth; for them it’s true ‘double dummy’ defence. There are three reasons for this seemingly bizarre method of play: 1. It’s essential that declarer receives the best defence; otherwise an incorrectly-played contract might make. 2. The exercise is not to teach defence; the defenders are merely making up the numbers at the table. By seeing both hands, the defenders can be thinking how they would have played the contract, but say Ian Dalziel is a teacher and regular columnist for “Mr Bridge” magazine in the UK, where this column was originally published. Page: 24 Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: June 2024