April 2023 - 54

Newer Players
Lessons Learned
Don't Freeze
M
y mother claims I was in
tap class because it would
help with my coordination.
I'm pretty sure it was because that
class was held at the same time as my
sister's ballet class, and it killed two
birds with one carpool.
Regardless, the time came for my
first recital. I don't think my sister's
pep talk helped. She told me, " Don't
freeze. " I froze.
My fellow 7-year-olds tapped
around in something resembling the
routine we practiced, while I did my
best impression of a statue. My sister
sometimes threatens me with video
of this performance, but I'm pretty
sure it was deleted ... I hope.
In bridge, you are similarly put on
the spot at times. Freezing (in bidding,
this means passing) is usually
the worst choice when you don't know
what to do. If partner makes a bid you
don't understand, try to figure out
what it could mean, and if you still
don't know, bid something. It's better
to play one level too high than to accidentally
play in a 2-1 fit.
If you happen to be wrong about a
bid being forcing, it's rarely the end of
the world. Let's look at two notrump
auctions where our opponents get in
the way.
You LHO
Partner RHO
1NT 2k 2 Pass
Are we forced? The answer is no,
but if you haven't seen this auction
before and choose to raise to 3 (or
bid some other suit), then all that's
risked is going one level too high.
Compare that with this auction:
You LHO
Partner RHO
1NT 2k 3 Pass
Are we forced? The answer is yes,
and if you haven't seen this before
and choose to pass, you'll be playing
3 instead of game or potentially
slam. Which mistake seems worse?
To me, the second is much worse than
the first. If you aren't sure of what to
do, it's still better to assume a bid is
forcing than to guess that a bid is not
forcing.
While it's hard to know exactly
which scenarios will cause that
uh-oh feeling in any person, here are
some common ones:
After partner preempts to open the
bidding, all bids (except for raises
or jumps to game) by responder are
forcing! The general concept is that
once you've preempted, your partner
will only introduce a new suit if they
might want to go to game in that new
suit. That is a more important case
to resolve (wanting to bid game) than
wanting to improve the strain of a
partscore.
If partner bids a new suit after you
preempt, you can raise with support,
show a feature if you like your hand,
or rebid your suit if you have a minimum
without support. You can't pass.
If the opponents preempt, you
should similarly be thinking about
forcing bids. Preempts can often put
us in ugly situations. Say we have this
auction:
West You
Pass
East
2k 2 Pass
?
Partner
3'
With the opponents being weak, we
54 | Bridge Bulletin | April 2023
BY MICHAEL BERKOWITZ
michael@larryco.com
must bid something. If our hand is:
K Q J 8 7 k9 8 7 lA Q 3 '7 6,
we don't have an easy bid, but we
must do something.
Another case that comes up frequently:
new suits after you have a
major suit fit. If you have a fit in a
major, any new suit is forcing until
you get back to the major. You (or
partner) might bid a new suit for a
number of reasons. Maybe it's some
kind of game try (below three of your
suit), or possibly a control bid for slam
(above three of your suit). Regardless
of whether you've learned that bid
yet, you need to bid something and not
pass. This auction does not exist (no
interference): 1k-2k; 3'-Pass.
When faced with a forcing bid (or a
bid that you think might be forcing),
you don't always have an easy or clear
bid to make next. In those situations,
you just have to remember: " Don't
freeze. "
continued from page 50
Card Play 101
The secret is counting declarer's
distribution based on the bidding and
the lead. South showed five hearts
and four clubs. Then, when West
leads the l2, indicating a four-card
suit, you know South has three
diamonds. So, his full shape must be
1=5=3=4. If declarer has only a singleton
spade, you can guarantee the first
five tricks for your side.
Win with the lA, then cash the
A. After South grudgingly drops
his singleton king, lead a low spade
over to partner's jack, and collect
two more spade tricks with your Q-9
hovering over dummy's 10-8-6.
Nicely counted!
April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023
