Yes, I've been saving this article for March 😏
South Deals
None Vul |
| |
| ♠ | A 9 |
| ♥ | 10 8 |
| ♦ | A 10 9 8 7 3 |
| ♣ | 8 5 2 |
| |
|
|
|
| You | North | East | South |
| | | 1 ♣ |
| 1 ♦ | 1 ♥ | 2 ♠ | 3 ♥ |
| Pass | 4 ♥ | Pass | Pass |
| ?? | | | |
Okay, it wasn't the best 1 ♦ overcall ever but all those lovely spots made us
do it. Partner's 2 ♠ preempt was barely a speed bump for the opponents on their
way to game. Now what?
ANSWER: I hope you recognize this as an easy problem. Pass; there is no second
choice.
Were you considering a double? With only two defensive tricks, and partner
having shown a weak hand, the odds aren't great that we can set 4 ♥. Yes, if
partner has a singleton diamond and another trick somewhere, the opponents will
be down one for +100 instead of +50. But if not, you'll score -590 instead of
-420. Not a very good bet if you ask me...
Were you considering 4
♠? That train already left the station. If you were
bidding 4
♠ on this hand, you should have done so on the previous round over
3
♥. That would have put pressure on the opponents, forcing them to make a
3-or-5 decision. Even bidding 3
♠ last time around might have made their life a
little bit more difficult. But now the opponents have everything they need to
make the right decision over your obvious sacrifice:
- they have freely bid game and are now in a forcing pass auction; they can judge their respective strength with some accuracy
- you didn't bid 3 ♠ competitively, suggesting that you thought 3 ♠ was hopeless
(down 2) and thus 4 ♠ will be down 3!
THE PRINCIPLE: Taking a deliberate obvious sacrifice is almost always a
mistake. Preempting aggressively -- taking bidding space away from the
opponents -- is fine; it forces the opponents to make choices in the absence of
better information. Bidding one more in a competitive who-knows-who-can-make-what auction is fine. But obvious sacrifices usually turn out badly because the
opponents already know enough to make a good decision. And the lie of
the cards that lets you get out for -300 often means you have defensive tricks
to set them; there are no good sacrifices against an unmakeable
contract.
So, come in like a lion if you wish, but be willing to go out like a lamb. And
remember that sacrificial lambs just get slaughtered...
South Deals
None Vul |
| ♠ | 7 2 |
| ♥ | A 7 6 4 3 |
| ♦ | K Q J 6 5 2 |
| ♣ | — |
|
| ♠ | A 9 |
| ♥ | 10 8 |
| ♦ | A 10 9 8 7 3 |
| ♣ | 8 5 2 |
| |
|
|
|
| ♠ | Q 10 8 6 5 3 |
| ♥ | Q 5 2 |
| ♦ | — |
| ♣ | Q 10 7 6 |
|
|
|
| ♠ | K J 4 |
| ♥ | K J 9 |
| ♦ | 4 |
| ♣ | A K J 9 4 3 |
|
