Monday, August 19, 2002 8:05 AM
 
 TACTICS - Stepping Stones

 

PITBULLS:

 

            When the opponents enter your auction it is a given that they make bidding more difficult for you . Therefore a counter defense is to assign meanings to their interference bids so that you can use them as a “stepping stone” to arrive at your best spots. For example, lets start off with the hand I held playing with Tom awhile back:

 

Ax xx AK KJ1098xx     1♣               1♠                    I chose to bid 3♣ . I wanted  to bid 4♣ but that would put us past 3NT . The 2♣ bid was alerted as  

   shortness  in clubs and a 2 suiter in the unbid suits

 

                                           ?        2♣

 

            What would a double mean ? I think the double of a Q bid that shows other suits should be reserved to show defense against their suits. If you have the suit and want it lead then just bid it !

 

            O.K. you have two “invisible Q bids” available yourself to bid as their bids show two suits. You have numerous ways to show spade support so the 2♦ or 2♥ bid should be initially interpreted as showing a good hand and values in that suit for NT purposes . If later on , you do support spades than it was a 1st round control Q bid in that suit.

 

xx xxx AK AKQJxx         With this hand I would bid 2♦ directly trying to steer partner into NT with a heart stopper .

 

x AKxx Q10xx AKxx       With this hand I would double 2♣ to say that I have defense for their suits and I would not be enamoured if you bid 2♠

 

 

O.K. another auction that comes up quite often . We are Q bidding their suit or they are Q bidding our suit to show a major suit fit . This gives us a chance to define more partnership understandings .

 

              1♠

1♦                     P                         O.K.   the double of partners Q bid gives you an extra 2 steps that you can build on . In a standard Q bidding auction the

X                                             redouble  shows a diamond control . This is not a Q bidding auction per se so the re-double should have another meaning

2♦                              I suggest that should show a very good overcall with defense. This is in case the opponents come back into the bidding for sacrificing purposes , partner knows what kind of hand you have . Pass should be the weakest overcall and a direct 2♠ should show  distributional values .

 

 

O.K   looking at this auction from the other perspective . What should the double of 2♦ mean ?  Some partnerships assign lead directing meanings and a pass says lead diamonds and a double says do not lead diamonds .

 

You have Ax xx Q109xx AKQx    and against a spade contract you want partner to get off to a different lead  . Since the opponents are showing “cards” then lead directing bids make the most sense . A direct 3♦ bid would be distributional and suggesting a possible sacrifice .

 

O.K. what if the opponents are making lead directing doubles ?  Over a 1NT opening bid , partnerships have a pass and redouble well defined . A pass shows values in the doubled suit and encourages partner to redouble with a suitable hand . A direct redouble shows that suit as an alternative place to play the hand if partners hand is suitable..

 

O.K. the 4 level in bridge is getting up in the rarified atmosphere where Q bids reside . The 2 & 3 level are “groping levels” where partnerships are still trying to find the best spot – bidding stoppers etc.  I think we should use the 4 level and higher to say that if we redouble the opponents lead director then that is a Q bid showing 2nd or 1St round control in the suit . At the 3 level and below the redouble should have a different meaning . Take the infamous Butcher/Terplawy disaster in Montreal .

 

                          P DBL

               2♥                    2NT  RDBL                What should the redouble mean ? 

               3♠

We are not at the 4 level or there is no implied fit , so the redouble should not be a Q bid . The 3♠ bid was artificial so the redouble should show an alternative place to place the hand . Partner did not bid spades directly over 2♥ but holding AQJ9 is certainly possible . Butcher meant it as a Q bid and Allan did not  , which resulted in a 16 IMP  loss for our side .

 

            1♠

1♣                  2♠                                               Using the groping theory this auction should show wasted values in spades

and a distributional hand not suitable for a direct NT bid . Some people play the RDBL as a partial stopper in

RDBL    DBL                                                 spades Qx Jxx etc and partner can bid 3NT with a  suitable card .

 

                                                                         

 

            Anyway . when the opponents are in your auction , use them for your advantage and have you partnership understandings clearly defined.