March 2024 - 65

Special Contributor
BY DR. JAMES
MARSH STERNBERG
mmay001@aol.com
T
hese preempts differ from
3c/3d in that they are somewhat
more likely to end the
auction. Suit quality and distribution
are more important than the number
of high-card points. Remember,
7-2-2-2 is considered a " balanced "
hand when you have a seven-card
suit, compared to, say 7-4-1-1.
Hearts vs. spades: When you open
3h, the opponents can bid 3s or
higher. Over 3s, it's tougher, but they
can still compete, of course. Over 4h,
they can still bid, and they'll stretch
to bid 4s. But a 4s preempt is, right
or wrong, doubled or not, usually
going to be the end of the bidding.
What does this mean? Well, we need
to preempt higher with hearts than
spades. For example, let's consider
the following two hands:
sK Q 10 9 8 7 5 h6 dK 8 6 2 c4
s6 hK Q 10 9 8 7 5 dK 8 6 2 c4
Two identical hands? Maybe, but
consider if you open 3s with the first
one and 3h with the second, are you
giving your opponents the same problem?
So with:
sK Q 10 9 7 5 3 h7 d8 6 3 2 c3,
open 3s, but with:
s7 hK Q 10 9 7 5 3 d8 6 3 2 c3,
the same hand with the majors
reversed, open 4h. You are 7-4. But
with:
s7 2 hK Q 10 9 7 5 3 d8 6 c3 2,
open just 3h. This has the same
trump suit as the previous example,
but you're 7-2-2-2.
Consults with the Doctor
Opening bids of 3h and 3s
In first seat with neither side vulnerable,
you hold:
sQ J 10 8 6 5 4 h3 d8 2 cK 8 6.
No matter what your standards are,
this hand is as close to perfect for a
preempt as you are going to have. It's
a sound 3s bid. It has five likely spade
tricks and maybe a club trick. This
is a typical example of the difficulty
in trying to follow the old-fashioned,
traditional guidelines (I hate
the word 'rules'). The likelihood of
causing anguish for the opponents
is high. Sure, you will have an occasional
bad result, but these will be far
outweighed by your good results.
What about a compromise and open
2s instead? This is a bad idea. We
discussed this in previous issues, but
your partner will use that information
incorrectly when deciding to bid,
pass or double. 2s shows a little more
playing strength and defense than
3s, and partner will often go wrong.
Raising partner's preempt
When should you raise from 3M to
4M? Well, you need quick tricks, aces
and kings. All your queens and jacks
won't be good until you are on the
next deal. You need to cover partner's
short suits.
A good rule over three-bids is to
play that new suits are control bids,
trying for slam. If you only have game
interest, just bid game. Of course,
raising to game may be preemptive,
too. Raising from 3M to 5M is also
preemptive, not slammish. 3NT is
to play but is rarely your best spot
because opener's hand may be worthless
if your side declares the hand in
any other strain.
Third-seat three-level preempts
Most experts advocate drastically
reducing your requirements for
three-level preempts in third seat.
Vulnerability still matters, but so
does putting pressure on fourth seat.
The reason is simple: Because slam
(and probably game) are unlikely
considerations, more emphasis can
be put on disrupting the opponent's
communication.
With hands that would clearly open
a weak two-bid in first or second
chair, open a three-bid in third chair,
especially with little defense. In their
book " Preempts from A-Z, " authors
Ron Andersen and Sabine Zenkel
(Auken) said the following hands are
" mandatory " third-seat three-bids:
sK Q J 9 5 3 h- dJ 10 7 c9 8 5 4
s7 hJ 10 9 7 dK Q 10 9 7 3 cJ 10. 2
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March 2024 | Bridge Bulletin |
65
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March 2024

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