Thursday, May
05, 2005 6:45 PM
Hand Evaluation - Opening Bids ( partnership )
PITBULLS:
Playing with
one of my Thurs nite partners of old, I pickup ♠AQ109 ♥xx
♦xxx ♣KQx and partner opens 1♥ , RHO bids 2♥ ( Michaels ) vul
so I double saying “let me at them” partner. They bid 2♠ so around
to me so I double which ends the auction. Partner dutifully leads his trump so
with the help of ruffing finesses in hearts for
declarer we come to 1 heart trick , 4 trump tricks for –670 so an obvious
disaster. At the end of the hand , partner questions
my double & said “something is wrong with this auction” . I scratch my head
as I have played Bridge for 40 years & when I have held hands like this
+800 seemed to be the average in these types of auctions.
What went wrong ? A difference in philosophy for opening bids was the
main culprit. Partner has bought into the garbage opener religion .
Partner had 12 soft HCP’s with only one quick
trick
for his opening bid. I was expecting him to
contribute to the defense of this hand as he opened the
bidding which shows defense measured in quick tricks. Partner says no , not
true . Partner must have the contract beat pretty
well beat in my own hand as his opening bids do not promise quick tricks in the
“modern” game . He went on to say that modern Bridge
is a bidder’s game & defensive quick tricks
are no longer a requirement for opening bids. He believed in his religion so
much that he never thought to pull the double with his shapely hand. I obviously
had to change my thinking
to conform with his religion. Who in the F.... says
that quick tricks are no longer a requirement for an opening bid ? I must have missed that press
release or headlines of the newspaper.
Let’s examine the repercussions of what
he is saying. In my mind , this style destroys
the partnership aspect of the game of Bridge. You
must make Bridge decisions almost entirely on your own hand
playing this way. When you have the controls (quick tricks ) for a game
you bid it. If you
have the controls for a slam you bid it. If you have
them set in your own hand you double. This
is preposterous. Bridge is a partnership
game. If the combined
assets of the partnership dictate it ,
the opponents get doubled or you bid a
game or a slam or compete again. Defense measured in quick tricks have been a requirement
for an opening bid since the game was invented. Who says otherwise
, now ?
What if
partner did hold 2 ½ or 3 defensive tricks for his opening bid
? By not doubling 2♠
, I have just thrown away a +800 gift. The opponents can bid with
impunity around us. I have a rubber bridge background where I have had years of
experience dealing with psyches . If partner has psyched , he pulls the
double. Partner did not hesitate on this auction to even consider pulling the
double with his one defensive trick. He had his 12 HCP with one defensive trick
so he has a garbage opening bid in accordance with his
methods. In his methods ,
he cannot pull the double as I might have 2♠X beat in my own hand &
as he was not asked to contribute to the defense with his “opener” he passes. He of course , never pulls penalty doubles no matter what his hand
I guess. When I double for penalties, by inference I am asking
partner to contribute to the defense with the quick tricks promised
by his opening bid.
Opening bids are the cornerstone
of bidding. All further bidding
evolves from that initial decision . If you open the Bidding
without the required defensive tricks , you are making
the dreaded garbage “semi-psyche” .
After a while partner will become “gun shy” & not trust the
openers for penalty doubles , competitive
decisions , slam & game bidding. It is another variable
thrown into the equation of bidding. Does partner have an opening bid this time ?? You have invited ambiguity
into your auctions. You have destroyed partnership Bridge.
I must sacrifice 40 years of judgment skill
I have accumulated on the basis that partner has real opening bids & for what , so I can get the same results
as Osama & Ray Grace ? Spare me from this night mare.
I was
playing with Peter Jones and in 3rd seat he psyched 1NT vul
against not. We went for –1100 & lost 13 IMPS. Tom Gandolfo
, our team mate joked that we should play 2♣ as “Drury” asking did
you psyche partner and opener responds in steps depending on the severity
of the set we are going for. Garbage openers with no or little defensive quick tricks are the same thing.
You need a check back system to determine whether
you have an opener or not. Why do this to your own partner ?
Bridge is not poker where you can make single handed bluffs. Too
tough for me. Make them guess
is the war cry of modern garbage bidders but when "them" includes partner , count me out. Garbage openers are just a psyche
& a very poor one at that.