From: adam@irvine.com (Adam Beneschan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: Forcing Pass (was "Bid these hands" and "Competitive Decision")
Date: 7 Oct 92 02:43:27 GMT
Organization: Irvine Compiler Corp., Irvine, California, USA

In article <4755@tivoli.UUCP> taylor@foraker.tivoli.com (Eric Taylor) writes
regarding this hand from the November 1990 ACBL charity game:

        ---, AKJxx, AKQxxx, J

> > 
> > > As a tactical bid, why not open this hand 1 diamond even in a big club
> > > system?  You will not get passed out and there will little doubt as to
> > > the nature of your hand when you jack up the bidding to 4 or 5 hearts
> > > later?
> > 
> > There will be little doubt that you hold some different hand, because
> > you have systemically denied holding this one.
> > 
> > Your comment makes about as much sense as saying that you will open your
> > balanced 16 count in a minor instead of with a strong NT for tactical
> > reasons, because when you bid strongly later partner will figure out
> > what you have.  If you have a system, and you make a bid in that system,
> > then there are generally not subsequent bids which have the meaning, "I
> > lied on an earlier round."
>
>   Please give some auction where it would hurt to open
>  this hand 1 diamond.
>

I'm not a forcing 1C player, so perhaps I'm not the most qualified person
to discuss this problem.  What if the auction goes:

          You       LHO      Partner     RHO
          1D        2C         2S        4C
          ???

What will you bid, and will your partner interpret your bid correctly?  If
you bid 4H, and I were your partner, I would probably take you for a decent
minimum, since you did limit your hand to 15 HCP on the first round.  In fact,
I think 4H is too weak a bid even playing Standard.

What does 5H mean?  Again, if I were your partner, I'd have trouble figuring
this one out if we hadn't discussed it beforehand.  I would probably reason
like this:  Since my partner has a limited opening bid, he shouldn't have
enough to be bidding a second suit on his own.  More likely, 5H is some kind
of cue-bid looking for a spade slam.  Partner may have something like this:

    KQxx, x, AKJxx, xxx       or  KQxx, Axxx, KJ10xx, ---

I think a simple raise to 4S on either hand would be pusillanimous (although 
5C would be a better bid with the second hand).

Bidding 6H is, of course, out of the question, since partner could have
something like:

    AKxxx, xx, Jxx, Qxx

making both 6H and 7D bad slams.

Whatever the best bid is, if you're going to open 1D on hands like that, I
think you should have a partnership understanding that you may open one of 
your suits with a big two-suiter.  If you don't, you might be better off 
opening 1C anyway, although you're still going to be in trouble if the
opponents preempt in clubs:

          You       LHO      Partner     RHO
          1C        2C         2S        4C
          ???

4NT for the unbid suits, maybe?

Anyway, perhaps the best practical solution is to open 1H, not 1D.  I would
consider doing this whether playing Standard or strong club.  The plan is that
if partner makes any noise at all (other than a weak jump shift), my next bid
will be 6D, and let him pick a small slam.  If they compete and partner passes,
my next bid will be 5D.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Adam Beneschan                     voice: (714) 250-1368  ext. 204
  Irvine Compiler Corp.              fax:   (714) 250-0676
  34 Executive Park, Suite 270       email: abeneschan@irvine.com
  Irvine, CA 92714
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-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Adam Beneschan                     voice: (714) 250-1368  ext. 204
  Irvine Compiler Corp.              fax:   (714) 250-0676
  34 Executive Park, Suite 270       email: abeneschan@irvine.com