Tag Archives: Preempts

Fun Freak Hand

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Harry • 0 comment

I saw this on BBO. Put yourself in 4th seat (both sides vulnerable). Your right hand opponent opens with a weak two spades in 3rd seat. What is your thinking holding this nice hand?

Some Considerations:

How many tricks can your side take and what is the likely outcome?
What do you think is your best tactic in anticpation of a competitive auction?

What’s your call? See below for my recommendation and postmortem on the hand.

You count a probable 11 tricks in hearts and clubs. All partner has to have is one ace. The only ace that might not be helpful is the ace of spades. I recommend bidding 3 spades, a michaels cuebid describing a big hand containing hearts and an unknown minor.

That’s the good bid made by the player I observed on BBO. Unfortunately, it was partner who held the unlikely ace of spades. Misfortune was compounded when opening lead wasn’t a spade. Instead it was the ace of diamonds, and opponents quickly took the other two aces for down one. Sadly it was the only table at which a spade was not led. A future post will discuss the opening lead.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Bidding Exercise, Counting Losers in a suit contract, Michaels Cue Bid, Overcalls, Preempts, Takeout Double

Looking Ahead in the Auction

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Harry • 0 comment

You are in 2^nd seat (vulnerable vs. NV). Right hand opponent opens preemptive three diamonds. You have this gorgeous hand, but bidding is already up to the three level.

It looks like you may have game or possibly slam in hearts. Most of the time that heart suit is going to bring in 8 tricks. How best for you and partner to find the right level in hearts?

You could double, planning to bid hearts later to show your big hand. Or you could bid four hearts immediately. Three hearts looks to be out of the question since you don’t want partner to pass. I chose to double. What would you do?

Decide on your call and I will tell you what happened below.

It did not go well for me. I failed to consider that left hand opponent might further the preempt. When West bid four diamonds, I suddenly realized that partner was likely to advance with four spades. That’s exactly what happened, and I was stuck trying to figure out what to do at the five level.

I should have bid four hearts at first turn. Preempts put the pressure on us, and I managed to put my partner in a difficult situation.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Bidding Exercise, Plan your rebid, Preempts

Preempts!

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Harry • 0 comment

In 2nd seat (none vul.) I opened one diamond with a huge hand. Then my LHO (an expert) preempted four spades! Here was preemptor’s hand:

Do you like the preempt? In answering that question, think about how many tricks you might go down if doubled. In other words, how many tricks do you have with no help from partner? Also, think about where the opponents are likely to go in the auction. Scroll down for a summary of my thouights:

I love this preempt! Preemptor likely 5 tricks in spades and 1 or 2 tricks in clubs. That’s 6 and one-half tricks on your own. Give partner one trick and you will go down no more than three if doubled. Moreover, you have only 7 HCP while partner is a passed hand. Preemptor’s opponents certainly have game or slam in hearts. Make them guess at the five level. Preempts are difficult to deal with. Here was the entire hand (I was East):

As the cards lie our side can easily make 12 tricks in hearts for plus 480. Preemptor went down two doubled, holding us to the poor score of plus 300.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Preempts, Setting up a long suit

Using clues from the bidding to guide your play

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Harry • 0 comment

You are South declaring three diamonds after West makes a preemptive jump to two spades over your opening bid. West leads the three of spades. Here is what you see with a summary of the auction:

Trick 1: You win the king of spades, East playing the jack.

Trick 2: Then you cash the ace of clubs, both following.

Trick 3: You then lead the eight of clubs, ruffing low in dummy.

Trick 4: Next comes the three of hearts from dummy and you put in the eight, losing to West’s jack.

At trick 5 West shifts to the four of spades. What spade do you play from hand? Scroll down for the answer.

Solution: Play the nine of spades, knowing it will get ruffed. West started with six spades for the preemtive overcall. You and dummy started with a combined total of six spades. East’s jack at trick one had to be a singleton. Don’t let your ace of spades get ruffed!

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Counting the hand, Preempts, Remember the bidding, Visualizing the Opponents' Hands

What’s your call?

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Harry • 0 comment

You are South in third seat with both sides vulnerable. Partner passes and East opens the bidding one club. It’s not often you get dealt a nine card suit. Here is your hand:

What’s you call and your plan for the remainder of the auction?

It looks like the opponents may have a game, particularly in hearts. You have 9 and 1/2 tricks. My recommendation is for you to jump to five diamonds. Five diamond might even make. Yes, that call might turn into a disaster, but it’s best to put opponents to the guess at the five level.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Bidding Exercise, Plan your rebid, Preempts

Interesting and Fun Hand

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Harry • 0 comment

Here is a fun, freak one (at least from my side’s perspective). I was sitting South:

I opened preemptive 2 diamonds in 2nd seat. That may be a bit too conservative, but the vulnerability worried me. West overcalled two spades. Partner jumped to five diamonds at her 1st turn. East bid five spades My hand was suddenly much improved because of the fit, so I furthered my own preempt by bidding six diamonds. West doubled, ending the auction.

Check our partner’s hand on opening lead!

The play went quickly. I won the second trick, drew trump in two rounds, and claimed for plus 1540.

West may have been too undisciplined with her two spades overcall. Here was her hand:

Category: Interesting Hands | Tags: Overcalls, Preempts

Declarer Play Fundamentals

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

You are South in a contract of three hearts. Here is the auction and what you see after opening lead of the queen of diamonds:

Counting losers like a good declarer, you see two spades, two hearts, and one diamond. You can hold your spade losers to one if ace of spades is onside. How about the diamond loser? East has gotten off to a good lead.

Noticing your combined holding in clubs, you win the ace of diamonds. Then cash the king of clubs and low club, finessing the jack. If the finesse wins, you have a parking place for your diamond loser on the ace of clubs. If the finesse loses, your spade king is protected from attack. Also, you can win any diamond lead and still park your remaining diamond on the ace of clubs.

BTW, I don’t recommend opening two hearts vulnerable with the South hand. South does not have the necessary five playing tricks (within three tricks of making contract when vulnerable). South was lucky to find North with an opening hand and queen-nine third of hearts.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Keeping the Dangerous Opponent off Lead, opening leads, Preempts

Sacrifice at Favorable Vulnerability?

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

You are not vulnerable versus vulnerable opponents. How would you bid this hand?

Partner passed and RHO opened one spade. Now is a good time to preempt with three hearts.

LHO then bid four spades, passed back to you. What now? Is it worth trying to boost the opponents to five spades? If they can make four spades you will be minus 620. If you can hold a doubled five hearts contract to down 3, you will be minus only 500.

South did indeed bid five hearts when I observed the hand. She went down two doubled for minus 300. But it was a phantom sacrifice. NS could not make four spades.

South should be warned away from competing further. Those ugly doubletons are not features. The initial preempt already did its job, making the auction difficult for EW.

Thanks to Kathie Dunn for suggesting this post.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Preempts, Sacrifice

It’s Your Call

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Harry • 1 comment

You hold this hand in second seat (favorable vulnerability):

Your right-hand opponent opens the bidding one diamond. You pass with your ugly hand. Left-hand opponent responds one heart. Now your partner comes in with a preemptive overcall of two spades. Right-hand opponent doubles to show exactly three hearts. Summary of the auction so far:

*Support double showing exactly three hearts.

You know that partner is weak and opponents have game and possibly slam.

It’s your call. What do you do now? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Preempts, support doubles, Visualizing the Opponents' Hands, Weak Twos

Logic of a Preempt

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Points Schmoints, Preempts

A Competitive Auction

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

Here is an example of a competitive auction, and the thought process involved in it:

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Overcalls, Preempts

Weak jump shift?

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Your partner opens one club in 4th seat, right hand opponent passes, and you hold this crummy hand (vul vs not vul):

It’s a bad hand, but you do have a nice heart suit. Should you bid or pass?

The danger is that your side will get too high, even in the likely event that partner has a strong hand. You might consider a weak jump shift to two hearts, if that is your partnership agreement. Weak jump shifts, including when you are not yet in a competitive auction, are becoming pretty standard these days. But don’t forget that you are vulnerable.

Most pairs chose to bid their heart suit at the one level, and the bidding got too high for your side. The best result was when partner was allowed to play one club, which made two. This was your partner’s hand:

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Preempts

One Spade or Two Spades?

Posted on November 30, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Bidding Exercise, Preempts, Rule of 20, Weak Twos

Take 10 tricks

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Update below

Your thoughts?

Update:

Hint

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Counting the hand, Preempts, Remember the bidding, Think before you play to trick one

Bad hand with a long suit

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Your partner opens one diamond in 1^st seat and your right-hand opponent overcalls one heart (both vulnerable). You hold this crummy hand.

Do you pass or bid? This really is a bad hand: two ugly doubletons and only one point. Even so it may be worth competing. You have a diamond fit and six cards in the boss suit. I recommend you make a weak jump shift to two spades. It will hinder opponents’ communication, set the stage for a potential sacrifice, and convey that message to partner. But if you are going to compete with this kind of hand, you must agree with partner beforehand. Discuss it when you are going over your convention card before the game. Here is the relevant section in lower right portion of the convention card:

The box to right of “weak jump shifts: in comp” should be checked. Note that it is in black, so not alertable (weak jump shifts in competition have become standard practice).

When I held this hand it worked out well. We sacrificed in four spades when the opponents could make four hearts.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Preempts, Weak jump shifts

Value of a preempt

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Preempts are meant to disrupt opponents communications with enough tricks in hand to prevent disaster. A good example occurred yesterday. Here is your hand vulnerable vs not vulnerable:

When you preempt it’s necessary to count your tricks. When vulnerable you want to be within 3 tricks of making your bid, within 4 tricks when not vulnerable. It looks like you have 4 tricks in spades and one and one-half in diamonds for five and one-half tricks. That’s too few vulnerable to bid three spades. Open the hand two spades, and you are within the requisite margin of safety. The only downside is that your partner is likely to lead an unhelpful spade if LHO buys the contract.

Bottom line when preempting with a weak hand: count tricks rather than points, and stay within the margin of safety (three tricks vul, four tricks not vul).

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call | Tags: Preempts