2008-05-18 04:43


Hand Evaluation – Openers ( Fuzzy Thinking )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            Standard opening bids are a 3 range bidding system. The opener can either be weak (12-14 ) , intermediate ( 15 –17 ) or strong  (18-21) . The bidding structure is built around this standard. You show the strong hands by reversing or a strong jump shift immediately. The problem occurs with the weak & intermediate openers , as they are shown by the same simple rebid in most instances. Therefore , the burden rests on responder to resolve this ambiguity by inviting & check back if the opener is in the intermediate range as opposed to the weak range. A simple auction that has existed since Bridge was invented was

 

1♠-P-1NT-P

2♠-P-3♠                    The 3♠ bid is invitational to clarify if your 2♠ bid was weak or invitational. Opening bidder passes with a minimum & carries on to game when not.

 

Now look how modern openers destroy this structure. Theses modernists now must have a check back bid to ask “do you have a real opener or not “ or did you open just to con the opponents with your queens & jacks & lack of quick trick potential ? This introduces a 4th range to worry about it. The exponents of the Meckwell openers inform us you just make heavier invites in case partner does not have an opener in the traditional sense. A non opener is defined as hands lacking quick trick potential as opposed to lacking HCP’s , although modernists ignore both quick tricks & HCP’s it seems. Minimum HCP’s ( 11, 12 or 13 ) that are not in a quick trick combinations are very poor hands for potential trick taking or defense. Lack of controls ( quick tricks ) devalue a Bridge hand  to the point that it is not worth opening. You make an invitational bid with 12 or 13 HCP just in case partner does not have an opener they proclaim. This is illogical & fuzzy thinking. This means you cannot make a normal invite anymore catering to the intermediate range openers that partner may have. You could be two levels too high just by inviting ,  –200 or the like. Meckwell openers destroy the entire structure when you need to invite  to cater for the case where partner does not have an opener. Modernist even appeal to your macho image , “you are just afraid of going down” when you do not open garbage they explain. No , I am afraid of destroying partnership Bridge , I reply.

 

            I watched an exponent of such nonsense hold a nice 12 HCP hand with a 3 card major fit ( ♥AKJ ) for partner. Partner opened a major , he bid 1NT . She made a simple rebid at the two level & he invited with a jump in the major ! I would have bid 4 like a shot with this hand but he could not as she may have had a modern opener in queens & jacks with no trick taking potential measured in quick tricks. This “style” destroys the invitational structure if she had a real invitational hand. There is no room for this 4th range of checking back to see if you had an opener when you opened in standard bidding or a non forcing club structure. How does opener know the range for the invite ? You are the victim of fuzzy thinking.

 

            Meckwell play a forcing club system where intermediate & strong hands are opened with 1♣. This means their openers are a two tier structure. This changes the meaning of their invites. Their invites mean do you have what you announced or not ? A controlled psyche if you will. This still means that they get to a lot of Meckwell games 9 HCP opposite 14 , when the 9 count was the opening bid. Unfortunately , the rank & file player adopt these Meckwell openers not fully understanding what damage they are doing to their own bidding structure. They are taking the Meckwell style out of context. In the case of solo artists , they might not even care. Let them guess & defending is harder than declaring is their battle cry. Partner is collateral damage.

 

            Modern openers based just on counting your beads & ignoring quick tricks add ambiguity to your opening bids so they no longer “repeat”. There are nice 11 , 12  or 13 HCP hands with quick tricks that are worth opening. So now if you open 11 ,12 & 13 HCP’s without quick tricks how can partner tell the difference ?  Penalty doubles will now make as your opener lacks defense , games  & slams will not make because your lack the important controls required. You are deceiving partner & introducing ambiguity in the language of bidding. Non opening bids get the auction of to the worst start possible if you are a constructive partnership. Modern openers erode partnership trust & effectiveness. An opening bid was designed to show trick taking potential   for both offense & defense , not just a collection of scattered HCP’s which are totaled.

 

On the terrorist vulnerability , my partners & I introduce the 4th range for opening bids & sacrifice accuracy for the prize of keeping them out of their vulnerable games. Leeway is assumed on the safety of this one vulnerability. Imagine the partnership strain when this occurs on all 4 vulnerability scenarios ? For decades these “openers” were called psyches for a reason. Psyches are destructive to the partnership but may catch the opponents.

 

            Another way of handling “modern openers” is just to take your lumps. Assume partner has an opener when she may not & bid accordingly. This is true random bidding though & you are just making bad gambles & not bidding. You are using the opening bid as a semi-psyche as a tactical weapon against weak opponents. You are making life miserable for your partner  though . So my view of exponents of modern openers is that they are just basically “solo artists” anyway. They do not appreciate the value of partnership Bridge. This is fuzzy thinking at its worse , in my opinion anyway.