April 2022 - 60

Advanced Players
Bidding Matters
Relearning bridge - part 25
W
hen I first started playing
bridge, my knowledge of
hand evaluation was pretty
much limited to the concept of distribution
points (void=3, singleton=2,
doubleton=1). That was fine for a bare
beginner, but I soon learned there
were many other ways to assess playing
strength: length points, trump
points, loser counts, " rule of " gadgets
and more.
Most of these involve adding and
subtracting points to your high
cards to come up with a number that
reflects a hand's full value. Many of
the ideas are improvements on basic
counting methods, but with some
types of hands, the numbers can be
misleading. They work best when you
treat them as aids to judgment, not
substitutes for it.
Whatever counting scheme you
choose, it's important to avoid becoming
too dependent on the arithmetic.
Many features of your hand
can't be quantified with point values
and should be reconsidered, sometimes
multiple times, as an auction
progresses. Here are situations where
good bridge judgment should often
overrule your counting system:
Be cautious with any method
that counts length or shortness
points before you find a trump fit.
For opening bids, set a minimum for
high-card strength (10-plus) or defensive
tricks (at least 1.5 quick tricks)
or both. If you use the Rule of 20 for
opening bids, consider adding quick
tricks to the equation and using the
Rule of 22 (open if the length in your
two longest suits + high-card points +
quick tricks equals at least 22).
Don't try to assign a point value
to a freak hand. If you're dealt an
60 | Bridge Bulletin | April 2022
eight-card suit, base your decision on
playing tricks, not length or shortness
points.
Don't be a slave to the " Law. "
The Law of Total Tricks suggests that
in some auctions, it's safe or wise to
bid to the trick level that equals the
number of trumps your side holds. An
exception is a balanced hand such as:
J 9 7 5 3 k6 4 3 lK J 5 'Q 5,
when partner opens 1. Even with
a 10-card fit, this isn't enough for a
jump to 4.
Avoid over-counting shortness.
A void is never worth more points
than the number of trumps you hold.
If you use a method that counts a void
as 5 dummy points, adjust that down
to 3 points when raising with only
three trumps. A singleton should be
valued at no more than 2 points.
Even a four-card raise doesn't
make a void worth 4 points when you
have only an eight-card fit. Suppose
you open 1l with:
A Q J 9 kK 5 3 lQ 10 6 5 3 2 '-,
and partner responds 1. It's difficult
to figure the true value of the
club void, but without extra trumps,
it's unlikely to be 5 or even 4 points.
It's probably best to count this hand
as 15 support points and raise to 2.
Visualize the play. You may be
able to spot other issues by making
guesses about the opening lead and
how the play will develop. With the
hand above, your spades might actually
be too strong, as club leads could
force dummy's spade honors and create
trump tricks for the opponents.
Unless partner has extra values,
there are also potential problems
with setting up diamond tricks or
finding entries for a crossruff.
BY KAREN WALKER
kwbridge.com
Honor locations: We all learn
early that we shouldn't " double
count " high cards and distribution
for holdings such as Q-x and singleton
king. Their values may change,
though, with the auction. You start
by counting Q-x as 2 points. If the
opponents bid that suit, you know it's
worth less, even if you don't mentally
subtract points. If it's in partner's
suit, it's worth more.
The true power of long and short
suits will depend on how all your
hand's honors are distributed. Ideally,
you'd like to have " pure " values,
where most or all of your high cards
are in your long suits. It's an attribute
that can't be measured with a
point system, but should affect your
valuation.
For example, after you open 1l and
partner responds 1, what's your
rebid with:
A 9 6 5 kK 5 3 lK Q 10 6 5 3 '-?
It's the same point-count and distribution
as the hand above, but now
it has a good source of outside tricks.
That change - and probably your
bridge instinct - tells you it's worth a
game invitation.
http://www.kwbridge.com
April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2022
