Learn The Meaning of The Card You Sent



Cardellia (Opening flowers)

Dear Members,

These flowers are for you. They are for all your openings throughout your life (graduating, wedding, championships, etc..)

    If, one day, you show up in the World Bridge Championship, cut a flower from the above picture and paste it to Bridge7.com. I can feel its pleasure anywhere: either down here, or up above..

    
     There are three kinds of openings in the game of bridge:

1. Opening of an event
2. Opening of a bid
3. Opening of a play

      You can get information about the opening events in the web site of World Bridge Federation:  http://www.worldbridge.org.

       On the other side, Bridge7.com  has enough information about the opening bids (Section 2). So, in this lesson I will tell about the opening of a  play.  You can open a play with a card. Opening card is better known as opening lead:

Opening lead:
The lead to the first trick, made by the player to the left of the declarer before dummy's cards are exposed (From the glossary of http://www.bridgeworld.com)

    The below table will give you the basic idea for the opening leads.

Note: If you want to improve your practice for opening leads, go to Section 10 of this site..
 
Opening Cards:

 
Red tulip shows 
opening cards for suit contracts

  
White tulip shows opening cards for notrump contracts

Send the highest of two cards for suit contracts. Never send a card from a doubleton for notrump openings (You can send if your partner asked for it).
Send the lowest of tripleton suit for all kinds of openings..
Send the highest card of a complete sequence for all kinds of openings..
Send the highest of inside sequence for all kinds of openings..
Send the highest of touching high cards for suit contracts. Fourth best card in notrump contracts..
You can send fourth best card in any type of opening.
Don't worry if you are confused. What you see there is nothing but the reflection of my own confusion. The card depends on your partner's knowledge of the meaning of ace and king.. You can stick on the rule of touching high cards: Lead the ace..

Note: Top players accept that: Ace asks attidude signaling, King asks count signalling (look at signalling in bridge at Section 9-Playing.)

The Meanings of Opening Cards

Sending the singleton trump: Partner, I don't want you to make a trick with your trumps..

Sending a card from declarer's first suit: Partner, I want to see you into trouble.

Sending an ace in a trump contract: Partner, I don't want to kill declarer's king..

Note1: That is all I know about opening cards. If you know any other meanings of opening cards; I will be glad to post them here.

Note2: Some facts about the above picture:
Its real name is primula vulgaris,
Found in northern hemisphere,
I photographed it in BOLU/TURKEY,
Its meaning is FRIENDSHIP..




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