April 2006 - 56

ADVANCED PLAYERS

Bidding Matters

Karen Walker
kwalker@insightbb.com

The 12 Habits of
Highly Effective Bidders
4. They are not slaves to their
systems. (continued)
One measure of a convention's
value is its potential frequency.
The more flexibility you can build
into your system bids, the more
often they'll occur - and the more
freedom you'll have to use your
judgment about when they apply.
Judgment is just as important
in your decision not to use a
convention. The most successful
partnerships avoid building too many
"always" and "never" rules into
their agreements, and they resist the
temptation to trot out a convention
just because it's on the card.
Support doubles
One convention that suffers from
overuse is the support double. This
popular agreement allows opener
to show three‑card support for
responder's major, as in:
You
LHO
Partner RHO
1
Pass
1
1
Dbl
If right‑hand opponent doubles,
redouble carries the same meaning.
Opener's direct raise promises
four‑card support, and any other
action shows two or fewer cards in
partner's suit.
56

Many players believe opener must
double or redouble any time he
holds three cards in partner's suit,
and they use the word "denies"
when explaining opener's other
actions. A better approach is to give
opener more discretion and agree
that his failure to double or redouble
tends to deny support.
One problem with the support
double is that it communicates only
one feature of your hand. With
limited information, responder is
sometimes forced to rebid his suit
with only four‑card length. That can
make it difficult to evaluate other
contracts, so if you have a more
descriptive alternative, that should
take priority over the double.
This can be especially important
when opener has a strong hand. In
the auction above, if you hold:
3 K 10 3 A Q J 4 A K Q 8 7
Show your extra values with a
reverse to 2. You can continue by
supporting hearts at your next turn
and give partner a full picture of
your strength and distribution.
A Q 9 Q 8 6 Q 10 4 A K J 7
Jump to 2NT to show your point‑
count and balanced pattern. If part‑
ner has five hearts, he has room to
check back for three‑card support.
Even some minimum openers
should reject the support double and
choose a more natural call. In the
auction above, if you hold:
2 J 10 2 K Q A Q 10 8 7 6 5
Bid 2. A support double hides
the strongest feature of your hand
and risks having partner pass for
penalty.
A Q 10 Q 6 5 K 9 2 Q J 10 6
Bid 1NT. This hand is screaming
notrump, and this may be your last
chance to suggest that strain. This
isn't a good dummy for a 4-3 fit,
but that's where you may land if
you double.

Michaels & Unusual 2NT
Over the years, countless
declarers have benefitted from their
opponents' indiscriminate use of
these two‑suited overcalls. They can
be very effective when your hand
the conditions are right, but they
can also work against you.
Discretion is called for if you
have weak suits, if it's equal or
unfavorable vulnerability, and if
neither of your suits is spades.
Here's a typical "danger" hand:
3 K 9 7 4 2 Q 10 Q 10 5 4 3
With none vulnerable, RHO opens
1. You have the right strength and
distribution for the weak variety of
Michaels (a 2 overcall showing
hearts and a minor), and that's
enough to talk many players into
making a non‑vulnerable cuebid. If
you consider all the reasons not to
bid, though, you should find it easy
to pass.
Suit quality is the most obvious
flaw. Your suits are so weak that
even a three‑level contract may be
a disaster, and about the last thing
you want to hear from partner is a
five‑level sacrifice, especially at this
vulnerability.
Probably the most compelling
argument against bidding is that
even when you do find a decent fit,
you probably won't buy the contract.
If your opponents have a game,
your interference won't talk them
out of it. If they don't, they have
the master suit and can easily outbid
you (or take a penalty, if that's their
choice). Either way, all your overcall
rates to do is tell declarer how to
play the contract.
Law of Total Tricks
After an 800 set, how many times
have you heard, "I had to bid it,
partner. It was a 'Law' bid!"? More
about this in the next issue.
r
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2006
