Friday, October 04, 2002 12:48 PM

Pre-empts - Part II

 

PITBULLS:

 

          Established partnerships know each others pre-empt style . They also have understandings worked out on how the partnership bids over each others’  pre-empts .

 

Say partner opens 4♠ and your hand is Axx xxx AKQxxx A . This hand can make 7,6,5, or 4 depending on partners hearts . A good rule to remember is the big hand does not Q bid to the pre-empter . A “Q bid” by the big hand is always an asking bid in that suit . The responses are similar to other asking bids in an opponents suit . Bid 7 of the agreed suit with a void , bid 6 with a singleton , bid 5NT with the king and return to your suit without a control . You could gamble it out and hope that they do not lead a heart but why take a chance when you can ask ?

 

On this auctions , I like 5NT to ask for solidarity of the trump suit so , what should 5 of the major mean ? With KCB you can find out about trump so the asker must have a void somewhere where she can not use KCB. She probably has nothing in the trump suit, so if you have bad trump pass , good trump bid 6 and AKQ of the trump suit bid 7.

 

          Kiz has some other treatments over the other pre-empts ( weaks 2’s , 3 level & Gambling 3NT ) and they are noted below . I think her 2 control Blackwood should apply to the trump suit only. If you are interested in overall Aces , you would bid 4NT.

 

          Partner opens a weak 2♥ and you hold ♠ void ♥ 10xx ♦AKxx ♣ AKQJ10x . I would bid 4♣ which is Kiz’s Gerber ( trump only ) Partner shows two with the queen i.e. AKQxxx of trump so you bid 7.

Partner opens at the 3 level so this Gerber is totally trump asking. You do not have outside controls with disciplined pre-empts anyway. Gerber & terrorists do not mix.

 

This is Gerber ( trump )  over a three level preempt.  I like it because it allows you to preempt on KJxxxxx without hurting the partnership.  The first number refers to the number of key cards in the trump suit and the second number refers to the queen of trump.  Tom and I played this also. 

 

1.1         OPENING 3§


·        Gerber 4¨

·        Responses 4©=0/0 or 0/1;  4ª=1/0;  4NT=1/1;  5§=2/0;  6§=!!


1.2         OPENING 3¨/3©/3ª

·        Gerber 4§

·         Responses: 4¨=0/0 or 0/1;4©=1/0;4ª=1/1;4NT=2/0;5§=2/1


1.3         OPENING 3©/3ª

·        4¨ asks for shortness

·        responses:  4©/4ª=shortness;  4NT=¨ shortness;  5§=§ shortness


1.1         3NT GAMBLING—BIDS BY RESPONDER

·        4§ --opener has to pass or convert

·        4¨--asks for shortness


·        4©/4ª--to play

·        4NT asks for length in minor