Wednesday, December 04, 2002 10:17 AM

 Hand Evaluation - Show Where You Live ( HCPS )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            There is a Bridge cliché which forms the basis of bidding in partnership Bridge . “Show where you live” is bidding designed to show where your points are concentrated . This gives partner ammunition in which to base her decision . Lead directors , duplication of value , penalty doubles , NT stoppers & forcing pass theory all ride on this decision to “show where you live” with respect to HCP’s. This all starts in your choice of opening bids . Say you held  ♠AKQJ ♥Axxx ♦xx ♣xxx in 1st or 2nd seat . Would you open 1♣ since you play 5 card majors ? In 3rd or 4th seat opening 1♣ is criminal . 1♠ shows where you live so gets partner off to the right lead . People who open 1♣ deserve the auction to go 1NT overcall , 3NT so partner dutiful leading a club for –630 !!  I would break the 5 card major rule & open 1♠ at any seat .

 

            What about overcalls ? You hold ♠x ♥AKQx ♦Jxxxx ♣Axx  , RHO opens 1♣ . Do you overcall a diamond ? I don’t , because it violates the “show me where you live “ principle . I bid a heart & since I am lucky , I hit partner with 5 small hearts . What about 2/1 bidding ? The same principles still apply especially if you 2/1 was predicated on a fit for partner . You hold  ♠J ♥A10x ♦AKxx ♣Jxxxx   , partner opens 1♥ . You go to the 2 level but in which suit ? The “principle” says you should bid 2♦ rather than 2♣ . Partner has a void in clubs so her next bid after you support hearts is exclusion Blackwood so you get to 7♥ . You bid 2♣ instead with the opponents interfering to 4♠ . Partner doubles with a non club fit . Wrong  ! you should be playing the hand because the opponents have all the club points !! Partner “mislead” me by bidding 2♣ !! I thought her HCP’s were concentrated there.

 

Showing “where you live” involves rebids also . Say you hold ♠void ♥AJxx ♦xxx ♣AKJ109x , partner opens 1♦ so you bid 2♣ . Partner bids 2NT which you play as a weak NT hand . Do you gamble it out on the strength of the club suit & bid 3NT or “show where you live” by bidding 3♥ ? I bid 3♥ on a similar hand so partner held Jxx of spades for her 2NT rebid . 5♣ could make 6 , 3NT would go 2 down .

 

            This theory is also extended to 6-4’s . When I open a major , partner bids a forcing NT , I always rebid my 4 card suit next . Why ? Partner is usually denying a fit with the 1NT bid so the 4 card suit can get “lost” if you rebid your 6 card suit . You are showing where you live by bidding your two suits.

 

♠AJ109xx ♥KQxx ♦Kx ♣x    or ♠AJ109xx ♥Kx ♦QJ10x ♣x      On both these hands I would bid my 4 card suit .

 

Say on these hands you rebid your 6 card suit . Is partner going to move with

 

♠x ♥Axxxx ♦Qxx ♣xxxx    you go down in 2♠ but make 620 in hearts .

 

OR  ♠x ♥Qxx ♦Axxxxx ♣xxx     a vul 600 in diamonds is on a hook, you play 2♠ going down !

 

            Having said all this ,  I do not bid my 4 card suits if “where I live”  is all in my 6 card suit . With  ♠AKQxxx ♥xx ♦QJ10x ♣x  I bid 2♠ .  The spade duplication of value will hinder diamond games as well as make a spade contract better . Show where you live !!

 

            Another way of showing where you live is “patterning out” . Quite of then this is used as a game try as you are showing extra values by doing this. Sometimes it’s just finding the best spot. Kiz & I got to an excellent game by “patterning out. I held ♠AKxx ♥x ♦Kxx ♣K10xxx & opened 1♣ . Kiz responded a diamond so I bid a spade. Kiz rebid 2NT invitational so I showed where I lived by bidding 3♦. Kiz now leaped to 5♣ with ♠xx ♥Qxx ♦AQJx ♣Q98x    & since clubs behaved I was +600.

 

            With 2/1 in competition it is much more important to show where you live even when you have a fit for partner’s major. Why , because there are opponents lurking. If you show partner where you live first , it will simplify her decision later on in the auction if the opponents go crazy. Partner will appreciate your assistance for forcing pass decisions.  Showing where you live shows how hands fit. A double fit is gold & usually means you bid more. Describing your hand to partner & showing where you live are one & the same for identifying fits.

 

            Here is a hand where a Tormentee violated “the showing where you live” hand evaluation concept. Her partner opened 1♠ so she responded 1NT with ♠Qx ♥AKx ♦J10xxxx ♣Jx . Partner now rebids 2♥ so what now ? You ”live” in partners two suits so bidding 3♦ is not a good bid. Partner will pass 3♦ with ♠AKJxx  ♥Q10xxx ♦xx ♣x  & you cold for game in hearts.  The Tormentee bid 3♦ & luckily for her , partner had a diamond void so be bailed to 3♥ & they landed on their feet in 4♥. “Show where you live” with your HCP’s is a good hand evaluation concept to live by. If you play a 2/1 non forcing to game when suit rebid , there is a negative inference with this auction. Since you did not bid 2♦ followed by 3♦ going in , you have a very weak diamond hand. ♦QJ1098xx or the like with minimum HCP’s. You have too many points to bid 3♦ anyway in this particular auction.

 

            Karen Walker , in one of her articles says good players make bids for their partners. She says make bids that partner wants to hear. Showing where you live can also be interpreted as showing a fit for partner when you have a chance. If you may only have one opportunity to make a bid , show where you live by supporting partner. ♠void ♥xxxxx ♦xxxx ♣Axxx  & partner opens 1♣. RHO doubles so with your spade void & only 4 HCP’s total & in partners suit no less , what would partner want to hear ? Your spade void is valuable only when you have a fit for partner. On the auction , a heart fit is highly improbable but a club fit is odds on. Using Goren points & counting your void , you have 8 HCP’s in support of clubs. Show where you live by describing your support & HCP range to partner. A 2♣ or 3♣ bid does the job nicely . When they bid 4♠ partner bids 5♣ & they bid 5♠. Forcing pass theory now kicks in so you pass showing your spade shortness & partner bids 6♣. If they are silly enough to bid 6♠ , a forcing pass by you now shows a void & a grand slam might ensue.

 

            What if you bid 1♥ which is showing where you do not live & misrepresents your hand ? They bid 4♠ & partner holds ♠xxx ♥A ♦AQ ♣Kxxxxxx & since you bid hearts opposite his stiff  , he now prefers to defend. With heart duplication of value in partner’s hand & no announced club fit,  passing would be the choice of most Bridge experts. Partner bid hearts for a purpose so you are warned not to bid.  They make 4♠ for –620 as the clubs are 2-0 . You are cold for a vulnerable grand slam in clubs your way !! . This is almost the largest swing possible in the game of Bridge. Solo artists always find bids to conceal their hand from partner.