Thursday, December 01, 2005 11:48 PM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( 4NT Openers )

PITBULLS:

If you have a distributional strong major hand ( Namyats type) , our style is to open 2♣ & jump to 4 of a major. Partner reasons that since you are wasting bidding room , you have a hand too strong to open 4 of a major with 9 or 10 tricks. What about the very strong distributional minor hands ? Opening 4 or 5 of a minor is a descriptive bid not a rock. Opening 6 of a minor can be a nice tactical two way shot. You keep out the vultures and give partner at least some idea of the strength of your hand . ♠void ♥xx ♦AKxxxxxxx ♣Ax is too strong to opened 5♦ , not strong enough to open 2♣. Opening 1♦ with a 9 card suit and two cards in the majors is absolutely “sick”. Opening 6♦ might give partner at least a chance of bidding 7♦.

Define the 4NT opening as specifically a long minor and specific Ace asking. You do not need a tactical bid when you hold the boss suits ( the majors) so open 2♣ . With a minor , you are planning to go to 6 anyway so if partner has the magic cards than a grand might be there . This is also a tactical bid as the auction starts at the 5 level so you may keep out the major suit sacrificers. What are the responses to 4NT ? 5♣ shows no Aces so this lets you out at 5♣ or 5♦. You show specific Aces up the line otherwise. If you show an Ace , you can ask for another major suit Ace by bidding it. 5NT shows the club Ace. Let’s try some auctions.

♠Void ♥Kxx ♦AKQxxxxxx ♣A You open 4NT and partner bids 5♥. You bid 5♠ saying do you have the spade Ace ? Partner bids 7♣ saying yes I do & 5NT saying I do not. You convert to 7NT & take your 13 tricks opposite ♠Axx ♥Axxx ♦xx ♣xxxx. Next hand , ♠Void ♥void ♦AKQJ ♣KQJ10xxxxx so you open 4NT , partner bids 5NT saying she has the club Ace . ♠xxx ♥xxxxx ♦xxx ♣Ax so you bid 7♣. At the other table your partners found their 7♠ sacrifice which only goes for –300 against your vulnerable grand slam.

Playing this tactical toy rather than opening 6♦ with ♠void ♥xx ♦AKxxxxxxx ♣Ax , I would try opening 4NT . Partner would bid 5♥ so I do not have the hand to ask anymore so I bid 6♦. Partner has ♠AKxx ♥Axxxx ♦void ♣QJxx and feels that his AK of spades are two tricks more he has shown so does he bid 7♦ ? No, because the 4NT opener does not promise an outside Ace as It can be tactical bid to keep out the majors. I could hold ♠void ♥KQJ10 ♦AKQJ10xxx ♣x

4NT as specific Ace asking with a minor hand is workable. With a long major, open 2♣ instead & use exclusion Blackwood for specific Aces. ♠AKQJ10xxx ♥x ♦void ♣AKQx

2♣-P-2♦-P

2♠*( relay)-P-2NT-P

5♦**-P-5♥-P ** spades implied

7♠.