Wednesday, December 04, 2002 10:17 AM
Show Where You Live
PITBULLS:
There is a Bridge cliché which forms the basis of
bidding in Bridge . “Show where you live” is bidding designed to show where your
points are concentrated . Lead directions , duplication of value , penalty
doubles , NT stoppers all ride on this decision to “show where you live” . This
all starts in your choice of opening bids . Say you held AKQJ
Axxx xx xxx in 1st or 2nd seat . Would you
open 1♣ since you play 4 card majors ? In 3rd or 4th seat
opening 1♣ is criminal . 1♠
shows where you live and gets partner off to the right lead . People who open
1♣ deserve the auction to go 1NT overcall and 3NT and partner dutiful leading a
club for –630 !! I would break the
5 card major rule and open 1♠
at any seat .
What
about overcalls ? You hold x AKQx Jxxxx Axx and RHO opens 1♣ . Do you overcall a
diamond ? I don’t because it violates the “show me where you live “ principle .
I bid a heart and since I am lucky I hit partner with 5 small hearts . What
about 2/1 bidding ? The same principles still apply especially if you 2/1 was
predicated on a fit for partner . You hold
J A10x AKxx Jxxxx and
partner opens 1♥ . You go to the 2 level but in which suit ? The
“principle” says you should bid 2♦ rather
then 2♣ . Partner has a void in clubs so her next bid after you support hearts
is exclusion Blackwood and you get to 7♥ . You bid 2♣ and the opponents interfere to 4♠ . Partner doubles with a non club fit . Wrong ! you should be playing the hand
because the opponents have all the club points !! Partner “mislead” me by
bidding 2♣ !!
Showing “where you live” involves rebids also . Say you hold void AJxx xxx AKJ109x and partner opens 1♦ and you bid 2♣ . Partner bids 2NT which you play as
a weak NT hand . Do you gamble it out on the strength of the club suit and pass
3NT or “show where you live” by bidding 3♥ ? I bid 3♥ on a similar hand and partner held Jxx of spades for
her 2NT rebid . 5♣ could make 6 and 3NT would go 2 down .
This
theory is also extended to 6-4’s . When I open a major and partner bids a
forcing NT I always rebid my 4 card suit next . Why ? Partner is usually
denying a fit with the 1NT bid and the 4 card suit can get “lost” if you rebid
your 6 card suit .
AJ109xx KQxx Kx x or AJ109xx Kx QJ10x x On both
these hands I would bid my 4 card suit .
Say on these hands you rebid your 6 card suit . Is partner going to move
with
X Axxxx Qxx xxxx you go down in 2♠ and make 620 in hearts .
OR x Qxx
Axxxxx xxx a vul 600 in diamonds
is on a hook and you play 2♠
going down !
Having
said all this I do not bid my 4 card suits if “where I live” is all in my 6 card suit . With AKQxxx
xx QJ10x x I bid 2♠ . The
spade duplication of value will hinder diamond games as well as make a spade
contract better . Show where you live !!
Another
way of showing where you live is “patterning out” . Quite of then this is used
as a game try as you are showing extra values by doing this. Sometimes its just
finding the best spot. Kiz and I got to an excellent game by “patterning out. I
held AKxx x Kxx K10xxx and opened
1♣ . Kiz responded a diamond and I bid a spade. Kiz rebid 2NT invitational and
I showed where I lived by bidding 3♦. Kiz now leaped to 5♣ with xx Qxx AQJx Q98x & since clubs behaved I was +600.