Sunday, October 29, 2006 5:55 PM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Below Game Slam tries )

PITBULLS:

The entire idea behind “courtesy Q bids” & serious 3NT is so that partnerships can make slam tries below game. Making a slam try & going down at the 5 level is horrible Bridge . Also bad , is making a slam try beyond 3NT & going down in 5 of a minor. Make your slam tries below game. If your system can not handle this notion, there is something very wrong with your system !

Thurs nite Partner & I won 8 IMPS on a hand because we made 3 slam tries under game. At the time there were 3 pairs in slam going down. I held ♠AJ10xx ♥Q10x ♦AQ10x ♣K 16 HCP’s counting the stiff king. In 2^nd seat partner opened 1♥ , I bid 1♠ & LHO bid 1NT as a passed hand for the minors. Partner bid 2♠ so I wanted to make a slam try so I tried 4♣ . Partner obliged with 4♦ so I made a “Last Train” slam try by bidding 4♥. When you just bid a suit directly below the trump suit , it is not a Q bid in the traditional sense. If you had that control , it is obvious that you would have just bid 4NT KCB. The bid means , I am making one last stab at slam but lacking a needed control. Partner was looking at ♠KQxx ♥xxxxx ♦KJ ♣Ax & knew we were in trouble in the heart suit , so he signed off in 4♠. Mission accomplished. 5♠ can be beat with a heart ruff !!

We played a local pair later on whose system must have some fundamental flaw as they were forced to make a slam try beyond 3NT. They opened 1♦ with a flat minimum hand , partner overcalled 1♠ . They bid 2♠ which shows a limit raise or better in diamonds. The opener bid 2NT which in standard expert bidding is an either/or bid a minimum or a very good flat hand. 2NT is forcing to 3♦ in most expert partnerships. They bid 3♦ which in most partnerships means I have the limit raise & if you are the minimum , please pass. They must play it as forcing which is redundant to the 2♠ bid. You must have a way to escape from a Q bid with the limit raise hands . The 2♠ bidder held ♠xx ♥Kx ♦AQJ10x ♣A109x a hand worth 16 HCP in support of diamonds which is a possible hand with any 2♠ Q bid. Partner Q bid 3♥ with virtually a non opening bid ♠Qxxx ♥AQx ♦Kxxx ♣Qx . Although there are 13 HCP’s , the hand lacks controls & has two unsupported queens . Truly a pitiful Bridge hand with proper hand evaluation so the last thing you want to do is encourage partner.. The 2 spade bidder as most would , took the heart Q bid as forward going so she bid 4♣ beyond the 3NT game. They ended up in 5♦ down one when 3NT is cold. A slam try forcing the auction to a game contract that cannot make.

Over 2NT , the 2♠ bidder should have bid 3♣ has an obvious slam try. Why is she not bidding 3NT or 3♦ ? 3♣ must be interpreted as a slam try & below 3NT. The bid is asking a question re traditional Q bidding theory. Do you have more than you already announced with your opener or not ? With this piece of junk , we would retreat to 3NT ( the death response ) rather quickly. Mission accomplished as we made a slam try below the 3NT game. What if opener held ♠A10xx ♥Ax ♦Kxxx ♣Kx , rebid 2NT & Q bid 3♥. 6♦ is +1370 & a lay down. Same 2NT bid but proper hand evaluation afterwards. A Q bid asks partner to evaluate her hand not just bidding the same values already bid by opening. Hand evaluation is permitted & even encouraged in the game of Bridge.