Bidding Choices versus Bidding Systems
I spend a lot of time with advanced students talking about bidding systems. Sometimes we talk about whether or not 2/1 is better than standard or forcing club is the best. We talk about conventions. What do you like to compete over strong notrump or weak notrump? And so on.
But what I occurs to me is that success is so often not about system but about judgment. About putting together all the information you have and making a good decision. Today so many auctions are competitive and yet so much focus is on refining our constructive bidding system.
Here is an example or two from a session with Norm, my mentee.
Not vulnerable against vulnerable I was in second chair. East passed and I opened 1♥ . West passed and Norm bid 1♠.
What should I rebid? The two choices are 1♥ or 1NT. To me this is not a matter of system but of judgment. With all these cards in the side suits and all this tenaces I just liked 1NT better. West bid 2♦ and Norm had a fielder’s choice. He could double or bid 3NT. He chose 3NT and there we were.
As you can see 3NT is a much better contract than 4♥ . And look at West’s hand. I don’t mind a 2♦ overcall even vulnerable over 1♥ but why not do it right away. It is much more dangerous when he bid it. And at this vulnerability Norm could easily have opted for defending. I am very likely to have something good in diamonds. We have at least seven tricks against 2♦ doubled. As it turned out bidding 3NT instead of the heart game was worth more than 9 imps at imp pairs.
Here is a typical competitive situation..mostly judgment but maybe you have a system.
Both vulnerable I held
East passed and I opened 1♥ . West overcalled 1♠ and Norm bid 2♥ . East bid 2♠ . For good or evil I liked the offensive values of this hand and made a somewhat aggressive 4♠ bid.
West continued with 4♠ which was passed to me. Now with some partners I play that this pass is forcing. I have to double or bid on. And in fact the pass tends to suggest that partner has something extra. But Norm and I do not play forcing passes. So far all Norm has done is bid 2♥ . Should I pass, double or bid 5♥ ? What does your judgment tell you to do?
Double works best. But if you bid 5♥ you will be okay if don’t lead a diamond. Pass is really the worst choice. Here is the whole hand.
I am not all that crazy about West’s 4♠ bid but it does put pressure on the opponents (and go for a number!) Many of you might think that double is obvious on my hand, but is it?
My point is that bidding has really always been at least as much about making good choices as it is about system. There seems to me to be too many conventions and agreements and (even arguments) and too little work on building a better thought process about what makes a good offensive hand. And of course a lot more thought about handling competitive auctions. My opponents never seem to pass these days.
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I agree, most people spend far to much time discussing the particulars of obscure sequences that will occur once, rather than working on their agreements in competitive auctions that come up every other hand. A symptom of this is finding yourself constantly ‘6 IMPed’ to death in matches against stronger teams.
After bidding and making games, judgement in competitive auctions is the most important part of bridge IMO.
FWIW on the second hand, I prefer bidding clubs rather than the chosen 4H over the opponents’ 2S advance; my thinking would be that showing clubs should improve partner’s judgment about what to do later in the auction. (Had the opponents not been in the auction, hiding the second suit would be my choice.)
Wrt your main point, yes, I am astounded at how poor is the bidding judgment of many players who are otherwise good players. Hearing a delayed 2D overcall on the first board is grating on the ears. I would think that such a call shows good hearts and good diamonds; otherwise, why not overcall the diamonds earlier before the opponents had exchanged information? Perhaps one of the best bridge books on auction judgment that I have ever read was Jeff Rubens’ classic The Secrets of Winning Bridge. System is important, but not nearly so important as the judgment one uses in applying the chosen system.
For advancing players, the key to move from good to very, very good is judgment. Conventions and gadgets hinder developing judgment. If you want to really get better, try playing with no gadgets at all!
Bobby Goldman said, about new conventions, “You have to learn to walk before you learn to run. No new conventions!”
Betty’s second mentor forced her to play no conventions except Stayman and Blackwood. Conventions had become a crutch, and her bidding judgment flourished playing Old School.
That said, if you want to go from very, very good to expert, you need detailed system agreements with your partner. But system is the last step in a long road of learning.
Thanks Steve, I think you said it all. When you are starting out keep the conventions to a minimum. Work on building you judgment and thinking about the auction holistically, including what the opponents are doing.