Wednesday, March 29, 2006 10:15 PM

Prevent Defense II

PITBULLS:

The term "prevent defense" is taken from the world of sports . Football , Basketball & Hockey are the most common sports that use the concept . It is a style of play that you think defensively to prevent a disaster like a late touchdown or goal from ocurring. It is like a safety play in Bridge by a declarer where you think of how to prevent something bad from happening but this time during the auction.

In Bridge , a good partnership also has a "prevent defense" in bidding . The four most common disasters in Bridge is (1) opponents making a game or slam that could have been beaten by the correct open lead (2) opponents having a "free ride" to their contract without you making life difficult for them by taking bidding room away from them (3) not reaching a nice sacrifice and allowing the vul game/slam instead (4) the double partial/game/slam swings .

Good partnerships realize when they are in a "prevent defense" auction and give each other leeway which they would not otherwise get . The partnership will not punish each other by leaping to game or doubling the opponents when the situation demands that partner might be bidding "defensively" . Normally these auctions would occur when the opponents have stated emphatically that they own the auction . Examples would be a 2♣ opener , a Q bid showing a limit raise or better , a 2/1 , an inverted minor , a Jacoby 2NT etc .

Normally a “destructive partnership” is very undisciplined so they get by due to believing the opponents rather than each other. This is a losing proposition and is a very bad way of playing a partnership game like Bridge. However , when it is reasonable that the opponents do own the auction , you can take liberties similar to the undisciplined players . You hold x J10xxx xxxxxx x and the auction goes 1♠-X-2NT-? with everybody vul. The 2NT was alerted as limit raise + so do you bid ? Yes , the opponents have given you the green light. You can not hold any cards on this auction and the entire table knows it. You bid 3♥ and when they get to 4♠ vul partner bids 5♥ which gets doubled and you are +850.

The opponents were vul and we were not. They opened 3♦ and I passed and they bid 3NT vul. Partner comes in 4♠ so what kind of hand does she hold ? She did not double or Q bid so you give her lots of leeway on this auction. This is not a matter of trusting the opponents rather than partner. Partner knows that you heard the auction and she is disturbing their 3NT. Do not punish her . Sometimes you are allowed to bid like “Last Word Larry”. It is quite safe to bid on distribution when the opponents own the auction as you have a built in insurance policy of –630. This is still another example where bidding is “depending on context” of the auction.