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Good Shape: Bad Shape.

Te shape of a hand is a very important factor, maybe as important as the number of high card points held. Take a look at the following hand:

 

 South has only 3 high card points but potentially a rather valuable hand. The game is Pairs. Everyone has different minimum length for their 1 opening. Let’s say 3+. Should South bid? Very weak in high cards (you should have a minimum 6hcp to bid) but offering a good source of tricks whether your partner has spades or long (4+) clubs. Also, it is much easier (but not impossible) to bid spades now at the one level than to introduce the suit three levels higher on the next round, if you decide to pass:

For many, and it is a good idea, the above double should still be for take-out (i.e. up to and including opposition interference up to 4) and should promise a good hand, too. So, South should be able to bid 4 now. Had South bid 1 over 1, they would have found that they would not have to do any further bidding. Their partner would do that for them:

 

A look at the East-West hands

Were E/W not vulnerable, West’s 5 bid would be fine. Their partner had a very reasonable 1-level overcall but had plenty of potential losers in the minor suits. Meanwhile, having 7-card trump support was wonderful but West had also lots of potential losers in the minors.

It is harsh to say that the shape of the West hand is poor but it is certainly potentially poor and runs the risk of a bad result at the 5-level if doubled. Indeed, had North doubled 5 for penalties, the result would have been 3 down, -800, worse than a spade game making.

On the above auction, West could have anticipated their opponents would bid to 4. If they were going to bid 5, it would be better to bid it over 1, not “bidding the same hand twice”, a common fault. A direct 5 would be unsuccessful here if doubled but it would make the opponents guess and they would likely guess to bid 5.

Notice West did not open 3. They are vulnerable and are in second seat. In that position at that vulnerability, their opening pre-empt should be stronger. After all, there is a 50% chance it is their partner they are pre-empting, not an opponent.

A slam for South!

Back though to South. How would they feel if after bidding 1, their partner put them to 6. That might well have happened had North held the void and South the singleton heart.

Another disadvantage of West’s aggressive bidding should be that 6 should make. It would sound like East is relatively flat and West anything but. So, after winning Q lead in the South hand, South should play a low trump to K in dummy. East wins and exits a safe diamond. Now, it would be very reasonable to play 7 from dummy and let it run when East plays low. 6 bid and made. Now, wouldn’t that be a great story for the post mortems after you made a free bid on your 3 hcp!

Shape! There’s good and bad shape! What is yours like? A good question to ask yourself before you bid. 

Richard Solomon

p.s. A warning. This article does not suggest you should call with all or indeed with most 3 counts after East’s 1 overcall. The South hand here is a special case and a case to demonstrate that the importance of good shape. As long as South bids 4 over the double of 4, they will achieve the same result as bidding 1.

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