Subject: Hand Evaluation - Pushing Opponents
From: Bob Crosby <[email-masked]>
To: Bob crosby <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:31:00 -0600

PITBULLS:

    Quite often in Bridge , you know things that the opponents do not. You know that they have the vast majority of power but they do not . Good players use the opponents as stepping stones so if they broadcast that they are weak , players believe them. Opponents are pushed into makeable games or slams almost routinely by opponents who lack good bridge judgment or  who are poor gamblers. The spade suit is the bully suit for a reason. Sometimes you sell out to that suit , even though you might feel you can make 4♥ in a competitve auction. What you do not know , can they make 4♠ ?

        This is dynamic hand evaluation. You know that your huge fit with partner diminished your defensive values. You know that your cards or lack thereof are most likely sitting right for them so you do not "enter a fight you can not win" as Garozzo suggests. You let "sleeping dogs lie" & offer no resistance so they operative without your assistance. Why help the opponents ? Due to the caliber of these opponents , we will break our rule of mentioning names in this one particular article. 

         Fools rush in where experts fear to tread. Here is a hand that won the KO's for the Tom Gandolfo team in the Edmonton regional & shows excellent Bridge judgment by Tom Gandolfo. Tom held ♠xx ♥Qxx ♦xxx ♣QJ10xx & his nv partner opened 4♥ & Tom's LHO bid 5♦. Tom knows the vulnerability is in our favour for sacrificing purposes but he has information not priviy to the opponents. If they are void in hearts , a grand slam is a possible make for them ! Tom decided to let them figure things out with his help. He passed & his LHO gave some thought to bidding but reluctantly passed. They are cold for 7♦ , if we do not cash our one heart trick.

        Now over to the other table & watch the action. Nick Gartagainis opened 4♥ also & a 5♦ overcall as per Tom's table. Here is where Klimo decided to bid differently than Tom at the other table. He bid 5♥ & his LHO now bid 5♠ ! Nick decided to get in on the act & rebid his pre-empt to 6♥. This bid pushed LHO into 6♠ so now Klimo's decision. He knew all along the opponents were cold for a small or grand slam so he bid 7♥. Unfortunately Nick had the worst hand possible 2-7-2-2 so 7♠ doubled goes for -1400 so we win the match as we win 14 IMPS on this key board..

       The double did not come though as the opponents used Klimo & Nick as "stepping stones" to get to their grand slam. Klimo's LHO passed 7♥ showing 1st round control in hearts as per forcing pass theory. Her partner dutifully bid 7♠ & Klimos worst fears were relaized. They had pushed them into a cold vul grand slam where they might not even have bid a slam as per a different auction like at Tom's table.

       You heard the auction , so now you have a lead problem . ♠xx ♥AKJ1098x ♦xx ♣xx so you are on lead against 7♠. What is your lead ? In these types of auctions , a squeeze sometimes determines the outcome of the contract. Squuezes are delicate plays that need specific timing with entries. Sometimes double squeezes especially are broken up with the opening lead. If there is a squeeze on this hand , a club lead stands out to break up the squeeze. If partner has a load of hearts for his bidding , your side might hold all the hearts . Consequently a heart lead gives them a ruff & a sluff & possibly the contract. Nick thought a long time & felt it was useless to lead a heart , so he led a club. 7♠ making so -2210 & the match. It turned out that RHO had slipped up with her forcing pass & a heart would have cashed. Nick's fault ? Of course not , as his partner had set the scenario for a disaster one way or the other. -1400 for 7♥x or -2210 for 7♠ making. 

    Compare that with the result at Tom's table for -640 for 5♦ making with an overtrick. Silence is golden when you have information that the opponents do not have. Do not enter a fight you can not win !!! Loose lips sink ships for the 3rd & final cliche of this article !! Tom might not  have chosen a 6♥ sacrifice if had they reached 6♦ fearing that 7 was cold ! Diamonds are a lower ranking suit though,  so Tom as options they did not have at the other table.