Saturday, March 29, 2003 3:17 PM
The Great Escape
PITBULLS:
Sometimes a partnership gets into trouble . The
opponents have doubled you due to bad trump breaks or a preponderance of HCP’s.
Just sitting there and taking your lumps is
not a good idea . Established partnerships have well planned escape
routes . Sometimes though , it is
fuzzy on who should take the initiative in rescue auctions .
If
partner makes an overcall either at the one or two level and a negative
double gets converted
for penalty in front of the overcaller , the bidder
has the responsibility to initiate escape routes not the partner.
Partner rescuing might lead to a greater disaster because she does not the
quality of partners suit or hand but the overcaller does. A redouble by the
overcaller is always SOS . A run
to NT usually means minor tolerance and bidding the opponents suit is natural .
The SOS redouble implies the majors or the
unbid suits if that’s whats left.. The SOS redoubles follows takeout principles . You redouble with Q10xxx xx xx xxxx when 1♦x gets
left in . You pull 1♥x to 1♠ and you show your club tolerance. You do not rescue
overcalls before the doubling starts. A bid is forward
going and not a rescue .
If partner opens and LHO makes a takeout
double and the contract gets converted for penalty it is the opener who is
responsible to initiate rescue sequences . You do not rescue before the fact . Partner is going to
assume you are bidding on values and not being concerned that the contract is
going to be converted for penalty by the opponents.
O.K.
the situation changes when the re-opening
double gets converted for penalty . The overcaller does not get a
chance to rescue herself because she does not know that the hand is going to be converted for penalties.
Experience shows that it is best to escape if at all possible . Again a
redouble is SOS and NT means pick a minor and the opponents suit is natural .
When the opponents say partner is getting a horrible trump break it is best to
believe them . Even players with sound
overcalls get bad breaks so why play in that suit if you have a
reasonable chance of an alternative contract ?
Established
partnerships have rescue understandings when their NT opener or overcall gets
doubled . DONT is a good run out treatment as the redouble to show a one suited hand is very helpful .
However, what a about the
situation where partner doubles a NT
and hits you with a bad hand ? Passing can be expensive as –580 is not a good
score . If you are vul sometimes it is best to let them have their –180 or –380
rather then going for a huge number yourself. Peter Jones and I had an
understanding that if you can not stand partners double you always bid 2♣ unless you have a long
suit . This does not show clubs but tells partner to start running. Sometimes
doubling 1NT in the balancing spot is a gamble . If the opponents are vul it is
a good gamble to double with 10-12 points. If you hit partner with 10 HCP or
more the opponents are in deep trouble as 2 HCP or less is in the dummy .
Sometimes when you strike out and the opponents have the greater HCP’s ,
partner should pull to the automatic 2♣ and maybe you can land on your feet.
There
is another sequence where to rescue or not to rescue is the question . This is
where either after an overcall or a balance the opponents double you for
penalty . If you have what partner can reasonably expect you to have for your
overcall to should pass . If you have extra , you should redouble to tell partner not to rescue .
A hand that Lorna and Lloyda had Thurs nite resulted in a lot of discussion . Lorna held
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The auction
went 2♥ and around to Lorna in the balancing position . She
balanced 3♣ and Lloyda bid 3NT
which got doubled . Should Lorna pull ?
My opinion is that if you have enough to balance you have enough to pass
. If you have extra say 16 HCP you
should redouble to tell partner not to pull but you should never pull
by yourself . This is an auction where partner
knows more what is going on then
you do . Partner can have 16 HCP and a heart trap or any assortment
of hands.
Lloyda actually held xxxx QJxx xx
AJx so in the
absence of a redouble , partner has around an opening bid 12-13 HCP . With your
8 HCP the opponents have as many points as you do which is a recipe for a
disaster. Leaving the double in and best defense by the opponents results in 6 down or 1400 not vul . With Lloyda’s hand
you do not mind trying 3NT but when it gets doubled 4♣ would be discretion
before valour.
Maurice
& Tom had an auction where the SOS redouble saves the day . 1♦ by Maurice with xx
AJ10x Qxxx AQJ and Tom
passes with Q10xxx 98x xx xxx . Lisa
doubles in the balancing and Stan converts for penalty. This is a time to
believe the enemy and run . Which escape tool do we use ? Bidding 1♠ is a little single handed as you do have heart
tolerance. The redouble is a good bid as this shows the majors and not that the
passed hand has magically grown HCP’s and wants to play a redoubled contract.
Maurice pulls to 1♥ and both
Lisa & Stan have 3 hearts and a penalty double is averted. Even if 1♥ somehow gets doubled it plays quite well and the
defense has to be sharp to beat it. Anyway using the appropriate rescue tool a
disaster like 1100 is averted.
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The opponents
open 1♦ in 4th seat and your vul partner
overcalls 1♠
. They pass and the diamond bidder ( Nick G ) re-opens with a double which gets
converted for penalty. Your call ? Partner did not open a weak 2♠ vul but came in vul ( Bob C ) so partner is not
suicidal . You know the spades are 5-1 so passing looks like –500 . This is a
hand for the S.O.S. redouble . You have 2 excellent
unbid suits and the opponents might be hard pressed to double. Partners hand is
KJ10xx KQ10x xx xx . They will not
double 2♥ and more importantly they will realize they do not
have a heart stopper and it might keep them out of their cold 3NT. Partner fell
from grace and we lost 7 IMPS in 1♠X for –500.