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By Fred Gitelman
My recent quiz on weak 2 bids resulted in a request for a more general article of preemptive openings. If you have any topics you would like me to write about please send e-mail!
First let us define what a preemptive opening bid (or preempt) is, and what it is intended to accomplish:
A preempt is an opening jump bid in a suit (for example 3 Diamonds or 4 Spades). Almost all Bridge players use these bids to show hands with less than opening bid strength (roughly 6-10 high-card points), but with length (six or more cards) in the suit named. Preempts get their name from the fact that they preempt the opponents' bidding space. For example, a 4 Club opening bid takes away the three entire levels of bidding space from the opponents (which tends to make it hard for them to get to a good contract).
So, a preemptive opening bid is made on a long suit with less than opening bid values -- a hand which will take several tricks with its own suit as trumps, but which will (likely) take few (if any) tricks on defense. The purpose of the opening preempt is mainly "destructive" -- to throw a wrench into the opposition's bidding mechanisms. There is also a "constructive" side to opening the bidding with a preempt -- when these bids are defined within disciplined parameters, the partner of the preemptive bidder can make a very accurate evaluation of the trick-taking power of the combined hands.
The traditional example hand for a preemptive bid at the 2 level (that is, a weak 2 opening bid) is a six-card suit of decent quality (at least Q1098xx and up to AKJ10xx). My recent article on weak 2 bids can be found in the Z-files. As a "rule of thumb," three-level preempts should contain seven cards in the suit bid, and 4-level preempts tend to show eight-card suits. As a general guideline, the number of tricks your hand can take should be within two tricks of your contract if vulnerable and within three tricks if not vulnerable. This is called the "Rule of Two and Three."
The reasoning behind this rule is that, presuming you are doubled in your contract, the penalty you incur will be less than the value of the presumed game your opponents can make. For instance, down two doubled and vulnerable, as well as down three doubled and not vulnerable, are both 500, less than the 600 minimum the opponents have available in a vulnerable game of their own.
Here are some examples:
With:
A K x x x x
x x
Q x x
x x
Or:
Q 10 9 x x x
x x
A x x
x x x
Open 2S (if you are playing weak 2 bids). The second hand would be a minimum for a non-vulnerable weak 2 bid. The first hand qualifies for a vulnerable weak 2 opening but the second hand does not. You should pass the second hand if you are vulnerable.
With:
A J 9 8 x x x
Q x x
x
x x
Or:
K Q 10 x x x x
x x x
Q x
x
Open 3S. One of the great advantages of a preemptive bid made with disciplined length requirements is that the partner of the preemptor can easily and accurately judge the trick-taking value of the hand, in many cases bidding a nine-trick game in Notrump:
A J
K x x
K J x x
A Q x x
With the above hand opposite the second example, your partner can easily count on seven Spade tricks. His Club Ace is a sure eighth trick. From partner's point of view, no matter which suit the defense leads, it is likely that a ninth trick will be set up. Note 4 Spades could easily go down on these cards.
With:
x
A K 10 x x x x x
Q x
x x
Or
x x
Q J 10 9 8 x x x
A x
x
Or:
J x x
A J 9 8 x x x x
-
K x
Open 4H. I hope you are not thinking about bidding just 3 Hearts to keep 3 NT in the picture. Despite my previous point, playing 3 NT after your side opens three of a major is pretty rare. Generally a seven-card major is made to be trump. Eight-card majors are almost always made to be trumps. Yes, 3 NT could be best with the above hands, but the odds are highly against it. Remember, the primary purpose of a preempt is to take the opponents' bidding space away. Your eight-card suit gives you added safety into taking away most of the 4-level. Put it to them and open 4 Hearts!
x
x
A Q J x x x x x x
K x
Or:
x x
Q x
-
K Q J x x x x x x
In both the above examples open 5 of your minor. In the cases where you have the same hand with fewer cards in your suit, it is still sometimes correct to open at the 5 level. These "exceptions" occur when partner is already a passed hand, when your side is not vulnerable versus vulnerable opponents, or when the rest of your distribution is extreme (like 8410 or 7510). After all, it is difficult for the opponents to bid a game of 4 of a major when they have to start at the 5-level!
There is a type of hand that appears to satisfy all of the criteria for a preempt but that you should consider not preempting on. That is a hand with a solid suit, such as:
A K Q J x x x
x x x
x
x x
Many experts would open this hand 1 Spade, considering the hand too good to preempt. Other experts would open 3 Spades or 4 Spades, depending on the vulnerability and on whether or not their partner had already passed. There are even a few authorities who would pass this hand on the theory that no Spade opening was accurate!
Another type of hand that appears to satisfy preemptive requirements (and there are those who will say it still does) is the hand with a side 4-card major:
K Q 9 8 x x
A 10 9 x
x
x x
Opening 2 Spades with the above may well catch partner passing with:
x x
K Q x x x
x x x x
x x
Oops. You belong in 4 Hearts. Do not preempt on the above example. Pass for now and await developments. It is very likely that you will get another chance to bid. Believe it or not, there are several experts that would recommend open the bidding with 1 Spade on the above hand with 6-4 in the majors! You have been taught that 9 high-card points is not close enough to an opening bid, but the tremendous playing strength of this hand and the fact that the long suits are the majors, would tempt some aggressive bidders into opening 1 Spade.
Another hand type best described by an original pass is the one with a bad suit and decent cards (best used for defense) outside, such as:
J 10 x x x x x
x x
A K J
x
Or:
x
K x x x x x
x x
A K 10 x
It is wrong to open 3 Spades on the first hand or 2 Hearts on the second; in both cases an initial pass is correct. Your partner will have trouble judging both the offensive and the defensive potential for the partnership if you preempt on hands like these. Pass and listen to the auction -- it will probably be right to bid at your next opportunity.
It has often been said that preemptive opening bids are a two-edged sword. They can do great damage to the opponents when they hold the balance of strength, but they can also result in a poor score when partner is the one who is preempted or when the resulting penalty is greater than what the opponents could score in their own contract. The tendency these days has been towards lighter and lighter preemptive openings, but in my opinion it is best to keep your preempts fairly disciplined. In this way you will reduce the number of large penalties that you incur. Also, your partner will remain happy and secure, as he will know what your hand looks like (and how many tricks each side is likely to take) when you open the bidding with a preempt.
If you have any questions about this article and would like to send mail to Fred Gitelman, please e-mail Zidea.
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