Monday, May 01, 2006 6:03 PM

Hand Evaluation - Inviting Partner to the Party

PITBULLS:

Bridge is a partnership game. There are many distributional hands in competitive auctions where the urge to bid again is almost overwhelming. However , single handed bids are “rolling the dice” so you either luck out or you do not. The reason why that is so , should be obvious in any partnership game. Single handed bidding leaves partner out of the decision making process. What if you can combine this urge to bid again & have partner join the party with her input. The D.S.I.P. competitive double does just that. A D.S.I.P. double invites partner to the party. This concept is just the opposite of traditional penalty double thinking. Truly a new way of playing the game of Bridge.

You open 4♥ in 3^rd seat with extra stuff , they reach 4♠. You really do have a phenomenal playing hand with the AK of diamonds on the side & you do not like them playing in their vulnerable 4♠ . In club games , you have seen it a million times they bid 5♥ & go down . 4♠ would have got butchered because partner had J109x of trump with a stiff heart. Define the double as saying you want to bid 5♥ & you hold defense but not in their trump suit. Partner now makes the correct decision looking at her hand after hearing your bid. If you pre-empt or make a WJS while wanting to bid again with unexpected defense , do it with a double. The double is a single handed bid also but at least you gave partner an option of converting. Two heads are better than one when dicey decisions are involved especially.

It is a fundamental in good Bridge that once you have described your strong hand you are all in , so partner makes the final decision. 6-5’s are a different beast though as they are made for bidding. You can show a good 6-5 with defensive values as opposed to just offensive values. ♠Void ♥AKxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣AQ You open 1♦, they overcall 1♠ . You bid 2♥ , they bid spades again so you bid 3♥ followed by 3♠ from them . In club games , they now bid their hand again by bidding 4♥ so either luck out in 4♥X or 5♦X. You can bid your again but with a double asking partners permission to bid. This invites her to join the party. With this hand I happened to hold ♠Q1098 ♥xx ♦xx ♣Kxxxx , it was ugly for them in 3♠X. I can “see” your beautiful 6-5 also after you double but it’s not as pretty from my side of the table.

You make a systemic toy bid like an unusual NT or a Michaels. A double has a systemic meaning saying that I have the strong version of the bid. This is not D.S.I.P. but similar in that you are bringing partner into the decision making process. What if you bid your toy after they open 1NT . I play 3♣ over a 1NT as natural with clubs but not a lot of strength . I held ♠x ♥x ♦A109x ♣KQ109xxx & bid 3♣. The opponents bid 4♣ , partner doubled. They bid 4♠ so do you bid 5♣ since partner doubled 4♣. Yes , you do but with a double to bring partner into the picture. On a distributional hand , they might have landed in partners spade suit so as one last pre-caution you double. Partner pulls it 5♣ , that gets doubled but you get lucky and make it.

Overcalls are so variable in strength you need a subsequent double to describe them . If the opponents announce to the table they have their trump suit wrapped up , a 2^nd double is always D.S.I.P. even if you do not play D.S.I.P. formally.

♠AKJ10xx ♥x ♦AKxx ♣xx 1♥-1♠-4♥-P

P-? Again club players would bid 4♠ as partner gave them the “green light” by not doubling 4♥. Nonsense ! Partner does not know you have 4 defensive tricks when you overcall at the one level. You want to bid 4♠ badly , so double inviting partner to the party. Partner has ♠x ♥KQ10 ♦xxx ♣Q10xxxx so again they go for a telephone # instead of you.

I am convinced that the penalty double outside of forcing pass theory is the most single – handed Bridge bid ever devised. Catering to that bid in competition also causes single handed actions. Take this example from the Bridge World. IMPS , you are vul & they are not. ♠x ♥xx ♦AJxxxx ♣AJ10x . They open 1♠ , partner vul overcalls 2♥ so they bid 4♠. Playing with my partners , I make a D.S.I.P. double as I cannot have a trump stack on this auction. The Bridge World panel bid 4NT for the minors ! This is silly as 5♥ or 4♠X may be the best spot. Preserving the double to be absolutely penalty makes them do silly single handed actions. The trump stack penalty double is simply not worth it unless you own the auction via forcing pass theory. Eric Kokish says that “absolute penalty doubles corrupt absolutely” as these hands have “transferable values”. The Aces & spots work well for either offense or defense so why not double & invite partner to the party ?