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A Feisty Opponent.

“Pre-empts work” is a common enough truism. Today, we have one awkward problem over a triple jump, well maybe two problems. Time to start thinking as the “Stop Card” is already on the table.

 

1 promises 3+clubs. You are welcome to play your own system but we told the Panel that their opening 1NT was 15-17, if that was significant, and that they were playing Teams.

We also asked them a subsequent question. If you passed now and your partner re-opened with a double, what would you do then?

We had some “heavy passers” with a variety of actions second time round:

Michael Cornell “Pass: if I double, high card take out I think, partner will invariably pass and we are unlikely to get very rich.

Over partner’s x, we are worth about 5.5 so I suppose I would bid an optimistic 6. Partner should have some decent clubs to pitch some diamonds?"

Is that they will or you hope they will! Not everyone would see a double of 4 as for take-out, at least not in the “direct” position after the opponent’s bid. Maybe more values, often passed.

Either way, it does not seem to show a decent 6-card heart suit.

 

Peter Newell “Pass: not quite enough to bid and no real action is appealing. While double shows values, I don't have enough and really this is a 1 suited hand with hearts.  I don't have much defence or support for partner’s clubs. Partner will need a good hand for us to make a 5- level contract. Double is second choice. 5 would be a very wild bid going down more often than not and they will often not make 4.

If I pass and partner doubles it's rather a guess. I choose to pass. 5 and 4NT are options - what does partner have? Again, it's the rather ambiguous values. Partner should pass if they clearly want to defend, and bid 4NT if they want to take-out. There is no guarantee partner has hearts but hearts looks more likely to succeed than a minor. For me too much uncertainty over strain so I'll pass...but I'm close to bidding 5.”

 

We seem to be in the world of values’ doubles which can be very hard to evaluate. It certainly seems the common view that North should not be doubling 4 with a spade stack. That’s why we are getting our heart bidders.

Andy Braithwaite “Pass: There is no clear bidding option. When partner doubles to show a good hand, I bid 5. Pass looks too risky to me and I may well make 5.”

However, the rest could not pass 4 initially. Keeping options open is:

Nigel Kearney “Double: I need to take some action with this much playing strength. If partner has a defensively oriented hand and passes, we are probably better defending 4 than trying to make 5. Otherwise I can bid 5 next.

If I passed and partner doubled, I would probably try 6, but I'd prefer not to put myself into the position of having to make that guess.”

 

Julie Atkinson “Double: would be values (I don’t think they will make) and 4NT take-out=two places to play. I will double although I am not happy, but after all partner opened and I have an easy lead with the A.  

A tip I read years ago. When considering a penalty double, think about what the opening lead will be? If the double is marginal and you don’t know what to lead, then pass might well be best.

And if I passed initially and partner doubled, I am still passing.”

 

 

While others took the plunge, with some resignation:

Pam Livingston “5: I'd rather not have to decide at the 5 level but, hey, pre-empts work.”

 

Bruce Anderson “5: partner is more likely to have a balanced or semi-balanced hand in the 12-14 range than anything else, and even if he is unbalanced with long clubs, my hand will only have value if we have some kind of heart fit.

If we do have a heart fit it, or partner has long clubs and 4 diamonds, it is very likely our opponents can make 4 .

I am taking the view we can’t defeat 4, which, of course, could be wrong. It is unlikely we can make 5 but this may well be a hand where we have a profitable save notwithstanding the vulnerability.”

 

Stephen Blackstock “5: Aggressive, but if I pass, how much do I bid if partner re-opens? I wouldn't want to punish a light shapely double with a jump to 6, but I am worth that if he has full values. 4NT now and convert 5/ to 5 is possible but shows more than I have. A better option is double: if North passes with a nondescript hand 4x may be our best contract. However, I cannot be sure that 4 will go down at all let alone enough to compensate if we have game. Selling out to 4 risks a possible double game swing.

5 is the pressure bid that puts the onus back on the opponents. It may not be clear if I have done the wrong thing; East's 4 is wide ranging and West may guess wrongly when put to the test.”

 

At the table, South did bid 5 and must have felt that was not a good action when West emerged quickly with a double (not take-out!). When dummy emerged, South gave the 4 bidder a wry smile.

 

 

South wriggled out for down 2 which was reasonably satisfactory considering the bad trump break. Meanwhile, K lead against 4 would allow East to get out for just one down. Had South led their partner’s suit, East would be under some pressure to ruff the third round correctly and avoid a large penalty. 

crime (or risky 4 pre-empts) can pay!

As Pam said pre-empts can and indeed will continue to work though perhaps this one would not had South made a values double. No problem then for North.

However, if South does pass first time, their partner will need to pass also as a double may see their partner head off to diamonds..and the chance of a plus score will be gone.

 

Richard Solomon

 

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