Wednesday, May
19, 2004 8:22 AM
Opening Leads -
Rosenkranz
PITBULLS:
It is an understatement that opening
leads are important. In every IMP match you can point out numerous hands that
could have been beat with a different opening led. George Rosrnkranz came up
with a simple treatment to assist in opening leads. He reasoned that it is
silly to double the opponents suit in forcing
auctions for penalty. They could get downright ornery and redouble
or you help them play the hand in their final resting spot. He rightly assumed
that this bidding was an ideal opportunity to help partner with his opening
lead.
Rosenkranz Double
A convention devised by Mr. George Rosenkranz of Mexico to help an overcaller more accurately judge and evaluate his holding in respect to the response of the responder. If a player overcalls an opening bid and the next player makes a bid, a double by the partner of the overcaller shows a raise in partner's suit that includes the Ace, King or Queen of that suit. If the partner of the opening bidder makes a Negative Double over the overcall, then a Redouble by the partner of the overcaller shows a raise with one of the top three honors.
Conversely, if the partner of the overcaller, in either situation, merely raises the suit bid by the overcaller, this indicates that he does not hold one of the top three honors in the suit of his partner.
I
an not in total agreement with Rosenkrantz doubles as originally defined. When
the opponents just make a simple raise after partners overcall I feel the double
should be responsive as it is more useful. 1♥-2♣-2♥-x shows spades and diamonds which is a better tactic to compete or
get to a good game. However if the opponents make a forcing bid then Rozenkrantz doubles
should apply. 1♦-1♠-2♥-x What are you doing doubling
a forcing bid ? It must mean either the spade King or Ace and you help partner
with her lead against their final resting spot. This gives you the negative
inference if you did not double that
a spade lead might give a trick away. Of course if they redouble we have a safe
resting spot with partners suit.
Rosenkrantz redoubles apply over the opponents negative doubles. !♣-1♠-X-XX .
You hold Ax xxx xxxx Q10xx so you redouble for a lead.
If you had xxx Axx Axxxx xx you
would just compete with 2♠. If they buy the contract , partner is
warned that a spade lead might be dangerous. I think this treatment is very
helpful. With the old fashioned redouble just compete with a 1NT bid or make a
lead directing bid in their suit .
When
our side use toys like Michaels and unusual NT , Rozenkrantz understandings
still apply. If you double a Q bid of their suit as opposed to just bidding the
suit yourself it is lead directing. Say the auction goes 1♠-2NT-3♣-X
and you have xx Q10xx xxx AJxx you would double 3♣
for a lead. If you held xx xxxx Kx Q10xxx you would just bid some
number of clubs as a sacrifice. Same with any Michaels bid when the opponents
are Q bidding partners implied suits.
1♦-2♦-2♥-X
. The opponents play the two heart as a limit raise in diamonds. You
double for a heart lead with the heart Ace or King and bid hearts if you want to compete but without the Ace or King of hearts. Use the
auction to help partner out with her leads !!
A
hand came up in Calgary where Gordon Campbell and I failed to find the killing
lead against 4♠
. We held void AQ10xx J10xxx xxx and
the auction went 1♠
to our right and we bid 2♠
Michaels. Both sides ended up in 4♠ making when it should have been down two !. Both of
us were reluctant to lead a heart since with the bad trump break coming for them , the last thing we
wanted to do was give them a trick on the lead. At our table they bid a forcing
2NT Jacoby bid. Since they made a forcing to game bid , Rozenkrantz doubles
should apply ( what are you doing doubling a forcing bid anyway ) . A double of
2NT should call for a heart lead with this partnership understanding. Partner
had the KJ of hearts and the double of 2NT would have netted us 10 IMPS.!!
With
all toys that show two suits you should have a default lead directing double.
Say the auction went 1NT-2♦-3NT-X . The 2♦ bid shows the majors . The double could key off the
higher ranking of the two suits. Therefore if partner does not double a heart
lead is preferred or no preference at all. If you bid 2♣ which shows the minors
the double again should key off the higher ranking suit so you have the
inference of a club lead if partner does not double.
Anyway
, Rosenkrantz was not wrong in his doubles and redoubles for leads. They can be
a lucrative source of IMPS !