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                Rule Breakers?

Are you? Well, you cannot answer that question until you know what the rules are! Some people will say that the rules keep changing. Take for example direct raises to game. So, before we go any further, answer me this:

 

 

You are playing Pairs and you have been playing a few years. Way way back when you started, you learnt that when your partner opens the bidding and you held at least 13 high card points and a fit (remember that’s at least 13 hcp because your partner has at least 12 to get the ball rolling), you jumped to game. You just wanted to tell your partner that your side had the values for game. That should apply to an overcall as well.

Easy…well, easy to explain and understand. Thus, it was rare to have a competitive auction after that because your side had at least 25 hcp.

Then you learnt a little bit more. With around 13 or 14 hcp and a fit for partner, you could change the suit and jump to game next time round. There was a flash title for what you were doing, a delayed game raise. This meant that when you jumped directly to game, you were a lot weaker in high card strength, perhaps a couple of those powerful jacks on a good day, but very little more.

Both in those days as in your earlier days, your partner knew what you had and could bid accordingly. When you promised an opening hand, they could bid on over interference if appropriate because they knew your side had at least 25 hcp. Latterly, they could bid on because they knew that you, the responder, had plenty of trumps but very little high-card strength. They could bid on with the expectation that your strength and their shape could combine to make plenty of tricks: a good partnership.

Or so East thought. East did bid on to 5 but became a little unsure as they were doubled…and the end result was not to be pretty.

 

 

North doubled because they could see two certain and a third pretty likely trick. Even though their partner’s hand was to be rather disappointing , they were not to be disappointed.

Meanwhile, West would not be disappointed by the outcome of defending 4x. Even if North or South retreated to 5, there would be five top tricks for the defence, +500.

“How could I know?” pleaded East. They could not but they could have observed the rule that "the player in the partnership who bid to game is the one who knows, or is more likely to know, what to bid next if the opponents compete."The exception is when the partner of this player has anything special in the form of extra shape, or indeed of defensive tricks. Neither exception was true here. East had a sound but middle of the road 1 level overcall,

•  no extreme shape
•  no special defence

East had a comfortable easy pass of 4 leaving the decision to West. West’s decision would be straightforward and the only discussion should be from both opponents, the oh so light double of 1 and North’s decision to bid on with no certain fit over 4. They were the “rule breakers”. East should just have followed the rule and (remember the game was Pairs) recorded a top score. Only your partner knows for sure the strength of their hand. When they need to make the decision, do not take that decision from them without a clear reason. 

Richard Solomon

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