Instant Matchpoint Competitive Auctions

In general the practices of the average player are lacking in the efficient use of a competitive double. It is rare to find a partner who can perform this amazing feat. As a result such players restrict themselves in the competitive auctions that are becoming more frequent month by month. One has to change with the times, and that means we can’t stick with the old meanings and expect to compete adequately – the opponents won’t let us. As Larry Cohen emphasized in the booklet of the 2012 ACBL Instant Matchpoint Game, these days everyone is opening on most flat hands with 12 HCP, which means someone has to rewrite the book on 2/1 methods.

The ‘light’ opening bid in a minor is a feature of the Precision system which allows for it. When playing Precision I found that in an uncontested as responder I should force myself to bid to 3NT on a flat 12 HCP hand, even though the combined holding could be as low as 24 HCP with no 5-card suit in sight – and the sooner I did the better. It doesn’t pay to worry unduly that game might fail. The picture is not so rosy when game will be played in a 4-4 major fit. One needs a decent loser count in order to succeed, and that involves shape and controls. Trump quality is especially important when there is no long minor suit to act as surrogate trumps. The upshot of this is that with 12 opposite 12 with 2 flat hands and a 4-4 major fit, it is not always right to insist on reaching a major suit game. Here is an example discussed by Cohen from the aforementioned booklet.

If EW are playing a true 2/1 system East will pass initially and EW may play in a heart partial. Making 140 on a diamond guess will be worth 83%. In the old days commentators might gloat that sensible bidding and good play (playing to the ♦T) were justly rewarded. Note that the loser count predicts the result.

If East is allowed to open his garbage hand and South passes, West may have a method for stopping in 3♥. The bidding could proceed as follows: 1♣ – 1♥; 2♥ – 2NT; 3♥ – Pass. As a heart fit has been established, 2NT is a probe that shows West’s hand type and allows East to sign off in 3♥. East will not accept the invitation to game, because of the poor trump quality, the 4-3-3-3 shape, and the lack of controls.

If South overcalls 1♠ as shown above, EW can find their 4-4 fit comfortably, but West must now have a way to probe. 2NT carries more weight in this circumstance, so it is better to use a cue bid of 2♠ as a forward going probe, rather than blast away to the upper stratosphere. Given his terrible opening bid, East will tread as cautiously as possible.
This is an example of an invitational cue bid. West might have a better hand and later insist on game, but more often he merely wants the opening bidder to give a further description of his holding. This makes allowance for the ‘normal’ bad opening bid on a flat hand with a high loser count and permits a stop in 3♥. Of course, this would not be necessary if East was guaranteed to have a normal 7-loser holding for his opening bid.

Silence is  Leaden
It is generally recognized that the worse thing a partnership can do is to fail to bid. With this in mind recently I tried an experiment based on the assumption that if a hand is good enough to open it is good enough to make a takeout double. That seems to be the way it’s going. When the gentleman on my right opened 1♣, I doubled on  ♠ QT4 ♥ KJ6 ♦ KQJ3 ♣ 932 – just the kind of hand with which Larry Cohen says everyone must open these days. The lady on my left bid 1♦ which was passed out. The opponents had missed an easy 3NT (she had better clubs, than diamonds.) When she complained, my RHO explained that because she had not redoubled, he took her for less than 10 HCP. He was expecting me to balance.

What does this prove? Nothing, but it does show that when the opposition interferes you have to have methods for coping against an inane action. Here a method was in place – redouble to show a good hand. The requirements for a redouble are simple – it is not necessary to have a particular shape, and you might even be able later to support your partner’s suit with a limit raise. My LHO tried to be tricky and failed. Of course, a partner has to take into account that both the doubler and the opener may be bidding on thin air, but someone has to come clean.

On another hand I held ♠ AJxx ♥ xx ♦ Kx ♣ KJ9xx, clearly an opening bid, but my RHO got in first with a third seat 1♥ opening. These 5-4 hands in the black suits don’t qualify for a  2-suited overcall, so normally one passes. Suppose I had passed and my LHO had raised to 2♥ passed back to me. I would have to double, because making 110 in 2♥ would constitute a great matchpoint score for my opponents. On the other hand a delayed double could be very dangerous as the opponents having limited their hands would be in a position to double my partner’s takeout to 3♦. Thinking thus, I doubled immediately, my LHO raised to 2♥ as anticipated, but partner bid 3♦ and played there going down 3 for minus 150. Holding it to -100 would have been good for us.

It was a rare 7-7-7-5 division of sides with 15 total trumps. I am still amazed that the opponents were unable to double for penalty, a necessity if partner had guessed right. I can’t recommend the method, but I do see that it is not as dangerous as it appears at first glance. First, the third seat opening bid could be garbage on a 4-card suit, and the raise over a double could be aggressively made on a doubleton honour. The opponents have no way of knowing to whom the hand belongs. Neither trusts his partner’s bid enough to suggest a penalty. In an atmosphere of huge uncertainty everyone is guessing and anything will work at least part of the time. Second, if the hand clearly belongs to the opponents they will usually bid on rather than attempt a penalty double. Didn’t a 2/1 idealist once say that good matchpoints is bad bridge? Well, here I can paraphrase Ovid who commented mockingly, I approve of what’s best, but I do what’s worst.

Overcalling in a Minor Suit
 Players are reluctant to overcall in a minor suit when they hold a 4-card major as well. The emphasis on reaching major suit contracts is so predominant that players tend to double, a call which encompasses a wide variety of hands, both flat and distributional.  This can be carried too far as in this combination for which Cohen can offer no clear suggestion. Can it be that normal methods are poorly conceived? (Yes!)

East doubles because he can always convert a 3♣ bid to 3♦ to show this kind of hand – the equal level conversion agreement, another Cohen patch. Clearly West has no compelling reason to act over 3♠, so the danger is that NS will steal the hand for -100, and EW will score 17%. A penalty double would yield an EW score of 86%, but it nearly impossible to achieve. It is clear that if EW can’t make a penalty double, they must bid on and buy the auction at 3NT( 89%), 4♦ (47%), or 4♥ (93%), so which will it be? The solution as I see it is that East should overcall 2♦ rather than double, showing where his power lies. Doubling hoping to get the hearts in the picture is premature, and, in this case, unnecessary.

If I pick up the East hand I see primarily a great diamond suit and a spade stopper, so 3NT is a prime objective. Playing in a 4-4 heart fit is secondary. Overcalling 2♦ shows this fine suit and doesn’t deny hearts, which can be brought back into the picture on the next round. The informative overcall leaves open the possibility of 3NT, as follows.

This is a much safer approach, and gives West all the winning options. West’s holding of 2 aces is a critical contribution. As is so often the case in competition after a preemptive raise, 3NT brings in all the marbles. The worst option for West is 4♦, which nonetheless yields an average result. In cases where South merely raises to 2♠, if East has doubled West can make a responsive double. Fine, but if East has bid 2♦, West should be able to double 2♠ competitively when he has a known resting place in a diamond contract. This has the effect that the competitive double in the auction is made by the partner with a flat hand. This is an important consideration.  If it comes to that, playing in a 4-3 heart fit is not the worst thing that can happen with the diamonds providing tricks.  

Really, is this hand as difficult as it is made out to be?