Source: For bridge-tips.co.il by World Grand Master Karen McCallum
| 1 | BID MORE ON THE FIRST ROUND. Whenever possible, “Get it out of your system on the first round of the bidding” while it’s still safe to do so. |
| 2 | GET IN AND OUT EARLY. If you don’t find a fit, get out of the bidding. |
| 3 | MAKE THE OPPONENTS MAKE THE LAST GUESS – NOT YOU. On highly competitive deals, bid as high as you are willing to go immediately, then get out and watch them deal with the problem. |
| 4 | GIVE THE OPPONENTS A PROBLEM WHENEVER YOU CAN DO SO WITH RELATIVE SAFETY. If they have no problem, they will play well. If they have problems to cope with then, no matter how good they are, they won’t be able to solve them all. |
| 5 | DON’T SELL OUT AT THE 2-LEVEL WHEN THE OPPONENTS HAVE AN 8-CARD FIT. However, if you think that either side may have no 8-card fit it is correct to sell out at the 2-level. |
| 6 | DON’T PLAY TO TRICK ONE UNTIL YOU HAVE A PLAN. Applies both to defenders and to declarer. If you don’t know what you’re playing for, don’t play! |
| 7 | NEVER MAKE A PENALTY DOUBLE OF A PART-SCORE WITHOUT FOUR TRUMPS. (That means never!) |
| 8 | LIMIT YOUR HAND WHENEVER YOU CAN. Partner knows the partnership level, and the bidding goes smoothly from here. |
| 9 | NEVER LIE ABOUT TRUMP LENGTH. If you do, partner cannot make winning Law of Total Trick decisions. Or he will choose the wrong trump suit. Or he will misdefend because he has the wrong count. |
| 10 | WHEN YOU HAVE A RAISE, RAISE. Whenever you can, raise your partner’s suits. |
| 11 | WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT’S TRUMPS, TELL PARTNER. He makes better decisions when he knows. |
| 12 | WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO – DO IT. Don’t make partner guess. |
| 13 | BID YOUR LONG SUITS – DON’T MAKE A TAKEOUT DOUBLE. |
| 14 | BID YOUR 5-CARD MAJORS – DON’T MAKE A TAKEOUT DOUBLE |
| 15 | IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU DON’T WANT YOUR DOUBLE TO END THE AUCTION, DON’T DOUBLE. Find another bid. Perhaps 1NT or 2NT takeout (or 4NT), or a flexible cue-bid, or a natural bid. |
| 16 | DON’T BALANCE! There are exceptions, of course – e.g. when they have found a fit and are passed out at the 2-level. But, as a general rule, balancing is losing bridge. Bid your hand on the first round, before they know what to do |
| 17 | LONG SUITS FIRST! With a 6-5, open or respond in the 6-card suit. Similarly, with 4-5 in the minors, try to open 1C if you can – open 1D only when you must. |
| 18 | WITH WEAKNESS, DON’T PLAY IN NO TRUMPS – FIND A TRUMP FIT. When we have around half the high cards (or less), no spots, and no source of tricks, we’ll usually take more tricks in a trump suit, even when both hands are balanced. Therefore, don’t pass 1NT openings with bad hands, unless you must. |
| 19 | FOUR-OF-A-PREVIOUSLY-BID-MAJOR IS ALWAYS TO PLAY. Not a cue-bid – never! |
| 20 | YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF BIDS AND ONE OF THEM IS 3NT – BID 3NT |
| 21 | PLAY WITHIN YOUR PARTNERSHIP. Always have what THIS partner expects you to have, no matter what else you may think is right. Change your system later, not at the table |
| 22 | PARTNER NEVER HAS THE RIGHT HAND. Be practical – don’t look for the miracle unless you can do so safely |
| 23 | ALWAYS BELIEVE YOUR PARTNER. He’s on your side. Trust the information he gives you. Always assume that he knows what he’s doing, even when it looks as if he’s lost his mind |
| 24 | WITH A 6-CARD SUIT, BID TO THE 2-LEVEL BY YOURSELF. WITH A 7-CARD SUIT BID TO THE 3-LEVEL BY YOURSELF. (No exceptions.) |
| 25 | WE HAVE NO PENALTY DOUBLE OF THEIR BID-AND-RAISED SUIT AT THE 2-LEVEL. This includes their support double sequences. |
| 26 | WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO BECOME DECLARER WITH FOUR SMALL TRUMPS, UNDERBID |
| 27 | WHENEVER A NATURAL AND LIMITING NO TRUMP CALL IS ONE OF YOUR OPTIONS, THAT’S THE RIGHT BID. If 1NT is one of your options, bid 1NT. |
| 28 | WHEN THERE IS NO FIT, UNDERBID. |
| 29 | SURPRISE 6-5 : DON’T PLAY 3NT |
| 30 | DON’T PLAY NO TRUMPS WITH SINGLETONS AND VOIDS. Similarly, don’t defend no trump with singletons and voids. If you have an option, take it. Don’t pass partner’s 1NT opening or rebid with a singleton. Don’t pass their 1NT opening with a singleton if you can scrape up a bid. |
| 31 | TAKEOUT DOUBLES ARE NEVER OFFSHAPE. (1) (Okay, almost never.) Allowable exceptions are (a) equal-level conversion of clubs to diamonds; (b) strong NT; (c) 4-4 majors. NO OTHER EXCEPTIONS. We don’t start with double to show extra high-cards. |
| 32 | DON’T PASS A GOOD HAND WITHOUT A PLAN. And be sure the plan is a good one. Under most conditions – get your message across immediately before you are left without room to make a cooperative decision. |
| 33 | DON’T OVERBID YOUR OWN GOOD HANDS. When the deal belongs to your side this is not the time to be pushy. In the long run you will lose heavily. If you want to overbid, do so when the hand belongs to the opponents, where you have something to gain. |
| 34 | ON FREAK DEALS, DON’T DEFEND |
| 35 | AVOID DOUBLE-GAME SWINGS. Take out insurance. |
| 36 | CONSTRUCT THREE HANDS. When you have a difficult bidding decision, construct three hands for partner which are consistent with his bidding – a good hand, an average hand, and a bad hand. Then go with two-out-of-three. |
| 37 | CHOICE OF GAMES COMES BEFORE SLAM BIDDING. When we don’t have a trump suit, all ambiguous bids below game should be interpreted as an attempt to get to the right game, not as cue-bids showing slam interest. |
| 38 | NO CUE-BIDS BELOW 3NT – 3-LEVEL BIDS SHOW VALUES, NOT ACES. As above, choice of games comes before slam bidding. |
| 39 | IF PARTNER MAKES A SLAM TRY AND YOU HAVE AK OF TRUMPS – BID IT. |
| 40 | NEVER MAKE A GRAND SLAM TRY WITH AKQ OF TRUMPS – PARTNER WON’T BID IT. |
| 41 | IF YOU MAY BE HAVING A MISUNDERSTANDING, DON’T BID A GRAND SLAM. |
| 42 | IF YOU’RE NOT CERTAIN, DON’T BID 7. |
| 43 | THINK FOR YOURSELF – DON’T BE A PARROT OR A PUPPET. You can’t win by following rules. But this does not mean that you are free to step outside your partnership. It’s a balancing act. Make your partnership rules and follow them, but remember to use your own brain. |
| 44 | PARTNER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. You can’t win without him. Treat him well – he doesn’t play well if you don’t. |
| 45 | KEEP AN OPEN MIND. Even the high and mighty may learn something from the most humble. |
| 46 | IT’S ONLY A CARD GAME – IT’S NOT LIFE!! |