Thursday, August 29, 2002 11:40 PM
Hand Evaluation – Systemic ( 6-5 Two Suiters )
PITBULLS:
Two suiters with equal
length are not a problem in Bridge bidding. You open the higher ranking , jump or bid in the lower ranking if you have the required
HCP strength. The problems arise with two suiters
when the longer of the two suits is lower ranking. You cannot
reverse as you are not strong
enough. Diamonds & spades or clubs and spades
are not a true reverse in that you do not have to go to a higher
level to give preference. These hands with the boss suit are not
a problem .
A jump to 2♠ is a game forcing hand with the
minor & spades. If you have a distributional hand 6-6 or some 6-5’s , leap directly to game. A leap to 3♠
should be a splinter , not a two suiter. Why push partner to the 4 level for a preference
when you can bid a quiet spade and rebid spades. It makes no sense.
I read an article on the net that says jump shift reverses should not be
splinters but reserved for non forcing 6-5’s . Normally a jump shift & a reverse combined is
an impossible bid. Since I feel we overuse splinters , I am looking for any excuse to purge them
from my system. This solves the 6-5
problem by making them non forcing jumps !! . Since jump shift
reverse are non forcing , they can be quite the
tactical toy ! Here is Karen’s article ..
This
convention solves the opening bidder's problem of how to accurately describe a
minimum 6-5 hand that has greater length in the lower-ranking suit. For
example, if you're opener with ♠4
♥KQJ93 ♦AJ10765 ♣4 you have a
dilemma. If you open 1♥, the
best you can do is show 5-5 distribution by rebidding diamonds twice. If you
instead open 1♦, you can show your 6-5
pattern by rebidding 2♥
and 3♥, but that creates a
reverse auction that shows significantly more high-card strength.
The solution is to use the jump in the higher-ranking suit
as natural, limited and non-forcing. With the hand above,
you open 1♦. Over partner's 1-level suit or notrump response, you rebid 3♥ to show a 6-5 hand with minimum high-card strength.
The
requirements for using a jump-reverse are:
1-You're the opening bidder and have 6-5
distribution, with 6 cards in the lower-ranking suit.
2-You have the playing strength (but not the
high-card values) to play at the 3-level opposite a minimum response. This
means your suits should be strong -- ideally, most (or all) of your honor cards
will be in your long suits. For example, a jump-reverse is not recommended with
a hand like ♠K ♥A ♦J6542 ♣KJ10643. With
this, just open 1♣ and rebid 2♣.
3-You have minimum high-card values (10-15 pts.) -- a hand that's worth an opening bid, but has less than full
reversing values (16-17 pts.).
4-Responder makes a 1-level bid that bypasses
your 5-card suit -- i.e. you must go to the 2-level to bid your second suit.
(You may also use the jump-reverse if an opponent's overcall has forced you to
the 2-level, whether or not partner has responded.)
Typical
jump-reverse auctions that carry this meaning include:
1♣-P-1♥-P
1♥-P-1NT-P
1♦-P-1♠-P
1♣-(1♥)-1♠-(P)
1♣-(P)-P-(1♠)
3♦
3♠
3♥
3♦ 3♥
Note
that you do not use the jump if partner's response leaves
you room to show your second suit at the 1-level. If you open 1♦ with ♠AK874 ♥Void ♦QJ10863 ♣K4 and partner responds 1♥, a jump to 2♠ should be a strong
jump shift (19+ pts.). With the hand above, you can show your pattern and minimum
values by simply rebidding 1♠ and then 2♠.
Note also that you do not promise 6-5 distribution if you jump after
partner has made a negative double. After the auction 1♣ by you -- (1♠
overcall) -- Double by partner, your jump to 3♦ or
3♥ would be a simple value bid, promising at least
4-card support and invitational strength.
Most pairs who play this convention choose not to apply it
if partner makes a 2/1 response, especially in a 2/1 forcing-to-game
system. After 1♦ by you
– 2♣ by partner, it's best to rebid only 2♥
with ♠A ♥QJ976
♦A109864 ♣4.
This saves space and allows you to use a jump to 3♥
here as a splinter (good club support, singleton heart, big hand).
Opener's
jump-reverse is not forcing. Responder can pass or take a signoff preference
back to opener's first suit if he has no interest in game. In general, it's
assumed that opener has given a complete description of his hand, so it's up to
responder to place the contract.
Responder should evaluate his holdings in opener's suits and stretch to bid
game if he has fitting cards. Based on the Losing Trick Count, opener will
usually have a hand with 4 (possibly 5) losers. Responder should bid a
major-suit game if he has a fit and can cover 1.5-2 of opener's
losers. He should bid a minor-suit game if he has a fit and can cover 2.5-3 of
opener's losers.
After the auction Opener
Responder
1♣
1♠
3♥
?
the meanings of responder's rebids are:
1-Pass = a weak,
possibly non-fitting hand that prefers opener's second suit -- ♠KQ1032 ♥763
♦KJ8 ♣54. Partner
will most often be 1-1 in the outside suits, so you can't count your kings as
covering any of his losers.
2-Preference to opener's first suit (4♣)
= a weak, possibly non-fitting hand that prefers opener's 6-card suit. This is
a signoff, and opener should pass.
3-Game bid in either of opener's suits (4♥ or 5♣) =
to play. Opener should always pass. In the auction above, if you hold ♠A9854 ♥1043
♦432 ♣K9 ,
you have at least two of partner's losers covered (a club and a spade, plus a
possible club ruff), so you should bid 4♥.
Similarly, with ♠A9854 ♥10 ♦9432
♣K97 , you have at least 3 losers covered (a spade, a club and 1-2
heart ruffs), so bid 5♣.
4-Rebid of your suit (3♠ or 4♠) = to
play, showing great length in your suit and probably no fit for opener's suits.
5-3NT = to play.
6-4NT = key-card Blackwood for opener's second
suit.
7-Fourth suit (4♦) = a slam-try in opener's first suit.
Opener should cuebid a below-game first-round control
(4♥ or 4♠) if he has one, or he can use key-card
Blackwood if he wants to immediately accept the slam try. Any subsequent
Blackwood bid by opener or responder is key-card for opener's first suit.
Alternatively, if opener has a first-round control in
the fourth suit and a cuebid of that
suit would be past game (as 5♦ would be in the auction above),
you can agree to use opener's 4NT rebid as a cuebid
of the fourth suit. After 1♣-1♠-3♥-4♦, opener's 4NT would show an ace or void in diamonds,
but no first-round control of hearts or spades.
Yet another variation is to use responder's
fourth-suit bid as key-card Blackwood for opener's second suit. Partnerships should
discuss these auctions and decide which treatment they prefer.
8-Below-game raise of opener's second suit (1♣-1♠-3♦-4♦) =
invitational to game, showing a fit and a hand that can cover 2 losers.
This convention can be a very valuable addition to almost any Standard
American-based system. It's especially effective in finding short-point games and slams, and
can have preemptive value. Using the jump-reverse as non-forcing does
not require you to give up any other meanings, as the jump is an otherwise idle
bid. If opener has a very strong high-card hand, there's no need to jump -- he
can still show his 6-5 distribution by making a forcing 2-level reverse and
then rebidding his second suit.
The main disadvantage is that although the jump rebid gives a
close-to-perfect description of opener's hand, it takes the auction very high,
very fast. If responder has a weak, non-fitting hand with shortness in opener's
second suit, the auction will be propelled to the 4-level when he's forced to
take a preference back to the first suit. To make best use of this convention
(and avoid disasters), opener and responder must have
advanced hand-evaluation skills and exercise good judgment.
Copyright © 1998 -- Karen Walker