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Amid the aggression of competitive bidding, you must gauge whether to be obstructive or constructive. As the dealer, holding the South hand, both sides vulnerable, with what would you choose to open the bidding?
Bidding
Dealer: South
Game All
Almost everyone opted for a 4H opener and, mostly, this was passed by North.
I like pre-empts on genuinely weak hands and so, when posed this question, I opted to show a Strong Two in hearts. 2D shows a strong hand; 2H is a relay; 3H shows eight playing tricks with at least a six-card heart suit. North would almost certainly continue and, as long as hearts do not break 3-0, 6NT is cold. In the event, this would score you 100 per cent of the match points.
If North had been the dealer and had passed, now the chances of a slam are thin and so, aware of a decided lack of defence to non-heart contracts, opening 4H makes sense. Indeed, for duplicate players, aggressive pre-empts third-in-hand (preferably when non-vulnerable) are often effective. Widening the point range — particularly downwards — and perhaps even shading the length requirements by a card (Weak 2H on five-card suits; Weak 2S with only six cards) are both standard manoeuvres by experts, but all these actions have one crucial thing in common: weakness.
Going down doubled when your opponents are good only for a part-score is not a winning strategy.
Pre-empts require good texture, no defence to opponents’ contracts.
Find more of Paul Mendelson’s Bridge columns at FT Puzzles and Games
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