PREEMPTIVE BIDDING READING

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Bathsheba Rodgers
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1 WEAK TWO OPENINGS WEAK JUMP OVERCALLS Two-level preemptive opening bids, common in modern bridge, are called "Weak Twos". This is because opening bids of two of a suit in traditional bridge were always strong HCP or 9½ tricks. Rarely will you find anyone playing Strong Twos anymore. The strong and artificial 2 opening has superseded strong twos, as it is sufficient for all strong suit-oriented openings. This frees up 2, 2 and 2 openings to use for special hand patterns, like Weak Twos, which typically are 6 cards long in a hand of about 6 to 10 HCP. We recommend only 2, as there are other uses for 2 (Flannery) and 2 (Mini- Roman). Weak Jump Overcalls are very effective and are made with the same hand that would open with a Weak Two, except in an overcall position. N E S 1 2? A Weak Jump Overcall by East or P 2? An opening Weak Two by East Example East 2 hand: x AQxxxx Kxx xxx A 6 card suit. A weak two bid is made with 6+ cards in a suit and strength from 6 to 10 HCP, with no outside 3+card major and no outside Ace or King. Recommended. They are effective in a competitive auction, as they consume opponents bidding space and tell your partner the exact composition of your hand, all in one bid. By not opening a weak two with an outside entry (A or K), partner will not be confused as to how strong your hand is, and she should only pass or advance your preempt. [2 - P - 3 ] 1

2 If you allow an outside Ace or King (not recommended). Some play that a weak two hand can have an outside Ace or King. If this is your style, partner could make a 2NT* response to ask for an outside entry. Usually, responder is trying to get to 3NT if she can visualize 5 or 6 tricks in the opener s suit. If an outside entry exists, opener bids it [2 P 2NT* P 3...] showing a Ace or King. If there is no outside entry, opener rebids her suit at the 3 level. [2 P 2NT* P 3...]. Because of this possibility, responder must be prepared to play at 3 of opener s suit before asking for an outside entry. Another reason NOT to play this way is that we also tell the opponents that the opener has no outside entry, and are now a level higher. If there is an entry, smart opponents will lead it, attempting to kill the entry before the long suit can be established. N 2 3 S 2NT* P N 2 3 S 2NT* 3NT North South North South AQJTxx xxx xx xx KQJx Axx AJxx AJTxxx xx Kxx Qx AKQJx Axxx QJx Weak Jump Overcall. The hand that would open a weak two is the same hand that can make a weak jump overcall. [1 - P - 2 ] Of course, vulnerability is an important consideration as regards the quality of the bid suit. AQJ9xx A weak 2 bid, vulnerable or not; as an opening or an overcall x Qxx xxx QJ10876 QJx xx A weak two Spades opening? Not vulnerable, yes. Vulnerable, not quite, but jump overcall opponent s 1 of a suit opener with 2. Bid 2 over 1NT if opponents try to stop there. [1 P 1NT P P 2 ] 2

3 N E S W - P P 2 West has 6 Hearts and less than 10 HCP.? What should North bid? North Axx AKxx Kxxx West xx KQJxxx Qx xxx Defense to Weak Two's Weak two openers and overcalls are the most common preemptive openers or overcalls because they come up far more often than 3-level or higher openings. To defend against a weak two opening or overcall, bid a good suit at the two or three level, or double with a normal strength takeout double, assuming you have the proper distribution especially unbid major suits. Use the Lebensohl 2NT Convention as a way to bail out if 4 th hand is weak after 2 nd hand doubles a weak two opening. Some play that an overcall of a preempt promises an opening hand. But, we must be able to bid our suits when opponents preempt, or we ll be preempted to death. With the Lebensohl 2NT convention available as a way to show a weak 4 th seat hand, we can overcall competitively with somewhat less than an opener, because our partner won t expect more if we simply overcall. [2 3 P...] 4 th seat knows 2 nd seat has a Heart suit and wants to compete. 4 th seat can pass, raise, bid 4NT - - whatever -- and she can assume the overcaller has a decent suit but may be somewhat below opening-hand strength. When overcalling preemptive bids, be aware of vulnerability, and expect to get a poor score sometimes. Like all preempts, weak twos do their job well. 3

4 N E S W - P P 2 West has 6 Hearts and less than 11 HCP North simply overcalls the weak 2 call. South knows North has a decent 5+ card Spade suit, but probably less than a takeout double in strength, and can bid accordingly. To help decide whether or not to overcall a preempt, use Mike Lawrence s Rule of Seven: Visualize your partner has an average 7 HCP hand, and then decide if that is enough to make the bid you are about to make. Note that it can t be any 7 HCP of your choice, i.e., not a perfect 7, but just a scattered 7 HCP or better. WEAK JUMP SHIFTS The same hand that might open a weak two or make a weak jump overcall may be the hand whose partner opened one-of-a-suit. If the weak hand is worthless in any strain except the 6+ card suit, you can bid a weak jump shift. [1 P 2 ] It s very preemptive to opponents, it tells your partner exactly what you have and don t have - - all good reasons for any preemptive bid. There is a critical difference however. Your side may have the balance of power, as partner/opener is an unlimited hand - - why can t she have a blockbuster hand? So, when contemplating a WJS, be sure you are very weak and have no controls outside your suit, especially if 2 nd hand didn t bid. After all, it only takes 6 points to simply respond one of your suit, so you should consider that option first. [1 P 1 ] 6+ HCP If 2 nd hand bids or doubles, your bid makes it harder for opponents to compete, and easier for your partner, knowing just what you have, even though it s distributional and weak in HCP. [1 Dbl 2 ] Now 4 th hand has to bid at the 3-level with her 4 little Hearts or whatever. You have an extra advantage in that partner has opened and has some HCP -- an advantage you don t have making a weak jump overcall or a weak two opening bid. A weak jump shift should be really weak and not an independent source of tricks in any other strain. Certainly no outside Ace or King, and a maximum of about 8 HCP s, less if not vulnerable. It s weaker than a maximum WJO or weak two opener, because you are preempting your partner as well as your opponents. 4

5 OTHER PREEMPTIVE OPENINGS Other preemptive bids include traditional 3, 4 and even 5 level openings and overcalls. Preemptive Tactics Never, Never, Never. Having once made a preemptive bid or overcall, you must NOT make another bid during that hand, unless forced to by your partner you cannot be forced by your opponents. You may not bid "just one higher" if opponents overcall your preempt or your partner has the right to inflict any punishment she wants upon you. If you want to bid "just one higher", bid it confidently the first time. Reason: Your partner may have a trump stack against the opponents, waiting for a 500 point set and a top board after your opening 3. To hear you later say "5 " over the opponent's 4, thereby guaranteeing a 500- point minus for your side, is grounds for partnership mayhem. Bid 5 on your first bid if you are ever going to bid it. What's the bid? Especially important in a decision to preempt is the prior bidding. If your partner has passed, bid like crazy! If she hasn t yet bid, be careful about preempting -- wait until your next turn and then preempt if appropriate. Who has the majors? Another important factor is the major suit situation. If you are considering preempting in Hearts with a singleton or void in Spades, you can be sure the opponents will be bidding Spades so get your preempt in early and high. If you have Spades, you can overcall an opposing preempt in Hearts, so don't preempt your partner unnecessarily if you hold lots of Spades. Length is strength. With 7 or more cards in a suit, be very aggressive, especially if you are weak in HCP. This 9 point hand could easily take 6 or 7 tricks by itself: AKQxxxx Three-level openings or overcalls Three-level openings or overcalls are bid with fewer than 10 HCP, no outside fourcard major and no chance of game outside the bid suit. Not vulnerable; the weaker, the better. Vulnerable, the bid suit should have some honors and texture. 5

6 Example South hands: N E S W P P??? AQ109xx or - x KJx Jxx KQJxxxx 109xx This hand is too A little weak for 3 if vulnerable. strong to preempt. Non-vul open or overcall 3. Open 1, then bid 2. Major vs. minor suit preempts. With a 7-card minor suit (not a solid suit, which could be a Gambling 3NT opener), open 3 or 3. However, with a 7-card major suit, some points and a decent suit or better ( AKT8653), consider opening 4 or 4. This is game, and opponents have to start competing at the 4 or 5-level. If partner is really weak, you have made a very successful preempt. If partner has any kind of a side suit, you may be able to squeak out 10 tricks. If you go down one or two, the chances are you won t have been doubled, as it is dangerous to double a hand that is known to have 7 trumps and shortages somewhere. Responses to Preempts Good for her. If your partner made a weak preemptive bid, good for her. She has shown you exactly what she has and she won't bid again -- count on it. All at once. Respond as high as you're willing to go at your first (and only) bid if there's competition; for example, if the intervening hand doubles. Don't wait until they've found their fit before sacrificing at bid 5 before they find their fit. Sometimes you'll get away with it. Sometimes they'll end up in the wrong contract. Sometimes you won't get doubled. Sometimes they'll take the push and go off one. But if you wait until they know what they have, you've just lowered your odds a lot. They'll always figure it out. 6

7 At IMPs (team games), preempt whenever the occasion arises, but, vulnerable, be very careful, as an 800 point set could lose the whole match. Teammates hate that. Don't even think about changing suits when partner preempts. The one time in ten your long weak suit is better than your partner s long weak suit won't make up for the 8 bad results you'll get changing suits, and you'll lose good partners, too. However, if partner s preempt is overcalled, she is out of the auction and you can then bid your suit to compete further: [ ] Partner won t raise you, as she can t bid again after preempting. Raising partner s preemptive opening or overcall. A raise of a preempt short of game is not a game try. It s simply advancing the preempt, making it harder for opponents to compete. Opener won t bid again unless forced to, not invited to, and there is no forcing bid when partner preempts. [2 Dbl 3 ] 3 is not a game try or an invitation - - it s simply upping the preempt to make it harder for opponents. Bidding game over partner s preempt. Sometimes you'll have a good hand and want to try for game after your partner preempts. To bid game over partner s preemptive opening, you need a trump or two plus 2 Aces and a King minimum. It s not about HCP; it s about Aces and Kings to cover her losers in side suits, not Queens and Jacks. Defense to Opening Preempts or Overcalls At any level of bridge up through world class play, preemptive bids are very effective. They burn up lots of bidding space; they allow partner to make brilliant sacrifices; they require opponents to bid at high levels, etc. The simple fact is, preempts work. You should almost always preempt when holding long suits with weakness. For one thing, they tell your partner your situation in one bid. Don't be scared. The defense to preempts is psychological as well as tactical - - don't be preempted away from your bid. If you have bid a game, be sure to double the opponents if they sacrifice, especially at the five-level. You must not let them get away with going down 3 tricks for -150 when you can make a 620 game or a 500 point penalty. If opponents find you are scared off by preempts and won't double them, they'll preempt you constantly. Don t let them bluff you - - double. 7

8 Trust opponents' weakness. Trust reliable opponents to have what they say when they preempt - - weakness and length in their suit. Therefore, your partner and you have the other suits and perhaps more than average strength. Bid what you see in your hand if you have a suit -- double without a suit but with strength, especially in unbid majors. N E S W 3 Dbl P 4 West xx KJxx AQJx Qxx Partner has an opener with Hearts, so bid your game. Double them if they go on to 4. Don t be pushed! The 5-Level Rule. The 5-level Belongs to the Opponents is a good motto. It means that we should try to push our opponents to the 5-level and we should try not to take the push to 5 when they are pushing us. Competing to the 5-Level. Versus non-vulnerable sacrificing opponents, we often have to take a chance at the 5-level in order to save our game bonus. There is a set of conventional bids to help partner determine whether or not to bid at the 5- level after opponents minor sacrifice: example: [1 P ???] Consider the 3 possibilities and use these responses: (1) You have 2 or more losers in opponent s suit: Double (2) You have 1 loser in opponent s suit: Pass (3) You have no losers in opponent s suit: Bid 5. In the above example, the 3 responder, whose turn it is to bid, would double with 2 or more Club losers, pass with 1 Club loser and bid 5 Hearts with no Club losers. Opener can then make an informed decision about leaving the double in, or would know that responder has exactly one or zero Club losers. Sometimes this rule can let you bid and make a slam that others won t get to, because you know the loser situation exactly. 8

OTHER PREEMPTIVE OPENINGS

OTHER PREEMPTIVE OPENINGS Other preemptive bids include 3, 4 and 5 level openings or jump overcalls. Preemptive Tactics Never, Never, Never. Having once made a preemptive bid or overcall, you must NOT make another bid during that