Important article !
Friday, August-08-08
Hand Evaluation – Two Suiters vrs One Suiters
PITBULLS:
Bidding is describing your hand pattern & HCP's to partner so that a joint decIsion can be made to arrive at the correct contract. Poor bidders , as a rule , hide their hand from partner. They bid two suited hands as if they held a one suited hand thus bypassing a bidding basic. There are many toys invented to describe two suiters. The Q bid itself usually implies two suits as it begs the question why is partner not just bidding or jumping in her suit. Equal level conversion was invented to show a hand with two suits after doubling or Q bidding. The rank of suits assist bidders to pin point the two suits in their hand after doubling initially. If you convert to your cheapest suit after a T/O double at the same level , you must have that suit & another higher ranking one. Equal level conversion is a concept invented to describe your two suits in crowded or pre-emptive auctions after a double. However , the foundation of equal level conversion is we would overcall with a strong single suited hand or jump Q bid.
Equal level conversion can also be used with Q bids to describe two suiters. Kiz Fung held ♠AKQxxx ♥KQ ♦AQJ10x ♣void & opens 2♣ . There is a 5♣ overcall to her left so back to her. Bidding 6♠ is putting all "your eggs in one basket" . A 6♣ Q bid allows equal level conversion to work at the 6 level ! Partner holds ♠x ♥xxxx ♦Kxxx ♣xxxx so 6♦ makes & 6♠ fails. This is equal level conversion in action at a high level. If partner bids 6♥ , you convert to 6♠ so you given partner a choice of contracts with your powerful two suited hand.
Both Tom Gandolfo & Kiz Fung held this hand ♠QJxxx ♥xx ♦J10xxx ♣x . Partner opens 2♣ & you show your lack of controls with a 2♦ bid. Partner bids 4NT showing a balanced 28 HCP. Now what ? The bid you can not make is to treat your two suited hand as if it were a one suited hand & leap to 6♦. What this does is set you up for "suit reliance". Partner could hold ♦Ax of diamonds so you have found the only slam that can not make. Transfers were invented to assist in showing two suiters. You transfer into one , followed by bidding the other . Tom Gandolfo took out insurance against suit reliance with this hand by keeping the contract in NT. Tom bid 6NT . There was a method in his madness. He has 4 HCP so a grand slam would need a miracle fit & probably is not biddable. By bidding 6NT, you preserve options that if one of your 5 card suits does not assist partner , the other one will. It turns out , I fit both his suits so we won 7 IMPs by getting to 6NT.
A two suiter is beneficial to describe to partner because with the proper fit,
one suit can be used for pitches
& the other suit trump. Here is a hand where the bidding
shows this concept. Partner was in too much of a hurry to take control of
the hand re Q bidding as opposed to describing his hand to partner. The
auction goes with everybody vul 1♣, partner overcalling 1NT. You hold ♠KQJxxx
♥xx ♦AQ10xx
♣void so you transfer to spades &
opener bids 3♣.
Partner passes so you have the first
inference that partner does not like spades or she would
have accepted the
transfer freely. When you have a 6-5 hand pattern
it is usually good bidding to let partner
in on the secret. Partner could hold 5♦
or 4♦ so the best spot is a diamond
contract & you use your 6 card spade suit for discards rather than
the trump suit.
Partner can easily have a doubleton spade on this auction so trumps are now
subject to a 4-1 trump break ♠A109x
will doom 6♠. Partner
could hold
♠Ax ♥Axx ♦KJxxx
♣KQx
& 7♦ is cold but 7♠ can not make as there are no pitches
in a spade contract. There are many configurations where diamonds will be the
superior contract in 6 level contracts. Why insist on spades as
the contract ? Partner does not like spades !
Anyway you bid a calm 3♦ (obviously forcing) & partner likes diamonds with a 3♥ bid. Partner held ♠xxx ♥AKx ♦KJxx ♣KQx so dislikes her hand in support of spades due to nothing in spades & 5 wasted HCP's in their suit. Diamonds is a different story though. Having found your fit , you can make a clear & unambiguous leap to 5♣ ( exclusion) with diamonds as the agreed suit. You get to 6♦ for +1370 with a clear & simple auction. This is because you took the time to describe your hand to partner rather than racing to control the auction with the wrong suit as trumps. Bidding a two suiter as if it were a one suiter is not the way to go.
Established partnerships should have a standard way of
showing intermediate two suiters when the opponents open the bid at the one
level. Equal level conversion principles apply in describing
these hands as a T/O double is my choice for intermediate hands not
covered by a “toy”. Unusual 2NT or Michaels are either weak
or strong & never intermediate. With the strong
two suit combinations covered by the systemic bid , simply use the toy to
show your strong two suiters.
What
about strong two suiters that are not covered
systemically ? Do not
overcall with those hands if you have defensive strength measured in quick
tricks. No , no & no. Here
is a fate suffered by one pair in a
Spingold who did just that. The opponents opened 1♣
and you have ♠AKQxx ♥x ♦AJ10xx
♣Ax . Our hero overcalled one spade , got to play it
there opposite ♠x ♥Jxxxx ♦Qxxx ♣QJx . At the other table they made 6♦ after the big
hand doubled 1♣. They responded 1♥ & the big hand bid 2♠. You should assume
a two suiter on these types of auctions so you bid diamonds. Partner
raises diamonds to game & you do not get to slam but you at least get
your vul +620.
Do not worry about making off shape T/O doubles when you have the boss suit as one of your two suits along with equal level conversion principles. Never doubling with a one suiter in spades simplifies auctions. With your toys included , you now have every combination of strong two suiters covered. They open 1♦, you have ♠AKQxx ♥x ♦Ax ♣KQ10xx . This suit combination does not fit any of your toys but you are too strong ( defense ) to overcall & an overcall hides your 2nd suit. You double & convert partners heart bid to another level in spades. This shows a good black two suiter as you did not convert to the same level nor overcall spades initially. Bid strong one suiters in clubs a different way by rebidding clubs at a lower level after doubling . I prefer overcalling & jumping in my spade suit or doubling later to show good one suiters in spades. If too strong with spades , I will jump Q bid directly & leap in my suit. A T/O double always shows two or more suits. Keep that thought !
A 6-4 is a two suiter also. Playing equal level conversion you double with the other major & a 6 card diamond suit. 1♥ opened , you hold ♠AKxx ♥xx ♦Axxxxx ♣x . This is a T/O double so you convert 2♣ to 2♦ at the same level. Add some strength to the hand ♠AKxx ♥xx ♦AKQxxx ♣x , you double 1♥ & convert 2♣ to 3♦. Since this jump is a lower ranking suit , you describe a 6-4. A strong spade minor combination would be described by Michaels after a 1♥ opener. Equal level conversion is not that tough – correct ?