October 2022 - 60

Advanced Players
Bidding Matters
Relearning bridge - part 31
Y
our RHO opens 1'. What's
your call holding:
A Q 4 kQ 8 4 3 lK Q 5 '6 5 3?
Beginners are usually advised to
pass with a flat, " pancake " hand unless
it has the strength and stoppers
for a 1NT overcall. It's a good general
guideline, but many experienced
players will consider this hand an
exception and make a takeout double.
This is not classic shape, but it
conforms to what partner expects for
a takeout double - opening-bid count
and at least three cards in all unbid
suits. Your high-card strength makes
up for the flat distribution, and you've
taken advantage of two of the double's
biggest benefits: You've shown your
strength at a low level and left further
decisions to partner.
The 1' opening offers the best
opportunity for this action because
there are four possible contracts
available at the one level. The balanced
double can be effective over
other opening bids, too, as long as
you have good high-card strength
and your honors are concentrated
in unbid suits. Over a 1l opening, a
takeout double is reasonable with:
K 10 2 kA J 5 l8 5 4 'A Q 7 3.
It's a bigger risk if the opening bid is
1k or 1, especially if you're vulnerable.
This
bidding style reflects the
modern tendency to act immediately
when you have good values and a
fairly accurate way to describe them.
You have to judge carefully, though,
because there are many situations
where the opposite approach will
work better. Even with a very good
hand, the most successful strategy
will sometimes be to pass now and
forever hold your peace.
The trap pass. One that everyone
learns early is what to do when an
opponent bids your best suit. After
1k by RHO, a few might choose an
offbeat 1NT overcall with:
K kA Q 9 7 5 lK Q J '9 7 6 5,
but most still follow the old advice to
stay out of the auction.
This is sometimes called a " trap
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60 | Bridge Bulletin | October 2022
pass. " That's probably a misnomer, as
your goal isn't to set a trap or even to
penalize their contract. Your decision
is based more on your assessment
of the dangers of bidding and your
reaction to the clue that this may well
be a misfit deal.
Over their 1NT openers: When
the opponents open a strong 1NT, you
have no way to describe a semi-balanced
hand with good-but-not-great
values - and no reason to even want
BY KAREN WALKER
kwbridge.com
to bid with that hand. It's pointless
and risky to use a double as just a
point-showing call that essentially
says, " I have 13 points and no long
suit. I hope you have one. "
The only practical meanings for a
double of 1NT are penalty (usually
18+ points) or artificial, starting the
description of hand with one or two
long suits. There's no such thing as a
four-suit takeout, so unless you have
a powerhouse or have agreed on a
conventional meaning for a double,
you'll have to pass with many hands
that have opening-bid strength.
Sandwich seat calls: Passing is
often the only sensible option when
you're in fourth seat and both opponents
have bid. After LHO opens
1l and RHO responds 1, you have
awkward choices with a hand such as:
A Q J kK 6 5 lQ 6 5 3 'K 7 4.
A double here doesn't show just
high-card points. It's a takeout for the
unbid suits, and 3-3 in those suits is
far from ideal, especially since you're
forcing the auction to the two level.
The other possibility is a strong 1NT
overcall, which is very aggressive
with such a poor 15-count.
Your best course with this hand is
to pass - in tempo, if you can - and let
the opponents figure out where the
high cards are.
Plan C? Other types of hands are
best described with a different strategy.
Suppose you hold:
Q J 6 4 kA 4 lA 3 'K J 7 5 3
and your RHO opens 1l. Do you try
to show these values now or pass and
hope for a better opportunity to bid
later? More about this and similar
situations in the next issue.
http://www.kwbridge.com
October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2022
