Pressure Bidding

 

The best way apply pressure is to crowd the auction, usually with preempts or advance sacrifices.  Here are some examples.

 

1st November, 2006          Board 30      Dealer East      None Vul

 

 

We certainly have no intention of defending 2♠.  But the better question to ask ourselves is “Do we have any intention of defending 3♠?”  At this vulnerability, we’d say “No!”.  The next question to ask ourselves is “Will the opponents let us play in 3♥?”  We’d think that this is somewhat unlikely, considering that we have 9 or 10 Hearts, and they are likely to have at least half of the HCP’s.  Yes, everything points to a 4♥ bid here, bidding the hand to the max immediately and turning up the heat on South.

 

Bidding 4♥ here will often work out well, even when it is theoretically wrong.  4♥ down 2, undoubled, is a fine save against 3♠ making.  And, it’s unlikely that they will find a Double, it’s not as if either of them is likely to have any trump tricks.

 

On the actual hand South held 2 Aces and 4-card support, so she will try 4♠, not knowing whether she is bidding to make or bidding as a sacrifice.  It turns out to be neither, as both 4-level major suit contracts are down a trick.  Nice 4♥ bid, Mr East!

 

 

28th February, 2007         Board 11      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

 Obviously we are not going to let them play it in 2♠, but the real question is whether we will let them play 3♠.  Given that we have a minimum of 10 combined Hearts, the answer is certainly “No!”  The next question is “Will they actually bid 3♠?”  We don’t know for sure, but it seems most likely that they will, they are non-vulnerable and one of the opponents is void or singleton in our suit, so the chances of buying it in 3♥ seem small.  Therefore, we suggest an immediate 4♥ bid here, we’ll probably have to bid it eventually, so let’s do so right away, putting the opponents under pressure.

 

To see this 4♥ bid in action, consider the dilemma of poor West, who holds:

            ♠ 9843  ♥ 94  ♦ A62  ♣ AJ42

Over a 3♥ bid by South, West has a comfortable 3♠ bid, describing his hand rather well.  But over 4♥ he can hardly not support Partner’s Spades, even though he knows that 4♠ is something of an overbid.

 

The bottom line on this board is that both sides can make 9 tricks, and pushing the opponents overboard to 4♠ is a good result for N-S.

 

 

21st May, 2007                  Board 25      Dealer North       E-W Vul

 

 

What are the chances that we can buy this one in 3♠?  Zero per cent is the answer, surely the opponents are going to game on this one.  And when they do bid 4♥ we’ll no doubt want to sacrifice in 4♠ at this favorable vulnerability.  Therefore, let’s bid 4♠ right away and take away the opponents bidding room.  To see this bid in action, let’s look at the West hand, in the light of two different auctions:

 

            ♠ 42                    South   West    North   East                 South   West    North   East

            ♥ AKJ8653                                Pass    1♦                                             Pass    1♦

            ♦ K                     1♠        2♥        2♠       3♥                    1♠        2♥        2♠        3♥

            ♣ T95                 4♠        ??                                            3♠        4♥        Pass    Pass

                                                                                                    4♠        ??

 

Quite a difference!  In the first auction, West has undisclosed strength and can see that 5♥ will be cold opposite as little as ♦AQ and ♣A.  Given the vulnerability, it would be hard to fault West for trying 5♥ here.  Now look at the second auction.  Here South has voluntarily gone to game over 3♠, and consequently has shown her game-going values.  She can now pass and leave the decision up to Partner.

 

On the actual deal, an immediate bid by South of 4♠ (over 3♥) is likely to push West overboard to 5♥, down one.  Bidding 3♠ and then 4♠ will result in 4♠ doubled for down one … it’s still a good save against their game, but isn’t a plus score better?

 

 

21st May, 2007                  Board 27      Dealer North       E-W Vul

 

 

How would you rate a buccaneering 4♥ bid by East here?  Absolutely terrible, in our ever so humble opinion!  We love to preempt, even more so than most (or so some of our ex-Partners have told us), but here East has no reason to get over-dramatic.  He has great offense, for sure, but he also has some defense, it would be nice if he could get Partner involved in the auction.

 

On the actual deal, if East does try to put the opponents on the spot with an (ill-advised) 4♥ bid, East will find that he is the one who must make the last guess when North bids 4♠.  He can hardly double, nor can he bid 5♥, and is obliged to pass.  Not a great success, considering that 4♥ makes 10 tricks and 4♠ is down two.  Yes, instead of pressuring the opponents, by bidding 4♥ we end up pressuring ourselves!

 

 

13th June, 2007                 Board 16      Dealer West       E-W Vul

 

 

We like a 4♥ bid here.  We’d be most pleasantly surprised if this contract actually made (in real life it did!) but we don’t have much defense against Diamonds so why not apply maximum pressure right away?  We have a lot of latitude and safety in this situation … Partner has limited her hand, we are White versus Red with a good fit, we have shortness in their suit, the opponents have yet to agree a suit.

 

Is there a downside to bidding 4♥ here?  Sure, they may double us and get us down two on what is just a part-score hand.  This may well happen, but not very often.

 

 

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