Monday, December 26, 2005 10:15 PM

4 level Bids

PITBULLS:

Opening bids at the one level with 8 or 9 cards should be avoided at all costs. The length of your suit renders the defensive requirements for an opening bid useless. There are no rebids that show 8 or 9 card suits except possibly jumping to the 4 level or 5 level. This begs the question then why did you not open at the 4 or 5 level in the first place ?

Nick Gartataganis puts forward the theory that 4 level bids are not pre-empts per se. They may be hands with enough tricks to open at the 5 level. Opening at the 4 level he says allows the opponents the opportunity to make unwise decisions and get themselves into trouble. In addition you have immediately given partner an idea of the contents of your hand. Opening one or 5 with these hands , Nick feels just gives the opponents too many winning options.

Just because you have an 8 card suit does not mean you must open a “pre-empt” at the 4 level . If you are a terrorist who would open x Kxx KJxxxxx xxx vul vrs not, 3♦ thereby waving -1400 in front of their faces for an option. By all means then KJxxxxxx is a pre-empt at the 4 level. Why not try for –1700 against their nv 420 as per “modern” pre-empting ? This 8 card suit barely qualifies for a nv pre-empt at the 3 level the way I play Bridge anyway.

One of the worst bids I have heard about is a hand related by Patty Metcalfe from a Banff sectional. Our hero had 10 clubs to AKQJ and nothing else so he opened 1♣. Partner passed and RHO doubled. Our hero bid 2♣ and they bid again. Each time they bid , our hero bid one more time until he got doubled and he made 4♣X to win the match. Partner , of course , was irrelevant during this auction.

When asked my opinion on the best call , I replied a 6♣ opening bid would do nicely . You go down in your contract she said but we can make game or even slam our way she conceded. Players have toys for long suited hands. Some people play Namyats or the 2♣ equivalent for long 8 or 9 card major suits with outside cards. Other players have a 4NT opening to show a long 8 or 9 card minor suit with outside cards and make it specific Ace asking. The 4NT opening bid has a nice pre-emptive value as it is difficult for the opponents to enter the auction. BJ Trelford has invented a gambling 3NT that shows a long broken minor with outside cards. Others play a gambling 3NT with a long solid minor. They avoid opening at the one level with long suits for obvious tactical reasons.

Lee Barton says he does not play "weak two's" per se they are "descriptive twos". We do not open at the one level with 9 or 8 card suits as matter of policy . We open descriptive bids at the 4 level or a systemic toy. Opening at the one level with a 9 card suit leaves partner out of the picture as you never can catch up. You are in effect "operating" like our hero in Banff. Unfortunately for these tactics to work the opponents must have started playing the game of Bridge yesterday. Thinking you can get to 3NT with your 9 card suit also requires a reality check.