Saturday, August 28, 2004 3:25 AM

Hand Evaluation - Dormer 2NT

PITBULLS:

The Dormer 2NT complements the “redouble shows no fit” treatment after a takeout double. The not fit aspect of the XX prevents the opponents jamming you from describing your hand after a redouble showing your 10 + HCP’S. A bid that just describes HCP’s is very ambiguous. Having the bid as further described as having no fit , reduces this ambiguity. 1♥-X-XX-3♠ P-P-? so partner has no idea what’s going on if you redoubled with a fit. Conventional bids like Dormer announcing a fit were invented in order to tightly define the XX as showing no fit with 10 + HCP’s. In Bridge , it is best to announce your fit or misfit at the earliest opportunity. The Dormer 2NT shows a limit raise or better but does it promise 4 trump ? No , it does not , but it does show a hand that you prefer to play in partner’s major. If the alternate contract might be 3NT or doubling the opponents , I feel you should redouble going in even with your 3 card fit.

I held this hand ♠QJxx ♥109x ♦Jxx ♣AKx , my partner opened 1♥ , RHO doubled. I redoubled so when the spade response got around to me I bid 1NT . Partner bid 3NT with ♠xx ♥AKQxx ♦Q10x ♣QJx and 4♥ goes down one but we made 3NT with a spade lead & continuation. Some people feel that you must bid the Dormer 2NT if you have 3 trump , so if you redouble & bid hearts it shows two trump.

No , rules are made to be broken so the redouble promises no fit is one of them . If partner redoubles , supports your major, play him for exactly 3 as he would have made an alternative bid with a different number of trump. It is not a good idea to make a penalty double when you hold 3 of partners major. Yes, this is another rule that can be broken . You have a defensive flat hand with 3 of partners major , I think a redouble is a more descriptive bid then 2NT . ♠J109x ♥Kxx ♦Qx ♣AJ10x I feel a redouble after partner opens 1♥ is better than a 2NT bid. If the opponents minor gets doubled , it will not play very well . If they get too frisky in spades that will not play well either. I think you must have a reason to show a limit raise hand or better hand with 2NT because we feel that the major game is most likely the best contract.

Most people respond to the Dormer 2NT with Jacoby like responses. My partners & I play 3♣ as any minimum over 2NT as that bid shows a limit raise or better . A rebid of the major shows a good hand with no singletons. Its business as usual with the 2NT treatment over a double, as the 2NT is a limit raise or better.

What about if partner bids 2NT over a double as a passed hand ? Tom and I play 2NT as a passed hand as a Bergen raise showing a 4 card raise with a 7-11 point range without a double. We prefer bidding 1NT with the 3 card limit raise as when partner can not bid over 1NT , we are not going anywhere. As a passed hand, we can redouble to show the 3 card fit , so a 2NT bid would always show 4 trump with the same range as when the opponents did not double.

Ambiguity is the killer of Bridge bidding . A XX can be just another ambiguous bid in Bridge if you allow it to be. Having the XX saying that you do not fit partner’s suit even if it is a minor ( playing 5 card majors) define the bid as totally punitive. The purpose of the XX becomes solely penalty orientated ( descriptive ) as it should be because you can just make other forcing noises with a fit or a conventional bid like Dormer. The XX implies a misfit auction so the real estate principle of location , location & location comes into effect . Where are your HCP’s located ? In the suit that you opened where partner has shown no fit is a very good thing for defensive purposes. These points are wastage on offense & great on defense. The XX announcing an immediate misfit is a clear & unambiguous bid. In Bridge bidding , that is a good thing for decision making.

NT contracts play better when you have a mild fit with partners minor. After a XX , if I do have a fit with partner’s minor, I know that I detract from partners defensive values , so I choose a NT bid. If I do not fit partner’s suit when we have the majority of HCP’s , I choose a double. This shows partner the difference between those 10-12 HCP XX. One bid shows a mild fit ( NT ) & the other one does not ( DBL ) . This reasoning is the basis of all penalty doubles. Let opponents play misfits , preferably doubled !

In order to preserve the unambiguous nature of a XX, some experts do not XX with the 9-11 HCP balanced hands with a mild fit for partner. They pass & make a belated double of the opponent’s suit which shows a balanced hand with a mild fit for partner. This allows the XX to always show no fit & takes those balanced hands out of the XX equation. This pass & double is in effect a XX with a balanced hand & a mild minor/major fit. Partner might convert the double or right side the NT or retreat to the fitting minor. Playing this understanding has merit as you do not rescue the opponents by bidding NT when you do not have the fit you thought you did. Some one level dbls can go for a number when they are in a 4-3 fit. with a trump lead. You change the contract to 2NT & make it means they are going for -500 at the one level or -800 at the two level. Here is an article on the subject by Karen Walker .