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Judgement Call

Well, nearly every bid we make at the bridge table involves some level of judgement, unless we literally answer how many aces we hold or the like. We are not nearly at that level yet. We are about to, maybe, open the bidding and, aye, there’s the rub.

 

 

Back where I learnt bridge, you needed 12 hcps to open at the one level and cheekily stuck in some nice-looking 11 counts. That was yesterday: oh, all right, the day before! Today? We have a very useful Rule of 20 where if the sum of your high card points and length of two longest suits does equal at least 20, then you have a 1-level opening bid, or so the theory goes. 

So, what do you do when the sum is only 19?

Kris Wooles “1: much prefer this to 2 and all my quality points are in my 2 suits. Will not pass.”

Matt Brown "1:I've never really liked these 5-4 openings and, in any case, it feels too good. Playing with my favourite partners, I'm allowed to open these hands at first favourable so that we can get in first into the auction. So, it seems clear for me.

 

Who mentioned 2? Oh, we said our system allowed us to open with a sub-opener with 5 spades and a 4+ card minor. Our hand fits the bill for that and thus we have a vote there:

Peter Newell “2: While the hand may be a little flawed by the poor suit quality, there are plenty of other factors that encourage me to open: –1^st seat favourable vulnerability, a good second suit, no appealing alternatives.

 I’m not keen on opening 1 1^st seat with a poor suit and marginal values, and I don’t believe in passing these hands, particularly at this vulnerability and position. It is good to get into the auction quickly especially with spades, given the amount of bidding room they take up…and these types of hands are often difficult to describe if you start with a pass.

You certainly feel good when you open 2 as described and after a double on your left, hear your partner bid 4, especially at this vulnerability. It is marginally less appealing when the double is followed by two passes and your trump suit could be worth very few tricks.

Very close to a 1 bid is:

Michael Cornell “Pass: Very close to an opening bid. I open most 11s but have got to draw the line somewhere and my spade suit is poor.

That is also one of the reasons I do not like a 2 opening (not that I play such a major/minor opening) The other reason is that I virtually have an opening bid. I have the spades: so why pre-empt? If partner has anything, this will usually be our hand. So, why not play in our best spot?”

 

Presumably, Michael has only counted to 10 hcp! So, one panellist pre-empts the bidding with spades but most bide their time. Maybe, my yesterday is not that long ago?

 

Bruce Anderson “Pass: notwithstanding the vulnerability and that it is Pairs, I can’t bring myself to tell partner I have a first in hand opening bid of any kind with such a weak spade suit. I show this kind of hand by passing and then competing, or balancing, should the opportunity arise.”

 

Nigel Kearney “Pass: . Apparently, I have agreed to play this method, but I don't like it. So, I am looking for excuses not to use it. This hand has a lot of defence with an ace and two kings so that there's a risk partner will misjudge who can make what. If we can't just play Weak Twos, we should lower the range of this to 4-8 so it hurts them not us.”

No compulsion to open 2, Nigel, and that is where judgement comes in. I do believe in variable pre-empting, i.e., that sometimes you can be stronger than others anticipate but this hand seems just wrong for pre-emptive action, too good but with an awful main suit.

 

Stephen Blackstock “Pass: This is not an opening bid. The weak suit should be a warning sign in marginal situations, and if you open, you will often get too high. Even when your rebid shows a minimum, partner must allow for the fact that you could be an ace better.

The 2 opening you suggest is a foolish method in my opinion. Perhaps in a weak field it may survive; strong opponents will accept with gratitude the information and many penalties that it offers.

 

I think that the only time a 5/4 hand is a relatively sensible 2 opening is when the spade suit is strong – so effectively you are then playing a weak two that may be a 5-card suit. I’m not in love with that method either, but it has more chance to survive. Alas, weak twos are often abused also!”

 

Therefore, this is the wrong hand for 2 since we have great defence but an awful anchor suit of our own. If you play the system, and I do, there are hands which fit into the description but which you are wise to pass.

Pam Livingston “Pass: Too good for 2.  Not good enough for 1.

Some say such “in between” hands do not exist but we have here a good example of one. However, for our final panellist, it is simply a case of which one-level bid he will open:

Michael Ware “1NT if playing 11-14 NT. Very good pre-emptively at the vulnerability. 1 if playing strong NT.”

Well, Michael has had a great deal of success at the bridge table. So, let’s see how his openings would have fared. We did not specify the vulnerability. What is certain is that after either 1-level opening, his partnership would be in game:

 

 

 

After a weak 1NT, North may just go quickly to the no-trump game giving West a choice of major suits to lead. East should be able to find the right defence but I am sure given the chance to make his contract, Michael Ware would have no problem in felling the key Q.

Many of the Panel indicated that North would drive the partnership too high after a 1-level opening and that is what happened when South did start with 1. In the acual sequence above, 2 was "fourth suit forcing, forcing to game. South knew that, hence the jump to 5. Against 5, East had no bother in taking the first three tricks.

Had South passed, North might open 1 and might even just buy the contract in 2 unless East-West compete in hearts. Assuming the bidding progresses to the 3-level, North-South should record a plus score.

And after a 2 opening? It becomes awkward for North since 3 is pass or correct to diamonds. That may be North’s initial choice, converting to 4 whether or not East gets involved in the auction.

  

A minus score

So, it seems this is not the right time for 1 or 2, the one level opener almost certain to result in a minus North-South score. That "Rule of 20" is still looking pretty good. 

Out of the Blue

 

You have a poor hand but your partner’s is a little better. You are playing Pairs. 2 is of the game force variety, artificial, of course. What do you make of the auction so far and what are you going to do now?

 

 

Richard Solomon

 

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