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The Forest and the Trees
Larry C Lande & Jay Barron
In a Bridge context the forest is all of the possible bids and follow-ups that can be made, while the trees are what is immediately in front of you. The more expert a player is, the more often they consider all the trees (bids that can be made at that moment) in the forest. For most purposes if you just considered which auction would be the most embarrassing to you given a particular bid by partner or the opponents you will come up with the right decision. Of course that also means you both know the system you have agreed to. There will always be a hand where you must weigh risk versus gain and decide on making the best bid or subsequently the least lie. The knowledge that you might have a problem also allows you to enhance your system as long as you are willing to expend the time and memory work it will require.

The hardest part of doing all of the above correctly often depends on the seat you are in or the vulnerability conditions. Whatever your requirements are for opening a 1-level, 2-suited or preemptive bid are, you should be the most careful in 2nd seat, especially if you are vulnerable versus not. There are hands which are more suited to 1-level or the other possible bids when particular seat and vulnerability conditions
exist. One clear example of this is a hand that can be opened with one of a suit or some kind of preemptive bid. Non-vulnerable vs Vulnerable when a hand is light on opening values/controls might better be opened 1 of a suit
rather than some preempt, while the opposite is true with the Vulnerability reversed.

Of course when in 2nd seat another condition exists since one opponent has already passed – you may be preempting your partner so be sure to have at least the minimum for what partner expects. My requirements may not be your requirements but whatever your ranges/suits may be, partner should be able to picture your ideal minimum and know when/what to respond and what any follow-ups might be. Consider this hand: ♠Q9 ♥A76 ♦KQT642 ♣T2. It has 2 Quick Tricks and a re-biddable suit so you might open it 1♦, but you might open it 2 if you play weak 2-bids. The advantage of opening 1 is conserving the available space but this is also more risky if the opponents own the Majors and get high fast enough to embarrass your partner into making the wrong decision. Of course if your 1♦ opening is 5+ cards in an unbalanced hand, it is far less risky. If I open the hand 2♦, the advantage is that partner knows my hand is offense oriented and will be within the guidelines setup above. Therefore, I will open 1 in first position and 2 in 2nd position when I have maximum values for a weak 2 hand.

In 3rd seat preempts are more tactical for me and carry the message of “please be very careful if you do not have a fit”.

In 4th seat these 2 bids are light opening hands. Now consider this change: ♠9 ♥Q762 ♦AKQT64 ♣T2. Notice that two things have changed but the HCP are the same. Now another factor enters into the thought process – does my system allow for me to do this with a 2-level opening (e.g., if I open 2 and subsequently bid Hearts will partner know I have this kind of hand). If I open it 1 am I better prepared for most auctions with my system. When your system says you cannot open 1 or with some preempt as there will be too many problems, learn to listen (maybe you can enlist the aid of your
opponents into helping you figuring it out). One such example might be: ♠92 ♥A62 ♦AJT984 ♣T2 – I either pass or open 2♦.

If you are undecided that you should open 1 or some preempt, then consider these factors:
1) If you pass and the opponents bid, will you be able to show these values conveniently later.
2) The same holds true if partner opens the bidding and it may also depend upon which suits are bid.
3) If the opponent or partner bids Spades, then you may be deprived of a bid that shows a good hand with a lower
ranking suit. This is also true if your suit is lower ranking than your partner’s suit.
Therefore you will need special agreements when you cannot cue bid the opponents suits for fear that you will get too high. The solution that many people use is to make all lower level doubles be non-penalty. Such doubles followed by bidding your suit show that kind of hand. Notice that if partner bids the Spade suit that they should be aware of what system agreements are in place also. My only exception to this rule is an Equal Level Conversion (ELC) double in some cases.

Now let’s look at partner’s problems facing the above two hands with: ♠AKT65 ♥Q9 ♦Void ♣AKJ653. Most experts would force to game (or have an auction forcing to the 3-level) but what they open or respond depends on their system and if partner has passed or opened. Also these same experts after receiving a positive response from partner would bid some game. This means that if partner did open they would treat partner’s hand as worth a response. Both partners should be aware of the consequences facing this opposing kind of hand as misfits generate the most problems and possible disasters. You have to see the whole forest! The partnership must decide how to handle these hands after an initial pass or opening and have the ability to not get to a
ridiculous contract.

One of the other things that might sway you into one bid or another is the kind of opponent you are playing against. There are opponents that will bid on air if they have the right suit/shape and many that will be stampeded into making an inferior bid over a preempt. Notice what might happen against one of these opponents if they bid over an opening preempt when you hold a very good hand that doesn’t fit partner’s suit. There are also opponents that have higher standards if their partner is not a passed hand. By this I do not mean they passed over an opponent’s initial bid. Also Yankeedog/Stewball be aware that willy, old veterans and pros know the value of holding the Spade Suit.