Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - December 26, 2022 - Bid

 

Question:  Should you ever decide to push the opponents higher even though you do not have the HCP to do more?

Vic:

YES - absolutely there are scenarios where you should. Doing so is called "Defensive Bidding". Good defensive bidding is a pathway to good bridge scores. 

Answering your question was the easy part. The more challenging part involves learning the various scenarios (there are many), then recognizing & daring to implement them in the heat of battle. 

The "Law of Total Trump" advises you should not be hesitant to bid up to the level of your total number of trump, regardless of vulnerability. South in the above hand knows their side holds 9 spades. South should not hesitate ON THEIR FIRST CALL to raise North to 3S. This is despite the fact they hold only 6 HCPs. 

Since South could have shown a Limit Raise or better by cue bidding 3D, North should not take 3S as a strong bid. It is a bid that promises 4-card spade support & less than a Limit Raise. In this case it is quite a bit less than a Limit Raise. 

To compete over 3S in no trump, East is now faced with bidding 3NT. Will they or won't they? Should they or shouldn't they? Will they make it or go down? 

East could also DBL 3S for penalty. Will they or won't they? Should they or shouldn't they? Will it work or backfire? 

Will jumping to 3S result in a better score for EW than allowing EW to play in 2NT or a worse score? It depends on many factors. But, the Law of Total Trump advises that MOST of the time EW will deserve a better score for following "The Law". 

Ain't bridge a great game?


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