Tuesday, February 15, 2005 12:49 PM

The Bully Suit

PITBULLS:

Spades are the “bully suit” in Bridge as it’s the highest ranking suit. Opponents use this advantage to push you around in competitive auctions . It may be dangerous to bid to the next level that the spade suit requires you to do. Established partnerships have understandings to combat this tactic. One is to use the fact that NT is even higher ranking than spades so “fight fire with fire” . 4NT is never Blackwood or natural over the opponents 4♠ bid. Let me repeat that. No matter how the auction went if the opponents bid 4♠, 4NT by your side is never Blackwood. The bid shows a two suiter or is Lebensohl or is takeout depending on context.

What about the 2NT bid after the opponents have bid spades ? If they have bid spades in the “sandwich position” , 2NT is never natural now matter how the auction went. It is the “good-bad 2NT” . These means that if you bid directly over their spades you show invitational values otherwise you bid 2NT as a relay to 3♣ and bail out somewhere. If you have made a takeout double in the sandwich position , 2NT is not natural and is “scrambling” to find the best contract.

Doubles assist us in combating the bully suit. If the opponents have an established spade fit , the double is a competitive D.S.I.P. double showing cards rather than a spade trump stack. If they have pre-empted to a direct 3♠ over your auction , a double is a “thrump double” asking partner to bid 3NT with a spade stopper. These are the tools of choice to combat the bully suit so lets try some examples.

Partner opens 1♦ and RHO bids 4♠. You hold x AQJxx x AJxxxx so do you flip a coin and bid a suit ? No , use 4NT over spades to show all two suiters . If you had more defense and less distribution use a D.S.I.P. double to give partner the option of converting. If partner has made a takeout double and they interfere at the 4 level in spades , 4NT changes its meaning to Lebensohl . 1♠-Dbl-4♠-4NT . In these auctions , two suiters are easier to bid because partner with his double promises support . Therefore 4NT can be put to better use to show a slam try. 4NT requests a bid of 5♣ and you retreat saying you do not have slam interest. A direct bid over 4♠ is a slam try. Pulling doubles of 4♠ uses the 4NT concept also. If partner doubles 4♠ and you want to pull because you have visions of bigger and better things or you have a distributional nothing, use the 4NT tool. A direct pull shows values and is forward going. Bid 4NT if you are pulling because they will probably make their contract. This of course demands 5♣ and you now bid your suit.

In some auctions a direct 4NT is a takeout bid over the bully suit. 2♠-2NT-4♠-? Void KQxx KQxxx J10xx . A double should be penalty is light of spade duplication by partners 2NT bid so what is 4NT ? It is not to play nor is it Blackwood. Partner has some support for your suits be virtue of his 2NT bid so 4NT is used to “pick a suit partner” . 4NT can not be to play as more often than not just double them for penalty. Bidding 4NT directly over 4♠ is takeout by some partnerships. I prefer playing the double as takeout and playing 4NT as any two suiter. !♣-3♠-? xx Axx KQJ10xx Kx you double asking partner to bid 3NT with a spade stopper. A direct 4♦ gets you passed 3NT to an 11 trick game which probably will go down.

O.K. lets go back to the 2 level and have the opponents interfere with spades in the “sandwich position”. You open 1♦ and LHO overcalls 1♠ and partner makes a negative double and they bid 2♠ . The bully suit again appears , so use 2NT to be competitive and relay to 3♣ . Use the fact that spades force you to the 3 level to show values and is invitational. Same with re-opening doubles. 1♦-2♠-P-P X-P-2NT-P ? The 2NT can not be natural as partner would bid 2NT directly. This is Lebensohl saying he does not have anything. If partner bids directly after your re-opening double , he has some values and is invitational.

What if you balance over the bully suit with a double or double in the sandwich position over spades ? The meaning of 2NT changes again in this context. This time it is a ”scrambling 2NT” bid. Partner will not bid 2NT as natural in these auctions . If she is that strong she will probably just pass 2♠ doubled. The scrambling 2NT shows two suits probably just 4-4 and demands that partner bid 4 card suits up the line. 1♠-P-2♠-P P-X-P-2NT The 2NT bidder holds xxx xx Kxxx Kxxx so why guess to pick a suit when 2NT says pick your lowest 4 card suit partner. Partner holds xx AKxx QJ10x J10x so she bids 3♦ and you have found your 4-4 fit instead of your 4-3 fit.

How does the bully suit effect your overcalls ? Quite a bit if you have overcalled the minors. The opponents open 1 spade and you have x Kx AKxx KQJxxx so you overcall 2♣.They bid 2♠ and around to you again. 2NT can not be natural as you did not overcall 1NT in the first place. It shows a 6-4 in the minors in this auction. Still another use for 2NT after a bid forces you to the 3 level ! See why we need the NT bid over spades ?

How does the bully suit effect your T/O doubles ? Quite a bit as it forces partner to go to the two level with nothing up to an invitational hand. The T/O doubler has no idea what the range is so she can get into trouble by inviting or passing. There is a solution . Play 1NT as a negative showing zero to 7 HCP’s . Partner now scrambles by bidding her lower ranking suit and you stay at the two level. If you bid anything it shows values up to the range covered by a jump bid. If NT is the spot , the T/O double will make a Western Q bid for a stopper. Partner should be aware that when you bid at the two level , you can have a “real” 1NT bid of 8-10 HCP’s.

Sometimes the opponents bidding spades at high levels forces you to bid 4NT or 5NT as a Q bid. Some times 4NT or 5NT means pick a suit. Here is a hand that shows one of those applications x 10xxx AQJxxxx x . You open 3♦ and partner bids 3♥ and RHO bullys you with 4♠. 4NT by you of course can not be Blackwood. 4NT means pick a spot between diamonds and hearts as who knows what partner was doing with the 3♥ bid.

The spade suit does significant damage in competitive auctions and needs your respect. Foregoing the “traditional” use of NT in these auctions is the best way of leveling the playing field. Blackwood and 2NT natural are the two bids that must be sacrificed. NT bids are the antidotes to the spade suit poison. 4NT & 2NT are not a great loss anyway as they are other ways of getting to your slams or 3NT games. Take that you bully spade suit !!