Cream of the Crop 11/Cream of the Crop 11-1.iso/games/marvin01.zip/1OVER1.4CA

Text File | 1995-08-28 | 10KB | 205 lines

                     ONE-OVER-ONE RESPONSES


                    The One Notrump Response

A 1NT response requires at least 6 HCP, with a maximum of 9.
Occasionally there is no alternative with a poor-looking 10 HCP,
especially in a passed hand.

There is no need to stretch for a 1NT response in a match point
game when partner opens in a major suit in which you have three
cards or a good doubleton. You would not be "improving" the
contract by bidding, since you are already in an acceptable match
point contract. Pass a 1S opening with S-873 H-762 D-A32 C-Q643.
At IMP scoring you might respond 1NT in case partner has a huge
hand. At match points the primary aim is to obtain a good part
score, not to seek an unlikely game.

Goren's rule that a 1NT response to a 1C opening should show 8-10
HCP has very little merit. Holding 6-9 HCP and less than four cards
in either major, prefer a 1NT response to 1C instead of a pointless
1D with a hand such as S-Q87 H-Q63 D-K976 C-964. The 1NT bid has
preemptive value and describes the hand perfectly. Besides, you're
going to rebid 1NT if partner rebids in a major. Why not bid it
right away?

Avoid the 1NT response with a void or small singleton in partner's
suit, and never bid 1NT with such a holding in a side suit. Better
to pass or bid a weakish two-over-one.

A free 1NT response must be a little healthier than 6-7 HCP, but
a double stopper in the opposing suit is worth an extra point or
two.


                    Response of One of a Suit

A suit response might contain less than 6 HCP. How much less
depends on several factors. A good major suit like KJ987 is usually
sufficient in itself for a response. Avoid bidding bad suits with
bad hands. Partner may be leading your suit against an opposing
contract, and it is important for partner to judge the partnership
assets accurately when you are weak. He is likely to go wrong when
you bid a bad suit with a bad hand.

Another consideration is the preemptive value of the response. At
match points a 1S response to 1C is often made with very weak hands
when the vulnerability is favorable. The 1S response makes it
difficult for the opponents to enter the auction accurately, if
they enter at all.

A free one-over-one response in a suit does not show extra values.
It only implies that the hand is not sub-minimum, as it may be when
bidding just to give partner a chance or to improve the contract.


                         Biddable Suits

A biddable four-card suit is one headed by Q10 or better. Any five-
card or longer suit is biddable. "Unbiddable" suits may be bid, but
only when there is no reasonable alternative. Avoid responding in
an unbiddable heart suit when partner opens 1D. He is unlikely to
have four hearts unless he plans to reverse. You don't want to play
a trump suit of J654 opposite K32, or have partner lead from Kx
into your Jxxx against an opposing contract.

The same reasoning holds for a 1S response to 1H. Prefer a 1NT
response with S-J873 H-983 D-K86 C-A84. If the alternative to
bidding a weak suit is to bid 1NT with a short suit, however,
prefer the suit response. If partner raises with three trumps you
may be able to get a cross-ruff going. With a singleton honor in
partner's suit the 1NT response is more acceptable. Respond 1NT to
a 1D opening when you hold S-K65 H-8762 D-Q C-A7532.

With a good hand the dangers of bidding weak suits are somewhat
lessened. You can investigate other denominations if partner
raises, and he probably won't be on lead. Nevertheless, weak suits
should still be avoided. Bidding a poor suit is a bad start for
slam bidding, and is never helpful in assisting partner to judge
his hand properly. He will downgrade a hand that includes a
singleton in your suit, and will upgrade it with Qxx, neither of
which is valid opposite 9632.


                         Choice of Suit

When faced with a choice of suits at the one level, the classic
rules are:

-- Bid the longest suit first

-- With two or more suits, bid the highest ranking suit

The second rule is not in line with current "up-the-line" bidding
practices. Too bad. And these rules are not absolute. The best
course in bidding is not to follow some arbitrary rule religious-
ly, but to just make the best bid. Lead direction will often play
a part, as will preemptive considerations, when the hand is weak
enough to suggest that the opponents may buy the hand.

A very strong four-card suit may be bid before a lower ranking
five-card suit that is very weak, when they are touching suits and
the hand is not worth a reverse. With S-AKJ2 H-108754 D-3 C-762
respond 1S to a 1C opening. If you bid 1H and partner rebids 1NT,
you won't know what to do. After a 1D opening, a 1H response would
not be so bad, since you could pass a 1NT rebid with less worry
about the short suit.

Partner opens with 1C and you hold either of these hands:

                   1) S-432 H-Q543 D-AKQ5 C-84

                   2) S-432 H-Q543 D-AK52 C-Q4

Respond 1H with hand 1) and 1D with hand 2). If you bid 1D with
hand 1) you will have no good continuation if opener rebids 2C--a
reverse would imply 4-5 distribution. Delete the queen of diamonds
and the response is 1D, planning to pass a 2C rebid. With hand 2)
you can respond 1D because a 2C rebid can be raised to 3C. The idea
is that you must sometimes consider your next call as well as the
current bid when choosing between four-card suits.

With four hearts and four spades and 10 HCP or less, it is usually
better to respond 1H than 1S. A 1S response could cause a 4-4 fit
to be lost. This is certainly not an absolute rule. If the spades
are very strong and the hearts very weak, it is better to bid 1S.
Remember that it is also possible to miss a 4-4 spade fit when
opener raises a 1H response with three trumps. It is not correct
for him to rebid 1S after a 1H response when he holds S-Q963 H-KJ7
D-AQ876 C-2. He will raise hearts because a spade bid followed by
a heart raise on the next round would suggest a better hand, or
stronger spades and weaker hearts.

With a stronger hand, 11 HCP or so, usually respond 1S to a minor
suit opening. You can then show the hearts on the next round
without reversing. Reverses imply 4-5 distribution.

With four spades and four diamonds respond 1S to a 1C opening if
you won't mind being raised with three trumps. The 1S response is
better with a hand such as S-AQ103 H-92 D-Q1086 C-742, because it
is lead directing, preemptive (shutting out a 1H overcall), and
shows the best feature of the hand at once--a strong major suit.


              Raise Partner or Bid Something Else?

The choice will often arise among raising partner's suit, bidding
1NT, or bidding one-over-one in a new suit. The 1NT response is
preferable to a minor suit raise if the hand is suitable for
notrump play. The raise of a major, on the other hand, is usually
better than a 1NT response. With a "square" 4-3-3-3 hand the 1NT
response may be preferred if the hand is weak, 6-7 HCP. With
8-9 HCP go ahead and raise with a square hand and adequate trump
support. A 1NT response could result in a lost game if opener must
rebid two of his suit but would have bid game opposite a raise.
Also, a major suit raise is more preemptive than a 1NT response.

In general it is better to respond in a major rather than raise a
minor, but there are many exceptions. With a weak hand, don't bid
a weak four-card heart suit with good support for partner's
diamonds: S-83 H-J973  D-KQ53 C-652. Bid 2D in response to 1D.
Partner is unlikely to have four hearts, and you are going to bid
2D on the next round anyway. An immediate diamond raise will put
partner in a better position to go to the three level if the
opponents come in, something you could not do with this weak hand.
Also, if partner ends up on lead you want diamonds led, not hearts.
Lastly, the 2D raise may keep the opponents out of the bidding.
Even if it doesn't, they will have to bid one level higher to come
in, with a possible loss of bidding accuracy. To a lesser extent,
the same principle applies to a 1C opening: With a weak hand and
a weak major, generally prefer a raise to a bid of the major.

When partner opens 1H there is often a problem of whether to raise
hearts or show a spade suit. With 8-9 points, prefer the raise--
even with five spades and three hearts: S-A9873 H-Q84 D-62 C-Q64.
If you respond 1S and partner rebids 2C, you would have to make a
weak preference bid of 2H (which is not a raise). Opener would
place you with a hand of this sort: S-QJ653 H-J4 D-K874 C-83 and
might pass 2H when game could be made. He would pass, for instance,
with S-102 H-A10876 D-9 C-AKJ75. With four spades and three-card
heart support, the 2H response is preferable even with 6-7 HCP,
because a 1S response could lead to a 4-3 fit instead of a 5-3 fit
when partner raises with three spades and five hearts. Besides, the
2H response has more preemptive value. These two factors just
barely make up for the possible loss of a 4-4 spade fit.

All this leads to the following rebid meanings:

  Opener    Responder
  1H        1S
  1NT       2H is very weak, five spades and poor hearts
            3H is forcing, probably with three-card support
            2C is Checkback Stayman (see that chapter)
            4H implies four weak hearts

The 2H preference bid shows a hand like S-Q8743 H-986 D-3 C-K853.
Opener can count on five spades, three poor hearts, and a weak
hand. Checkback Stayman is used prior to raising hearts with a
game-invitational hand, while the jump (implying three-card
support) is forcing to game. Because four-card majors are really
not playable without Checkback Stayman by responder, that conven-
tion is included in this book as well as in the book "Marvin's
Conventions and Treatments."