2007-09-16 01:32

Hand Evaluation – Partnership ( Supporting Partner )

PITBULLS:

One rule that is set in stone in Bridge is supporting partner initially when you have 4 trump. In our system , we break this rule only with balanced hands in the 18-19 HCP range ( 2NT rebid ) . We can get away with this , as we play the Wolffe relay & can break the relay to show the 4^th trump or simply pull 3NT to 4 of partners major later. All other strong or weak hands , we always show the 4^th trump immediately for partner somehow. A simple raise , jump raise , splinter or leap to game all identify the fit immediately.

There are many reasons why this concept has been entrenched in Bridge since the Whist days. Opponents can enter the auction & jam you , so you can not show your fit unless at a high level. Bypassing the fit destroys the captaincy of the auction & leaves partner out of the decision making. Normally when you raise partner , she makes the next move as you have described your fitting hand to her. The main reason for direct support though is you can never recover once you have bypassed a 4 card fit for partner. Partner will never believe you later in the auction , so it is the worst lie in Bridge.

It is also a good idea to support partner initially with 3 of partner’s major suit when you can. Describing your fit early simplifies auctions & establishes captaincy immediately. A Tormentee held this hand ♠AQxxx ♥K10x ♦QJ ♣xxx in 1^st seat & passed . She devalued her flat hand , ♦QJ unsupported & lack of controls. Partner opened 1♥ in 3^rd seat so what should you bid ? For me it is easy as I make a strong jump shift as a passed hand which shows a fit. My 2♠ bid shows where I live , the maximum passed hand & the trump fit all in one bid. You cannot get any better than that. My 2^nd choice would be Drury as that shows the strength of my hand & trump fit with one bid. My last choice is the ambiguous 1♠ response as partner being in 3^rd seat may pass holding hands where we make game in hearts. Why take the chance when you could have supported partner immediately ?

Here is a simple hand ♠AKxx ♥Axxx ♦Axxx ♣x . You open 1♦ & partner responds 1♥. Goren count you have 15 HCP & 2 for the singleton for 17 HCP’s. You can bid 3♥ with this hand but hand evaluation is required. You are super rich in controls , so I would upgrade this hand to a game force. I would splinter to 4♣ . This is the best way to show your stiff & 4 card support with one bid. You can not bid spades & show the trump fit later, as partner is never going to recover from the initial lie. If partner has a non response of ♠xx ♥Kxxxxx ♦x ♣xxxx , you are cold for 6♥ with this hand ! This is how powerful this hand is in support of hearts. Do not be a slave to the HCP system . Upgrade your hand due to the quality of your HCP’s.

My partners & I pl ay a fast arrival of a raise directly to 4♥/♠ as based entirely on distribution as opposed to strength. If responder is weak , we quite often jam the opponents out of their contract. If stronger , we do not pre-empt partner to the 4 level by jumping to game. This is a silly waste of bidding room. Forcing club systems were based solely on getting away from the notion that you jump to show strength.

Support doubles were invented so that you do not raise with 3 trump in competition. You virtually never raise to 3 directly as you most of the time you can find a better bid. By not supporting partner , you have the universal negative inference of no 4 card fit for partner. We play a natural system ,so if we do bid a new suit at the one level after a minor opener , this route shows 5 of more of the minor. Partner can get a clear picture of your hand that way.

How you show your support is length dependent. You tell partner that you have 4 or more trump by jumping. The law of total tricks enters the picture. A simple raise in the majors is shown by a jump to tell partner of the 4^th trump. Advertise your trump to partner . A 4^th or 5 th trump should not be hidden from partner. A Tormenttee had this hand ♠xxx ♥Qxx ♦xxxxx ♣Kx & LHO opened 1♠ & partner overcalled 2♦. They bid 2♠ so tell partner about your extra trump length by bidding ( jumping) 4♦. You describe your hand in one bid . 3♦ is ambiguous as to trump length & hand strength. ♠AQ10xxx ♥Qxxx ♦x ♣Qx & partner opens 1♥. You have two choices neither of which are wrong. You can splinter in diamonds to show your heart fit immediately or respond 1♠ to show where you live. Partner makes a multi SJS to 3♣ so break the relay to 3♥ to support partner immediately & describing your huge hand in support of trumps. A Tormenttee chose to hide the trump support from partner & bid 3♠. This confused the auction terribly.

Same Tormentee who held ♠AKxxx ♥xx ♦xxxxx ♣Q . Partner overcalled 1♦ & she responded 1♠ . All she did later in the hand was bid 2♦ & 3♦ never letting partner in on the secret that she had 5 trump & a stiff in the opponents rebid suit. Announce your fit with a splinter , Q bid or jump. Do not hide your huge fit from partner. By not showing your trump length , you are making the same bids as you would with only three of them . How is partner to know the difference ? Ambiguity is the killer of Bridge bidding.