Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:36 PM


Hand Evaluation - Useful Space Principle ( Goren )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            As forcing 1♣ advocates know , any system that conserves useful bidding space is superior to one that does not. A standard sequence of one of a minor - a major response with a jump to game does not violate the useful space principle ,  it massacres it. You are at the 4 level so responder can only guess your hand . Slam exploration is nearly impossible to say nothing of maybe bypassing your best game of 3NT or remaining in a partial.

 

            Here is our attempt to preserve useful bidding space in these auctions. Bidding should be defined as a method of showing your hand pattern along with your HCP strength. Our structure of opener showing strong 4 card major suit raises is based on hand patterns i.e. distribution. If you have a 4-4-3-2 , 5-3-3-2 , 4-3-3-3  & some 5-4-2-2 hands you rebid 2NT even with 4 card support for partner. If partner bids the Wollfe relay , you break the relay & bid partners major , otherwise you pull 3NT to 4 of a major with controls. This sequence shows the 4th trump with these hand patterns. With soft values , let’s try for a 3NT game even with a 4-4 major fit. You are in effect bidding your type of HCP’s this way.

 

            What about 4-4-4-1 , 5-4-3-1 , 6-4-2-1 patterns with 4 card support for partners major ? With the appropriate strength , these hands are shown by splinters or simple raises , jump raises or jumps to game. I said some 5-4-2-2 are bid with a 2NT rebid with 4 of partners major.

 

            The class of huge hands with 3 card support for partners major are shown by the 3♣ multi strong jump shift . These hands are very hard to describe in natural bidding so we reserve the 3♣ bid & pulling the relay to 3 of a major to show these hands. These are 5-4-3-1. 6-3-3-2 , 6-3-3-1 or even 7-3-2-1 with 3 card support for partners major.

 

We define the multi 3♣ strong jump shift followed by supporting partners major as showing 3 card support with a hand in the 17-20 HCP range. You have ♠AQJ ♥AJxxxx ♦AKx ♣x , you open 1♥ and partner responds 1♠. You bid 3♣ and partner bids 3♦ which you follow up with 3♠. Partner is now aware of the 3 card support. The relay prevents partner from getting into the way if you chose say a 3♦ bid. If partner now bids 3NT after a 3♦ jump shift,  you still have the same guess whether to bid spades.

 

            Another example. ♠AQJ ♥xx ♦AKxxxx ♣Ax , you open 1♦ & partner responds 1♠. You have an impossible rebid. You are too strong for 3♦ , supporting partner immediately does not seem right and a 2NT rebid is a distortion. Enter the 3♣ strong jump shift so after the relay to 3♦ , support spades. You have your diamond suit in , you 3 card support described along with your 18 HCP’s . Not bad !

 

            I go as far as bypassing jump shifts into diamonds , if you have 3 card support for partners major. ♠AKx ♥AKxxx ♦AJxx ♣x . I open 1♥ , partner bids 1♠. I would bid 3♣ so after partners relay , support spades. Same with “natural” strong jump shifts into clubs. Far more important to show the strong major fit than finding a secondary club or diamond fit in my opinion anyway. This is the only sequence where we borrow from the forcing 1♣ and sacrifice natural bidding.  ♠x ♥AKx ♦AKxxx ♣KQxx

 

 1♦-P-1♥-P  

                                                             3♣-P-3♦-P

                                                             3♥-P-3♠-P

                                                             4♣       You got your clubs into the picture anyway.

 

            If partner bids 3NT , you may “pattern out” as a slam try if you are strong enough to play 4NT as a contract. Also if partner is slam orientated you may be able to describe your hand further.