Monday, September 04, 2006 12:07 PM

Hand Evaluation – Systemic ( 2 Suited Fits )

PITBULLS:

As every Bridge player should know , when you have a two suited fit , the sky is the limit. The playing strength of these hands allows games , slams & grand slams to be bid on skimpy values. There is a Q bidding axiom in Bridge that says “once you have a fit – you do not try & find another one”. Like all platitudes , there is a glaring exception to this rule. Once you have found a fit, a subsequent bid in partners opening bid suit is a fit & not a Q bid. You just forego the Q bid in these auctions.

Here is a hand from the Bermuda bowl where both tables got to 7♥ based on a double fit.

♠A ♥QJ10x ♦A109xxx ♣Ax opposite ♠xxx ♥AKxx ♦Kxxx ♣xx . The auction was identical at both tables.

1♦-P-1♥-P The key to the hand was the secondary diamond fit was allows the opener

3♠-P-4♦-P to count 13 tricks.

4NT-etc

My partner taught me a wrinkle in Kokish game tries. Secondary fits are such an important Bridge concept we got rid of the “pre-emptive re-raise”.

1♣-P-1♠-P

2♠-P-3♠-P is a game/slam try with a stiff in partners suit , a club in this example.

This conforms to the notion that if you bid partners suit directly it is a fit & not shortness or a Q bid.

♠Axxxx ♥xx ♦Kx ♣AKxx opposite ♠KQxx ♥Ax ♦Qx ♣QJ109x .

1♣-P-1♠-P

2♠-P-3♣-P club fit & not shortness

The partnership of Susan & Scott smoothly bid up to a cold grand slam in diamonds with the “two suited fit” understanding.

1♦-P-2♣-P

3♣-P-3♦-P this diamond bid is a fit , not a Q bid . Why ? Experts know that a finding two suited fits is more important in Bridge than a Q bid. This does not set the trump suit as diamonds but it allows the partnership a choice of contracts. If you do have a Q bid in diamonds , wait a round before showing that card.

Evaluating fits is a hand evaluation skill. Do not Q bid in partners suit with a singleton or control. This is ambiguity that is not needed. A stiff in partners suit is most likely duplication of value rather than an asset anyway. A Tormentee did just that & of course partner misinterpreted the bid.  I opened 1♦ , partner bid 2♣. I bid 2♠ showing a strong ♣ raise so what do you bid with ♠x ♥AJ10xx ♦x ♣AQ10xxx ? 2♥ or 4♣ KCB seems to stand out. The Tormentee bid 3♦ so the next bid she heard was 5♦. Just what you wanted to hear !! Q bids in partners‘ suits are rare & usually postponed to quite late in the auction. If you “Q bid” partners major at the 4 level , you are giving partner a choice of contracts so that Q bid is too be avoided also.