Monday, April 16, 2007 8:09 PM
 
Hand Evaluation - The Translation Process

 

PITBULLS:

 

            You can never be an expert Bridge player unless you learn the translation process. Just like a translator at the U.N. who translates one language into another , a Bridge player must develop translation skills. Lacking this skill is just not an option to become an expert player or even a good player for that matter. Of course , I am referring to translating information into hand patterns. To what information am I referring  ?  The simple act of anybody showing out of a suit needs to be translated into a hand pattern. The bidding needs to be translated into hand patterns. An opening lead needs to be translated into a hand pattern. A discard showing count needs to be translated in to a hand pattern. Weak twos , pre-empts and systemic toys are automatic triggers to begin the translation process

 

            Having this skill improves your opening leads , defense , bidding and declarer play. This skill allows squeezes , endplays and defensive techniques to be mastered. Knowing how many trump declarer has , allows the tapping defense to work. This translation skill is not rocket science. By now ,  you must have the basic hand patterns memorized. Just take the time to take the next step and apply them when something in Bridge triggers this translation process to commence.

 

            What should trigger applying these hand patterns ? The opponents bidding is the first “trigger” . Based on their bidding , apply a tentative pattern. The 100 % trigger to apply a pattern is somebody showing out of a suit. Just like Pavlov’s dog this should be an automatic stimuli – response. An opening lead or a count signal are both triggers to apply patterns. Not applying patterns means you are home but the lights are out.

 

            Recently BJ Trelford & I overbid to 4♠ . The auction went 1♦-4♠-P-P , LHO led a diamond. BJ tabled this collection as dummy. ♠Q10x ♥Jxxxx ♦xx ♣Q10x . The Tormentee had 150 honours in diamonds so she won her queen. Looking at the dummy , Kantars LSD comes to mind so with the diamond shortness you switch to a trump as declarer will probably ruff diamonds as a source of tricks. OK , assume you do not do that & cash a 2ND diamond & partner shows out ! This is a trigger to apply a pattern which is 5-5-2-1 . Declarer has 5 diamonds along with his 7 spades , so his hand is virtually completely counted. So you now switch to your trump. No , you switch to a heart so I get all 3 diamond ruffs on the board for +420. Open up the slip & the field is in 3♠ going down 1 or 3♠ making. The Tormentee turns to me & says how could we have beaten this contract ? L

 

            Here are a couple of hands where applying patterns by Tom Gandolfo resulted in maximum penalty extractions. The opponents were in 1♥X vul vrs not . Tom opened 1♣ , they overcalled 1♥ . I held ♠Qxx ♥KJ987 ♦A10xx ♣x  so I passed & converted Tom’s double. The board was ♠J109xx ♥10xx ♦xxxx ♣x . I led a club against 1♥X . Tom held ♠Ax ♥x ♦KQxx ♣AK109xx , won the club & returned a heart. Declarer let the heart ride around to my jack so I returned a trump which declarer won with in his hand. Declarer now led a club to ruff so I discarded a spade. Declarer won the trick with the trump on the dummy & lead a spade which Tom ducked & I won the queen. I returned a trump for the 3rd time which declarer won & lead the queen of clubs which Tom won. Tom knows that declarer has 5 clubs ( I showed out )  so has a good tentative count on his hand. 5-5-2-1 or 5-4-3-1 .  He knows the last thing I want is a club ruff as that returns trump control to declarer. Accordingly Tom starts diamonds & declarer goes for –800 at the one level.

 

            A pre-empt is an automatic trigger for applying a hand pattern. Here is Tom in action again defending a heart sacrifice against our 4♠ game we bid. ♠AKJxxx ♥x ♦A109 ♣AJ10  . They opened 2♥ to Tom’s right & sacrificed in 5♥X. The board was ♠Qx ♥AJxx ♦Kxxxx ♣xx , Tom lead the spade king. Tom & I play “known count” Gartaganis signals. Since Tom knows my spade count from the bidding , suit preference applies. I play a middle spade saying that I have no suit preference. Tom cashes the spade Ace , I follow with the deuce & declarer follows. Tom now knows for sure that I do not have a high club honour or else I would have played the spade deuce at trick one. OK , Tom now applies the “6 series” of hand patterns . He has the good start of knowing the pattern is 6-2-?-? so he just exits a heart. Declarer draws two rounds of trump & leads the diamond jack . Tom wins his Ace so I show 2 or 4 diamonds. If I have 4 diamonds , declarer is 2-6-1-4 and Tom will never lose our two club tricks as one club goes on the diamond king & the other on the 5th established diamond but declarer still must lose two clubs. Since I can not have the club king , Tom makes the good play of returning a diamond so we beat the sacrifice for +500.

 

            Here is a hand from Calgary where if BJ Trelford did not translate the bidding into a hand pattern , they steal a vul 3NT bid. BJ held ♠AJxx ♥KJx ♦QJ10 ♣xxx & LHO opened 1♠ & rebid clubs. Responder bid diamonds & hearts so BJ elects to lead the ♦Q . The board comes down with ♠x ♥AQ10xx ♦Axxxx ♣xx declarer ducks the diamond & I overtake the diamond & return one so every body follows. From my diamond play , BJ knows the diamonds are 5-3-3-2 so that makes declarers hand pattern complete 5-4-3-1. Knowing declarer has a singleton heart , BJ leads a heart to kill the board & not assist declarer by attacking her black suits.  Declarer now goes down two if she does not finesse the heart & goes down one if she does . Declarer has 3 diamond tricks , 1 or 2 hearts & must come to us in the black suits with the dummy dead.

 

            Translating the bidding into patterns & defend accordingly – do it !!!