Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:44 PM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Believing the Opponents )

PITBULLS:

The opponents are not on your side. There is a Bridge platitude “trust your partner before the opponents”. Yes ,it is far better to trust a disciplined partner when the auction starts to sound a bit weird . Trust your partner for her values so double the opponents if they have over extended themselves. Just because the opponents bid a game , it does not mean they are going to make it . Pseudo sacrifices will happen all the time if you think that way. Trust partners opening bids on 3 of the 4 vulnerabilities. Give leeway only on the terrorist vulnerability.

Sometimes you have to rely on the opponents bidding to fill in the blanks to get a reading on partners HCP’s. I held the following hand the other day ♠AQx ♥AJ10xx ♦AKQ ♣xx , the auction went

1♣-P-1NT-X

P-2♠-P-? You have 20 HCP’s , there has been an opening bid with a

response by the opponents. Give partner this gorgeous collection ♠xxxx ♥xxx ♦xxx ♣xxx & 2 spades is too high . In match points ,you should pass but in IMPS you should make one try by bidding 3♣ . Partner has ♠1098xxx ♥x ♦Jxxx ♣xx so with a good spade position you make +650 as she leaps to game !

There are times when it is a good idea to believe the opponents . You have bid a grand slam in spades , RHO doubles for a club lead which is your partners first bid suit. If you pass there will be a ruff so you are guaranteed a minus. Pull to 7NT as there may be a squeeze or a lucky make ! Another time to believe the opponents is when they convert a re-opening double for penalty .

You hold ♠9x ♥AJxx ♦xx ♣QJ10xx , hear partner who is vul & a passed hand overcall 1♠ after a diamond opener . This gets doubled & converted for penalty . Do you leave it in ? Partner did not open 2♠ or make a weak jump overcall so the spades are 5-1 for sure. You have a nice hand for the two unbid suits so you have a classic SOS redouble . You redouble & you find a nice heart fit .

Even sound overcallers get bad trump breaks . If the opponents convert for penalty , you have a useful distributional hand in another suit , trust the opponents & pull !

♠xx ♥x ♦J10xxx ♣J10xxx 1♠-2♥-P-P Pull to 2NT . Trust the opponents that

X-P-P-?

the heart suit is miserable so take a chance on a minor.

A tormentee held this hand ♠xx ♥Qxx ♦Qxxxx ♣AQx with partner opening 1♣. She responded 1♦ & I doubled. All pass & around to her. Believing the opponents time. They have announced 6 or 7 diamonds with their pass , so why should you play the contract in their long suit ? You have a balanced 10 HCP so 1NT is sure to make. You blow 6 IMPs as you pass 1♦X & go for –100 when +120 in NT is easy. Whenever the opponents convert at the one level , I believe them .

Players who are advocates of the modern style have partners who must “field bids”. Meckstroth & Rodwell sometimes get ridiculously poor results because due to their style of non openers , they tend to believe the opposition rather than each other . Players who play often with weak partners , use the opponents bidding to get a read on the situation. I was playing with someone who is a master at playing with weak partners who held ♠Jxx ♥KQ10x ♦Ax ♣KQxx vul against not. I passed , RHO opened 1♠ . He passed & they raised to 2♠. As a passed hand vulnerable I backed in 3♦ so what do you do ? Trusting vulnerable partner rather than nv opponents , you Q bid 3♠ to show your 15 HCP. Partner bids 3NT so that ends the auction & you make your vul game. With no wasted HCP’s in the spade suit , so 14 working points , 3♦ was passed out at our table. Believe partner not the opponents.

Cat & mouse games sometimes occur with negative double theory. Sometimes you must believe the opponents to assist you in your decision making. A full grasp of there is only 40 HCP’s in the deck rule is also helpful. Everybody vul , you have ♠AJxx ♥AQx ♦Axxx ♣Kx you open 1♦ & a good player overcalls 2♣ vul. OK let’s give him 13 HCP for his vulnerable bid & you have 18 HCP . With 31 HCP tentatively identified , only 9 HCP remain with the unknown hands. Since both other hands passed , it is a good assumption that the HCP’s are divided equally. Partner could not bid 2♦ over 2♣ or make a negative double. Your ♣K is poorly located so you hand gets devalued to 15 HCP so this gives your side maybe under ½ the deck. In IMPS , it is best just to go quietly with a pass. You go down 3 vul for –300 in 2♦ if you bid , but the opponents in this case got lucky with a penalty double conversion so -800 was the result.

It is not responders obligation to “pre-rescue” over a T/O double. You do not systemically force partner to psyche at the one level in case the contract gets converted , that is ludicrous. A response at the one level is forcing one round so needs normal values. When a one level double gets converted , experience shows its best to believe the opponents. Use your arsenal of rescuing bids & move out of that contract. The only time you pass is by looking at your hand & counting 6 or 7 tricks in your own hand otherwise pull.