Saturday, April-11-09

Hand Evaluation -  Partnership ( Vulnerability )

PITBULLS:

          Bridge is a partnership game . A rapport of discipline & trust is built up in a constructive partnership. This discipline guides the constructive partnership to optimum results. They believe each other when the opponents are trying tactics or out & out psyches. They use the fact that partner will have her bid so you can judge the situation correctly. A disciplined partnership has respect for the vulnerability  & use the vulnerability to assist them in describing their hands. A vulnerable overcall vrs not vul  shows a good suit with a good hand. An overcall on equal vulnerability goes back to the basic definition of an overcall. An overcall shows a decent suit with values under an opening bid or an opening bid or better if the suit is not up to standards.

           Playing the vulnerability even a disciplined partnership takes a walk on the "wild side" on the terrorist vulnerability. NV vrs Vul you have a different incentive due to the scoring of the game of Bridge. A vulnerable game by the opponents brings in tactics with even constructive partnerships. Suit requirement & values for an overcall dip downwards to up the frequency that you are "getting into the opponent's face". An established partnership gives each other leeway on this vulnerability so expect the unexpected. There are thousands of examples in World Championships that show this tactic in action.

        Do not take these examples out of context. Just because these World champions are bidding with poor suits & values on the terrorist vulnerability does not mean they do it on other vulnerabilities. Why , because this would destroy the partnership aspect of Bridge & change Bridge into single handed gambling. You remove partner from the bidding when you bid on vulnerable or equal vulnerability the same way you would bid on the terrorist vulnerability . Partner cannot judge the situation anymore because you simply do not have your bid in accordance with the vulnerability. Partner cannot give you leeway all the time or the partnership aspect of the game will be destroyed. He would have to always believe the opponents to make his decisions.

        Say for example , you are vul vrs not. You no longer are trying to con the opponents out of their vulnerable game. You want to be constructive so you get to your vulnerable game or slam. You do not want to over compete in this vulnerability as one down wipes out 110 their way & -200 when you could have defeated their partial becomes expensive. The opposition "sets their sights" on vulnerable opponents so will choose to double them over bidding their own nv game. Taking out insurance in case of their own game failing they will double you on equal vulnerability also. Tactics on the wrong vulnerability scenario is just bad destructive Bridge. It is a "risk reward" situation.

Take this hand for example ♠Kxxxx ♥Kx ♦Kxx ♣xxx & you are vul vrs not. Is this a spade overcall vul vrs not ? Not even close as you are making life difficult for partner. Partner is using the vulnerability to get a picture of your hand. This is not what she expects when you overcall vul vrs not. What you are in effect doing is just eroding partnership confidence when you do have a valid vul vrs nv overcall. You are the little boy crying Wolf or making the dreaded semi-psyche. An overcall on these vulnerabilities defines your suit . Your suit is terrible & does not meet lead expectations , safety concerns or offensive potential. You have a flat 9 count which is a marginal response let alone a vul vrs not constructive descriptive bid. You do not make destructive bids on this vulnerabilty & this hand certainly qualifies. You have spooked partner & for what purpose ? When the auction goes 1♥-P-2♥-P passed around to you it is a reasonably safe balance of 2♠. The spade suit is the boss suit , so you will not be shut out at a low level. When the opponents show strength , it is probably wise that you were "shut out "of the bidding. Disciplined bids means that your bids must repeat. You make a vulnerable overcall one time so the next time your hand should be similar to the last time. Partner can make decisions that way. This is how partnership Bridge works. Overcalling 1♠ on ♠AKJ10x ♥Kx ♦Kxx ♣xxx or better one time & then bidding 1♠ on this disaster is just undermining the partnership. This means that partner must "field your bids" with no vulnerability to guide him. An impossible task for the partnership, so use the green card with these hands. Partner will approve.