Saturday, June 09, 2007 1:39 PM
 
Hand Evaluation – Q bids ( Bidding Vrs Guessing )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            Bridge players forget one of the very basics of bidding. That is describing your hand to partner. You are looking at your hand so describing it to yourself is not an issue. Bidding & gambling that partner has the cards to make your bid successful , is not the way to go either. Single handedly taking control by bidding 4NT is the “hope you have a good hand “ mentality common to beginners at the game of Bridge. The expert way to show big hands is to let partner in on the secret at the earliest opportunity. Bidding a 5 card suit at the 4 level & hoping partner has support is not describing your hand. Q bidding brings partner into the picture rather than you single handedly guessing.

 

            The opponents open 4♦ in 3^rd seat , you have ♠AKxxx ♥AKx ♦Ax ♣AJx . With all this defense and support for the unbid suits , you make the obvious double. Partner bids 4♥ so now what ? With 8 card suits & distribution abound , playing partner for 4 hearts is unrealistic. Assuming 5 or more hearts in these types of auctions is very reasonable. What would 4♠ mean now ? I would play that bid as a black two suiter in spades and clubs. Equal level conversion is alive & well at the four level. I may hold a demand 2♣ type single suiter in spades but since it is the boss suit , I can always override the final bid. Partner should assume a two suiter initially though. Bidding 4♠ with this particular hand is a very weak bid. Partner may pass with ♠x ♥Q1098xx ♦xxx ♣109x , 4♠ would go down with 6♥ having a chance. How does 4♠ come close to describing a flat 23 with a 5 card spade suit ???

 

            With this hand,  I would Q bid 5♦ showing a rock with heart support. Partner has ♠Qx ♥Q10987 ♥xx ♣KQ109 so 7NT is cold without the spade suit. Partner will reason that she has 9 HCP more than she previously announced opposite a demand two bid so she will bid 6♣ over 5♦. Since we are at the slam level , this bid must be a grand slam try. We have no HCP’s wasted in the pre-empters suit so the 30 HCP rule is in effect. When partner has little or no points in diamonds , we are very close to a grand slam with our 9 HCP filling in her 21 or so outside the diamond suit. Does partner have enough to accept the grand slam try ? I think so , 7♥ or 7NT is not an unreasonable bid. 

 

 

30>      2     2     2     -10   1     2     1     2     2    -10      -550

        -480  -480  -480  -980  -510  -480  -510  -480  -480  -980 

 

Many people got to the  wrong trump strain ( spades 5-2 fit ) on a Thursday nite so only made 480 . A local couple against us got to the wrong strain ( spades ) but at least bid 6 so we lost 10 IMPS. This hand highlights how weak partnership understandings are with big hands & pre-empts. A double followed by 4NT to play is another possible bid but the controls & heart support lend itself to a Q bid at the 5 level in an attempt to describe your hand. The easiest way to bid huge hands after a pre-empt is to make a bid that informs partner that you have a rock. Do not make a bid that she can pass. The difference between bidding & single handed guesses is to allow partner some input.