Friday, February 11, 2005 1:10 AM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Prepared Bids )

PITBULLS:

There are many hands in Bridge that “fall through the cracks” due to the rank of suits or severe distribution that makes them unbidable. Knowing that , a good partnership makes prepared bids thereby telling the “best lie” . You hold ♠AKJx ♥Axxxx ♦xx ♣xx in 1^st seat. Open 1♥ , partners most frequent response is 1NT or the opponents overcall in a minor & get to 3NT. Partner dutifully leads a heart but a spade lead would have beat the contract. Another scenario is the auction takes off so partner doubles them with a stiff heart & Qxxxx of spades for a double game swing. After a forcing 1NT , you must rebid 2♣ or 2♥ with that hand yech ! Anticipating partners problems , I open 1 spade with those hands. It was good enough for Charles Goren so it’s good enough for me. Flannery was invented for these type of fix hands but if you do not play that toy, 1 spade is the best alternative.

Hearts & diamonds are a trouble hand . Whether I open my 4 card heart suit depends on the texture of the suits. ♠xx ♥AKQx ♦Axxxx ♣xx is an automatic one heart opener for me in any seat. You open 1♦ , partner bids a spade so what is your rebid ? 2♥ Moyseans usually play quite nicely with you showing where you live for lead & defensive purposes. Of course there is the diamond/club combinations where you have ♠xx ♥xx ♦AKJx ♣KQxxx so the prepared bid is one diamond & rebidding 2♣. Rebids in these hands again depend on the quality of the two suits.

There are other prepared bids with distributional freaks. When you have distribution , they have distribution so anticipate them in the auction. Two hands came up Thurday nite & both follow the same idea that the opponents will never leave you alone. ♠KJ1098x ♥x ♦void ♣AKQJxx This hand in my mind is a prepared 1♣ opener. Anticipate the opponents bidding 4♥ with you backing in 4♠. Opener 1♠ and you could “lose” the club suit altogether ! Another of those freaks came up tonight. You have ♠KQ1098x ♥void ♦AKQJxx ♣x which is an unbiddable hand in any Bridge system . You need a reality check to think that the opponents are not going to interfere in this auction. I open 1♦ , back in any number of spades that it takes . I have anticipated the opponents action before I have even opened. Even partner might give you a rough time. You open 1♠ so partner bids 2♥ , your bid ? . Partner gets the message across when I open 1♦ , he responds a heart so I rebid 4♠. Distributional freaks are described by leaping as many levels as you can.

There are some hands that you should not open prepared bids. 6-5’s with 6 of a minor and 5 of a major should never be opened one a major in my opinion. With 6-5’s bid your longest suit first and do not make a prepared bid. This is not the best lie with these hands because you may lose a 6 card suit ! . ♠AJxxx ♥x ♦AKxxxx ♣x I have seen people open 1 spade with those hands . That is silly as you are never going to lose the spade suit but you may lose the diamond suit with the opponents bidding. 1♠-2♥-P-4♥ ? partner has ♠x ♥xxxx ♦QJxx ♣Axxx , you are cold for 6♦ & you may never get into the auction . With weak 5-5’s in the blacks weak or strong , I have a partnership understanding that they are opened 1♣ . You will not lose the “boss suit”. This makes a spade opener with a bid of clubs at the 3 level later an intermediate hand.

Make sure you are on the same wavelength as partner with all the above “prepared bid “ hands. It will save you a great deal of IMPS. 3^rd seat is another place where you should make prepared bids because the lead factors enter the picture. My partner had this hand in 3^rd seat. ♠AKJx ♥xxxxx ♦AJ ♣xx . His hand is mostly HCP’s in spades so he opens 1♠. I bid 2♦ as a passed hand so he bids 2♥ . I bid 3♣ so he retreats to 3♦ which ends the auction. What if he opens 1♥ & I bid 2♦ ? He is forced to pass but if I have spades , we may have missed a game. If he does bid 2♠ & I bid 3♣ he can retreat to 3♦ without showing that he has extra or else he would have passed 2♦. Prepared bids are like playing chess. You plan your moves ahead of time.

You are on the terrorist vulnerability ( nv vrs vul ) holding ♠AKQJxx ♥xx ♦xxx ♣xx . Partner will always tread softly & give you lots of leeway on the terrorist vulnerability. Anticipating this , it is not good strategy to open 2♠ with this hand as you take partner right out of the bidding. She will never read you for this hand . 1♠ , 3♠ & 4♠ probably get the nod by most experts before two spades is even considered. Play the vulnerability & anticipate that partner will have a problem when you open a weak two.

Prepared bids are not just anticipating what partner is going to do. Sometimes your holding will tell you what the opponents are going to do. Bridge players should borrow from Chess players in anticipating the opponents next move. My partner held ♠void ♥xxxxx ♦xxxx ♣A109x everybody vul. The auction goes 1♣-X-? so you know the next bid is going to be 4♠ by the opponents looking at your spade void. The T/O doubler is doubling for spades & hearts so with your one only opportunity what are you going to tell partner ? You of course bid 2♣ or even 3♣ as this is the only bid that can assist partner for a lead or a contract. You have a void & 4 trump for partner . A 1♥ non response is ludicrous because the spade suit is going to out bid hearts if the T/O doubler somehow does not have hearts. You may get partner off to a wrong lead against 4♠ or worse as it happens with this hand there is a double game swing. +750 in clubs as opposed to –620 in spades. Like the Boy Scouts be prepared & anticipate the auction. A one heart bid eliminates partner from the auction & serves no purpose as you have no values in that suit. A very single handed bad non bid.