Robert Todd's bridge articles

Robert Todd is an acclaimed bridge teacher who organizes bridge cruises and often lectures at regional and national tournaments. For many years, Robert has emailed a weekly instructional bridge article to people who register on his Adventures in Bridge website. We've posted 301 of these very interesting and informative articles here on the NVBA website. This list is updated weekly. The most recent article can be viewed by clicking here, most recent article. The list is sorted alphabetically, not chronologically. Each article has a "Level" between 1 (novice) and 6 (expert). If you ever have the chance to go on a Robert Todd cruise or to hear him speak, you should grab the opportunity. You will not be disappointed. This material is copyrighted and is for your personal use only. NOTE: While reading these articles, when a bid is followed by an asterisk('*'), it means that bid is alertable.

1♣-1♦-1♥-1♠
1♦ - 2♣ Auctions
1-Level Simple Overcalls
1-Major - 3NT
1-Major - 3NT as Good 1-4
1NT Forcing and 3 over 1 Invitational
1NT Overcalls
2 over 1 Rebids
2♣ vs Interference
2-Level Simple Overcalls
2-Suited Overcalls
2-Suited Overcalls
2-way New Minor Forcing
2NT Trump Suit Game Try
2nd Round Double
3♠ Minor Suit Slam Try after 2NT Opening
3M-1 Mixed Raise
3rd Seat Bidding
4th Suit Game Forcing
5-Major Bids
5-card Support
5NT Choice of Slams
5NT Grand Slam Tries
14-16 Notrump
19 to 21 2NT
1430 Keycard and Gerber
Ace/Queen attitude King count
Advanced Competitive Bidding - 1-Major Double Transfers
Advanced Competitive Bidding - 1-minor Double Transfers
Advanced Competitive Bidding - McCabe
Advanced Competitive Bidding - Transfer McCabe
Advanced Lebensohl
Advanced Ogust
Advancer
Advancing Partner's Takeout Double
After Partner's Negative Double
After Partner's Responsive Double
Always Lead Partner's Suit
Always Return Partner's Lead
Anti-Lead Doubles
Assumptions on Defense
Balanced Hand Slam Bidding
Balancing NT Bids
Balancing Seat Double & Reopening
Balancing Seat Overcalls
Balancing by Responder
Balancing with Distributional Hands
Bergen Raises
Bidding Over 3 and 4 level preempts
Bidding Over Short Opening Bids - Short 1♣ or 1♦
Bidding Slam with a Void
Bidding after Responder Redoubles
Bidding over Weak NT
Bidding the 4th Suit
Bridge Philosophy - Cardinal Sins
Bypassing 4-card Suits
Captaincy
Card Combinations Middle of Hand
Carmichael Baze
Combine your chances
Competitive Bidding Choices Freebids vs Negative Double
Competitive Double
Constructive and Limping Raises
Control Showing Cuebids
Control Showing Cuebids and Grand Slam Force
Corrective vs Forward Going Bids
Counting A Suit Effectively
Counting Losers
Counting Points - After Partner Bids
Counting Points - Before Auction Begins
Counting Points - When the Opponents Bid
Counting and Putting it all together
Cuebid=Limit Raise , Jordan, Weak
Cuebid=Limit Raise by Passed Hand
Cuebidding the Opponent's Suit
DONT and Meckwell
Dealing with 4M Interference
Dealing with Interference over a Conventional 2NT Bid
Dealing with Opponent's Double of 1NT
Dealing with Opponent's Takeout Double
Defensive Agreements - Discards
Defensive Carding and Signals - Upside Down Count and Attitude
Defensive Concepts - Types of Defense
Defensive Discards Late in the Hand
Defining Hand Strength - Buckets
Delayed Splinters
Double, Michaels, Unusual NT
Double Fits and Misfits
Double after NT
Doubles - A Call for Any Occasion
Drury
Drury Followups
Drury in Competition
Dummy has Qxx
End Plays in NT Contracts
Evaluate and Keep Re-Evaluating
Evolve to 2 over 1
Fast Arrival vs Picture Bids
Figuring Out Declarers Distribution - Ask Questions
Finding Fits
Finding Fits in Competition
Finesses and Double Finesses
Fit-Showing Jumps
Fitting Cards and Wasted Values
Forcing Passes
Gerber and 1430
Getting Your Ruffs
Giving Up Control
Good-Bad 2NT
Hand Evaluation Jacoby 2NT Splinters
Hand Evaluation Opposite Partner's Preemptive Opening
Hand Evaluation and Law of Total Tricks
Hand Type - Balanced Hand and Unbalanced Hands
Help Suit Game Tries
Help Suit Game Tries for Slam
High Level Double Forcing Pass
High Level Jump Overcalls
Hold Up Plays
Interference Over Ace Asking Bids
Interferer
Internal Reverses
Interpreting Partner's Lead
Inverted Minors
Inverted Minors and 1♦ 2♣ with Structure
Is It Forcing
Jacoby 2NT
Jump Overcalls 2-Level
Jump Overcalls in Passout Seat
Jump Shfit Structure
Kansas City Stayman
Kokish Game Tries
Kokish over 2♣
Law of Total Tricks
Lead-directing Doubles
Leads - Coded 9 and 10
Leads in Partner's Suit
Leaping Michaels
Lebensohl
Lebensohl over 2-level Preempts
Lebensohl over Reverses
Length vs Strength
Listening to the Opponents Auction
Losers and Covers - Losing Trick Count
Making Use of the 3-level
Mathe vs Strong and Forcing 1♣ and 2♣
Maximal Doubles
Meckstroth Advanced
Middle of the Hand Defense
Minor Suit Slams After 1NT
Minor Suit Transfers
Minorwood
Misfits and Moysians
Modern 1NT Openings
Modern Lebensohl and Transfer Lebensohl
Modern System Over Weak NT
Modified 2-way Reverse Drury
More Balancing
More NT - Responses to 2NT
More NT - Responses with Unbalanced Hand
More NT - Slam after 1NT
More NT - Trick-taking NT Bids
More Suit Preference Signals
NT Overcalls
NT Play - Timing
NT Responses vs 3-Level Interference
Negative Double Overview
Negative Double Overview
New Minor Forcing
New Minor Forcing Basics
New Suits by Advancer
Non-Takeout Doubles
Nonserious 3NT
Offensive vs Defensive Oriented Hands
Opener
Opening 2♣
Opening Leads - Card Combinations and more
Opening Leads - Listen to Auction
Opening Leads from AQTxx
Optimistic Minimum
Optimistic and Pessimistic Play
Other Types of Doubles
Overcalls - Advancing Partner's Overcall with Fit
Overcalls - Intereferer's Options
Overcalls -Rebids
Overcalls - Simple Overcalls
Overcalls by Level
Partnership Defense Philosophy
Partnership Questions Style
Pass - 1-Major - 2NT
Passed Hand Bidding Concepts
Passing with Good Hands
Pattern Out Auctions
Planning Rebids
Planning as Responder
Planning the Defense
Play NT - Danger Hand
Play the hand during the bidding
Power Shifts and Surround Plays
Preempt Keycard
Preempts
Puppet Stayman
Q-Minorwood
Raising Partner in Competitive
Raising Responder's Suit
Raising Responder in Competition
Range Stayman
Rebids after 1NT Semi-Forcing
Recognizing Danger on Defense
Responder
Responder's Rebid
Responder's Systems After a 1NT Overcall
Responding to 1-minor with both Majors
Responding to 1NT with Minors
Responding to 2-level Preempts
Responding to 3 and 4 level preempts
Responding to 4NT Keycard with a Void
Responding to NT with Majors
Responses to 2NT with Major
Responsive Doubles
Reverse Flannery
Reverse Smith
Reverses and Jump Shifts
Rosenkranz Redoubles
Ruffing Values
Rule of 10-12
Rule of 11
Rusinow Opening Leads
Sandwich NT
Scrambling 2NT
Shifting Suits in the Middle of the Defense
Simple-sohl
Size Ask
Slam Bidding and Fast Arrival
Slam Tries
Smother Plays
Snapdragon Doubles
Solid Suits
Spear
Specific Kings
Splinter Bids by Responder
Splinters
Splinters by Opener
Splitting Honors on Defense
Squeezes - The Basics
Stayman then 2♠
Steps vs Specific Bidding
Suit Play - Establishing Length in Dummy
Suit Play - Powerful Length in Dummy
Suit Play - Shortness in Dummy
Suit Play - Suits Equal to Dummy
Suit Preference
Superaccepts
Support Double Complete
Support Doubles
Supporting Partner Bid Early
Takeout Doubles
The Ace Queen Guess
The Impossilbe Spade Bid
They Bid After Partner's Transfer Bid
They Double Our Transfer
They Double our Control Showing Bid
They Overcall After Partner's Stayman Bid
Threat Cards
Transfer Lebensohl
Transfer Rebids After 1♥ 1♠
Transfers Over 2NT Rebids
Transfers in Competition
Transfers over Transfers
Transportation
Trump Suit Dummy Reversal
Trump Suit Management
Trump Suit Ruffing Finesse
Trump Suit Strip and Endplay
Trump Suit Transportation
Trumps Fits
Two Places to Play
Unbalanced Hand Slam Bidding
Unblocking - Taking our Winners
Unusual 2-Major Jump Shifts
Unusual vs Unusual and Unusual vs Michaels
Unusual vs Unusual and Unusual vs Michaels
Upgrade to Jacoby 2NT
Visualizing Openers Hand
Visualizing Responses Hand
Visualizing Suits
Vulnerability and Position
Walsh
Weak Jump Overcalls
Weak Jump Shifts
Western Cuebids
What is a Stopper
When Partner is a Passed Hand
When to Get Active
When to Open 1NT Off-shape
When to Overcall a 4-card Suit
Which Honor to Cover (Capture)
Which Suit to Attack
Which Suit to Open
Winners - Making a Plan
Woolsey
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