Saturday, October 01, 2005 9:21 PM

Hand Evaluation – Unlimited hands ( Courtesy Q Bids )

 

PITBULLS:

 

Old habits die hard. One of the fundamentals of Bridge bidding was that Q bids showed extra so were often inviting slam. This understanding was written in stone so to speak. Over the years this understanding is no longer a fundamental part of Bridge. Experts have decided that it is good strategy to Q bid as a courtesy  , if partner’s hand is unlimited. This is the basis of “serious 3NT” theory , if we have found a major suit fit . This is a modern hand evaluation concept based on unlimited hands with a major fit.  However , do not get carried away with this concept. The Q bid is not like Standard American & shows extra,  but the Q bid says you do have your bid with good values. If you have a minimum dog , you do not Q bid. Failure to Q bid does not mean you do not have the control , it just means you have used hand evaluation to slow the auction down. Hand evaluation & Q bidding go together,  as Bridge judgment is never entirely removed by systemic understandings.

 

Here is an example where Bridge judgment dictates that you should not make a courtesy Q bid opposite an unlimited hand. The auction went

 

1♦-1♠-2♠-P

2NT-P-3♦     forcing in their system ( return to suit only death response ).  The 2♠ bidder held ♠xx ♥Kx ♦AQJ10x ♣A109x a hand worth 16 HCP in support of diamonds which is a possible hand with any 2♠ Q bid. Partner Q bid 3♥ with virtually a non opening bid ♠Qxxx ♥AQx ♦Kxxx ♣Qx . Although there are 13 HCP’s , the hand lacks controls & has two unsupported queens & went down dynamically  with the spade overcall. Truly a pitiful Bridge hand with proper hand evaluation , so the last thing you want to do is encourage partner. The 2 spade bidder as most would , took the heart Q bid as forward going so she bid 4♣ beyond the 3NT game. They ended up in 5♦ down one when 3NT is cold. A slam try forcing the auction to a game contract that cannot make.

 

            What about in other competitive auctions at a high level ? Again we feel that if partner is unlimited & you were going to compete at a high level anyway,  you should Q bid as a courtesy. This does not show any more than you would have shown by making your bid at that particular level.  Example ♠Axxx ♥Jxx ♦Q10xxx ♣x , you are vul & they are not . LHO opens 3♣ , partner bid 4♥ & RHO interferes 4♠. You do not “pre-empt over a pre-empt” so partners bid shows a strong unlimited hand. You decide you want to bid 5♥. Once you have decided to take this action,  why not make a courtesy Q bid of 5♣ along the way ? Since partners hand is unlimited & so variable how do you know to make a slam try ? You are just bidding the strength of your hand to that particular level so Q bidding as a courtesy. Partners hand is ♠x ♥AKQ10xxx ♦AKx ♣xx so a nice 1430 is attained.

 

            Here is another hand . ♠Axx ♥x ♦Ax ♣K109876x , you open 1♣ vul vrs nv. LHO opponent bids 4♥ & partner bids 5♠ . She is asking you to bid 6♠ if you have a heart control & bid 6♥ if you have 1st round control. Should you just comply & bid 6♠ ? Partner is very unlimited in this auction so what does it hurt to bid 6♦ along the way as a courtesy. Partners hand was ♠KQJ10xxx ♥void ♦Qxx ♣AQx so her 5♠ call probably was not the best bid. Anyway if you bid 6♠,  they bid 7♥ so you are very poorly placed. You double & beat it one against your cold vul grand. If you bid 6♦ , you can pass 7♥ as you denied 1st round control of hearts anyway. Partner has a simple 7♠ bid so all is well with her poor bid going in.

 

            When partner has an unlimited hand & invites you to take some slam auction , Q bidding as a courtesy rather than just bidding your slam makes sense. Since partners hand is so variable , how can you be making a grand slam try ? You were just trying to get to a small slam. Maurice & Susan had this auction in a Saskatoon CNTC. Maurice opened 1♥ vul , they bid 2NT nv so Susan splintered to 4♣. They bid 5♣ , Maurice passed so around to Susan who bid 5♦. Maurice decided he was going to accept the slam try with ♠Kxx ♥AQxxxx ♦x ♣Axx so why not Q bid 6♣ along the way as a courtesy ? At the table , he bid 6♥ not anticipating that the opponents might bid 7♣ nv opposite partners unlimited hand.  They doubled 7♣ but they could have been pushed to a cold grand . ♠AQxxx ♥KJxx ♦Axx ♣x

 

            Another example of a “courtesy Q bid” recently . I held ♠xxxxx ♥Ax ♦KQxxx ♣x , the auction went 1♠-P-2♠-3♣ by Tom Gandolfo . I bid 3♦ , Tom bid 4♦ so its quite obvious from the bidding that Tom holds a spade void. Despite my stiff in his suit , I accept the game try. Why not show the heart Ace as a courtesy along the way since I am going to 5♦ anyway ? Tom holds ♠void ♥Kxx ♦AJxx ♣AJxxxx so does not need much encouragement to bid 6♦. I made a 21 HCP grand slam but only played it in 5♦ L

 

            We think the Q bidding as a ”courtesy” should apply in all auctions that partners hand is variable & unlimited. If partners hand is limited or defined in a range like a strong 2♣ opener, the Q bid retains its original Bridge meaning of showing extra so a game/slam try. Courtesy Q bids do not apply by the unlimited hand. In fact 2♣ openers have such a variable range that failure to Q bid is a means of slowing down an auction. Here is an auction by Kantar-Eisenberg that shows this “slowing down” process . Eisenberg opened 2♣ on ♠AKQJx ♥x ♦Axxx ♣AKx , Kantar has ♠xxxxx ♥AQJ ♦xxx ♣xx & bid 2♦. 2♠ by Eisenberg brought 3♠ by Kantar but Eisenberg did not Q bid anything. He just bid 4♠ saying as far as 2♣ openers go I have a minimum . Will need the pushing to be done from your side , if there is slam. Do not make a courtesy Q bid to the weaker hand , if you are the known strong unlimited hand. This would mean that you have more than you already announced.

 

            A Tormentee had this hand ♠A1098 ♥QJ987 ♦x ♣AJx  & opened 1♥. I bid 2♦ so she bid 2♠ followed by a 3♥ bid by me. Should she bid 4♣ as a courtesy as I am unlimited ? Her poor opener has got worse on the auction as she has a stiff in my suit. She has an obligation to tell me that by bidding 4♥. My hand was ♠KJx ♥AK10 ♦KQxxx ♣10x so I passed. This is a hand that you can see 6♥ being defeated from the opening lead. A club lead & there is no where to get rid of the club loser before the ♦Ace is knocked out.