Prebalancing
Prebalancing
Jon Shuster
In the last column on balancing, we talked about keeping your opponents out of their comfort zone. This goes one step further as this new tool, prebalancing, will get you into the bidding early and often. If you like DON’T over 1NT, this is safer, and more powerful. You will be able to jack the opponents up an extra level where your great defense will set them, or you may find yourself buying solid part score contracts you never could find by your present methods.
I. The opponents bid two suits at the one level.
Here is a typical example: You here your left hand opponent open with one of a suit and your right hand opponent responds one of another suit. If you have 4-4 in the other two suits and seven working points, the prebalancing treatment is to make a takeout double. Of course you could have a typical takeout double, but your hand can be very weak.
The theory is that since your right hand opponent kept the bidding open, they have at least half the deck. The responder should not get excited, but try to compete for a part score. Do not haul off and bid game under any circumstances. The more the responder has, the less should s/he assume partner has. Once you make your prebalance, leave everything up to your partner, who becomes the captain.
Here are some typical hands (at any vulnerability) that can double in a 1D-P-1S-? auction:
(a) S-xxx H-K10xx D-xx C-Axxx (7 working points)
(b) S-Ax H-KJxx D-xxx C-9xxx (8 working points)
(c) S-K10xx H-AJxx D-xx C-KJx (You would have doubled here before reading this)
Here are some hands that do not qualify for a double:
(d) S-AKJ H-109x D-xxx C-AKxx (Pass, wrong shape for a double. Great defense)
(e) S-xx H-KJxxx D-x C-AJ10xx (Bid 2D, Michaels or 2NT-unusual if not vulnerable)
(f) S-QJ H-Q10xx D-QJx C-Qxxx (Pass, you don’t have 7 working points.)
II. Your left hand opponent opens one of a suit and right hand opponent raises it to two.
Double with 10+ working points and 4-4-3-2 (or better shape) with at most a doubleton in the suit bid. You should act, because partner may have the wrong shape to balance, even though you will have a good fit.
On Tuesday April 6, with both sides vulnerable, East held:
S-10xx H-x D-AKxxx C-KJxx
Left hand opponent opened 1H, raised to 2H by Right hand opponent. In anticipation of this being passed out, you should double. You should bet on getting a bad board if you pass. Only one pair competed against the Heart bid, with EW going to 3S over NS competition to 3H. Declarer should actually have made the hand, but even so, got an absolute top for going down one, since all other pairs were in 2H making three.
Alerts: You need to alert partner’s doubles as possibly being very light. In addition, at the end of any auction where partner has a chance but does not make a prebalance, you need to inform declarer that partner would have doubled with 4-4 in the unbid suits and 7+ working points. Declarer is entitled to have the same negative inference as the defenders.