We are all accustomed to
the notion that when we bid two suits we are (usually) showing 5-4 at least in
those suits. While that is true one must never lose sight of the fact that by
so doing you might be making life extremely difficult for partner, and if that
is likely to be the case then perhaps an alternative approach should be
considered. Just look at the hand below:
The gut reaction on those North cards is to open 1♥ and rebid 2♣ over partner’s 1♠ response, but that is wrong. So much of the time responder will merely give preference for opener’s first suit, more often than not with a doubleton, and that is correct for a number of reasons. A 5-2 fit generally plays well, certainly better than a 4-3 fit, but the main upside of giving preference is that it keeps the bidding open it case the opener has a really good hand. What I am trying to say in a rather laboured way perhaps is that with a minimum 5-4-3-1 hand opener should eschew his second suit in preference to raising his partner with three card support if he can do so at the two-level. The corollary to all this is that if he bids two suits, gets preference to his first suit but then raises responder’s suit, he is showing a strong hand, say 16 points or more. I know this is difficult but imagine opener has ♠Kxx ♥AQJxx ♦x ♣AQJx. It would be right to open 1♥ and rebid 2♣ over a 1♠ reply, but then if responder gives preference to 2♥ opener should continue with 2♠. He would then be showing a 3-5-1-4 strong hand. If the hand is minimum – as in the blogged hand – then opener’s first rebid should be 2♠, NOT 2♣.
As it was most Norths rebid 2♣ and made life difficult for partner. 2♦ would be 4th suit forcing and 2NT should still show about 11 points. That is the bid found by a number of players with what can only be described as disappointing results. For what it is worth I think 2♠ is better, but better still for opener to have bid that in the first place.
I was South my partner bid 3S in reply to my 1S and with my 7 losers I bid 4S going one off. I was surprised to see this was a positive score (9).
ReplyDeleteNot half as surprised as Claire and me :)
DeleteWell your partner was jumping the gun a bit because he had no reason to suppose that you had any more than a four card suit.I have been in worse contracts than 4S on the two hands but there is a lot of work to be done and the cards are not lying very favourably so I think you did well to get out for one down. But of course you were right to bid 4S over 3S - it's just that partner didn't have enough trumps!
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