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CHOICE.4CA
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1995-08-28
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CHOICE OF SUIT
When your distribution is:
4-3-3-3
If the four-card suit is clubs, open 1C. Otherwise, open the four-
card suit only if it is a good suit and the hand has no rebid
problem. With S-K63 H-AQ85 D-QJ6 C-K87 open 1H and rebid 2NT if
partner responds in a minor suit. Raise a 1S response rather than
rebid 1NT, choosing the stronger rebid because of the 15 HCP. If
the hearts were weaker, or the hand weaker, a 1C opening would be
correct.
Sometimes a three-card diamond suit may be opened: S-Q874 H-AQJ
D-KQJ C-983. The spades are weak, and it is unwise to open 1C with
a suit weaker than Qxx (which is bad enough). After opening 1D, the
hand is good enough for a 2NT rebid if the response is 2C.
Substitute a small card for the Queen of spades and you have a real
problem. What to do? Just pass! Thirteen HCP do not always make for
a mandatory opening. Or you can open 1D with the plan of rebidding
2D if partner bids 2C. Better to lie about a suit than lie about
the strength of the whole hand, as Goren used to say.
4-4-3-2
Open the higher ranking of touching suits, but with both minors a
1C opening is sometimes preferable if the diamonds are weak and
the clubs strong.
With four spades and four diamonds it is usual to open the suit
below the short suit (spades are "below" clubs): Bid 1S with S-AK43
H-1075 D-A943 C-K2. Raise a 2H or 2D response, rebid 2D over a 2C
response, pass 1NT. With the hearts and clubs reversed, however,
open 1D. If partner bids 2C you can make a stretched 2NT rebid (not
2S!).
With weak spade-diamond suits and a strong three-card club holding,
a 1C opening is the least of evils: S-J852 H-KQ D-J653 C-AK3. You
must rebid 1NT after a 1H response, however, to avoid the trap of
a jump preference in clubs after a 1S rebid (which you would have
to pass with this minimum). The rule is this: If you open a minimum
hand with a three-card suit, you must not rebid one of a suit.
With four hearts and four clubs the usual call is 1C, but there
are exceptions. With S-84 H-AKJ2 D-1043 C-AK85 open 1H and raise
a response in either minor. If you open 1C and the response is 1S,
you lack the 4-5 distribution implied by a 2H reverse, and a 1NT
rebid is undesirable with this suit-oriented hand. In addition you
hide the best feature of the hand: a strong four-card heart suit.
With 4-4 in the majors the general rule is to open 1S, but if the
spades are weak it is usually better to find another call:
1) S-Q832 H-AK104 D-AJ C-432
2) S-J853 H-K1063 D-A4 C-KQ3
3) S-10873 H-K1084 D-KQJ C-A4
With hand 1) open 1H, rebid 2NT after a minor suit response.
With hand 2) open 1C, rebid 1NT after a 1D response.
With hand 3) open 1D (or pass), bid 2D (!) after a 2C response.
4-4-4-1
These hands require judgment. The usual practice is to open the
suit below the singleton, but there are plenty of exceptions. If
that suit is "unbiddable," open the next lower biddable suit, but
a weak club suit is okay:
1) S-AKJ8 H-J932 D-A943 C-6
2) S-J932 H-AKJ8 D-A943 C-6
3) S-J932 H-Q943 D-AKQ4 C-6
4) S-A943 H-6 D-J932 C-AKJ8
5) S-AKJ8 H-A943 D-3 C-J932
With hand 1) open 1S, the suit "below" the singleton.
With hand 2) open 1H.
With hand 3) open 1D, rebid 2D after a 2C response.
With hand 4) and 5), open 1C.
5-4-3-1 or 5-4-2-2
The five-card suit is usually opened, but there are certain minimum
hands that require opening the four-card suit, especially when the
five-card suit is weak.
First, when the suits are touching and the lower ranking is a weak
five-card suit, open the four-card suit if it is strong:
1) S-AKJ3 H-Q8764 D-K76 C-3
2) S-KJ32 H-AQ987 D-K76 C-3
With hand 1) open 1S, but open 1H with hand 2).
When the suits are not touching and the five-card suit is very
weak, it is usually right to treat the five-carder as a four-card
suit. Open 1D with S-108643 H-A D-AKJ6 C-976, planning to rebid 2D
if partner bids 2C. You wouldn't want to open 1S and then rebid 2S
if the response is 2H, and any other rebid is out of the question.
5-5
Generally open the higher ranking suit, but open 1C with strong
clubs and weak spades: S-Q8763 H-K2 D-8 C-AK876. If the two suits
were switched, open 1S, planning to rebid 2S after a red suit
response. If the hand is strong enough to rebid 3C after a red suit
response, however, a 1S opening is okay when the spades are not
strong: S-Q8763 H-AK D-8 C-AK876. If you open 1C it will be
difficult to show the five-card spade length. Besides, a 1S opening
has preemptive value.
With 5-5 in other suits, open the higher ranking of touching suits.
With non-touching suits it is generally right to treat the higher
ranking suit as a four-card suit if it is very weak. Open 1C with
S-A7 H-107654 D-5 C-AKJ82, since a 2D response to 1H would be
embarrassing. Change the clubs to diamonds, however, and a 1H
opening would be right.
6-5
Open the longer suit generally, but if the suits are 5-6 and
touching then the shorter suit should be opened if it is much
stronger and the hand is minimum. Bid 1S with S-AKJ83 H-Q108742 D-6
C-9. If the nine of clubs were the ace the hand would have good
values for a reverse, so a 1H opening would be correct.
Ignoring the Rules
A new suit response by a passed hand is not forcing, so the rules
for suit selection, which are mainly aimed at providing a con-
venient rebid, can be violated freely in third or fourth seat.
The rules can also be ignored when the hand strength is such that
no forcing response will be inconvenient. Open 1S with S-AK93 H-65
D-J765 C-AQJ, because the hand is good enough to bid 2NT after a
2H response, or to raise a minor suit response. Avoid bidding bad
suits (which include any three-card minor) with good hands.
Choice of Suit Summary
The following are generalizations about the proper action with
various shapes, not to be taken too literally. Avoid bidding a weak
suit or a three-card suit if there is no likely rebid problem
connected with bidding a better suit.
4-3-3-3 With a near minimum or no biddable major, bid 1C. With
3-4-3-3 extras (i.e., 15 HCP), bid the four-card major unless
3-3-3-4 it is weak.
3-3-4-3 Open 1D unless the diamonds are weak and clubs are
strong.
4-4-2-3
4-4-3-2 Bid 1S.
4-3-4-2 Bid 1S.
4-2-4-3 Bid 1D, sometimes 1C (weak diamonds, strong clubs)
4-2-3-4
4-3-2-4 Bid 1C.
3-4-4-2
2-4-4-3 Bid 1H.
3-4-2-4
2-4-3-4 Bid 1C.
3-2-4-4
2-3-4-4 Bid the stronger minor. Bid 1D if both are strong.
4-4-4-1 Bid 1S if spades are biddable, otherwise 1H if hearts are
biddable, otherwise 1D.
4-4-1-4 Bid 1C, always.
4-1-4-4 Bid 1D if diamonds are biddable, otherwise 1C.
1-4-4-4 Bid 1H if hearts are biddable, otherwise 1D.
4-5 If touching suits, bid the five-card suit if the hand is
strong enough to reverse, or if the suit is strong. With
a strong four-card suit and weak five, treat them as
equals and open the four-card suit.
5-4 Bid the five-card suit.
5-5 Bid the higher ranking suit, but with weak spades and a
weak to moderate hand, bid 1C when 5-5 in the black
suits. Bid 1S if either the hand or spades are strong.
5-6 If touching and the hand lacks reversing values, bid the
five-card suit if it is strong and the six-carder weak.A
new suit response by a passed hand is not forcing, so the
rules for suit selection, which are mainly aimed at
providing a convenient rebid, can be violated freely in
third or fourth seat.