Thursday, September 29, 2005 5:56 AM

Hand Evaluation – Vulnerable Games ( Forcing pass )

PITBULLS:

I like the understanding that all vul games bid non pre-emptively against non vul opponents turn on forcing passes. This includes partner making a high level double thereby forcing partner into a vul game. Why should this be a forcing pass situation when partner could have absolutely nothing or a weak hand ? Never happens, because with nothing vul against non vul, I think the high level T/O double should be passed. 1♥-P-4♥-X ♠xxxx ♥xxx ♦xxx ♣xxx up to ♠xxxx ♥Qxx ♦Kxx ♣QJx should be passed. –590 for 4♥X making may be the least of evils in these auctions. If partner contracts for a game vul even under pressure of partners double, forcing passes are turned on .

The Lebensohl convention that we all play over high level doubles greatly assist in forcing pass situations. If we have a distributional nothing so we want to run, we trot out 4NT Lebensohl. 1♠-P-4♠-X 4NT ♠x ♥xxx ♦KJxxxx ♣xxx . If we had a chance to use Lebensohl at high levels but did not , forcing passes are automatically turned on at any vulnerability.

Even pre-emptive auctions ( a weak two or three) turn on forcing passes vul against not if our vul game was bid. Other vulnerabilities, partner had to make a forcing noise first before forcing passes are turned on. This is one time when the pre-empter is allowed to bid again. Partner is not bidding a vul game against nv opponents as a sacrifice. His pass & your pass are both forcing. My partner in Atlanta opened 2♥ vul against nv. I leapt to 4♥ vul but they interfered with a 5♣ bid. This bid hit partner’s void so he decided that the pass & pull part of forcing pass theory would describe his hand best. I bid 5♥ which made , Tom Gandolfo bought the hand in 5♣X at the other table & made the contract on bad defense.

Try this hand out . ♠xxxx ♥void ♦AJx ♣AKxxxx

1♥-P-4♥-X

P- 4♠-P-P

5♥-P-P-? The opponents are nv , you are vulnerable. You forced partner vul into 4♠ with your double so do you bid again ? Yes , as partner’s pass is forcing . She has ♠AKxxx ♥xxx ♦10xx ♣xx so on a lucky day a grand in spades makes. Vul games turn on forcing passes against nv opponents. On equal vulnerability , forcing passes would not be turned on after you forced partner to game. She would have to make a decision for the partnership. Of course , if you voluntarily bid game ( not forced) , forcing passes are turned on with any vulnerability.

Following the principle theme of this article , if partner pulls a penalty double of a nv opponent to a vul game , forcing passes are turned on.

♠xx ♥xx ♦AKJ10x ♣AKQx

1♦-1♥-1♠-4♥

x-P-4♠-P

P-5♥-P-P

? Partner is not pulling a double vul vrs nv from a position of weakness. She expects to make 4♠ so forcing passes apply. The decision in my mind anyway is between bidding 5♠ & 6♠ . Say if responder made a penalty double in this auction , the opener pulls the double to 4♠ but they subsequently bid again. Forcing passes are turned on.

The opponents bidding nv vrs vul in itself turns on forcing passes. If we are vul ,they pre-empt non vul , partner bids but they bid game in the sandwich position , forcing passes are turned on. Why , the simple fact that we must be given protection against vul vrs nv tactics. If we double but they make the contract , we hand them their 4 IMPS so on to the next hand. In the vast majority of other hands, forcing pass theory assists our side. In Reno , partner opened 1♥ vul with a bad hand , they pre-empted 3♣ & I bid 3♥. My LHO “re-pre-empted” to 5♣ so partner doubles as their bidding made his pass forcing. We beat the contract for +300 & we would be one down in 5♥ for a 10 IMP swing.