Monday, May 21, 2007 12:43 AM

Hand Evaluation - Misfits ( Lost time )

PITBULLS:

In a partnership game like Bridge it is considered your duty to describe your hand correctly the first time . By doing this , you do not have to make up for lost time & try to correct your previous error. Partner was informed correctly the first time so is now privy to the decision making process. A Tormentee held this hand ♠Axx ♥Kxxx ♦Axxx ♣xx , I opened one spade. Her RHO overcalled 2♣ so holding 11 HCP , rich in controls & shortage in the opponents suit she bid 2♠ which shows 6-8 points in support of spades. Partner will pass 2♠ with ♠KJxxxx ♥Ax ♦Kx ♣xxx where +650 is cold or bid 4♠ with ♠KJxxxx ♥Ax ♦Kx ♣Axx where +1460 has a good chance. When the opponents competed later in the auction , she competed again to 3♠ thinking that somehow that would right the wrong of the first bid. Of course , she had a 3♣ Q bid the first time around. Do your duty of describing your hand correctly when you have the first opportunity to do so..

♠AKQx ♥K ♦KJ109xx ♣Kx so you open 1♦ . Partner responds 1♥ & you have 19 HCP with a nice 6-4 playing hand. Do your duty the 1^st time around so you do not have to make up for it later. You bid 2♠ and partner is put in the picture immediately. In Calgary , I bid 2♠ so partner with ♠J10 ♥A109xxx ♦void ♣AQ98x now was in a position to control the auction. He bid 3♣ , so I bid 3NT spelling a misfit. Partner now could see the misfit from his side of the table so he passed & we played a 30 HCP 3NT making +630. At the other table they rebid 1♠ so when partner forced to game with 2♣ , she never had described her 19 HCP. Consequently she took control & drove the hand to 6NT for –200 . She left partner out of the picture because she did not show her strength initially to her partner. Bridge is a partnership game.

It is your duty as partner to recognize a misfit & inform partner of that fact by keeping out of the auction. A misfit is when you are short in partners suit & long in their suits. It is also where you hold your HCP’s . If they are located in the opponents suit , they are relatively worthless. Let the opponents play misfits. You have ♠Kxx ♥K987x ♦Qxxx ♣x , partner opens 1♣ , RHO overcalls 1♥. This is a misfit as you have a stiff in partners suit & length in their suit. Bidding 1NT is a silly bid as you are just rescuing the opponents. You have ♠xxx ♥KJxxxx ♦x ♣xxx with every one vul. They open a club , partner overcalls 1♦ , they bid 1♥. They rebid 2♣ and partner backs in 2♠. They bid 3♣ so do you compete to 3♠.? This is a horrible misfit. You have a stiff in partner’s suit & all you HCP’s in their suit. Of course , you stay out of the auction by passing.

Poor hand evaluation is bidding when you should be passing & passing when you should be bidding. “Fools rush in where experts fear to tread” . Stay out of misfit auctions. Rescuing the opponents from bad spots is very counter productive in this game.