Monday, June 26, 2006 7:05 PM

D.S.I.P. - Pre-empters

PITBULLS:

It is almost a perfect world playing D.S.I.P. theory. Auctions fall into two scenarios. Those that you own the auction ( forcing pass theory) & those that you do not , so you are competing ( D.S.I.P. Theory). Not quite ! The pre-empt either by partner brings in old fashioned penalty doubles. Partner has described her hand with a two suited toy , a pre-empt at the 2 , 3 or 4 level so she is all in with nothing more to say. A leap to game by responder in a major is also a pre-emptive action so a double by partner is penalty.

What if the pre-empter doubles in these auctions ? They are not allowed to , you say as they have already described their hand. Nonsense . In reviewing World Championships , Spingolds and Vanderbilts pre-empters bidding again is the greatest cause of lost IMPS just behind bad opening bids.

Here is an auction in the Spingold finals. Equal nv ♠A10 ♥ Qxxxxx ♦ xx ♣ Qxx and partner opens 1♥ and they overcall 1♠. You bid 4♥ and they bid 4♠ and around to you again. You bid 5♥ and went one down and 4♠x goes for 300 as partner hold ♠Kxx ♥ AK10x ♦xxx ♣A10x . Playing D.S.I.P. theory this would never happen. The pre-empter is allowed to bid again but only with a double. The double says I want to bid 5♥ but I have defense considering my pre-emptive action previously. Pre-empting & re-preempting is very single handed bidding.

Forcing passes are not turned on with these auctions. Unless you are Kantar , being vulnerable does not turn on forcing passes on this kind of pre-emptive auction. Everybody is competing and nobody knows whose hand it is so D.S.I.P. theory applies. The partner of the pre-empter still has trump stack penalty rights though as she is opposite a pre-empter. The double is not D.S.I.P.