Tuesday, August 29, 2006 4:26 AM

Hand Evaluation – Overcalls ( Scrambling 2NT )

PITBULLS:

2NT in the game of Bridge is not a very good contract. You do not get a game bonus for it plus major & minor contracts are easier to play while getting the same IMPS awarded for them. Expert players avoid having 2NT meaning to play when they can help it. The scrambling 2NT was invented when partners T/O double might be forcing you into a bad contract at the three level. . You & your partner “scramble” by bidding your 4 card suits up the line , until you find a decent resting place. This bid is normally uses when the spade suit is involved as equal level conversion is also a scrambling mechanism.

We all play negative doubles. When you have your 2 ½ quick tricks , short in their suit , it is compulsory to re-open with a double. Partner may have a 19 HCP positive penalty double waiting for them. You cannot pass . Your double does not show extra or perfect shape as you are just bidding partners penalty double for him. When you have a distributional hand where you would have pulled an old fashioned penalty double, you re-open in a suit. When you are vul aganst nv & have game/slam aspirations , you may not want partner to go wrong , so you re-open with a suit or Q bid rather than a double.

There is only one time you would pass in the re-opening seat & that is when you are long in their suit. Bells should start ringing as partner is short in their suit but did not compete or make a negative double. This normally means RHO has a good hand & passed because of shortage in partners suit. This is still a calculated risk however.

Established partnerships have an agreement that 2NT is always “scrambling” after a re-opening double at the two level. You do not want to play 2NT or you would have bid 2NT directly or converted the double. 2NT as natural simply does not exist after a re-opening double . I opened 1♣ against the Passell team in Calgary , LHO bid 2♠ everybody vul so the auction got passed around to me. ♠Ax ♥AQx ♦Jx ♣J109xxx . My hand is so weak & short in spades , Tom could easily have a penalty double of 2♠. I have my 2 ½ defensive tricks so I do my duty & double. A double in the re-opening spot can be off shape , the key is that you have your defensive tricks that are required for an opening bid.

Tom has ♠Kxxx ♥Jxxx ♦Qxx ♣Qx but has very poor spade spots for converting the double. Even when I had 3 defensive tricks for my double , 2♠X could make with an overtrick so Tom bids 2NT. This is the scrambling 2NT. This means partner you have put us in a bad position with your double so let’s rescue ourselves somewhere. I happily bid 3♣ with my 6 card suit & I might even make the contract but I go one down. 2♠X makes for –670 so IMPS is not the time to gamble for the magic +200. Some match point players might convert with Tom’s hand as the +200 is not a bad gamble but not this time though.

What if the opponents double 3♣, should Tom pull ? No this is the beauty of the scrambling 2NT. Tom did not run to 3♣ so he cannot be rich in the club suit. He wanted me to scramble somewhere but I chose to bid 3♣. This should end this auction as Qx is fine. I know more about his hand than he knows of mine thanks to the scrambling 2NT.

Sometimes you do not have a classic negative double over a weak jump overcall. ♠ xxx ♥ Q10x ♦ Kxx ♣ Axxx Partner opens 1♦ vul , they bid 2♠. You do not like a negative double at the two level nor do you like raising partners diamonds with 3. So you pass & plan to use the scrambling 2NT as a bidding strategy when & if partner reopens with a double. Partner does double , so you bid the scrambling 2NT. When partner now bids a minor , I will bid 3♠ saying I scrambled with values but I obviously have nothing in spades & I fit your minor. Partner with ♠x ♥AKx ♦ AQxxx ♣ Kxxx can get to our cold minor suit game(s).