We now explore an interesting hand that is a little short on high card points (HCP’s), but holds a valuable asset called “dummy points,” which is shortness in a side-suit. Dummy should value a side-suit doubleton at one extra point, a singleton at three extra points and a void at five extra points. The reason shortness in a side-suit is important is that dummy is able to convert some of declarer’s losing tricks into winners by trumping them in dummy – a pretty good feature to have.
In the example at left, North, holding 13 HCP and five spades (14 points) opens the bidding at one spade. South, holding nine HCP, but four trump and a singleton in diamonds (worth three dummy points) revalues his hand (now totaling 12 points) and uses the Jacoby two notrump convention – showing four trump and enough for game. With a minimum hand, North goes right to game, which still leaves the possibility of investigating slam should South hold extra values. But, with nothing more to say, everyone passes.
In a slightly better alternative, North would still open at one spade, but South could have used the 2-over-1 convention responding two clubs, showing a hand with opening values. It says nothing about South’s spades, but that will follow shortly. North might bid two hearts, cue-bidding his Ace of hearts, and South might bid three diamonds, cue-bidding his diamond singleton. North should re-bid three spades, leaving the final decision to South of bidding game in notrump or spades. With no desire for slam, South would close the auction at four spades – right where they belong.
Even though the partnership holds only 22 HCP’s in the above deal, by adding one length point and three dummy points, the partnership immediately knows their adjusted point count is enough for game. Thus, they would not stop bidding until they reached game, which they did.
In playing the hand, declarer would lose one spade, one heart and two (possibly three) diamonds. However, dummy’s short diamond suit eliminates at least one – possibly two – of the diamond losers, thus, enabling declarer to make contract.
Whoever thought “nothing” can be worth something is right, and that can be good bridge!
Good luck and good bridge.
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