Saturday, November 02, 2002 12:48 AM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Leaping to 3NT )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            Leaping to 3NT should mean more than “I play the NT better” in a good partnership . The bid should be used to describe hands that are otherwise hard to describe . For the purposes of this discussion I am going to assume that all flat hands 15-17 regardless of a 5 card major are opened 1NT . In addition , a leap to 3NT if the opponents are in the auction , should say “partner I have a lot of duplication of value” so do not get excited over there.

 

            O.K. what is one of a major followed by a leap to 3NT by responder ?  This should show a 1NT opener without support for the major with no 5 card suit of its own . My partners & I play the 3NT bid showing exactly 4-4 in the minors. These hands are hard to describe anyway so why not make them a “picture bid” ? Going to the 2 level with a 4 card suit is lame bidding , the fact that you have 15-17 HCP does not make it any better.

 

            You open a minor and responder leaps to 3NT. This is different in that the 2NT bid is an invitational + to 14 HCP balanced hand . The 3NT bid should also be a “picture bid” . Why force slam tries in the minor to commence at the 4 level by leaping to 3NT with a good 15-17 HCP  hand ? This bid should be the 4-3-3-3 with soft values & a NT opener. My partners hate the leap to 3NT by responder so much , we have thrown all game going balanced hands into our invitational + sequences.

             

            There has been a shift in thinking on the meaning a leap to 3NT after a 2/1 . The old way was that it should show a minimum , 2NT should be unlimited with all the NT ranges  . Unfortunately expert pairs kept playing 3NT with 17 HCP opposite 17 HCP so rethinking the concept came about.

 

1♠         2♦

2♥         3NT  ?               The 3NT shows the stronger 15-17  hand so 2NT the

13-14 HCP hand or the super range 18-19 HCP .

 

 

            Since 15-17 with a major is covered by the 1NT opening bid , a 3NT jump after a 2/1 will show the 15-17 but a good major as partner decided not to open 1NT. With some partnerships 2NT is an either / or bid. The minimum range or the 18-19 HCP range. If the latter subsequent action will follow like a 4NT invite bid.

 

1♠        2♦

 3NT                       Good spade suit & 15-17 probably controls rather than soft values.

 

1♦         2♣

 3NT                   If you play the Kokish treatment that bid shows  18-19

balanced too strong to  open 1NT ( picture bid otherwise )

 

1♦         2♣

2NT      3NT

4NT                          

 

 This is the either/or bid in action. This sequence shows the 18-19 HCP rather than the 12-14 HCP.

 

            There is a school of thought that you should not pre-empt partner with a 3NT bid if she is making a 4th suit forcing bid . I do not agree . Bid your HCP & distribution right away so the consistency of the bids ( a leap to 3NT always shows the NT opener range ) will benefit in the long run. If you have systemic bids that you can show many ranges of balance hands , you can have the jump to 3NT to show a minimum.

 

1♦        1♥

1♠        2♣ (4th suit )

3NT                              3NT should be strong showing specifically the strong NT range of HCP’s . 2NT can be an either/or range.

 

1♣          2♣

3NT                        Bidding 3NT here should show a 3 card club suit with a flat hand too strong to open 1NT ( assuming inverted minor  game force )  . We would have assumed a 1NT opening if in the 15-17 HCP range so this range not possible.  Auctions are simplified if you can flash exact HCP & distributions immediately to partner . 

 

These bids violate the principle of fast arrival to keep the bidding low with big hands to conserve room etc. However , from my experience it just does not work to bid 2NT as ambiguous with all the NT ranges with 3NT as the weak hand . Jumping to 3NT to show the strong NT range just plain works better !!

 

If partner has made a simple response at the one level , you rebid 3NT – what does that mean? This shows a long sold or semi-solid  suit and possibly a stiff in partners suit or some other flaw .   It is not a hand that you forgot to open 2NT J .  Forcing club systems were invented because Standard Bidding pre-empted partner by leaping to game which made exploration under game difficult for the best game or slam.

 

We like to deviate from Goren with these two auctions. 1♥/♠-P-1NT-P   2NT shows the balanced 18-19 HCP’s but not a leap to 3NT. The reason behind this is why pre-empt partner to the 4 level to find the best spot ?. We can use relays with other understandings if we keep the auction at a sane 2 level with these HCP ranges. The invitational 2NT bid is not needed as we already opened those hands 1NT. A leap to 3NT should again be a “picture” bid probably with a long running major and a bit of a gamble.  Same principle with 1♣/♦-P-1NT  bid 2NT with the 18-19 and not 3NT. The invitational hands have already mean opened 1NT so a simple rebid of your minor can show the distributional invitational range hands. A leap to 3NT should be a “picture bid” with a long minor and a bit of a gamble.

 

Do not forget that a leap to 3NT usually ends all auctions as it pre-empts partner from slam exploration. The 3NT bid in competition should say I live in the  opponent’s suit so slow down over there. Tom Gandolfo held this hand in the Edmonton Regional.  ♠Axxx ♥AKJxx ♦x ♣AKx & the opponents opened 2♦ & Tom doubled. I , as a passed hand, leapt to 3NT. First instinct would be to bid an invitational 4NT as you have 19 HCP with a 5 card suit valuing to 20 HCP. Partner could hold a 5 card ♣ suit & 12 tricks in NT would be easy or partner could bid 6♣ giving a choice of contracts. However , your hand is all controls so better suited to a suit contract. Passing 3NT is making the decision from your side of the table only so that is out. Bridge is a partnership game. We would try a 4♦ bid showing your major suit or non NT emphasis & partner bids 4♥. You could bid 6♥ knowing that it will be a tight slam. Partner , as expected, had more than ½ his hand tied up in their diamond suit with a flat hand type. ♠KQx ♥xxxx ♦AQ ♣xxxx so 6♥ depends on bringing in the heart suit . Probably not a good gamble as the heart queen is usually not in the weak 2♦ hand based on the laws of probability. A 3NT bid jams partner so it should be a picture bid with severe wastage in their suit. Partner will act accordingly. A 3♦ Q bid is a poor choice of bids as it does not describe the balanced hand type nor 6 of your 11 HCP’s in their suit. You wrong side the contract with the expected diamond lead.