Thursday, August 17, 2006 12:49 AM

Hand Evaluation – 2/1 ( Non Forcing )

PITBULLS:

The line that “Bridge is a game of suits” is attributable to the bidding genius Benito Garozzo . From my own experience , saying that he is correct is an understatement. A good suit is a fertile source of tricks in Bridge. One of my most significant systemic changes over the years is playing a 2/1 not forcing to game when the suit was rebid. This understanding was after a major opener so the forcing NT was cleansed to being more of a NT bid. This cured the disgusting habit of hiding good 6 card suits with a forcing NT bid so never recovering after that. Believe it or not , this is a hand from a Spingold with the partnership being Rodwell & Meckstroth.

♠void ♥AQxxx ♦AJxxx ♣Kxx opposite ♠Jxx ♥K10 ♦xx ♣AQ109xx Rodwell opened 1♥ , Meckstroth hid his nice 6 card suit with a forcing NT. Rodwell rebid 2♦ so Meckstroth giving partner maximum leeway due to their “style” bid 2♥. Rodwell giving maximum leeway to Meckstroth due to his style , passed two hearts & that’s where they played it.

7♣ is a lucky make as the breaks were very favourable. What a difference when partner responds 2♣ non forcing to game instead of the hideous forcing 1NT. 7♣ is probably not reachable but you get to 6♣ without breathing hard. This was during the 90’s where the Bridge World was in a constant battle with the “modern garbage bidders” . These “modernists” had to bend over backwards all the time to give maximum leeway to their partners due to their horrendous opening bids & overcalls. The so called “modern garbage style”

Here is a direct quote from Jeff Rubens of the Bridge World in discussing the leeway Meckstroth & Rodwell gave each other on this hand. “If you are one of those who enjoy sneering at modern garbage bidding , this last deal of the quarter is going to be worth the price of a year’s subscription , at least. ”

Anyway , taking good 6 card suits away from the clutches of the forcing NT was one of the best systemic changes I have ever made. Getting to good games , slams & partials notwithstanding , this left the jump bid for something much better after a forcing NT. The fit showing jump after a forcing 1NT emerged to show a fit for partners 2^nd or even 1^st suit This understanding fixed a number of problem hands that existed within the forcing 1NT structure. By playing the 2/1 non forcing to game you have combined the best of the Goren standard 2/1 with good suits along with 2/1 as a game force for most auctions.

Novices or players who think like novices , do not buy into this obvious bidding advantage. They were taught that totaling HCP’s is the only way to bid. A 2/1 must total 13 HCP’s or more so they are too dogmatic to change to take advantage of the obvious advantage of showing a source of tricks by promoting good suits to be a 2/1 . It comes back to the same old thing in bidding theory. The game of Bridge & bidding is about trick potential & taking tricks not totaling HCP’s. Novices cannot seem to get their mind around this simple concept. They remain perpetual beginners in the game of Bridge choosing totaling HCP’s over other hand evaluation concepts.