Better Bridge in Barry County October 22 2015

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

	North ♠  Q 9 6 3     ♥  A  ♦  A J 9 8 7 2  ♣  K J
West ♠  8 7 5 2   ♥  Q J 9 8 5  ♦  K 10  ♣  7 6		East ♠  10    ♥  6 4  ♦  Q 6 5 4  ♣  Q 10 5 4 3 2
	South ♠  A K J 4  ♥  K 10 7 3 2  ♦  3    ♣  A 9 8

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South Neither 7♣

 

North   2♦ Pass	East   3♣ Pass	South 1♥ 3NT	West Pass Pass

According to a recent news release from the American Contract Bridge League, “a new bidding system has taken over the (duplicate) club and tournament scene. Designed to help all bridge players to get to the best games and slams, 2 over 1 Game Force is for players who have a firm understanding of Standard American bidding system and are ready to improve their bidding.” Today’s hand will explore the 2 over 1 Game Force system. Judge for yourself if this is something for you and your regular partner.

2 over 1 typically in the Standard American system meant that your partner had at least ten high card points and was a forcing bid for at least one round. The problem was that just how many points beyond the ten did your partner have? Enter 2 over 1 Game Force which changed some of that basic concept and added a new twist: extra points were added to the responder’s bid. Now instead of promising at least ten points, responder was now promising 13 high card points. After partner’s 1♥ or 1♠ opening bid, a bid at the two-level in a new suit would mean that neither side should pass until game was reached.

Let’s see how this would work out in today’s hand. South with 16 total points and five hearts opened the bidding with 1♥. A pass by West allowed North to bid 2♦, bypassing the four spades, to tell partner that she had at least 13 total points and that game was the contract for them. With 15 high card points, North did not want to miss game when she knew that the combined total of their two hands was at least 26 or 27 high card points.

Even when East jumped in with an interruptive preempt bid in clubs, South was undeterred. With a stopper in club with the A♣, South confidently bid 3NT. All passed, and West tabled the 7♣, the top of a doubleton to the bid that her partner had just made. North placed her cards on the table, and South surveyed the cards and began to make his plan.

Counting up the tricks, South saw four spade winners, two heart winners, one diamond winner, and two club winners for a total of nine tricks. Knowing that East had a bucketful of clubs prompted South to make an easy decision: Take the nine tricks and run. That is exactly what South did, taking the first nine tricks before allowing East/West to get in and take the last four. The contract of 3NT was brought home neatly by the use of the 2 over 1 Game Force system. Both North and South knew through their partnership agreement at what level they should be. Despite East’s interruptive bid, the North/South partnership had enough points in high cards to justify the game contract in no trump.

Playing 2 over 1 Game Force let North/South comfortably bid their hands without worry that partner would pass and that they would miss a game. Until game is reached in 2 over 1, partner should never pass. That is the beauty of this system.

Another key feature is that there is no need to jump to game in a hurry with 2 over 1 Game Force. Taking the time to reach the right game is the key here. In today’s hand, while hearts was suggested as a possible game choice, the fit was better in no trump with the dangerous opponent West having all of the missing hearts. Game in 4♥ would have been disastrous.

While 2 over 1 works well when there is no competition from the opponents, when there is an intervening bid before 2 over 1 can be implemented, 2 over 1 Game Force is off. Continue with the Standard American bidding that you have been using to continue the search for the best contract. In today’s hand, while there was competition from the East hand, it was after the 2 over 1 Game Force message had been given, delivered, and received. South knew that game was theirs.

If partner does not have the requisite 13 points to answer and has to pass or bid at the one level, 2 over 1 Game Force is no longer on. Having both hands with 13 or more points is the way to use 2 over 1 most effectively.

One final advantage to 2 over 1 Game Force is the ability to find and bid slams more effectively. There is no need to hurry since both partners know that game is assured, but there may be even more out there for them to discover. All in all, 2 over 1 Game Force is a force to be reckoned with. Give it a try. You may find your bidding has become more descriptive and reassuring to you and to you partner. Good luck trying 2 over 1 Game Force.

 

Gerald Stein

October 15, 2015

Number of words: 971

 

Bridge Notes: For more information on 2 over 1 Game Force, go to the American Contract Bridge League’s new bridge site for learning new bridge programs: www.learn2playbridge.com/editor/game3/1343  This program is free and will give you an opportunity to try bidding the 2 over 1 Game Force system.