MORE COMPETITIVE PART-SCORE BIDDING

COMPETITIVE PART-SCORE BIDDING:

THE FIGHT FOR THE PARTIAL

NOTE WELL:        In both rubber and duplicate pairs bridge, more than 50% of all deals are properly played at a part-score contract.

I.                    From the Opener’s Seat

The most important difference between rubber and duplicate (pairs) bridge lies in the life-or-death struggle for the part-score.  In duplicate, one must be much more aggressive because one is confronted with many more crucial decisions where experience has shown that aggressive action is required because each deal is of equal importance.  In duplicate pairs success is measured by the frequency of gain, not the amount of gain.

Another reason for bidding aggressively arises from modern innovations in bidding, particularly with the popularity of the negative double (responder’s double) after our side opens the bidding and they overcall in the direct seat.  When playing the “negative double” convention, where a direct double by responder of their overcall is for TAKEOUT (ostensibly support for the two un-bid suits) when they overcall and responder holds a penalty (trump stack) double, responder must PASS and await for opener to “protect” with a reopening double (provided opener does not have a trump stack, in which case responder’s pass is NOT a “penalty pass,” but rather an abject confession of weakness).

DIGRESSION:  WHAT DOES RESPONDER NEED TO HOLD TO MAKE A “PENALTY PASS?”

1.       A trump stack – trump length and trump strength.  The table below shows how long and strong your trump suit needs to be to effectively make a penalty pass (or to make a penalty double, if your partnership does not use the “negative double” convention:

When they overcall on this level	Minimum trump length	Minimum trump strength
One level – seven tricks	FIVE	THREE TRICKS*
Two level – eight tricks	FOUR	TWO TRICKS*
Three level – nine tricks	THREE	ONE TRICKS*

*Count an extra trump trick when holding five trump, even five small.

** Be aware of whether you are behind or in front of the overcall.  Q-T-x-x behind  the overcall is probably worth two trump tricks; Q-T-x-x in front of the overcall might not even get you one trump trick.

Another way to look at this table is that their level (number of tricks) plus your minimum trump length must always add to 12 (or more), and their level plus your minimum number of trump tricks must always add to 10 (or more) in order to have a viable penalty double.  Ron Klinger calls this relationship "The Rule of 10 and 12."

2.       Enough High Card Points to assure that the partnership holds at least “half the deck.” Thus, when your partnership agreement is to open “(almost) all” 12 HCP hands, as responder, you need at least 8 HCP when you contemplate making a “penalty pass” (OR, for those not playing negative doubles, a “penalty double.”)

For the remainder of this discussion, assume that your partnership employs “negative doubles.” 

The bidding goes:                 West     North    East        South   

                                                1S           2H           P             P

                                                ?

What should West do in the re-opening seat with the following hands when your partnership uses negative doubles?

               

S:   K Q T 3 2     K Q T 3 2    K Q T 3 2      K Q T 3 2       K Q T 4 3 2      K Q J 9 3 2

H:  8 5               8 5              A J T 2          2                   2                      3 2

D:  K 6               K 6 4           K 6               A 9 4 3 2       4 3 2                K 2

C:  A 9 4 2         A 9 2          4 2               K 6                 A K 2                A K 2

     X#               XX##           P###            3D####          2S#####          3S######

S:   K Q T 3 2     K Q T 3 2    K Q T 3 2     K Q J 3 2        K Q T 3 2        A K Q J 4 3 2

H:  8                  A Q 2          A Q 2          2                    4 3 2               K 4

D:  6 5               K Q 4          Q J 9           A 2                4 3                   A 2

C:  A K 9 4 2      Q 9             4 2              A K J 3 2        A K 2               3 2

     3C^              2NT^^       P^^^           X^^^^            P^^^^^           3NT^^^^^^

#          With some trepidation, because of the doubleton diamond – if partner should inconveniently respond two diamonds, you PASS, and they may very well have a “gotcha!”  The deciding factor is you are (somewhat) “short” in their suit at most, two).

##     Much more comfortable double here, with three cards in each unbid suit, short in their suit.

###        PASS  - partner cannot have a penalty pass, and does not have enough for a negative double, and you are quite content to defend two hearts with your heart length and strength.

####     Very scary, but with a singleton heart and a highly offensive hand, bid where you live (the voluntary call on the three-level here promises at least fivecards in the second suit. 

#####   Partner may have a penalty pass, but your two-suiter suggests declaring will be better

######     The jump rebid to 3S shows a hand that would have made a jump rebid over a minimum response

^   With the singleton heart, ‘tis better to show your second suit, even with minimum high-card values.

^^    2NT on this auction shows the same as a jump rebid to 2NT opposite a minimum response, a balanced 18-19 HCP with some stoppers in their suit.

^^^        Too many hearts and too much heart strength.  Partner’s pass suggests a (very) weak hand.

^^^^     The big double.  If partner bids three diamonds, you are strong enough, distributionally and points-wise to call four clubs (or even cue-bid three hearts, telling parter to rebid 3NT with a heart stopper).

^^^^^   Too many hearts, not enough points.

^^^^^^  Whenever 3NT is a viable action (in a competitive auction), then BID IT (Hamman's Rule)!

Competitive Part-Score Bidding: The Fight for the Partial

Competitive Part-Score Bidding: The Fight for the Partial

NOTE WELL:        In both rubber and duplicate bridge, more than 50 percent of all deals are properly

played at a part-score contract

The most important difference between rubber and duplicate bridge is the life-or-death struggle for the part-score.  Duplicate requires one to be much more aggressive because he is confronted with many more crucial decisions where aggressive action is required to achieve optimal results because each deal is of equal importance, and because duplicate results are measured by the frequency of gain rather than the magnitude of gain (or loss).

The most difficult segment of defensive bidding involves whether or not to reopen after either the opening bidder or responder have passed the hand out at the one or two level.  In duplicate, all deals are “born free and equal,” safety (avoiding a big minus number) plays only a minor factor in determining whether or not to reopen and frequency of gain or loss becomes the primary factor.  In duplicate, one tends to bid more than in rubber bridge, which does not imply that one gambles more in duplicate, but rather that one is thrust into many more gambling situations and must, accordingly, take many more “gambles” than would be prudent at rubber bridge.

Since competition is the way of life in duplicatge bridge, the requirements for practically every type of bid are lowered from the rubber-bridge standards – and this is true of opening bids, responses, overcalls, take-out doubles, pre-emptive bids, and with sacrifice bids, and it is ESPECIALLY true to virtually all bids made to reopen the bidding when the opponents have stopped at a low-level contract.

In most cases, after they open and respond, and end up passing out at a low level, it is the last player with a bid that is usually charged with keeping the bidding alive, and preventing the opponents from playing in the comfort of a two-level fit.

The theory under which the defensive side reopens is known as The Balance of Power Principle:

When the opening side stops at a low-level part-score contract, their hands are LIMITED to something like 18-22 combined high card points, and thus, our side too (the defensive side) will usually have something in the 18-22 combined points range.  Poor match point results generally emerge from letting your opponents make a small plus declaring, or a smaller minus defending lower level contracts, thus “protective bidding” becomes an essential to the defending side’s welfare.

SOME BIG SWINGS GOES REGGIE'S WAY

#55             J 8                                          W      N      E      S
D:S            A T 7                                                                 P
V: BOTH     A Q J 7 3                                 1C    1D     1S      P
                 T 5 2                                       2S      P      4S     P
K T 2                         A Q 5 4 3                  P       P
J 8 3 2                       Q 5 4
4                               K T 2
A K 9 6 4                   J 8
                   9 7 6
                   K 9 6
                   9 8 6 5
                   Q 7 3

Bad declarer play - failure to support w support - pusalanimous preempts

#124            7 5                          W      N          E       S

D-W             A J 9 6 3 2              P       2H@     P       4H#

V-N/S          Q T 7 3                    P       P           P

                    6

J 9 6 3                                  Q 8

Q                                          K T 8                                @ Even at unfavorable vulnerability

A K 6 2                                  J 9 8 4                                  this hand SHOULD open 2h - the

9 8 5 2                                  K T 7 4                                  offensive prospects are too good

                       A K T 4 2                                                    while the defensive hopes are

                       7 5 4                                                          forlorn. PREEMPT here in order

                       5                                                                to deprive them of bidding space.

                       A Q J 3

 # Support with support, the oldest commandment in  the book.

North misplayed this hand at trick eleven (he had drawn no trump) when he led a small heart from A J 9 … losing to the stiff Queen, and then losing one more trick en passant.

This hand may qualify as the instigator for seducing BBO players into coming up with the most improbable lines of play ever.. Suffice it to say that a count of either LOSERS with North as the master hand, or WINNERS, ought to see one through. In practice, 11 out of 12 heart declarers failed to take as many as ten tricks. The one declarer who DID take ten tricks, OF COURSE, was declaring five hearts, thinking that ROFLMFAO! He thought his hand was good enough to ask for aces opposite a vulnerable weak two opener. WRONG!

BECAUSE of the all around crappy declarer play exhibited all over the room, you got a below average result. You were DAMNED lucky that BOZO North didn't slap down the ace of farts on the table at trick eleven.

(The Lord loves us bi-polars with family histories of alcoholism and growing up in Blue Island, IL).

Counting Losers with North as the Master Hand (typically the long trump hand)

Spades: zero losers

Hearts: unknown for now – at least one, assume two (3-1 split) initially

Diamonds: four (up to three can be ruffed away – unless they lead trump)

Clubs: zero

With six losers, declarer must eliminate three of them

(a) Ruff three diamonds in dummy

(b) Win the club ace and lead the Queen, pitching a loser if West does not

cover the king … OR … finesse the club queen (if it loses you have

two pitches on the club A-J, and then need to ruff only one diamond

Counting Winners: With four sure winners, North must come to six extra

winners by ruffing – clubs in the South hand and

ruffing diamonds in the North hand

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#125                   K 9 8                                            W              N                  E                  S

D-N                     K Q                                                -               2C                2H@            2S

V-ALL                  K Q 6 2                                         P              4S#             P                  4N%

                            A K Q 7                                         P              5D                P                   6S

J 5                                                  Q 3                    P               P                   P

A 4                                                  J 9 8 7 6 5 3 2

J 7 3                                               9 5                                                           @ Utterly pusillanimous – East

J T 9 6                                            5 2 3                                                            ought to bid four hearts without

                            A T 7 6 4 2                                                                              pausing to catch her breath. With 3 HCP,

                            T                                                                                               the expectation is that the unseen hands

                            A T 8 4                                                                                    will have about 15 HCP between them (the

                            8 4                                                                                           2C opener usually having around 22) and you

                                                                                               expect your partner will have about half of those – 7½ – giving

                                                                                               your side 10½ HCP and their side 29½. You KNOW they have

a fit IN SOME SUIT, but you don't know what suit it is, and if you gum up the works with a four heart preempt, THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO UNCOVER THEIR FIT, ESPECIALLY if their fit is in a minor suit.

# Unless the partnership has some prior agreement where the JUMP to game in support of responder's suit after you have opened a strong two clubs is WEAKER than a simple raise, North is better of simply raising to three spades. This gives SOUTH a chance to show slam interest and keeps the bidding low in so doing.

% So often these 4NT bids are wrong, but here, South has TWO ACES OPPOSITE A STRONG TWO CLUB OPENING BID WITH A FIT! The rule is (via the Sharples Brothers – considered by many to be the best partnership bidding pair in the world), with two aces opposite a 2C opener, you belong in slam.

NOTE, gentle reader, that slam is not a guarantee (viewing only the NS cards). With the heart ace a loser, South needs to bring home the spade suit with no losers, which will happen whenter spades split 2-2, OR, with a 3-1 split with a stiff Honor when declarer can “guess” which opponent started with the singleton honor.

In the example hand above, if South were to take an a priori (before the fact)

guess as to which opponent would be the more likely to have started with a

singleton spade honor, the BEST GUESS would have been that East is the more

likely to have started with either the stiff Queen or stiff Jack.

WHY? Because East trots in vulnerable with two hearts over a two club opener

missing (only) the A-K-Q-T of hearts. Ergo, East has the heart length and is

more likely to be short in spades, SO, the proper way to start playing trump is

to play the ACE first, and if East drops an honor, to continue with a small spade

towards dummy's K-9 planning to finesse the nine.

IMP RESULT (9.27)

You were screwed by bad field bidding. Your composite N-S teammates are NOT

holding up their ends (for the second board in a row).

=======================================================

#126                        Q 9 6 5 3                                      W                  N                 E                        S

D-E                            - -                                                   -                     -               P                       1N@

V-N/S                       8 6 4 2                                          2C#                2S$              P                       3H^

                                A 8 5 4                                           P                    3S&             P                       4N*

8                                                      A J 7 4                   P                    5D(             P                        5S)

K J 4 3                                              T 7 6 5                   P                     P                 X+                      P

K Q 3                                                T 9 7 5                   P                     P

Q 9 7 6 3                                          T

                                 K T 2

                                 A Q 9 8 2

                                 A J

                                  K J 2

@ This is far too much strength for a one no trump opener (unless you like to be declarer and your partnership plays transfers – ROFLMFAO)

# YES! Too much offensive potential for a pass. It is especially nice if you play 2C as promising TWO suits (double your chances of finding a suit fit) and opponents have sometimes been known to have nuclear meltdowns when you butt in over their strong 1NT opener.

$ Quite correct, ALSO a SIGN-OFF bid (as in, my bad partner, simply do not want to sell out to two clubs – HOWEVER, better to play SYSTEMS ON over a 2C overcall, and therefore TRANSFERS are on (2D-->2H; 2H-->2S) and X of two clubs = stayman (the only stolen bid double that ever made any sense)

^ No respect for a sign off; NOW is not the time to go introducing a new suit at the 3-level

& Yep – you simply cannot stand hearts which is at best on a 5-0 fit

“*” Gag me with a spoon – partner made a sign off bid (5-8 HCP) and now you want to go SLAMMIN because you opened a jack heavy? CRETIN; MORON; (I once bid like you).

( Damn lucky to have any aces on this auction

) Too bad you didn't have two aces partner (which you can't for your 2S sign off)

+ GREAT double – trump stack double with the long spades in front of your A J x x (a call that, sadly, I would probably not have found at the table. Must devlope more of a killer instinct when their blood is in the water.)

IMP RESULTS You got a very good one, taking advantage of opponents who did not

really know what to do in the face of competition over their 1NT

opening bid (much better to open the South hand 1H and jump rebid

two no trump – far more descriptive).

Kudos to you, Reggie for the two club overcall

Kisses to your partner for whacking them in five spades

=====================================

WHY WE OUGHT NOT OPEN A WEAK 2D WITH 4-CARD SPADE SUIT IN 1ST-2ND SEATS

#10:           T                                 W     N     E     S
D: E           A K T 7 5                                    2D    P
V: BOTH    Q 9 5 4 3                     2H     P    3D    P
                 9 6                               P       P
A K 8 6                      J 4 3 2
Q J 8 6 2                    9
---                              K J T 7 6 2
A J 8 2                      Q 7
                 Q J 9 7
                 4 3
                 A 8
                 K J T 4 3

DOUBLES OF ARTIFICIAL ARE LEAD-DIRECTIN / PENALTY SEEKING

#6:              Q 8 5 3                    W      N      E      S
D: E            K J 5                                         P      P
V: E-W        Q 9 6 3                     1N    P       2CX  P
                  6 3                            P     P
K 2                         A J T 9 6
A 9 2                      Q T 7 4
K 8 7 4                   J 5
A Q 9 2                  T 4
                 7 4
                 8 6 3
                 A T 2
                 K J 8 7 5

DON'T BID THE SAME CARDS TWICE

#5:              A K Q J 9 7 4                               W     N     E     S
D: N           9 5 4                                                    1S   3C   3S
V: N-S      A Q 3                                             P      4S   5C   X
                 ---                                                  P       P     P
T 8                                   2
Q T 6                               A K J
K T 9 5 4                        J 8                        EAST'S INITIAL THREE CLUB CALL WAS A 
9 8 5                               K J T 7 6 3 2        PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF HIS HAND'S
                  6 5 3                                        SHAPE
                 8 7 3 2                                      5C WAS QUITE WHIMSICAL.  WHENEVER 5C IS
                7 6 2                                          RIGHT, EAST WILL BE ABLE TO BID IT.
                A Q 4