Friday, January 21, 2005 5:12 AM
Hand Evaluation - The Lowly Club Suit
PITBULLS:
In
the game of Bridge , clubs are
the lowest ranking suit in the
deck. The club suit is also “lower ranking”
In other ways. The
club suit has a very inferior status with respect to
takeout doubles. The Meckwell partnership
came up with something they call “equal level conversion”.
This concept allows them to make off shape
takeout doubles & balances. If partner bids a suit they do not have, they convert
to another suit. As long as it is kept at the
same level ,
the sequence does not show any extra values.
Bridge
World Standard 2001 does not play “equal
level conversion” . They say they make an
exception though with the lowly club suit.
This is because it is easy to make an equal level conversion over the lowest
ranking suit. It goes 1♥ to your right , you have ♠AKxx
♥xx
♦AJxxxx
♣x
do you overcall 2♦
or double ? The Bridge World recommends you double
because if the auction takes off after you overcall 2♦ you may lose the spade suit. Even with ♠AKxx
♥xx
♦AJxxx
♣xx they recommend a direct or balancing double
after a heart opening bid. In other words a takeout
double does not necessarily promise clubs
!
It
goes 1♦
to your right , you have ♠AJxxx ♥AKxx ♦xxx ♣x do you overcall a spade or make a
takeout double? Lets say you overcall spades as you can’t make a takeout double as
you do not have clubs. Partner
has ♠x ♥Qxxxx ♦xx ♣Axxxx or
countless other hands that he can not respond
to a spade overcall. You notice that 4♥ has a shot for 5 and +650 . To add to the
ignominy 1♠
can not make ! You do not play
forcing 1NT to an overcall. 1NT to an overcall is a descriptive bid showing a
balanced 8-10 HCP with stopper in their suit. The Bridge World & Meckwell
suggest that competing in clubs
is not worth the risk of missing a
major suit game in IMPS. They suggest a direct double , if partner bids clubs pull to your lower ranking suit at the same
level.
If
after you make this conversion, partner bids clubs again he may have KJ109xxx
of clubs so let him play it your 7-1 fit. After takeout
doubles it is buyer
beware as far as the club suit
is concerned. You have to be careful with sacrifices and competing with the
club suit as partner may be lacking that suit after a double. Take this auction
of 1♦-P-3♦-X with ♠AJxx
♥AKxxx
♦Axx
♣x . You should double rather than bid 3♥ directly as with a stiff heart and partner
with enough spades to make a spade game will pass 3♥
say ♠Kxxxx
♥x
♦Kxx
♣xxxx note 6♠ has a shot for +1430 so you may be
playing 3♥
going down ! Say you double & partner does bid 4♣ . You make an equal level
conversion to 4♥
so partner with ♠Kxxx ♥x ♦xx ♣QJ1098x
will convert to 4 spades. Partner could have ♠Axx
♥Axxx
♦x
♣AKxxx for his double so its silly not to bid your
nice club suit rather than spades initially.
Equal level conversion means just that. It does not
matter at what level the auction is as long as it is equal , converting to another suit shows no additional
values.
The
Bridge World suggests leaving equal level conversion to the experts like
Rodwell & Meckstroth except when the lowly club suit is involved. So be very
careful when you have clubs opposite a takeout double. You may be on your own. You hold ♠Ax
♥xxx
♦Ax
♣Jxxxxx , everybody vul it goes 1♦-X-1♠-? . Partner may have clubs for his
double so you bid 3♣ invitational. If he converts
to hearts , you are not unhappy so you have described your hand. Say you just
bid 2♣ , they compete to diamonds. You can now double saying you would like to
compete to 3♣ but you have defense and are maximum for your previous call.
Experts
who play equal level conversion have no
respect for the diamond suit also. It goes 1♣ , you hold ♠AKxx ♥AKxx ♦x ♣xxxx or ♠AKxx
♥AKxx
♦xx
♣xxx both
hands are handled with a double. If partner responds a
diamond just convert to a heart at the same
level. Same in the balancing spot. When your goal
is to get to major suit games in IMPS , competing
in a minor is sacrificed.
Re-opening
doubles and balancing doubles are not
takeout doubles per se. These doubles are just
showing defensive tricks so
that partner can convert for penalty if she has their suit. Equal level
conversion is a scramble
in these auctions to find a fit. Again conversion does not show extra values.
That is absurd and would prevent off shape re-opening
doubles or balances.
Nancy
Cook had this hand ♠xxx ♥AKxx ♦AK109x ♣x nv ,
RHO opened 1♠
vul . What is your bid ? Well if you have bought into the above you make a T/O
double & convert to diamonds if partner bids clubs. Nancy overcalled 2♦ , they bid 2♠ and around to Nancy again.
Now D.S.I.P. doubles come into play. You now double because you have 4 defensive tricks for your mere
overcall. If partner bids hearts fine , if partner
bids clubs you convert to
diamonds so no harm done.
Tom Gandolfo held ♠J10xxxx ♥x ♦x ♣AJxxx , they opened 1♠ & I doubled . Tom has a nice playing hand if I have a classic T/O double so he bid 2♣. I made an equal level conversion to 2♦ so now what ? I may have 10 or 11 red cards with no clubs so a pass is in order as this is a blatant misfit. 2♦ is not doubled yet so its best to bail. If 2♦ gets doubled. you can actually try 2♠ to play. Partner held ♠A ♥A10xx ♦A10xxxx ♣xx which would have been a 2♦ overcall for non believers of equal level conversion.
The lowly club suit has peon status with
respect to equal level conversion also. If you hold clubs & another suit , do not
make an off shape T/O double. The rank of the club suit makes it too difficult
to keep things at the same level, ♠AKxx ♥xx
♦xx ♣AQxxx is not a T/O double after a red suit opener. My personal
preference with these hands is to overcall a spade. I have found that a 2♣
overcall buries your major far too often. Since clubs are not included in equal
level conversion theory , you have an extra inference. 1♥-X-P-2♦
P-2♠ 2♠ is strong in this auction as you would raise diamonds if you had two suits. Clubs just do not cut it for equal level conversion.