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Basic strategy - Minor suits

Question 1 (of 6 on this page)
Which are the minor suits ?

1. Clubs & Diamonds
2. Diamonds & Hearts
3. Hearts & Spades
4. Clubs and Spades
5. Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts
6. No Trumps
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Question 1 (of 6 on this page)
Which are the minor suits ?
Answer
1 . Clubs & Diamonds

Try to avoid these suits when deciding on your final contract if there is an alternative.
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Question 2 (of 6 on this page)
How many trump cards do the two of you need to get a fit in a minor suit ?

1. 5
2. 3
3. 4
4. 9
5. 8
6. 13
7. It depends
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Question 2 (of 6 on this page)
How many trump cards do the two of you need to get a fit in a minor suit ?
Answer
5 . 8

Same as in a Major suit. But you will often need one more, i.e. 9, to make 11 tricks.

Remember that if you have only 7, then your opponents have 6, almost as many as you, so you don't really have a significant advantage. If you have 4 and 3, they could easily be split 4 and 2, and they will often not run out before you do. With 8, they will only have 5, and with 3 more than they have, you are going to find things MUCH easier.
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Question 3 (of 6 on this page)
Why should you try to avoid minor suits at first ? Which, if any, of these answers is NOT correct ?

1. It's harder to get to game in a minor
2. They are only worth 20 points each
3. You need to bid 5 to get to game in a minor
4. You need to make 11 tricks to get to a minor game
5. It's always best to bid a Major or NT first
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Question 3 (of 6 on this page)
Why should you try to avoid minor suits at first ? Which, if any, of these answers is NOT correct ?
Answer
5 . It's always best to bid a Major or NT first

All are correct except number 5.

You should try to bid a Major or NT before a minor, but it's not always best.
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Question 4 (of 6 on this page)
How many points do you need to bid for a game contract in minor, and have a better than evens chance of success ?

1. 12
2. 15
3. 20
4. 23
5. 25
6. 28
7. It depends on distribution
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Question 4 (of 6 on this page)
How many points do you need to bid for a game contract in minor, and have a better than evens chance of success ?
Answer
6 . 28

So, quite a lot of points, which is quite rare. Better to try to go for a game in No Trumps, if at all possible.
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Question 5 (of 6 on this page)
If you are interested in a Slam, do you care if it's in a minor or a Major?

1. yes
2. no
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Question 5 (of 6 on this page)
If you are interested in a Slam, do you care if it's in a minor or a Major?
Answer
2 . no

For a Slam, you only really care which is the suit most likely to win you 12 or 13 of the 13 tricks available. The huge bonus points are awarded whichever suit you play in, and you'll get the game bonus points anyway.
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Question 6 (of 6 on this page)
Look at the pair of hands to the right. Between you, you've got more than 25HCP and you have an 8-card fit in diamonds. Is this enough for game, and which contract should you aim to be in?

1. yes
2. no
3. diamonds
4. something else
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Question 6 (of 6 on this page)
Look at the pair of hands to the right. Between you, you've got more than 25HCP and you have an 8-card fit in diamonds. Is this enough for game, and which contract should you aim to be in?
Answer
4 . something else

3 No Trumps is better.

Yes, you do have an 8 card fit. But you also have 4 losers will make it hard to win 11 tricks. You can win 9 in NT though.
Example deal Back to explanation