Ethics, Lebenshol over NT, and a little OBAR

BRIDGE ETHICS

A breakdown or infraction in Bridge rules is adjudicated by only the Director. If an infraction occurs, YOU MUST NOT TRY TO JUDGE FOR YOURSELF. INSTEAD YOU MUST JUST SIMPLY CALL THE DIRECTOR. That means even calling the director on YOURSELF. What would be an example of an infraction which you made which would warrant your calling the Director on yourself? IN INTERNET BRIDGE WE SELF ALERT, AND WE DO SO BECAUSE partner can not see our alerts. SO IF YOU FAIL TO ALERT...ONLY YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT. YOU MAY HAVE INJURED YOUR OPPONENTS, BUT YOU can not judge that for yourself, only THE DIRECTOR CAN, so you must call the director and inform him of your failure. Let HIM DECIDE IF YOUR OPPONENTS WERE INJURED. If you PURPOSELY FAIL TO CALL THE DIRECTOR, YOU HAVE JUST MADE AN EVEN MORE SERIOUS BREACH OF ETHICS.

LEBENSHOL OVER NT

First, here are the different kinds of conventions you can play in interfering with a notrump open:

1) D.O.N.T which you use over notrump opens showing 15 or more points

2) Modified Cappiletti which you use over weaker NOTRUMP OPENS.

THERE ARE MANY MORE CONVENTIONS: ASTRO, PINPOINT ASTRO, LANDY, MODIFIED LANDY, BROZEL, MODIFIED BROZEL, HAMILTON, CAPILETTI, ETC, but we only need one to COUNTERACT THEM ALL – Lebenshol.

LEBENSHOL WILL PUNISH THE OPPONENTS for sticking their noses in where it is not wanted. It has two features:

it has the same feature it always has when used: the two notrump /three club relay
it has the PUNISHING FEATURE OF a double – it is ALWAYS FOR PENALTY

BIDDING GOES AS FOLLOWS: 1 NOTRUMP BY PARTNER..TWO CLUBS BY OPPONENT. What do you do first? YOU ASK THE OPPONENT WHAT HIS TWO CLUBS MEANS...WHETHER HE ALERTS IT OR NOT! YOU ASK HIM DOES THE BID SHOW CLUBS? Make him give you an answer. You are going to double IF YOU HAVE FOUR OF THE CARDS IN HIS SUIT..AND FROM 6 TO 9 HCPs.

EXAMPLES:

Example 1:

1 NT...two clubs ( natural showing clubs) ...DOUBLE BY YOU SHOWS:

AT LEAST FOUR CLUBS AND 6-9 hcps. Now you ask why would we double with that? The double is for penalty. How many clubs must partner have? He can have 2, max 5. His 2 and your 4 equals 6, leaving 7 for the opponents, and 7 is NOT SAFE AT THE TWO LEVEL, so WITH 6 POINTS AND FOUR OF THEIR TRUMP you do not have game, but they can not make two. They only have 7 trump and 18 points.

example 2:

1 Notrump by partner...pass...two clubs by opponent (shows long diamonds).....double by you is for PENALTY SHOWING 6-9 hcps AND AT LEAST FOUR DIAMONDS.

example 3:

1 Notrump by opponent...two hearts (Brozel showing hearts and spades)...double by you promising: 4 hearts and three spades and 6-9 points.

example 4:

1 heart by opponent....1 spade by partner...two hearts by second opponent…Double by you. It is RESPONSIVE SHOWING THE SAME POINT COUNT AS THE NEGATIVE.

IF OPPONENT SHOWS A SINGLE IDENTIFIED SUIT, YOUR DOUBLE SHOWS FOUR + CARDS IN THAT SUIT.
IF YOUR OPPONENT SHOWS A TWO SUITED HAND WITH BOTH SUITS IDENTIFIED, YOUR DOUBLE WILL SHOW AT LEAST 4/3 IN THE TWO SUITS.
IF YOUR OPPONENT SHOWS A TWO SUITED HAND WITH ONLY ONE SUIT IDENTIFIED, YOUR DOUBLE WILL SHOW FOUR + CARDS IN THE IDENTIFIED SUIT.
IF YOUR OPPONENT SHOWS ONE OR MORE unidentified suits..such as the DONT double, you MUST WAIT UNTIL THE SUIT IS IDENTIFIED TO DOUBLE IT.

example 5:

IF YOU HAVE Big Points: 10 + hcps YOU HAVE GAME 16+ 10 = 26.

SO you must tell partner this, and you do this by making the following bids:

New suit at the three level
Q bid of opponents bid suit is STAYMAN AND SHOWS GAME POINTS. It does not PROMISE A STOPPER IN THE SUIT BID BY THE OPPONENT..
THREE NOTRUMP, PROMISING STOPPERS IN ANY SUITS SHOWN BY THE OPPONENTS.

If opponent doubles...YOUR REDOUBLE WILL ALSO PROMISE GAME POINTS, BUT be sure and ask the opponent for the meaning of his double first! If his double is like DONT designed to show a single suited hand, YOU WILL NOT WANT TO REDOUBLE RIGHT AWAY. INSTEAD YOU WILL WANT TO WAIT TO HEAR WHAT THAT SUIT IS.

Lots of times we have less than 10 points (6-9) but more than five, and no four card suit to double with, and no penalty double:

· If we can bid at least a four card suit on the two level, we do so. This of course would not be the suit bid by the opponent.

· If we can not bid a five card suit or longer on the two level, WE MUST BID the two notrump RELAY. THE BID OF TWO NOTRUMP ALWAYS ASKS PARTNER TO BID THREE CLUBS AND THEN WE CORRECT INTO OUR 5+ CARD SUIT

EXAMPLE:

1 NT BY PARTNER...TWO CLUBS BY OPPONENT (NATURAL CLUBS)....TWO SPADES BY YOU SHOWS: AT LEAST FOUR SPADES AND 6-9 POINTS

RULE:

WITH 6-9 POINTS YOU MUST COMPETE TO THE TWO LEVEL..
WITH 6-9 points and a FIVE CARD + SUIT YOU MUST COMPETE TO THE THREE LEVEL.

OBAR

FIRST, OBAR IS QUITE RISKY IF YOU ARE VULNERABLE AND THEY ARE NOT, SO IF THIS IS THE VULNERABLITY YOU MUST MAKE SURE OF YOUR SHAPE. IF YOU ARE BIDDING A SUIT, MAKE SURE YOU GOT A LITTLE BIT OF HONORS IN IT.

SECONDLY, ALWAYS USE OBAR OVER MAJOR SUIT FITS because two hearts making two is worth 110 points. Beware of OBAR over minor suit fits, since two clubs making two is only worth 90 points. IF YOUR OPPONENTS ARE NOT SOPHISTICATED, BID OBAR ANYWAY.

YOU OVERBID FOR GAME WHEN VULNERABLE AND YOU OVERBID FOR GAME IN IMPS. YOU do not overbid for game in matchpoints, and you DO NOT OVERBID FOR GAME WHEN not vulnerable.