Saturday, April 28, 2007 3:52 AM


Hand Evaluation – Signals ( Obvious Switch or Lead )

 

PITBULLS:

 

           There are concepts in Bridge called the obvious switch & the obvious lead. Good players take advantage of the situation and base some understandings around these concepts.   Granovettors site defines the “obvious switch”  but the obvious lead is what  I feel that particular wording should be elevated to a hand evaluation concept . You must learn how to use the attitude signal. The obvious lead follows a number of the same ideas. Some auctions demand a lead. This is the natural lead in accordance with the bidding ( unbid suit for example ). You need a very good reason not to make the obvious lead.

  

            When an opening leader makes a bad lead i.e. one of their bid suits that shows length , bells should ring. Why is partner not making the obvious lead ? Answer , partner has led a singleton & wants a ruff. “Bad leads” are the easiest to identify as stiffs.

 

            In golf , you must read the green. You look at contours , which way the green slopes ( water drainage ) the type of grass and with you are against the grain of the grass etc. Reading the dummy is the same thing in Bridge. Since both defenders can see the dummy , we can easily determine the obvious switch. I was playing with a Tormentee and the opponents reached 4♥ .The dummy came down with ♥AKxx ♠AQJx ♦xxx ♣xx. I lead a trump , declarer drew all the trump and finessed the spade . Partner won the spade king but the obvious switch is to the 3 card diamond suit rather than the club suit. Declarer can ruff out club losers but would have to pitch diamond losers so attacking the diamonds is more obvious.

 

            The tormentee overruled the obvious switch to diamonds & led a club Why ? I held ♦KJxx & ♣Axxx of clubs so partner must have a high honour in diamonds ( either the Ace or King ) for not returning the obvious diamond. Therefore , I returned a diamond & disaster we lost our diamond trick as declarer had the ♦AQ.  Partner was just making a random switch but partner read something into the fact that she did not make the obvious switch.

 

            Choosing the right card to return comes with the territory of obvious switches. If you return a small card , you can stand the return of the suit yourself as you have a high honour. With the queen or jack it is sometimes better to lie about the low honours , return a higher spot as you cannot stand the suit returned.

 

            The obvious switch concept was introduced in part to enrich attitude signals although it is a complete signaling system. You “read the board” so discourage in partners led suit  when you want the obvious switch. You play a very high card when you want the non obvious switch .Makes sense to me.  Therefore the attitude signal means way more than it used to. When you can not stand the obvious switch , encourage in partners led suit. Less damage will be done that way. Tormentees should spend more time reading the green when they are defending.

 

            Here is an example of a dummy that must be “read” ♠Kx ♥K87x ♦xx ♣AK10xx . Nancy & partner were competing in spades ( Nancy overcalled 1♠) but I bought the contract in 3♦. Her partner led the spade queen & I ducked . He continued spades so Nancy was endplayed. She returned a trump which I won so I ducked a club to Nancy again & she was still endplayed. She exited with a trump so I drew trump and pitched two hearts on the 4th & 5th clubs. Poor dummy reading by the defenders. Why did I not cover the spade king ? If I did , Nancy would return a spade and LHO would be forced to switch to a heart ( he held the ♥QJ ) so I would go down losing two hearts , two spades and a club. The defender was oblivious to reading the dummy so –110 instead of +100 and 5 IMPS were lost. The obvious switch looking at a long club suit that can be established was the heart queen.

 

            Some writers are making an issue of the “obvious shift principle” as it applies to signaling attitude.  Another name for this kind of signaling is called “baby sitting” partner. Protecting partner from making a disasterous “obvious switch” . Identifying the obvious switch is a hand evaluation skill from reading the dummy & the situation. If there is an obvious switch , discard appropriately also to tell partner not to lead that suit if it would be a disaster from your perspective. Read obvious switches for discards also.

 

 

            Here are a few hands to make my point.

 

                              ♠

Q

J

x

 

                              ♥

x

x

x

x

                              ♦

A

x

 

 

                              ♣

K

J

10

x

     

 

 

 

 

Partner leads the ♦queen against 4♠  Declarer wins the Ace so do you  encourage ? The obvious switch is hearts  from partners perspective but not clubs.You do not want a heart switch so you encourage in diamonds . Partner gets in with the spade king and continues diamonds. You just avoided a disaster by being aware of the “obvious switch “ suit. .

 

♠

K

x

 

 

 

♥

K

J

x

 

 

♦

Q

J

10

x

x

♣

x

x

x

 

 

                                                            Your hand

♠

x

x

 

 

♥

x

x

x

x

♦

9

8

2

 

♣

A

Q

9

X

                                               

 

 

 

 

                         ♠

A

10

9

x

x

x

                         ♥

A

Q

 

 

 

 

                         ♦

K

x

x

 

 

 

                         ♣

x

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

                     ♠

Q

J

x

x

                     ♥

A

Q

9

 

                     ♦

x

x

x

x

                     ♣

K

Q

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

This time partner leads the ♦Queen against their 4♠ contract. You have nice diamonds but you want partner to make the obvious switch to hearts so you discourage in diamonds. Declarer lets partner hold the diamond but she switches to a small heart. You now avoid the strip & endplay and defeat the contract !

 

 

♠

x

 

 

 

 

 

♥

J

x

x

 

 

 

♦

Q

J

9

 

 

 

♣

J

x

x

x

x

x

                                                Your hand

♠

A

x

 

 

♥

K

10

x

x

♦

K

10

8

2

♣

x

x

x

 

                                               

 

 

 

 

                ♠

K

10

9

x

x

x

                ♥

x

x

x

 

 

 

                ♦

A

x

 

 

 

 

                ♣

A

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

                ♠

K

x

x

 

                ♥

A

Q

10

 

                ♦

Q

J

x

 

                ♣

K

Q

J

9

   

 

 

 

 

Again a 4♠ contract & partner leads the ♦king. With your hand you want to discourage any “obvious switch” so you encourage in diamonds. Partner continues 3 rounds of diamonds. Declarer wins the ♦Queen and leads a trump. Partner wins the spade Ace and returns the 13th♦ so you beat the contract via an uppercut !

 

 

♠

A

x

 

 

♥

x

x

x

x

♦

A

K

x

x

♣

x

x

x

 

 

♠

J

x

 

 

♥

x

x

x

x

♦

x

x

x

 

♣

x

x

x

x

                                               

 

 

 

 

             ♠

Q

10

x

x

x

x

             ♥

K

J

 

 

 

 

             ♦

x

x

x

 

 

 

             ♣

A

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Signaling should be done with the context of the entire hand not just one suit. The obvious switch should be considered or even built into signaling. It’s that important. Ilya Kuzkin of Calgary advocates the obvious switch method of signaling.                             

 

 

`Granovettors rules for Identifying the Obvious Shift suit (in order of priority)

 

·  Negatives:

 

·  The Obvious Shift cannot be the suit led.

·  The Obvious Shift is never trumps.

·  The Obvious Shift is never a suit headed by the A-K-Q or four of the top five honors.

·  The Obvious Shift in a suit contract is never dummy's singleton or void.

·  The Obvious Shift is never a natural suit bid by declarer.

 

·  Positives:

 

·  The opening leader's 2nd bid suit or 1st if he led an off suit is the Obvious Shift.

·  If the opening leader has not bid a suit, the leader's partner's bid suit is the Obvious Shift

·  If both defenders have bid suits and the opening leader starts with an unbid suit, look at the suits and choose one of them by applying the rules below.

·  When the defense has bid two suits or when the defense has not bid any suits...

·  Against a suit contract, a three-card suit headed by at most one honor (A, K, Q, J, T) is the Obvious Shift.

·  Against notrump, dummy's shortest suit is the Obvious Shift (even a strong holding such as ace-king doubleton).

·  When there is no weak three-card suit, the shortest suit is the Obvious Shift. But against a suit contract, this cannot be a singleton or void.

·  When there are two equal length suits, either of which might be the Obvious Shift, look at the number of honors. The suit with fewer honors is the Obvious Shift. If the suits have an equal number of honors, the lower-ranking suit is arbitrarily deemed to be the Obvious Shift.