Short Topics

Karen McCallum, writing in Bridge Today, provided these tips:

1. Points don't take tricks.
2. If it's not in the notes, we don't play it.
3. Choice of games come before slam bidding.
4. Don't sell at the 2-level when the opponents have a fit.
5. Partnership is only as strong as its weakest link.
6. Don't be an easy opponent.
7. Pay attention to the law of total tricks.
8. Make the opponents make the last guess.
9. Partner never has the right hand.
10. Be aggressive about bidding games at IMPs.
11. Bid slams conservatively.
12. If two people at the table think I am going down, and I'm one of them, I don't play there.
13. Be a disciplined partner.

Opener bid a major which was raised, and that was all they had.  Opener had 11-15 high, and though responder could have 0 HCP plus distribution, one raise had 4 HCP, and the rest had 6-10 HCP.  On most deals it was right to compete, and if opener-responder had nine trumps they should take the push.

I conclude both sides have 20 HCP and opener-responder have an eight-card fit.  Make the defenders first person.  Though it is possible we have only a seven-card fit, I expect at least an eight-card fit.  The law of total tricks says "compete".  If somehow they have 23-25 HCP, they should punish us.  At the other extreme, we might have 25 HCP and a power game.  Don't expect either.

The lesson is the defenders do not have game unless there is a short suit in the partnership.  The opening side did make two games on the basis of trumps plus a five-card side suit.

Good hands are worse than you think, and bad hands are better than you think.  Don't hang the weaker hand for trying to find the right suit.

With both vulnerable, one fourth seat hand was

			A J 8 7 x x
			T x
			T x x
			A T
1	Pass	2	?

Larry Cohen talks about pre-balance, and this is an example.  If you pass, the auction figures to be over.  It is now or never.

Twice, fourth seat had 19 HCP.  The system is not "I have a lot of points.  Therefore, I am required to overbid to game and go down."  Similarly, if partner pre-balances, the system is not "I have a lot of points.  Therefore, I am required to overbid to game and go down."  Another misconception is the only way to enter the bidding with a lot of points is with a takeout double. "

	x		A J x
	K J x x x		A x
	x x x		Q J 7 x x
	T x x x		A K x
1	Pass	2	3

I think the above is right.  The wrong auction illustrated better-minor lebensohl.

1	Pass	2	Dble
Pass	2NT	Pass	3
Pass	3	Pass	?

East asked partner to bid.  West did not have enough suit count for a direct 3 (just one point light) and bid 2NT and then corrected to 3 .  West could have done this with only four hearts.  East was faced with the possibility of a 4-2 heart fit.

	T x		A K J 8 x x
	K x x		Q x
	T 9 x x		A J x
	T x x x		A x
1	Pass	2	?

What does 3 mean?  It seems silly that it is preemptive when they are dead.  Anyway, East doubled, West bid 2NT for the minors, and East bid 3 .  Double dummy analysis showed the best bid is 2 .  These big hands are played out of one side.  The Q is not even worth the 1 point that is assigned to it.

The defense applies against Unusual Notrump and Michaels, and is called Unusual vs unusual.  (If) These bids show two specific suits, the other two are assumed to be our suits.  It is their higher suit for our higher suit, lower for lower, and negative doubles.  It caters to the most common problems posed by a large number of hands produced on my computer.  If only one of their suits is known, then a bid in that suit is support for opener.

For these defenses to apply, the two-suited bid must be made immediately over a 1 , 1 , 1 , or 1 opening and must be at the two-level.  The defense does not apply:

• After responder has bid. 
  • Then doubles are support doubles. 

The two-suit overcalls are the unusual notrump, Michaels, and top & bottom.  Except for Michaels over a major, their bid shows two specific suits, and so there are only two suits we are interested in playing.

Here is the (current) defense when their two suits are known:

• Establish the suits shown by their notrump or cue-bid.
• Bid in those suits are:  Higher for higher, and lower for lower.
• A bid of either of our suits is nonforcing, and shows less than a game invite.  Though everyone thinks you must have six cards to bid the other suit, there is no law against only five, and, in fact, that might be right.
• A bid in either of their suits is invite or better in our corresponding suit.
• Double is negative and starts at about 9 points.  The double may be our sides last bid in the auction.  It is a way to involve both of us when responder has some values in a hand that lacks direction.  It does not say we own the auction.  Over a major opening you probably should have two cards in partner's suit and four or five in the other.  Over a 1 opening I expect two or three diamonds and four or five in the unclaimed suit.
• Pass and then double does not invite partner to the party.  Nailing the opponents is a low priority in the proposed defense.  (Pass, and then bidding one of their "suits", probably should be to play that suit.  The clues are fourth seat chose the other suit, and opener is relatively short in that suit.) 
• 2NT and 3NT are natural.  Our experience in defending against two-suited bids is that 3NT is ugly.
• I decree that a jump in one of their suits is a splinter. 

When only one of their suits is known (the Michaels over a major case, or, if for some reason, they think the unusual notrump includes opener's minor), the modification is:

• Known for known.
• New suits are game forces.

• Two-over-one is not forcing.  With weak two bids in my arsenal, I rarely have the strength for a two-over-one even invitational.  Suggests a six-card suit with 7-11 notrump points.
• I do not open light in third or fourth seat.  (Rare hand that might be one point light.) 
• 1NT is still forcing.  1NT followed by a new suit suggests two places the play the hand.  Two-over-one implies only one place.

You stutter: "What about Drury?"  With my version of weak two bids, most of the Drury hands are opened with a weak two bid.  You say "I like to open light."  I looked at 96 deals where the senorita passed in the first three seats.  There were two balanced hands I might consider opening light.  They were both balanced hands that, if I opened, I would open with a weak notrump.  I repeated the experiment using "standard" weak two bids.  Now there were 6 deals (of 96) that were my style of weak 2 and 2 .  For Drury to apply, partner needs an invitational or better raise.

A poisoned bid is a bid that we are not sure how partner will interpret.  Poisoned bids are best left to post mortem conversations.  Avoid disaster-prome bids.

Your poisoned bids are probably different than mine.

• One of mine is:  Low-level doubles are some form of takeout, unless there is a specific agreement to the contrary.
• One of yours might be 4NT. 
  • Is 4NT quantitative? 
  • Is it Key-Card? 
  • Is it 1430? 
  • Is there a trump suit? 
  • What are trumps? 
  • Are there two trump suits?
• A Coronado poisoned bid is Drury.

Robinson doesn't talk about reverses.  I think his numbers are 17 and 19 notrump points for these bids.  Depends on what you are partner agree is a minimum response.  If you agreed 7, then bids could be a point less.  General reverse statement is it promises another bid, which, with less than game will be 2NT or 3-of-your-minor, or possible a 3-card raise.

Responder's priorities over a reverse.

• Show a fifth card in the response suit, else. 
• Make cheapest bid available (2-major or 2NT) with weak hand, else
• Other bids are natural and force to game. 

Everything was good until the current Bridge World asked experts about this hand

x x x
A K x x
A Q T 9 x x
—
1		1
?

The majority reversed with 2 .

On the back of the convention and under takeout doubles:  2NT = good limit raise. 

At the bottom of the front of the convention card:  Limit 2NT in competition; 2NT = Do Something Right.  If they overcall at the one- or two-level, responders 2NT is a limit bid.

The second part of the statement applies to a 2NT by either opener or responder later in the auction.  When partner bids 2NT in a competitive auction, I alert, and then explain: "I am expected to do the right thing."  The right thing usually is to pick between the minors.

How often do you really want to play 2NT in any competitive auction?  Robinson takes no prisoners.  Page 197: "Unless two notrump shows a strong notrump or is conventional, all non-jump 2NT calls, when an opponent has made the last bid, are choice of suits and usually choice of partscores.  The logic of the situation tells which two suits are in play.  If 2NT is for takeout, with a natural 2NT bid you just have to bid 3NT and test the opponent's defense.  I will be happy if I never play in 2NT." 

Anytime partner bids 2NT, (and sometimes some other number of notrump), think about exactly what partner has, and what she wants you to do.  Here are two case:

• 1	1	1NT	2
  2NT

  When I ask "What does 2NT mean?"  , which of these is your answer?

  1. "I have a balanced minimum with 14 points and I am not going let these people play 2 when we can go down at 2NT." 
  2. "I have a 15-17 hand that I did not open 1NT.  Maybe I have six clubs." 
  3. "I have an 18-19 hand, and 2NT is forcing to game." 
  4. "I have clubs and diamonds.  Pick the right minor." 
  5. Some experts play a good-bad 2NT, and this separates a stronger 3 bid from a weaker 3 bid.

• 1	1	1NT	2
  Passs	Pass	2NT

  Same question.

  1. "I have 9-10 points." 
  2. "Pick the right minor." 

I programmed the computer for preemptive jump overcalls.  You can make a single, double, or triple jump overcall.

• 3 to 10 HCP.
• With a six-card suit, 2 of top 3 or 3 of top 5.  Any seven-card or longer suit is okay.
• You can have a five-card side suit which can be a major.

Coping system stretches:

• 2NT natural and not forcing.
• New suit game force.  Stretching allowed.
• Raises natural and may be stretched.
• Negative doubles.  Can handle opener's bid one-level higher.
• Cue -bid.  Yes.
• Pass.  When short, partner tends to reopen however he wants.

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