In June of 2009 I led (more or less) a discussion about when to open 2 clubs. The discussion centered around 2 hands sent to me by a reader. Rather than simply respond, I asked my readers to select the appropriate opening bid. The hands were:
Hand One:
KQ432
Q
AQ32
AKT
Hand Two:
AQxxx
AKT2
AQJ
2
I got a lot of varied responses. The only things the responses had in common were that none of them were equivocal and all lacked any discussion of standards that would be useful to my blog readers in the heat of battle. Almost everyone vilified hand one as a perfect example of abuse and overuse of the 2 club opening bid. Hand 2 gained more support and there was almost an even balance between 1 spade and 2 clubs.
Always practical and useful, enter Marty Bergen who has it all figured out and reveals his answer in depth in Chapter 4 of Slam Bidding Made Easier (2008), my summer beach book. His standard for opening 2 clubs is based on a combination of Quick Tricks and Losers (tricks you would expect to lose if partner shows up with no help at all).
Note that there is a distinct difference between the concept of “losing tricks” in opener’s hand and “Losing Trick Count.” Losing Trick Count (see my earlier blogs) is a valuable valuation tool when a fit has been established with partner, but of dubious value when there has been no bidding.
Most of you know the definition of Quick Tricks since it has been around from the early days of Bridge. A=1, AK= 2, Kx= ½, AQ= 1 ½ KQ=1. That’s it, and there can only be a maximum of 2 Quick Tricks in each suit.
Now you are ready for the Bergen Gold Standard:
(a) If the hand is balanced (4333 or 4432) open 2 clubs only if you have 22 high card points. Opener intends to rebid 2NT.
(b) If the hand is semi-balanced (5332) or unbalanced only open if the hand has 4 or fewer losers and the hand also has 4 or more quick tricks. Thus in Marty speak, “4+4.” Astute observers and mathematicians may point out that if you have only 4 losers, the hand also has 9 winners. Does that standard sound familiar?
Marty is not going to open either Hand 1 or 2 with 2 clubs. They both meet the 4 quick trick requirement but also have too many losing tricks. Let’s look at some example hands from Chapter 4 of Marty’s book.
(a) AJ, KQJT762, AK4, 8. (4 losers and 4 quick tricks). Open 2 clubs.
(b) AKQJ9874, 72, 65, A. Open 1 spade, only 4 losers, but just 3 quick tricks.
(c) AKQT2, AKQJ2, 42. 8. Open 2 clubs, 3 losers and 4 quick tricks.
(d)A, AQ643, K763, AKJ. Open 1 heart. 5 quick tricks, but at least 5 losers. The hand should also be downgraded for the singleton A of spades. Aces that are not supported with other honors in the suit or iare in short suits have diminished value. If you don’t have firm control of the trump suit, you also run the risk of a “pumping defense” in spades.
(e) AKT54, AK5, AKT3, 8. Open 2 clubs. Marty sez any hand with 6+ quick tricks is too strong to open with 1 spade or 1 heart.
What is the downside of the “2 club overuse syndrome?” In three words, “loss of communication.” You are starting the auction on the 2 level and by the time you get through with responses and rebids, it is no trick at all to be on the 3 level and not know much more than you did when you first sorted the cards. If your hand is one that deserves to play in game no matter what partner has, then opening 2 clubs is an effective way to tell him that. You don’t need a lot of bidding room. If your hand is not that strong, then give yourself the optimum opportunity to gain helpful information from partner by a one level opening.
What? Worried about getting passed out? Trust me, in this day and age good partners are looking for reasons to bid, not reasons to pass. Even if partner does not have a minimum bid, the chances are very good that the opponents will either overcall or balance. This sucker is not going to die, and on the rare occasion when it does, you are probably in the right spot.
So what do we have? Marty Bergen who said “Bridge is a Bidder Game” rejects the current fad to reduce standards for forcing 2 club opening bids and goes traditional on us. When you have one of the World’s most aggressive bidders saying “Pull in your horns”, maybe it is time to listen.
So consider making 4+4 your partnership standard.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Pat Peterson Takes Over the Bank
Well, not exactly, but sort of – Pat is moving her Florida Citrus County Bridge Games to new digs. She will be occupying part of the Nature Coast Bank Building (formerly the Ted Williams Museum) on Route 486 and Citrus Hills Boulevard. The first game in the new location will be Monday, September 20. It is a step forward for Pat and I am sure that I speak for all of her players in wishing her the very best.
Pat, who moved to Citrus County following retirement, has been widely recognized for her many contributions to bridge, not the least of which is her notable success in introducing new players to the duplicate bridge and bringing back some of us retreads. Her accomplishments were recently recognized on the ACBL web site and at last count her Florida pupils who had reached the Life Master milestone were at 35 and climbing. She is truly inspirational.
In furtherance of building bridge in Citrus County, Pat is offering FREE "Easybridge" lessons to beginners and novices or social players who wish to update their skills. This is not read 10 chapters and weep, Pat guarantees that students will be playing bridge by the end of the first day. The lessons start on Tuesday, October 19 and run from 2:00 to 4:30. We all have a big stake in the success of duplicate bridge in Citrus County, so make an effort to sign up any friends who may be candidates. Call Pat at 352-746-7835.
Pat’s success at managing and building bridge is equaled by her skills as a player. She can do it with such quietude and grace that you almost miss it. Recently I was watching Pat (Patpete2)and Sharron Rosenberg (Sharronr) dueling a couple of BBO World Class opponents. I had just finished reading a Chapter in Slam Bidding Made Easier by Marty Bergen on the importance of correctly bidding controls with distributional hands. Marty, no shrinking violet, just flat out said that notwithstanding other well intended expert opinion, the only way to successfully bid controls is to bid 1st and 2nd round controls up the line with equal priority.
I was rousted from my Internet daze by my cat Axel leaping to his perch on my desk and looked up and saw Pat and Sharron dealt these hands:
Sharron; KQJT542, void, A98, AJ8
Pat: A87, AJ732, KT7, 98
Sharron dealt and opened one spade, Pat 2 bid hearts (game forcing), Sharon 2 spades, Pat now bid 4 spades (spade fit and minimum hand). Now if all you count is hcps you might pass in Sharron’s seat. No matter what system you use for revaluing shapely hands, once the fit is established, this one is begging for further exploration. You can bid 4NT asking for key cards, but when partner shows you 2 key cards, you are still left with no complete solution to your minor suit losers. Sharron did not disappoint, she bid 5 clubs showing a control in clubs. Pat and Sharron obviously agree with Marty, since Pat bid 5 diamonds showing her control in diamonds, even though it was a 2nd round control. Now having a workable plan for diamonds, Sharron bid 6 spades. The slam makes against any lead and garnered a big bunch of IMPs. Axel wagged has tail and I sent an “attaboy” text.
The key to their success was both good hand valuation and also the critical control showing bid that Pat made of 5 diamonds. This is apparently how experts show controls (Marty said that) and the worthiness of the concept is proven by the result. So, if you and your partner don’t have an agreement on how to show controls, it might be a good idea to discuss it. Don’t be too surprised if Partner says ”Oh, I always bid 1st round controls first and then 2nd round controls.” If partner says “Oh, I just use Blackwood,” consider ripping up his ACBL card and if he is a life master borrow some tin snips.
Just a comment on hand valuation. I asked Pat what planted the seed in Sharron’s mind that more was there for the taking. An advocate of Losing Trick Count, she noted that Sharon had 4 ½ LTC hand and that her 2/1 game force bid showed about 7 LTC, so taking 12 tricks seemed quite reasonable.
Since my most recent blog post ("Slammin' with Marty Bergen") was about Marty Bergen’s system of valuing fitting major suit hands, I e-mailed the hand to Bergen for comment. Marty said Sharron’s hand is revalued at about 24 Bergen Points, but the void in hearts cannot be fully revalued since it is in partner’s bid suit. Anyway you put it together, as long as you don’t get sidetracked with hcps, you fully justify the bidding continuations and hit the jackpot..
That’s how it is done son!!!
Pat, who moved to Citrus County following retirement, has been widely recognized for her many contributions to bridge, not the least of which is her notable success in introducing new players to the duplicate bridge and bringing back some of us retreads. Her accomplishments were recently recognized on the ACBL web site and at last count her Florida pupils who had reached the Life Master milestone were at 35 and climbing. She is truly inspirational.
In furtherance of building bridge in Citrus County, Pat is offering FREE "Easybridge" lessons to beginners and novices or social players who wish to update their skills. This is not read 10 chapters and weep, Pat guarantees that students will be playing bridge by the end of the first day. The lessons start on Tuesday, October 19 and run from 2:00 to 4:30. We all have a big stake in the success of duplicate bridge in Citrus County, so make an effort to sign up any friends who may be candidates. Call Pat at 352-746-7835.
Pat’s success at managing and building bridge is equaled by her skills as a player. She can do it with such quietude and grace that you almost miss it. Recently I was watching Pat (Patpete2)and Sharron Rosenberg (Sharronr) dueling a couple of BBO World Class opponents. I had just finished reading a Chapter in Slam Bidding Made Easier by Marty Bergen on the importance of correctly bidding controls with distributional hands. Marty, no shrinking violet, just flat out said that notwithstanding other well intended expert opinion, the only way to successfully bid controls is to bid 1st and 2nd round controls up the line with equal priority.
I was rousted from my Internet daze by my cat Axel leaping to his perch on my desk and looked up and saw Pat and Sharron dealt these hands:
Sharron; KQJT542, void, A98, AJ8
Pat: A87, AJ732, KT7, 98
Sharron dealt and opened one spade, Pat 2 bid hearts (game forcing), Sharon 2 spades, Pat now bid 4 spades (spade fit and minimum hand). Now if all you count is hcps you might pass in Sharron’s seat. No matter what system you use for revaluing shapely hands, once the fit is established, this one is begging for further exploration. You can bid 4NT asking for key cards, but when partner shows you 2 key cards, you are still left with no complete solution to your minor suit losers. Sharron did not disappoint, she bid 5 clubs showing a control in clubs. Pat and Sharron obviously agree with Marty, since Pat bid 5 diamonds showing her control in diamonds, even though it was a 2nd round control. Now having a workable plan for diamonds, Sharron bid 6 spades. The slam makes against any lead and garnered a big bunch of IMPs. Axel wagged has tail and I sent an “attaboy” text.
The key to their success was both good hand valuation and also the critical control showing bid that Pat made of 5 diamonds. This is apparently how experts show controls (Marty said that) and the worthiness of the concept is proven by the result. So, if you and your partner don’t have an agreement on how to show controls, it might be a good idea to discuss it. Don’t be too surprised if Partner says ”Oh, I always bid 1st round controls first and then 2nd round controls.” If partner says “Oh, I just use Blackwood,” consider ripping up his ACBL card and if he is a life master borrow some tin snips.
Just a comment on hand valuation. I asked Pat what planted the seed in Sharron’s mind that more was there for the taking. An advocate of Losing Trick Count, she noted that Sharon had 4 ½ LTC hand and that her 2/1 game force bid showed about 7 LTC, so taking 12 tricks seemed quite reasonable.
Since my most recent blog post ("Slammin' with Marty Bergen") was about Marty Bergen’s system of valuing fitting major suit hands, I e-mailed the hand to Bergen for comment. Marty said Sharron’s hand is revalued at about 24 Bergen Points, but the void in hearts cannot be fully revalued since it is in partner’s bid suit. Anyway you put it together, as long as you don’t get sidetracked with hcps, you fully justify the bidding continuations and hit the jackpot..
That’s how it is done son!!!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Slammin' with Marty Bergen
I think success in duplicate bridge is in large measure based on good hand evaluation. It is easy to get stuck in “intermediatesville” and never lose the crutch of the 4-3-2-1 count. Knowing when and how to get beyond that is bridge’s great aperitif.
No analysis of hand valuation would be complete without hearing from Marty Bergen. He wrote a book in 2008 entitled “Slam Bidding Made Easy.” In large measure it is about hand evaluation. I had some e-mail correspondence with Danny Kleinman this summer and asked him about some of Bergen’s ideas. Danny is one of the great bridge theorists, and a world champion in backgammon as well. He said that Bergen is at his best when discussing hand evaluation. Bergen divides hand evaluation into three stages: (i) The Initial Valuation (these adjustments apply to both hands in before any bidding commences), (ii) Revaluing Dummy after a fit is determined by responder and (iii) Revaluing Declarer’s Hand after responder shows a fit. Marty’s approach requires a modest amount of study, but then if all good hand valuation only entailed counting to ten, we would all be experts.
Step 1, The Initial Hand Evaluation. Marty calls this “Adjust 3”, but you will notice that I have managed to divide the adjustments into 4 steps so we will call this first step “Adjust 4.” Adjust 4 applies to both partners and is applied before the auction. Start with your high card count and then:
1. Add your Aces and tens (positive undervalued honors), and Subtract the number of Queens and Jacks (negative overvalued honors). You ignore Kings since they are properly valued at 3 hcps. If the result is at least 3 or more positive add a point and if at least 3 or more negative subtract a point. If the difference is 0-2 no adjustment is necessary. (This is the “honor quality” adjustment).
2. Subtract 1 hcp for any dubious doubleton and/or singleton honor combinations like KQ, KJ, QJ, Qx, Jx, K, Q, and J. (the “wasted honor” adjustment).
3. Add a point if you have a 4+ card suit with 3 of the top 5 honors. (The “suit quality” adjustment).
4. Add another point for every 5 card suit and one additional point for each extra card beyond (The “suit length” adjustment).
All of these are cumulative, so if you have a 6 card suit with 3 of the top 5 honors, you count it as a 3 point adjustment. Two points for the suit length and one point for suit quality. Try these for practice.
(a) AQx, AQTx, KTxx, Ax: Hcp count 19. Add 1 point for honor quality (+3) (5 positve honors and 2 negative), one point for the quality of the 4 card heart suit and it adjusts to 21. Open the hand 2NT.
(b) KQJ, KQxx, AJxx, KJ. Hcp count 20. Adjust down one point for poor honor quality (-3), (one positive card and 4 negative cards) and down one more point for the KJ as a wasted honor, so it adjusts to 18. Open 1 diamond and rebid 2NT.
(c) QJxx, K, Jxxx, AJxx. Hcp count 12. Reduce one point for poor honor quality (-3) and one additional point for the wasted honor. Adjusted count 10. Pass.
(d) AJTxx, 3, ATxx, Axx. Hcp 13. Add one point for honor quality (+4), one point for a 5 card spade length and one more point for the honor quality of the spade suit. Adjusted count 16. Open 1 spade.
(e) xx, AKTx, AKTxxx, x. Hcp Count 14. Add one point for the honor quality (+4) , add 2 points for the 6 card diamond suit, another point for the quality of the diamond suit and finally a point for the quality of the 4 card heart suit. Adjusted count 19. Open this 1 diamond and feel free to reverse with the heart suit.
Well, you may think these Initial Adjustments are a bit overwhelming, but I have tried it for a while and they can be quite easily mastered. I am not smart enough to evaluate the correctness of Bergen’s methodology, but I feel quite comfortable in my belief that it is a better Initial Hand Valuation than you would get by simply ignoring these features.
Step 2. Revaluing Dummy. Once a fit is established responder further adjusts the Initial Hand Valuation to reflect the value of the fit. You can add to your Initial Hand Valuation (i) One point for a doubleton (ii) Two points for a single if you have only 3 card support but add 3 points if you have 4 card support and (iii) for a void, add additional points equal to the number of trumps in your hand. So if you have 5 card support, count 5 for your void. Not too different that the usual dummy point revaluation.
Step 3. Revaluing Declarer’s Hand After a Fit (Bergen Points). If partner supports opener’s suit (e.g.1 spade/2 spades), then opener makes a further adjustment to his Initial Count as follows: (a) add 2 points for a singleton and 4 for a void (b) add 1 point for 2 doubletons (c) add 1 point for each trump suit card over 5 and (d) add one additional point for a 4 or 5 card side suit.
If your combined adjustments now equal 33 points (as adjusted on both sides) you have enough to bid a small slam.
At last Friday’s Open Pairs game in Rochester, N.Y as East I held :
A72, KT762, J9, QJ4.
West held: KQ9653, void, AQ8, AT93. None vulnerable. Dealer North passed, I passed with the East hand, West opened 1 spade, South overcalled 2 hearts and I cue bid three hearts showing 10-12 hpcs and spade support. Join Marty in valuing the East-West hands.
East has 11 hpcs. The Initial Valuation (Adjust 4) would be one added point for the 5 card heart suit and one point subtracted for the worthless doubleton Jack of diamonds. No other adjustments, so an Initial Valuation of 11 hcps. A pass feels right in any system.
West has 15 hcps and gets a 2 point add-on for the 6 card suit and no other adjustments, so West’s Initial Valuation is 17 hcps. The one spade bid seems right.
East has a spade fit, so he needs to revalue his Initial Valuation for Dummy Points. That Jx that initially cost him a point, he now gets to add it back, so 12 Dummy points. Since North made a 2 heart overcall, I cue bid 3 hearts showing support and 10-12 Dummy Points.
West now knows there is a spade fit and must revalue the hand to reflect that fit. Don’t be impatient, this is the final adjustment. Initially he had 17 adjusted points, but he now adds back 4 points for the void, 1 point for the 6 card spade suit and 1 point for the 4 card side suit in clubs. So 17+6=23 adjusted points for opener. Our pair total should be 33-35 adjusted points depending on the size of my limit raise. What Would Marty Do? Probably bid 7 spades which makes, but if you bid 6 spades you get a top board. Sadly, we failed. Joe and June DeSantis were the only pair that got to the slam and a cold top. Congratulations!
Marty has 10 commandments for good slam bidding. No. 1 is “Never forget the magic of Voids.” No 2. is “Hcps are Not the key.” Have you ever looked at the Rodwell-Meckstroth convention card? In bold across the top is “ Frequent upgrades and some downgrades.” Do you suppose they are just lucky or are they doing something we are not?
I hope you find this valuation concept interesting. A more interesting question: Is it an improvement over what I am presently doing? If you are relying on “Kentucky Windage”, consider that with a room full of World Class players (BBO standards) , only one pair found this 26 hcp slam.
No analysis of hand valuation would be complete without hearing from Marty Bergen. He wrote a book in 2008 entitled “Slam Bidding Made Easy.” In large measure it is about hand evaluation. I had some e-mail correspondence with Danny Kleinman this summer and asked him about some of Bergen’s ideas. Danny is one of the great bridge theorists, and a world champion in backgammon as well. He said that Bergen is at his best when discussing hand evaluation. Bergen divides hand evaluation into three stages: (i) The Initial Valuation (these adjustments apply to both hands in before any bidding commences), (ii) Revaluing Dummy after a fit is determined by responder and (iii) Revaluing Declarer’s Hand after responder shows a fit. Marty’s approach requires a modest amount of study, but then if all good hand valuation only entailed counting to ten, we would all be experts.
Step 1, The Initial Hand Evaluation. Marty calls this “Adjust 3”, but you will notice that I have managed to divide the adjustments into 4 steps so we will call this first step “Adjust 4.” Adjust 4 applies to both partners and is applied before the auction. Start with your high card count and then:
1. Add your Aces and tens (positive undervalued honors), and Subtract the number of Queens and Jacks (negative overvalued honors). You ignore Kings since they are properly valued at 3 hcps. If the result is at least 3 or more positive add a point and if at least 3 or more negative subtract a point. If the difference is 0-2 no adjustment is necessary. (This is the “honor quality” adjustment).
2. Subtract 1 hcp for any dubious doubleton and/or singleton honor combinations like KQ, KJ, QJ, Qx, Jx, K, Q, and J. (the “wasted honor” adjustment).
3. Add a point if you have a 4+ card suit with 3 of the top 5 honors. (The “suit quality” adjustment).
4. Add another point for every 5 card suit and one additional point for each extra card beyond (The “suit length” adjustment).
All of these are cumulative, so if you have a 6 card suit with 3 of the top 5 honors, you count it as a 3 point adjustment. Two points for the suit length and one point for suit quality. Try these for practice.
(a) AQx, AQTx, KTxx, Ax: Hcp count 19. Add 1 point for honor quality (+3) (5 positve honors and 2 negative), one point for the quality of the 4 card heart suit and it adjusts to 21. Open the hand 2NT.
(b) KQJ, KQxx, AJxx, KJ. Hcp count 20. Adjust down one point for poor honor quality (-3), (one positive card and 4 negative cards) and down one more point for the KJ as a wasted honor, so it adjusts to 18. Open 1 diamond and rebid 2NT.
(c) QJxx, K, Jxxx, AJxx. Hcp count 12. Reduce one point for poor honor quality (-3) and one additional point for the wasted honor. Adjusted count 10. Pass.
(d) AJTxx, 3, ATxx, Axx. Hcp 13. Add one point for honor quality (+4), one point for a 5 card spade length and one more point for the honor quality of the spade suit. Adjusted count 16. Open 1 spade.
(e) xx, AKTx, AKTxxx, x. Hcp Count 14. Add one point for the honor quality (+4) , add 2 points for the 6 card diamond suit, another point for the quality of the diamond suit and finally a point for the quality of the 4 card heart suit. Adjusted count 19. Open this 1 diamond and feel free to reverse with the heart suit.
Well, you may think these Initial Adjustments are a bit overwhelming, but I have tried it for a while and they can be quite easily mastered. I am not smart enough to evaluate the correctness of Bergen’s methodology, but I feel quite comfortable in my belief that it is a better Initial Hand Valuation than you would get by simply ignoring these features.
Step 2. Revaluing Dummy. Once a fit is established responder further adjusts the Initial Hand Valuation to reflect the value of the fit. You can add to your Initial Hand Valuation (i) One point for a doubleton (ii) Two points for a single if you have only 3 card support but add 3 points if you have 4 card support and (iii) for a void, add additional points equal to the number of trumps in your hand. So if you have 5 card support, count 5 for your void. Not too different that the usual dummy point revaluation.
Step 3. Revaluing Declarer’s Hand After a Fit (Bergen Points). If partner supports opener’s suit (e.g.1 spade/2 spades), then opener makes a further adjustment to his Initial Count as follows: (a) add 2 points for a singleton and 4 for a void (b) add 1 point for 2 doubletons (c) add 1 point for each trump suit card over 5 and (d) add one additional point for a 4 or 5 card side suit.
If your combined adjustments now equal 33 points (as adjusted on both sides) you have enough to bid a small slam.
At last Friday’s Open Pairs game in Rochester, N.Y as East I held :
A72, KT762, J9, QJ4.
West held: KQ9653, void, AQ8, AT93. None vulnerable. Dealer North passed, I passed with the East hand, West opened 1 spade, South overcalled 2 hearts and I cue bid three hearts showing 10-12 hpcs and spade support. Join Marty in valuing the East-West hands.
East has 11 hpcs. The Initial Valuation (Adjust 4) would be one added point for the 5 card heart suit and one point subtracted for the worthless doubleton Jack of diamonds. No other adjustments, so an Initial Valuation of 11 hcps. A pass feels right in any system.
West has 15 hcps and gets a 2 point add-on for the 6 card suit and no other adjustments, so West’s Initial Valuation is 17 hcps. The one spade bid seems right.
East has a spade fit, so he needs to revalue his Initial Valuation for Dummy Points. That Jx that initially cost him a point, he now gets to add it back, so 12 Dummy points. Since North made a 2 heart overcall, I cue bid 3 hearts showing support and 10-12 Dummy Points.
West now knows there is a spade fit and must revalue the hand to reflect that fit. Don’t be impatient, this is the final adjustment. Initially he had 17 adjusted points, but he now adds back 4 points for the void, 1 point for the 6 card spade suit and 1 point for the 4 card side suit in clubs. So 17+6=23 adjusted points for opener. Our pair total should be 33-35 adjusted points depending on the size of my limit raise. What Would Marty Do? Probably bid 7 spades which makes, but if you bid 6 spades you get a top board. Sadly, we failed. Joe and June DeSantis were the only pair that got to the slam and a cold top. Congratulations!
Marty has 10 commandments for good slam bidding. No. 1 is “Never forget the magic of Voids.” No 2. is “Hcps are Not the key.” Have you ever looked at the Rodwell-Meckstroth convention card? In bold across the top is “ Frequent upgrades and some downgrades.” Do you suppose they are just lucky or are they doing something we are not?
I hope you find this valuation concept interesting. A more interesting question: Is it an improvement over what I am presently doing? If you are relying on “Kentucky Windage”, consider that with a room full of World Class players (BBO standards) , only one pair found this 26 hcp slam.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Redefining "Two Hearts Trash" - A Systemic Update
Many decades ago the opening bid of 2 clubs became the only forcing opening bid in the Standard American System. A companion response to this opening bid was a response system called “Two Diamonds Waiting.” The response of two diamonds was neither negative or positive, but merely was a temporizing bid to allow opener to further describe his hand. Responder on his rebid, not having previously described his hand, would show positive values and a fit by raising opener’s suit, positive values but no fit by bidding another suit, or a negative response hand by biding 3 clubs (if available). A negative response denies holding “working cards” defined as an Ace, King or Two Queens.
This system, still widely used today, has several weaknesses. The initial response is a wasted bid since it tells opener nothing about responder’s hand. Not only that, it uses up valuable bidding space. Consider a sequence 2c/2d/3c or 3d by opener. The bidding is already at the 3 level and opener know no more about responder’s hand than when he started. Suppose responder holds no working cards, do you know how to show a negative bid when the bidding level is passed 3 clubs? The answer is that you make the cheapest bid at the 3 level, but I have known many good players who failed that test. Do you and your partners understand that? Suppose you have a balanced hand of 25 hcps. I had this hand on successive days recently. Under 2 diamonds waiting opener must show that hand by jumping to 3NT. Three no trump leaves little room to find a 4-4 or 5-3 major fit. Wouldn’t it have been nice to simply rebid 2NT to facilitate both Stayman and transfers?
Enter our old friend Oswald Jacoby who said let’s rearrange our systems so that first bid by responder will actually define the hand as either negative or positive saving a level of bidding and solving other problems as well. I call this system “two hearts trash” because the immediate response of 2 hearts shows a trashy hand that lacks any working cards. Working card retain their definition, an Ace, King or 2 Queens. Some explanations of this system do not specify 2 queens but replace it with 4+ hcps. I think it is best to reject the concept of hcps and stick with two queens. Max Hardy in his excellent book Advanced Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century shows on page 177 an example J73, J62, J94, QJ87 and states that this fails the “2 queens” test and should be shown as a negative hand. He notes that the club holding could face club shortness in opener’s hand and be completely worthless. If opener should bid 2NT (22-23 hcps) responder would gladly raise to 3NT.
If responder has working values he bids anything other than 2 hearts. Any bid other than 2 hearts is game forcing. If responder holds a 5 card major to 2 of the top 3 honors he can bid that suit. If that suit is hearts, the substitute bid for 2 hearts is 2 no trump. If responder has a 6 card minor suit to 2 of the top 3 he can bid that suit at the 3 level. While under the “2 diamonds waiting” system these bids also suggested holding additional values as well (8-9 hcps), under “two hearts trash they do not require additional values beyond suit length and honor strength. Thus with KQxxx, xx, xxx, xxx the correct response is 2 spades.
If your hand does not meet the requirements for the more descriptive suit bids and you have working cards, your bid is 2 diamonds. This is much different than “2 diamonds waiting” since it clearly indicates a positive hand with no better bid to make. Since it is a positive bid, it is a game forcing bid. While under “2 diamonds waiting” responder having bid 2 diamonds could pass a rebid of 2NT, in 2 hearts trash responder may not pass 2 NT. Now opener with the big balanced hand does not have to make some jump bid in no trump to force responder, he can take it slow, rebid 2NT and pick apart responder hand values and distribution. Note how nicely this accommodates both Stayman and Transfers at reasonable levels.
The only bid that is not a game force is the negative response of 2 hearts. If opener now bids 2NT and responder has non-contributing values he may pass. Responder does not have to pass. With values like those shown in the earlier example it would be appropriate to raise to 3NT. This is a two edged sword. If opener has a big hand and wants to play at game against a “bust response”, he better bid that game.
If responder first makes a positive 2 diamond response, on the second response he further describes his hand by showing support, or showing lack of support by bidding no trump or a new 5 card suit. From this point the bidding flows naturally.
Suppose opener has a hand like 6, AKQJT75, AK5, 83. The bidding goes 2c/2d/3h. Certainly with 9 tricks this qualifies for a 2 club opening bid. The jump rebid shows a solid self supporting heart suit and asks responder to show controls. If responder has an ace, he bids that suit and without an ace but with 1 or more Kings, bids 3NT. Thus, the raise to 4 hearts would simply show the positive response was based on two queens.
It is beyond the scope of this post to attempt to promote disputes about what an opening bid of 2 clubs means. Right or wrong, it seems to be meaning less and less. I suggest that this rush to open all good hands with 2 clubs is misguided and that we would be better to retain traditional standards. Max Hardy says that it shows a balanced hand and 23+ hcps or hand that has 9 tricks. In part this standard was the basis for determining what constitutes a positive or negative response under both 2 diamonds waiting and 2 hearts trash. If you have a real 2 club bid and partner has one or more working cards, you should have a realistic play for game. If opener makes some watered down 2 club bid, then the safe guards built into the system will not protect you at game levels. Of particular vulnerability are single suited minor hands or two suited hands where competitive action by opponents may take up too much bidding room.
This brings us to our final issue. Tough and aggressive opponents do not always let you alone when you open two clubs. This frequently occurs where the 2 club bid is based on a single suited minor or a two suited hand. If the interference is an overcall, then double by responder is a negative bid and any other bid by responder is a positive bid. With the interfering overcall responder just bids his hand and the bids of two hearts (now natural) or two spades simply shows a 5 card suit headed by an Ace of King. If the interference is a double, then redouble is the negative bid and any other bid shows one of more working cards.
I am aware that some partnerships simply respond showing controls over 2 clubs. It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss those systems other than to say that they have their pluses and minuses. Similar to “two hearts trash”, they focus solely on working cards and showing hand strength with the first response. Give a copy of this post to your partner and send “2 diamonds waiting” to the recycle bin.
This system, still widely used today, has several weaknesses. The initial response is a wasted bid since it tells opener nothing about responder’s hand. Not only that, it uses up valuable bidding space. Consider a sequence 2c/2d/3c or 3d by opener. The bidding is already at the 3 level and opener know no more about responder’s hand than when he started. Suppose responder holds no working cards, do you know how to show a negative bid when the bidding level is passed 3 clubs? The answer is that you make the cheapest bid at the 3 level, but I have known many good players who failed that test. Do you and your partners understand that? Suppose you have a balanced hand of 25 hcps. I had this hand on successive days recently. Under 2 diamonds waiting opener must show that hand by jumping to 3NT. Three no trump leaves little room to find a 4-4 or 5-3 major fit. Wouldn’t it have been nice to simply rebid 2NT to facilitate both Stayman and transfers?
Enter our old friend Oswald Jacoby who said let’s rearrange our systems so that first bid by responder will actually define the hand as either negative or positive saving a level of bidding and solving other problems as well. I call this system “two hearts trash” because the immediate response of 2 hearts shows a trashy hand that lacks any working cards. Working card retain their definition, an Ace, King or 2 Queens. Some explanations of this system do not specify 2 queens but replace it with 4+ hcps. I think it is best to reject the concept of hcps and stick with two queens. Max Hardy in his excellent book Advanced Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century shows on page 177 an example J73, J62, J94, QJ87 and states that this fails the “2 queens” test and should be shown as a negative hand. He notes that the club holding could face club shortness in opener’s hand and be completely worthless. If opener should bid 2NT (22-23 hcps) responder would gladly raise to 3NT.
If responder has working values he bids anything other than 2 hearts. Any bid other than 2 hearts is game forcing. If responder holds a 5 card major to 2 of the top 3 honors he can bid that suit. If that suit is hearts, the substitute bid for 2 hearts is 2 no trump. If responder has a 6 card minor suit to 2 of the top 3 he can bid that suit at the 3 level. While under the “2 diamonds waiting” system these bids also suggested holding additional values as well (8-9 hcps), under “two hearts trash they do not require additional values beyond suit length and honor strength. Thus with KQxxx, xx, xxx, xxx the correct response is 2 spades.
If your hand does not meet the requirements for the more descriptive suit bids and you have working cards, your bid is 2 diamonds. This is much different than “2 diamonds waiting” since it clearly indicates a positive hand with no better bid to make. Since it is a positive bid, it is a game forcing bid. While under “2 diamonds waiting” responder having bid 2 diamonds could pass a rebid of 2NT, in 2 hearts trash responder may not pass 2 NT. Now opener with the big balanced hand does not have to make some jump bid in no trump to force responder, he can take it slow, rebid 2NT and pick apart responder hand values and distribution. Note how nicely this accommodates both Stayman and Transfers at reasonable levels.
The only bid that is not a game force is the negative response of 2 hearts. If opener now bids 2NT and responder has non-contributing values he may pass. Responder does not have to pass. With values like those shown in the earlier example it would be appropriate to raise to 3NT. This is a two edged sword. If opener has a big hand and wants to play at game against a “bust response”, he better bid that game.
If responder first makes a positive 2 diamond response, on the second response he further describes his hand by showing support, or showing lack of support by bidding no trump or a new 5 card suit. From this point the bidding flows naturally.
Suppose opener has a hand like 6, AKQJT75, AK5, 83. The bidding goes 2c/2d/3h. Certainly with 9 tricks this qualifies for a 2 club opening bid. The jump rebid shows a solid self supporting heart suit and asks responder to show controls. If responder has an ace, he bids that suit and without an ace but with 1 or more Kings, bids 3NT. Thus, the raise to 4 hearts would simply show the positive response was based on two queens.
It is beyond the scope of this post to attempt to promote disputes about what an opening bid of 2 clubs means. Right or wrong, it seems to be meaning less and less. I suggest that this rush to open all good hands with 2 clubs is misguided and that we would be better to retain traditional standards. Max Hardy says that it shows a balanced hand and 23+ hcps or hand that has 9 tricks. In part this standard was the basis for determining what constitutes a positive or negative response under both 2 diamonds waiting and 2 hearts trash. If you have a real 2 club bid and partner has one or more working cards, you should have a realistic play for game. If opener makes some watered down 2 club bid, then the safe guards built into the system will not protect you at game levels. Of particular vulnerability are single suited minor hands or two suited hands where competitive action by opponents may take up too much bidding room.
This brings us to our final issue. Tough and aggressive opponents do not always let you alone when you open two clubs. This frequently occurs where the 2 club bid is based on a single suited minor or a two suited hand. If the interference is an overcall, then double by responder is a negative bid and any other bid by responder is a positive bid. With the interfering overcall responder just bids his hand and the bids of two hearts (now natural) or two spades simply shows a 5 card suit headed by an Ace of King. If the interference is a double, then redouble is the negative bid and any other bid shows one of more working cards.
I am aware that some partnerships simply respond showing controls over 2 clubs. It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss those systems other than to say that they have their pluses and minuses. Similar to “two hearts trash”, they focus solely on working cards and showing hand strength with the first response. Give a copy of this post to your partner and send “2 diamonds waiting” to the recycle bin.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Combined Bergen Revisited (Again)
Introduction
Combined Bergen is a modification of both Original and Reverse Bergen Raises. I was first introduced to the concept by Pat Peterson, a well known expert, teacher and director in Citrus County, Florida.. She is patpete2 on Bridge Base. I wrote a blog post detailing the concept about 2 years ago and it was my most popular blog ever, eliciting responses from all over the World. Since many of my readers were not following my blog at that time, I decided to repost it in a new format with examples and more detail. It’s time to rethink your Bergen and you now don’t have to ask regular or reverse, just say Combined!!
Why Do It?
The Combined Bergen Raise eliminates a difficult situation which arises after 1 heart or 1spade is opened and responder bids 1NT forcing. If opener has a strong hand worth a jump shift of say 3 diamonds; what now does 3 hearts or 3 spades show by responder? Is it a two-card false preference or could it be a limit raise with 3 trumps? If responder happens to have the limit raise with 3 trumps, does he have to bid 4 hearts or 4 spades using up valuable bidding space? Does he bid 3 hearts and give partner the idea that he has 2 trumps. With the Combined Bergen Raise this is addressed by using the 3 diamond response to show the limit raise with three trumps and the 3 club response to show a four card raise with a range of 7-12 hcps. This does not lose anything because we have ways to find out if the Bergen raise is a constructive raise or a limit raise by an "asking bid" by the opening bidder.
Combining the Bergen 4 Card Raises
The solution is to compress the Bergen 3 club and 3 diamond responses (four-card raises) into one response, 3 clubs. This shows a 4 card raise of the major with 7-12 hcps. If opener’s fowward going action will benefit by having the raise further defined, opener can initiate a "range check" by bidding 3 diamonds. If inquiry is made responder’s rebid of 3 hearts shows a constructive raise 7-9 hcps and 3 spades shows a limit raise of 10-12 hcps. You don’t need two bids to show two separate ranges. Alternatively, opener could ignore the range check and bid 3 or 4 of the major, each of which is to play. If after the range check response, Opener does anything other than bid game in the major, it would be a slam try.
Example 1: As Opener you hold AJ1086, KQ107, K87, 8
You hear 3 clubs over your 1 spade opener (7-12 Combined Bergen). Since opener would be willing to play at game against a limit raise, but would settle for playing 3 spades against a constructive raise, bid 3 diamonds to ask partner which he has the limit or constructive raise. If partner bids 3 hearts you bid 3 spades. If partner bids 3 spades, you bid 4 spades.
Example 2: As Opener you hold KQ107, AJ1086, K87, 8
You hear 3 clubs over your 1 heart opener (7-12 hcps, Combined Bergen). Ask partner if he has limit or constructive raise by bidding 3 diamonds. If you hear 3 hearts (7-9 hcps) you pass, If you hear 3 spades you bid 4 hearts. A occasional comment has been “when you bid 3 diamonds over 3 clubs in the heart suit sequence, if partner has the limit raise you are locked into a game contract.” Why would you bid 3 diamonds if you did not want to play game against a limit raise??
Example 3: As Responder you hold: KQ97, K987, 543, 98
Partner bids 1 spade, you bid 3 clubs (Combined Bergen 8 hcps). If partner asks your range by bidding 3 diamonds, you rebid 3 hearts “I have a constructive raise”
Example 4: As responder you hold: KQ97, K987, QJ9, 98
Partner opens 1 spade, you bid 3 Clubs. If partner asks your range by bidding 3 diamonds, you rebid 3 spades showing the limit raise. If Partner opens 1heart, you bid 3 clubs. If partner asks you range by bidding 3diamonds , you rebid 3 spades “I have a Limit raise”
Three Diamonds as a 3 Card Limit Raise
As noted earlier the response of 3 diamonds to an opening bid of 1 of a major shows a 3 card limit raise. This avoids the ambiguity detailed in the first paragraph when opener makes a jump shift. Responder by bidding 3 diamonds completely describes his hand with one bid. In addition, the response of 3 diamonds is much more preemptive than responding 1NT as a prelude to showing a 3 card limit raise. These are major advantages which now can be availed of by using Combined Bergen.
1NT is Now Semi-Forcing
Using Combined Bergen also changes the meaning of the 1 no trump” response. Since the 3 card limit raise no longer uses the 1NT response, it is no longer necessary to have 1NT treated as forcing, so the response of 1NT becomes semi-forcing and shows a hand of 5+-11 hcps with 0-2 card support for the opening major. Opener now may pass with a balanced hand (5332) and less than 14 hcps. To put it in the positive, opener takes a bid with an unbalanced hand or if he has 14+ hcps.
Example 5:: As opener you hold AJ1086, KQ104, K4, 87.
You open 1spade partner bids a “semi-forcing NT, you respond 2 hearts. You do not pass 1NT semi-forcing with another 4 card suit even though you have only 13 hcps.
Example 6: As opener you hold: AJ876, 874, KQ8, K4
When you open 1 spade and you hear 1NT (semi-forcing) you may pass 1NT with only 13 hcps and 5332 distribution. Partner has 2 or fewer spades and may has as little as a good 5 or 6 hcps. It might make 1NT and in any event figures to beat other pairs playing 1NT forcing..
Example 7: As opener you hold: AJ1086, KQ5, KJ7, 107
When you open 1 spade and you hear 1NT (semi-forcing) you bid 2 diamonds. You can’t pass with 14 hcps in case partner has the 11 point forcing NT.
Example 8: As opener you hold: AJ986, KQ5, KJ7, Q2
With 16 hcps and balance, open 1 NT, the best bid for this hand. If it looks like a NT hand bid it.
Interference and Combined Bergen.
If Opener’s LHO doubles, then Combined Bergen remains “on” as if the double hand not taken place.
If Opener’s LHO overcalls Combined Bergen is still on as long as it constitutes a jump shift. So 1h/1s/3c or 3d are combined Bergen. 1h/2c/3c would be a cue bid showing a limit raise or better but 3 diamonds would still be Combined Bergen showing the 3 card limit raise. Finally 1s//2h/3c or 3d are not combined Bergen as they are not jump shifts. They show a club or diamond suit respectfully. If all this distinction is too much for you, just play Combined Bergen off over overcalls, but have a partnership understanding how you show supporting hands.
If Opener’s RHO doubles the bid of 3 clubs or 3 diamonds, since they are artificial bids it should be a lead directing double. If 3 clubs is doubled I like the Combined Bergen rebids to retain their normal meanings. If 3 diamonds is doubled, 3 or 4 of the major should be to play and redouble would be showing slam interest asking responder to cue bid a control or if none to rebid the major..
Third Hand Opening Bids.
If you like to play some form of Drury, then continue to play it and Combined Bergen will be off by a passed hand. If you have a partner who is not comfortable with Drury (has missed 3 successive alerts), then just play Combined Bergen “on” opposite a 3rd hand opener. I play it both ways depending on my partner and his or her preference.
Conclusion.
Try it, but remember that almost all bids and responses are ALERTABLE. I think it passes the test of most good conventions. It is not complicated, it adds value and it doesn’t require that you give up any bids that it does not replace. I think you will particularly enjoy playing 1NT contracts again or forcing opponents into awkward balancing action on non-fitting hands.
Combined Bergen is a modification of both Original and Reverse Bergen Raises. I was first introduced to the concept by Pat Peterson, a well known expert, teacher and director in Citrus County, Florida.. She is patpete2 on Bridge Base. I wrote a blog post detailing the concept about 2 years ago and it was my most popular blog ever, eliciting responses from all over the World. Since many of my readers were not following my blog at that time, I decided to repost it in a new format with examples and more detail. It’s time to rethink your Bergen and you now don’t have to ask regular or reverse, just say Combined!!
Why Do It?
The Combined Bergen Raise eliminates a difficult situation which arises after 1 heart or 1spade is opened and responder bids 1NT forcing. If opener has a strong hand worth a jump shift of say 3 diamonds; what now does 3 hearts or 3 spades show by responder? Is it a two-card false preference or could it be a limit raise with 3 trumps? If responder happens to have the limit raise with 3 trumps, does he have to bid 4 hearts or 4 spades using up valuable bidding space? Does he bid 3 hearts and give partner the idea that he has 2 trumps. With the Combined Bergen Raise this is addressed by using the 3 diamond response to show the limit raise with three trumps and the 3 club response to show a four card raise with a range of 7-12 hcps. This does not lose anything because we have ways to find out if the Bergen raise is a constructive raise or a limit raise by an "asking bid" by the opening bidder.
Combining the Bergen 4 Card Raises
The solution is to compress the Bergen 3 club and 3 diamond responses (four-card raises) into one response, 3 clubs. This shows a 4 card raise of the major with 7-12 hcps. If opener’s fowward going action will benefit by having the raise further defined, opener can initiate a "range check" by bidding 3 diamonds. If inquiry is made responder’s rebid of 3 hearts shows a constructive raise 7-9 hcps and 3 spades shows a limit raise of 10-12 hcps. You don’t need two bids to show two separate ranges. Alternatively, opener could ignore the range check and bid 3 or 4 of the major, each of which is to play. If after the range check response, Opener does anything other than bid game in the major, it would be a slam try.
Example 1: As Opener you hold AJ1086, KQ107, K87, 8
You hear 3 clubs over your 1 spade opener (7-12 Combined Bergen). Since opener would be willing to play at game against a limit raise, but would settle for playing 3 spades against a constructive raise, bid 3 diamonds to ask partner which he has the limit or constructive raise. If partner bids 3 hearts you bid 3 spades. If partner bids 3 spades, you bid 4 spades.
Example 2: As Opener you hold KQ107, AJ1086, K87, 8
You hear 3 clubs over your 1 heart opener (7-12 hcps, Combined Bergen). Ask partner if he has limit or constructive raise by bidding 3 diamonds. If you hear 3 hearts (7-9 hcps) you pass, If you hear 3 spades you bid 4 hearts. A occasional comment has been “when you bid 3 diamonds over 3 clubs in the heart suit sequence, if partner has the limit raise you are locked into a game contract.” Why would you bid 3 diamonds if you did not want to play game against a limit raise??
Example 3: As Responder you hold: KQ97, K987, 543, 98
Partner bids 1 spade, you bid 3 clubs (Combined Bergen 8 hcps). If partner asks your range by bidding 3 diamonds, you rebid 3 hearts “I have a constructive raise”
Example 4: As responder you hold: KQ97, K987, QJ9, 98
Partner opens 1 spade, you bid 3 Clubs. If partner asks your range by bidding 3 diamonds, you rebid 3 spades showing the limit raise. If Partner opens 1heart, you bid 3 clubs. If partner asks you range by bidding 3diamonds , you rebid 3 spades “I have a Limit raise”
Three Diamonds as a 3 Card Limit Raise
As noted earlier the response of 3 diamonds to an opening bid of 1 of a major shows a 3 card limit raise. This avoids the ambiguity detailed in the first paragraph when opener makes a jump shift. Responder by bidding 3 diamonds completely describes his hand with one bid. In addition, the response of 3 diamonds is much more preemptive than responding 1NT as a prelude to showing a 3 card limit raise. These are major advantages which now can be availed of by using Combined Bergen.
1NT is Now Semi-Forcing
Using Combined Bergen also changes the meaning of the 1 no trump” response. Since the 3 card limit raise no longer uses the 1NT response, it is no longer necessary to have 1NT treated as forcing, so the response of 1NT becomes semi-forcing and shows a hand of 5+-11 hcps with 0-2 card support for the opening major. Opener now may pass with a balanced hand (5332) and less than 14 hcps. To put it in the positive, opener takes a bid with an unbalanced hand or if he has 14+ hcps.
Example 5:: As opener you hold AJ1086, KQ104, K4, 87.
You open 1spade partner bids a “semi-forcing NT, you respond 2 hearts. You do not pass 1NT semi-forcing with another 4 card suit even though you have only 13 hcps.
Example 6: As opener you hold: AJ876, 874, KQ8, K4
When you open 1 spade and you hear 1NT (semi-forcing) you may pass 1NT with only 13 hcps and 5332 distribution. Partner has 2 or fewer spades and may has as little as a good 5 or 6 hcps. It might make 1NT and in any event figures to beat other pairs playing 1NT forcing..
Example 7: As opener you hold: AJ1086, KQ5, KJ7, 107
When you open 1 spade and you hear 1NT (semi-forcing) you bid 2 diamonds. You can’t pass with 14 hcps in case partner has the 11 point forcing NT.
Example 8: As opener you hold: AJ986, KQ5, KJ7, Q2
With 16 hcps and balance, open 1 NT, the best bid for this hand. If it looks like a NT hand bid it.
Interference and Combined Bergen.
If Opener’s LHO doubles, then Combined Bergen remains “on” as if the double hand not taken place.
If Opener’s LHO overcalls Combined Bergen is still on as long as it constitutes a jump shift. So 1h/1s/3c or 3d are combined Bergen. 1h/2c/3c would be a cue bid showing a limit raise or better but 3 diamonds would still be Combined Bergen showing the 3 card limit raise. Finally 1s//2h/3c or 3d are not combined Bergen as they are not jump shifts. They show a club or diamond suit respectfully. If all this distinction is too much for you, just play Combined Bergen off over overcalls, but have a partnership understanding how you show supporting hands.
If Opener’s RHO doubles the bid of 3 clubs or 3 diamonds, since they are artificial bids it should be a lead directing double. If 3 clubs is doubled I like the Combined Bergen rebids to retain their normal meanings. If 3 diamonds is doubled, 3 or 4 of the major should be to play and redouble would be showing slam interest asking responder to cue bid a control or if none to rebid the major..
Third Hand Opening Bids.
If you like to play some form of Drury, then continue to play it and Combined Bergen will be off by a passed hand. If you have a partner who is not comfortable with Drury (has missed 3 successive alerts), then just play Combined Bergen “on” opposite a 3rd hand opener. I play it both ways depending on my partner and his or her preference.
Conclusion.
Try it, but remember that almost all bids and responses are ALERTABLE. I think it passes the test of most good conventions. It is not complicated, it adds value and it doesn’t require that you give up any bids that it does not replace. I think you will particularly enjoy playing 1NT contracts again or forcing opponents into awkward balancing action on non-fitting hands.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Four Person Team Wins Pairs Event!
Yesterday I played in the Rochester (New York) Duplicate Bridge Club Friday game with my partner Betty Ann Schmitz. At least that is how it started out. Betty Ann’s bronchitis got the best of her and she bailed out at the end of 8 boards. Game director Doug Bradley then stepped in as a courtesy to replace Betty Ann and we played 6 Boards. We had just gone down 5 in 4 spades doubled for -1100 when in walked Dave Hunt. He had just completed work and had come over to Kibitz his regular partner. Doug quickly grabbed him and put him in the North seat and now I am matched up with my third partner for the day. With 12 boards to go my team was sputtering along with a 50% game with lots of good teams coming up in my rear view mirror.
Now Dave is one of Rochester’s premier players and almost exclusively plays with a single partner, equally adept, so I know him only as an opponent to be avoided when possible. His size equals his bridge talent (XXL). Out of respect for the Bridge Gods, I have never spoken a compete sentence to Dave and now I have this mountain of a man with talent to match sitting across from me. He glanced at Betty Ann’s card and said “Let’s Go.” It was at this point that I knew that I should have left with Betty Ann.
In my short bridge career I have rarely had the experience of one person simply taking over the game and dominating it. In 12 short boards, Dave, through aggressive bidding and flawless play, raised our team from the muck and mire to a first overall finish. If having a 4 person pair team isn’t unusual enough, surely a first overall finish is a fitting counterpart when I am the guy sitting South. The most amazing thing to me was that as intimidating as Dave is as an opponent, he was one of the most nurturing partners that I have ever encountered. He never failed to say “nice dummy partner” or “nice bid partner” and always had that “we got ‘em where we want ‘em” smile to encourage me.
Dave showcased his analytical skills on several hands, but the one I remember best is Board 23. Both vulnerable, West is dealer. Here are the hands.
**********JT876
**********KT65
**********K93
**********A
K3****************95
J98***************A4
AJ76*************QT852
K765*************T842
**********AQ42
**********Q732
**********4
**********QJ93
West opens 1 diamond, Dave overcalls 1 spade and East passes. Some might cue bid 2 diamonds with the South hand, but with 13 support points I didn't want to over inform opponents, so I put Dave to the test and bid 4 spades. Those who don't like that bid can use the comment button.
East decided the defense called for an attacking lead with West's opening hand values and led the Ace and a small heart taken by the King in declarer’s hand. One thought is that if the King of spades is on side you can make 5 spades. Dave was not to be fooled by that simplistic analysis. He lead the jack of spades, East smoothly played the 5, Dave without hesitation refused the finesse, went up with the Ace of spades and then played a small spade losing to West’s King. A heart came back but it was too late, East was out of trump. Are you up to that play? Play for 5 and you make 3, but if you correctly analyze East’s opening lead and plan of defense, you make 4 spades for 10 of 12 matchpoints.
All is not well that ends poorly. While we sat idly by, on the last two boards Katherine Slocomb and Yvonne Limbeck decided to finish with a flourish. On Board 25 they bid and Yvonne made 6NT that involved dropping the Queen of Spades doubleton on a 5-2 split (a 5% probability) and then squeezing poor Dave in hearts and spades for a cold top. On Board 26 they bid and made 4 hearts on a combined 21 hcps. Only one other pair found that contract. Even on good days this game can be humbling. To see Boards 25 and 26 go to http://www.rababridge.org click on "Direct Link to Hand Records" and click on the hands for Friday May 28.
As they say on the PGA Golf Tour advertisements, “These guys are good!”
Now Dave is one of Rochester’s premier players and almost exclusively plays with a single partner, equally adept, so I know him only as an opponent to be avoided when possible. His size equals his bridge talent (XXL). Out of respect for the Bridge Gods, I have never spoken a compete sentence to Dave and now I have this mountain of a man with talent to match sitting across from me. He glanced at Betty Ann’s card and said “Let’s Go.” It was at this point that I knew that I should have left with Betty Ann.
In my short bridge career I have rarely had the experience of one person simply taking over the game and dominating it. In 12 short boards, Dave, through aggressive bidding and flawless play, raised our team from the muck and mire to a first overall finish. If having a 4 person pair team isn’t unusual enough, surely a first overall finish is a fitting counterpart when I am the guy sitting South. The most amazing thing to me was that as intimidating as Dave is as an opponent, he was one of the most nurturing partners that I have ever encountered. He never failed to say “nice dummy partner” or “nice bid partner” and always had that “we got ‘em where we want ‘em” smile to encourage me.
Dave showcased his analytical skills on several hands, but the one I remember best is Board 23. Both vulnerable, West is dealer. Here are the hands.
**********JT876
**********KT65
**********K93
**********A
K3****************95
J98***************A4
AJ76*************QT852
K765*************T842
**********AQ42
**********Q732
**********4
**********QJ93
West opens 1 diamond, Dave overcalls 1 spade and East passes. Some might cue bid 2 diamonds with the South hand, but with 13 support points I didn't want to over inform opponents, so I put Dave to the test and bid 4 spades. Those who don't like that bid can use the comment button.
East decided the defense called for an attacking lead with West's opening hand values and led the Ace and a small heart taken by the King in declarer’s hand. One thought is that if the King of spades is on side you can make 5 spades. Dave was not to be fooled by that simplistic analysis. He lead the jack of spades, East smoothly played the 5, Dave without hesitation refused the finesse, went up with the Ace of spades and then played a small spade losing to West’s King. A heart came back but it was too late, East was out of trump. Are you up to that play? Play for 5 and you make 3, but if you correctly analyze East’s opening lead and plan of defense, you make 4 spades for 10 of 12 matchpoints.
All is not well that ends poorly. While we sat idly by, on the last two boards Katherine Slocomb and Yvonne Limbeck decided to finish with a flourish. On Board 25 they bid and Yvonne made 6NT that involved dropping the Queen of Spades doubleton on a 5-2 split (a 5% probability) and then squeezing poor Dave in hearts and spades for a cold top. On Board 26 they bid and made 4 hearts on a combined 21 hcps. Only one other pair found that contract. Even on good days this game can be humbling. To see Boards 25 and 26 go to http://www.rababridge.org click on "Direct Link to Hand Records" and click on the hands for Friday May 28.
As they say on the PGA Golf Tour advertisements, “These guys are good!”
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Dubious Joy of Defending 1 No Trump
In his March Newsletter Larry Cohen published an analysis of 1,000,000 bridge contracts played at 1NT. The deals were randomly taken from Bridge Base On Line and analyzed by “Bridge Browser”, a powerful data base program. One no trump contracts can be arrived at in a variety of ways including 1NT openers passed out, 1NT responses passed out and 1NT rebids, as well as 1 no trump overcalls and no trump continuations by advancer. They all have one thing in common; whoever won the auction played and prayed for 7 tricks at no trump.
Does playing 1 No Trump contracts sound like something you would like to do for a living? Well, it should be, and those who actually play bridge for a living hear the cash register ringing if any opponent permits them to play a 1 No Trump contract. I think there is a correlation between bridge skills and the desire to play 1 No Trump contracts. I often hear novices complain about being left in dreaded 1 No Trump contracts. The more experience they get, the better they like that predicament.
All of this joy is for good reason, one that I have always known but not been able to prove. It is a high honor to be allowed to play 1 No Trump contracts and you can surely count among your friends, those opponents who permit you to reside there. The results of the analysis of 1,000,000 1NT contracts demonstrate that declarer is an overwhelming favorite to make his contact and very likely to make overtricks.
Here are the facts: Declarer (whether by opening bid or overcall) will make his contract 71%of the time. Declarer will actually make overtricks 40% of the time he plays a 1 NT contract. Yes, there will be “no joy in mudville” on occasion, but not often. You should expect to beat 1NT 29% of the time, but 17% of those times it will only be -1. As my partner Bob Scarbrough says, “Down one is good!”
These facts do not really not surprise me. I actually wrote a blog post on February 1, 2008 “Interfering over 1NT Opening Bids” encouraging players to aggressively get in the face of opponents opening one no trump. You can’t always steal the bid (in fact you rarely do) but you can get them playing something other than a 58% 1NT contract. As my partners and I have observed, a multitude of more interesting things can also take place if you put a little sand in their gears. I recommend an aggressive form of DONT. A survey of defenses used by the experts is available at www.clairebridge.com/defensevsnt.htm. If I had to choose another defense, I would use expert Bart Bramley’s system aptly named SCUM. Yeow! What more is there to say after that alert!! Whatever you do, don’t sit on your hands waiting for a 5-5-2-1 distribution, a holding that occurs in about 3% of the hands.
In his excellent book To Bid or Not to Bid, Larry Cohen said that there is one thing worse than playing 1NT contracts, and that is to defend 1NT contracts. That is just an expert speaking from experience, but now we have the facts to back that up. When balancing after two passes, I am persuaded by Mel Colchamiro’s “Rule of Two.” Mel says if you are in the balancing seat you should reopen the bidding if you have two distributional points, no matter how many high card points you have. I also follow that rule and have rarely been disappointed with the results.
One of the interesting things from the analysis of the 1,000,000 deals is that when the 1NT contract originated from a 1NT overcall, the results were significantly worse than when the declaring side opened the hand. In fact, the 1NT overcaller only averaged 49% of the matchpoints and went slightly minus in IMP’s. This means that the success rate for opening 1NT was actually higher than 71% since that stat included overcalls. It is enough to know that the margin of safety is reduced when making a 1NT overcall, but the reasons for this are not quite as clear.
At first blush you think “I am receiving the opening lead through the hand that opened the bidding and I know where most of the strength in the hand is located, right in front of me.” Countering that is the fact that that when RHO open’s the bidding, and you hold 16 hcps, on average the other two hands at the table will likely have only 11 hcps divided between them. If they are divided 6-5, with the opening hand sitting behind the dummy, it is possible that you will never get to the dummy and will be playing the contract out of your hand. Now that is something that is not fun! Other factors affecting the result may be that opening leader will have a lead directing bid that may prevent him from giving declarer a trick on the opening lead. I think this points out the importance of playing “systems on” over NT overcalls and hopefully finding a better place to play.
If you take nothing more from this analysis, understand that it is a losing game to let opponents play 1NT contracts. Why you might ask why am I encouraging a course of action that may actually prevent me from playing the 1NT contracts that I so enjoy? That’s easy – nobody ever takes me seriously! Sigh!
There is another factor. Once you engrain a line of thinking in the minds of most bridge players, it seems to close their mind forever to the possibility of an improved model. This is pure denial and the history of bridge points out that lie. Innovative thinking has brought bridge a long way since its inception and the process continues on an accelerated basis. More interesting is that not all of the good ideas in bridge come from experts. I recently read a quotation from Leo Tolstoy that I thought very descriptive of this mind boggling tug of war that we have all endured from time to time. Leo died at his dacha in 1910, but before passing he said:
“The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow witted man if
he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.”
Do you think Leo played bridge? Remember, in bridge an open mind is always better than an opening hand. Quote me if you like!
Does playing 1 No Trump contracts sound like something you would like to do for a living? Well, it should be, and those who actually play bridge for a living hear the cash register ringing if any opponent permits them to play a 1 No Trump contract. I think there is a correlation between bridge skills and the desire to play 1 No Trump contracts. I often hear novices complain about being left in dreaded 1 No Trump contracts. The more experience they get, the better they like that predicament.
All of this joy is for good reason, one that I have always known but not been able to prove. It is a high honor to be allowed to play 1 No Trump contracts and you can surely count among your friends, those opponents who permit you to reside there. The results of the analysis of 1,000,000 1NT contracts demonstrate that declarer is an overwhelming favorite to make his contact and very likely to make overtricks.
Here are the facts: Declarer (whether by opening bid or overcall) will make his contract 71%of the time. Declarer will actually make overtricks 40% of the time he plays a 1 NT contract. Yes, there will be “no joy in mudville” on occasion, but not often. You should expect to beat 1NT 29% of the time, but 17% of those times it will only be -1. As my partner Bob Scarbrough says, “Down one is good!”
These facts do not really not surprise me. I actually wrote a blog post on February 1, 2008 “Interfering over 1NT Opening Bids” encouraging players to aggressively get in the face of opponents opening one no trump. You can’t always steal the bid (in fact you rarely do) but you can get them playing something other than a 58% 1NT contract. As my partners and I have observed, a multitude of more interesting things can also take place if you put a little sand in their gears. I recommend an aggressive form of DONT. A survey of defenses used by the experts is available at www.clairebridge.com/defensevsnt.htm. If I had to choose another defense, I would use expert Bart Bramley’s system aptly named SCUM. Yeow! What more is there to say after that alert!! Whatever you do, don’t sit on your hands waiting for a 5-5-2-1 distribution, a holding that occurs in about 3% of the hands.
In his excellent book To Bid or Not to Bid, Larry Cohen said that there is one thing worse than playing 1NT contracts, and that is to defend 1NT contracts. That is just an expert speaking from experience, but now we have the facts to back that up. When balancing after two passes, I am persuaded by Mel Colchamiro’s “Rule of Two.” Mel says if you are in the balancing seat you should reopen the bidding if you have two distributional points, no matter how many high card points you have. I also follow that rule and have rarely been disappointed with the results.
One of the interesting things from the analysis of the 1,000,000 deals is that when the 1NT contract originated from a 1NT overcall, the results were significantly worse than when the declaring side opened the hand. In fact, the 1NT overcaller only averaged 49% of the matchpoints and went slightly minus in IMP’s. This means that the success rate for opening 1NT was actually higher than 71% since that stat included overcalls. It is enough to know that the margin of safety is reduced when making a 1NT overcall, but the reasons for this are not quite as clear.
At first blush you think “I am receiving the opening lead through the hand that opened the bidding and I know where most of the strength in the hand is located, right in front of me.” Countering that is the fact that that when RHO open’s the bidding, and you hold 16 hcps, on average the other two hands at the table will likely have only 11 hcps divided between them. If they are divided 6-5, with the opening hand sitting behind the dummy, it is possible that you will never get to the dummy and will be playing the contract out of your hand. Now that is something that is not fun! Other factors affecting the result may be that opening leader will have a lead directing bid that may prevent him from giving declarer a trick on the opening lead. I think this points out the importance of playing “systems on” over NT overcalls and hopefully finding a better place to play.
If you take nothing more from this analysis, understand that it is a losing game to let opponents play 1NT contracts. Why you might ask why am I encouraging a course of action that may actually prevent me from playing the 1NT contracts that I so enjoy? That’s easy – nobody ever takes me seriously! Sigh!
There is another factor. Once you engrain a line of thinking in the minds of most bridge players, it seems to close their mind forever to the possibility of an improved model. This is pure denial and the history of bridge points out that lie. Innovative thinking has brought bridge a long way since its inception and the process continues on an accelerated basis. More interesting is that not all of the good ideas in bridge come from experts. I recently read a quotation from Leo Tolstoy that I thought very descriptive of this mind boggling tug of war that we have all endured from time to time. Leo died at his dacha in 1910, but before passing he said:
“The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow witted man if
he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.”
Do you think Leo played bridge? Remember, in bridge an open mind is always better than an opening hand. Quote me if you like!
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