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.
