Friday, December 06, 2002 1:06 AM
Bidding Safety Plays
PITBULLS:
Everybody that has played Bridge knows what a safety
play is and why you make them in IMPS . The idea of a safety play is a preventative
measure guarding against bad things happening to you . This is normally a bad
suit break or entry consideration or equivalent . What is not so clear is that
there are “safety plays” in bidding also . Usually with safety plays you ask
yourself “what could go wrong ? “ and then try to prevent it from happening . Safety plays in bidding are the same thing
.
For example , you
hold xx Qxx QJ10xx xxx which by all accounts is a
miserable hand . Partner opens 1♥ and RHO
doubles – do you bid 2♥ and why
? This is the classic bidding safety play . A simple
raise of a major can be surprisingly pre-emptive . What could go wrong if you
passed ? The opponents could
1) leap to 2NT or 3NT and partner
does not lead a heart . 2) By bidding 2♥ you could hinder their jump to 2♠ and they might make an ambiguous 2♠ bid and fail to reach their game . 3) By bidding 2♥ you jam them out of their 1NT bid and passing will
give them the opportunity to make the bid 4) It could be your hand and passing
gives them a lead director with 2♣ or 2♦ – that they might not be able to bid over 2♥ . Partner now goes down in 4♥ vul
because they found the best lead
5) Your pass might discourage partner from competing with an
intermediate hand and you lose a double partial swing 6) It could be your hand
for a vul 4♥ game and you do not get there . 7) you jam them out
of their natural 2NT bid ( it might be Lebensohl ) .
Change
the hand to Qxx xxx QJ10xx xx and
bidding 2♥ is silly . You get partner off to a bad lead and you
encourage partner to compete which you do not want to do .The honour in hearts
makes all the difference because of lead considerations . Partner is allowed to
make inferences on what you did not
do . Bidding is the best way to get the suit lead . The most common bidding
safety play is helping partner with her
opening lead . No not let opportunities slip by !!
O.K.
you have Axx QJ109xx xx xx and
LHO opens 1NT and RHO bids 2♥ as a
transfer . Do you double ? Yes ,
this is another bidding safety play . If they get to 3NT you want partner to
lead her K x or Ax of hearts . In a suit
contract , the double does not demand a heart lead . If partner has a
better natural lead she should make it instead . Doubling is usually for lead
directing in NT
contracts . Double Q bids , artificial bids , Blackwood
responses anything that can help partner out with her lead. She will also take
the negative inference that you
did not double for a lead when you had the opportunity.
A choice of an opening bid is a “bidding safety play”, You
have Axx AKQx xxxx xx in 1st
seat. Do not
open 1♦ as your heart suit is well worth leading. You play 5
card majors but who cares with this hand. I play 4 card majors in 3rd
& 4th as a bidding safety play. I always want to insure that my
suit is worth an opening lead in that seat. HCP’s in 3rd suit does not dictate my opening bid
in 3rd seat , my suit does. I will
open 1♦ with xxxx xx AKQx
Jxx and pass with KJx Qxxx Qxxx Ax
. Open 1♠ in 3rd
with AKxx Kxx Qxx Jxx instead of a
minor
Lead directing doubles are a bidding safety
play against aggressive bidders.
Most experts believe in lead directing doubles for both NT contracts and suit
contracts. Lead directing doubles just follow one simple rule. The double negates the obvious lead . This begs the
question “what is the obvious lead” . When partner opens or overcalls
the obvious lead is her suit.
There is one exception to this rule and that’s in a NT contract and
you have not bid. The double re-enforces lead
my suit. If partner has bid in the auction , the double demands partner’s suit be led instead .
If
the opponents have bid, the lead
directing double changes again but still follows the rule of “negating” the
obvious lead. In NT contracts , if the doubler and partner have not entered the auction , he is doubling
for dummys first bid suit. If you
have opened and the doubler has bid his own
suit , the double asks for your
suit to be led ( negating the obvious lead of his suit ) . if the doubler has raised
your suit , the double calls for that suit to be led. If you have opened and
dummy has not bid a suit and the doubler has not bid a suit , the double asks
for your suit. If you have doubled a Q bid , a transfer , artificial
response or a Blackwood response
for a lead , a subsequent double
negates that lead if it is you doubling and demands that lead if partner doubles.
Try to find her void or other suit if she negates her previous lead directing
double. Kantar plays a double of a Q bid of
his own suit saying do not lead that suit. This is a partnership
understanding though.
The
unbid suit in an auction is an obvious lead in an uncontested auction.
The double negates that lead. You hold AKx in the unbid suit and the opponents
are in slam. The last thing you want to do is double as that will negate the
lead of that suit !! Partner will
usually lead the unbid suit as the safest lead ! If no bidding by your side ,
the default lead directing double is dummys first bid suit. If after partner
has opened a suit and has raised yours the obvious lead in NT is the raised
suit. A double should negate that lead. If partner has made a systemic suit bid
like unusual 2NT or Michaels and partner chooses a suit , a subsequent double
by partner should negate that lead. Lead dummys 1st bid suit
instead.
A double of a 1NT-P-3NT auction just means try to
find my long suit partner. Doubles of artificial bids are lead directing with
the following exception. If the artificial bid is a systemic raise of their
suit showing limit raise or less , the double is for take out. Doubles of
splinters show that suit for sacrificing purposes.
Rehearse lead directing doubles
with partner . They are
worth their weight in gold.