Wednesday, October 30, 2002 1:31 AM

Taking Out Insurance - Part XXV

PITBULLS:

Interesting hand again tonight that beats the drum for the IMP strategy of “taking out insurance” . Lorna held this hand KJxx 98x A10xx xx not vulnerable and heard her RHO (vul ) open 1 Club . Lorna passed and LHO bid 1NT . Partner bid 2♣ and RHO bid 3NT . First what is partners 2♣ bid ? Unless partner has passed first and is backing in , a direct bid of the opponents suit is never natural . You would have to have a special partnership understanding that is alertable if it were natural . So partner has a non vul Michaels bid . What is RHO’s 3NT bid ? It is unlikely that it is a flat 19 as the points do not add up and 2♣ was not doubled which would tend to show a big hand with defensive values. Partner probably has 7 HCP minimum , you have 8 HCP and LHO has 7-10 HCP . RHO is most likely leaping to 3NT based on a runnable 6 or 7 card club suit . O.K. do you bid 4♠ ?

In Match Points you may pass as partner might lead a spade and 3NT will not make. In IMPS there is no decision , you bid 4♠ . You are taking out cheap insurance against a vulnerable game . There is also a likelihood that 4♠ might make if partners hand is as little as

Qxxxx KQxxxx x x This is the infamous double game swing disaster . 660 one way and 590 the other .

What would you bid with the vulnerabilities reversed ? Partner then must have a more robust Michaels bid so you bid 4♠ expecting to make it .

The last case scenerio is also interesting . This is vul against vul . A good partnership always has a pre-defined anchor suit for leading directing doubles when partner has made a 2 suited conventional bid . For example , if you bid a Capelletti 2♦ bid over 1NT and they bid 3NT and partner doubles ? If you bid a 2 suiter that shows the minors and partner doubles there should be a standard “anchor suit “ that should be led . Tom G , myself , Piotr , Maurice and Susan have picked the spade suit as the lead directing anchor suit if the 2 suited bid shows the majors. This helps on the negative inference that when you do not double partner may lead a heart on that basis . Anyway , I would double 3NT for a spade lead if they bid 3NT vul . We may have the entire spade suit to cash and if partner leads a heart it could be a disaster for us .

Lucille Barton bid 4♠ on tonights hand and went for –50 undoubled and at our table they made +600 the other way . A spade lead would have beat it but the “taking out insurance bid” against the wrong opening lead would have prevented the 10 IMP loss .