PC Shareware 1997 September

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Bidding Introduction Weak(er) Notrumps Opening in 3rd And 4th Chairs Inverted Minors Opening 4-Card Majors Blackwood After Interference Key-Card and Roman Blackwood Gerber Ace Asking Splinter Bid Stayman Using Staymen to Bid a Minor Stayman With Interference Jacoby Transfer Bids Texas Transfer Bids Minor Suit Stayman Minor Suit Transfers Splinter Bid with Transfers Lebensohl 1NT Forcing Weak Jump-Shift 19-Point Forcing Openings Negative Double Reverse Drury Notrump Game Try Fourth Suit Forcing Truscott/Jordan 2NT Invisible Cue Bids Lightner Double Unusual Notrump Responsive Doubles Astro 5 of a Major Grand Slam Force Flannery Flint Solid Minor Preempts Landy Precision 1 Club Jump Cue Bid Be Logical // Introduction: Level I focused more on bidding than on play. Level II reverses that, with this being the only Level II course file on bidding. The three level II courses on playing cover: Opening leads and defensive play around the opening lead. Declarer play. Defensive play beyond the opening lead. // Weak(er) Notrumps: In Level I, we said that it takes 16-18 points to open 1NT. Some people play 15-17 points instead. Some play 16-18 in 1st and 2nd chairs and 15-17 in 3rd and 4th chairs. Others still play "weak NT" and open 1NT with around 12-15 points. In "Kamikaze Notrump", 1NT is opened with 10-12 points. // Opening in 3rd And 4th Chairs: [Bid,W] Pass Pass Pass ??? [S] A J x x x x x K x x Q x x If you have 10-12 points and your partner has already passed, you should have in mind that it is unlikely that your side has game. Chances are, you are going to be competing for a part score. In third chair, you may want to bid a hand that is a shade weaker than your normal opening strength if you have a suit that is good enough to compete with up to the 2 or 3 level and/or is good enough for partner to lead if the opponents win the bid. With the hand shown, your Spade suit has a natural advantage over Hearts in bidding for a part score, since you can buy the bid at a lower level than the opponents. It is important that your partner is aware that you may make a light open in 3rd and 4th chairs so that he doesn't do anything rash, like jumping to game. // [S] x x Q J x x x A x x K x x With a hand like this one, you should pass, especially in 4th chair where your pass will result in the deal being thrown in. You don't have a very robust Heart suit to bid or to have partner lead and if the opponents have Spades, they will probably reenter the bidding and steal it from you. You and your partner should also agree that your weak 2 bids in 3rd and 4th chair do not require the usual quality (2 of top 3, etc) since it is unlikely that your passed partner can take you to game. You might want to open 2S with a suit that looks like "Q-J-x-x-x-x". // Inverted Minors: [Bid,N] 1D Pass ??? [S] x x x x Q J x x x K x x x x Q: What should South normally bid? A: 2D. Unless partner has a real barn-burner, you are unlikely to have game. You have no desire to play NT, and a major suit fit is out of the question, so if your side is to compete for a part score, it has to be in Diamonds. The problem is that it is relatively painless for the opponents to enter the bidding in the majors against 2D. Since you already know that 3D is your likely limit, wouldn't it be nice to be able to bid it right away? That's what Inverted Minors are for. In response to an opening bid of a minor suit, a jump raise is weak and preemptive (leaving the opponents less room to bid) and a single raise is stronger (leaving YOUR side MORE room to bid). // Opening 4-Card Majors: Relatively few people open 4-Card Majors any more, but you need to understand it in case you pick up a partner or opponents who do. The main difference is that you would open a 5-card major even if it were very weak, but opening a 4-card major requires a very good suit -- at least 4 HCP. The minor suits can be weaker, but if you have too many points to pass and do not have a good biddable suit, you must open 1C. Unlike 5-card majors, you would never open a 3-card Diamond suit when playing 4-card majors. As with 5-card majors, if you have two 4-card suits, you should bid the higher one first. If you have a good 4-card Spade suit and 5 Hearts, you still bid Spades first. // In responding in the 4-Card Major system, you must have 4 cards in your partner's suit to raise him, of course. As with 5-card majors, each rebid by the opener promises extra length. If partner opens 1D or 1C, it does not deny a 4-card major; it only denies a very good 4-card major, so if you have a four-card major, you should bid it. If you have a good grasp of 5-card majors, most of the other bidding of 4-card majors is similar, but adjusted to allow for one less trump. // Blackwood After Interference: [Bid,N] 1H 2D 3H 4D 4NT 5D ??? [S] J x A x x x K Q x x Q J T If partner bids 4NT to ask you for Aces and East throws in a 5D bid, you can no longer respond as the convention requires. One alternative is to start your Ace-showing bid with the next suit. For example, if East bids 5D, you would bid 5H with all or none, 5S with one, etc. DOPI is an attractive alternative to the above because it uses less bidding space. DOPI stands for Double=0, Pass=1. With two Aces, you bid the next available suit, etc. With the hand and bidding shown, you would Pass to show 1 Ace. // Key-Card and Roman Blackwood: In Key-Card Blackwood, the King of trumps is counted in with Aces. The only modification is that just as 5C shows 0 or 4 Aces (or now, "key cards"), 5D shows 1 or 5 key cards. In Roman Key-Card Blackwood - - 5C shows 0 or 3 key cards. - 5D shows 1 or 4 key cards. - 5H shows 2 or 5 and the Q of trump. - 5S shows 2 or 5 without the Q of trump. // In plain Roman Blackwood - - 5C shows 0 or 3 Aces. - 5D shows 1 or 4 Aces. - 5H shows 2 Aces of the same color or of touching suits. - 5S shows 2 unlike Aces. // Gerber Ace Asking: [Erase] [Bid,N] 1S Pass 2NT Pass 4C Pass ??? [S] J x A x x K Q x x K J x x x In the Level I course, no means was provided for asking for Aces over a NT bid. Bidding 4NT over a NT bid is a quantitative bid, not Ace asking. The Gerber convention substitutes a JUMP to 4C in place of 4NT when NT is the main focus. As with 4NT, you simply go up the suits to show Aces: 4D = all or none 4H = 1 4S = 2 4NT = 3 DOPI works the same way over interference bids as it does with Blackwood. // You have to be more alert with Gerber to make sure that partner is asking for Aces and not bidding his Club suit. A JUMP to 4C is normally Gerber. After 4C-Gerber, 5C asks for Kings. // Splinter Bid: [Erase] [Bid,N] 1H 2C 4C [S] A x x K Q x x A J T x x A splinter bid is an artificial jump bid indicating trump support, an interest in slam if partner has a good hand, and a singleton or void in the suit bid. The bidding shown is an example: South's bid of 4C over East's 2C is a very clear-cut splinter bid. // Stayman: [Erase] [Bid] 1NT Pass 2C Pass ??? [S] K Q x x J x x x A Q x K Q Q: What do you bid with South's cards in this sequence? A: 2H. North's 2C bid is asking you to bid a 4-card major if you have one. Most partnerships play that if you have two 4-card majors, you bid the lower one first. Bidding 2S would deny having 4 Hearts. // Using Staymen to Bid a Minor: [N] K Q x A x x x K Q x x x x [S] J x x x K Q x A J x x A J [Bid] 1NT Pass 2C Pass 2H Pass 3C Pass ??? With the hands and bidding shown, a new aspect of Stayman is shown. North is not interested in 4-card majors at all. Instead, this sequence is desinged to indicate a strong hand with a very good Club suit and an interest in slam. If North had bid 3C as a direct response to 1NT, it would indicate a weak hand. (2C is Stayman, so 3C is the lowest that a weak hand with long Clubs could bid.) // Stayman With Interference: West Doubles - In most partnerships, it takes NT opening strength to double an opening bid of 1NT. With 7+ points, North should redouble. With a hand very poorly suited for NT, bid 2 of your suit. West Overcalls a Suit - You (North) can no longer bid Stayman, but you can ask partner for a major by bidding the opponent's suit. Because this raises the level of bidding very high, you must have enough points to make game (9+). // East Doubles North's 2C - (This is normally a lead-directing double by East, asking West to lead Clubs.) If South does not have a 4-card major, then with a good Club suit, South should redouble. With 4+ Clubs, South should pass. If South passes, North can redouble with 3+ Clubs or bid 2D with 4-4-4-1 distribution. // East Overcalls North's 2C - [Bid] 1NT Pass 2C 2S Pass Pass 2NT Pass 3H Pass 4H [N] x x K Q x x A x x x J x x [S] K x x A J x x K x A Q T x South can bid a 4-card major, but only on the 2 level. If East overcalls with 2S, South cannot bid 3H to show a 4-card Heart suit. If South cannot bid 2 of a major, he can double for penalties or pass. If South passes, North can double for penalties if East has bid North's 4-card major. If North bids 2NT instead of doubling, it implies that his suit was the other major and South can bid that suit over 2NT. (See bidding.) // Jacoby Transfer Bids: [Bid] 1NT Pass 2D Pass 2H [N] x x Q J T x x x x x x x x [S] K Q x x A x A J x K x x x It may be worth a trick or two to have the stronger hand be the declarer, since the strong hand is more likely to have holdings like K-x and A-Q-x for West to lead into, giving declarer a free finesse. Transfer bids are artificial bids which "transfer" the bid to the stronger hand by getting that player to be the first to bid the real trump suit. Jacoby transfer bids are used in response to 1NT and usually in conjunction with Stayman. To get partner to bid 2S or 2H, you bid the suit below it, as shown in the diagrams. // A 5+ card suit is required to bid Jacoby, since the notrump opener could have as few as 2 of your suit. If you have a very weak hand, you have to be satisfied with a possible 5-2 fit. If you have enough to push towards game, after partner's forced bid, you can bid 2NT to show a 5-card suit and a balanced hand. If you have an unbalanced hand, bid 3 or 4 of your suit, depending on your points. // To show 5-5 in the majors, you can bid 2D and after partner's forced 2H response, bid 2S. That way if partner has only 2 Hearts but more Spades, he can raise Spades. [Pause] [Bid] 1NT Pass 2D Pass ??? [S] K x Q x x x A K x x K Q J T Upgrading Opener's Hand - If North makes a transfer bid and South has a hand like the one shown (maximum NT points, ruffing value in Spades), North should bid more aggressively to try for game. North should bid 3H instead of 2H, to show maximum values and a good fit. // Texas Transfer Bids: [Bid] 1NT Pass 4H Pass 4S [N] Q J T x x x x - x x x x x x Texas transfers are similar to Jacoby, but on a higher (4D/4H) level. It requires a 6-card suit and a hand with virtually no possibility of slam. (With an interest in slam, use Jacoby: 1NT-2D, 2H-4H A rule of thumb is to have as few as 3 HCP and less than 12 total points. If West bids before North bids 4D/4H, North's bid is still considered a Texas transfer unless West has bid above 3C. // Minor Suit Stayman: [N] x x x K x x x x Q J T x x [S] A J x x K Q x x A x x K x [Bid] 1NT Pass 2S Pass 2NT Pass 3C Pass 3D If you are using Jacoby transfers, you will normally never bid 2S over 1NT. Rather than waste a bid, you can use 2S to ask for minor suits. It requires a very distributional minor suit hand and an interest in game and possibly slam. A response of 2NT (3NT with a maximum NT opener and good major suit stoppers) over 2S denies a 4-card minor. A response of 3 of a major implies 4-card support for at least one of the minors and a weakness in the unbid major. If the 2S bidder has strength in the unbid major, he can bid 3NT; otherwise, he should bid one of his minor suits. // Rebid by the Minor Suit Stayman bidder - A bid of 3 of a minor over 2NT is not forcing. In the bidding shown, however, South properly corrects to his longer minor suit. A bid of 4 of a minor over 2NT or 3 of a major is forcing to game. A raise to 4 over 3 of a minor is invitational to game. A bid of a major suit shows a void or singleton and is invitational to slam. // Minor Suit Transfers: [Bid] 1NT Pass ??? [N] x x x x x x x Q x x x x x With a hand like the one shown, North would rather be in Clubs than NT, but he bidding 2C is Stayman and 3C shows more points and risks that partner may bid again. A minor suit transfer promises 6+ cards in the suit above the one bid and can be made with 0 points. Partner must bid the suit after which North will pass. To transfer to 3D, North bids 2C, but to transfer to 3C, North must bid 2NT (since 2S is Minor Suit Stayman). What happens if you have a hand with which you would normally respond 2NT to 1NT? We'll see on the next screen. // [N] Q J x K x x x x x K x x x [Bid] 1NT Pass 2C Pass ??? Since minor suit transfers take away the natural 2NT response to 1NT, a way is needed to show a real 2NT type hand. The answer is to bid 2C Stayman and then bid 2NT over partner's response. // Splinter Bid with Transfers: [Bid,N] 1NT Pass 3S [S] x A K x x K Q x x Q x x x If you use all the transfer bids, you never need to respond to 1NT with 3D, 3C, or 3S. So these bids can be put to use to show a three-suiter with a singleton or void, such as South's hand. // Lebensohl: [Bid,N] 1NT 2S 2NT Pass 3C Pass 3H [S] x x Q J T x x x x x x x x Levensohl is for dealing with interference bids. Its purpose is to let you sign off at the 3 level with a weak, distributional hand and when the opponent's bid keeps you off the 2 level. Over the interference bid (2S in the example shown), you bid 2NT. Partner MUST respond 3C. If Clubs is your suit, you can pass partner's 3C response; otherwise, bid your suit and partner should (but is not required to) pass. If you bid 3H directly over the interference bid instead of 2NT, it indicates a stronger hand (10+ points). // 1NT Forcing: In Level 1, a 1NT response to an opening bid was considered weak. Alternatively, it can be used as a one-round forcing bid over a major suit opening. It shows 6-12 points, inability to raise partner and, when made over 1H, less than four Spades. If opener cannot rebid his suit (ie: shorter than 6) and doesn't have another 4+ card suit to bid, opener bids 2 of his better minor suit (Clubs, if both minors are 3 cards). The 1NT bidder's rebid over 2 of a minor is covered on the next screen. // [Bid,N] 1S Pass 1NT Pass 2D Pass 2H Pass Pass Pass [N] A T x x x T x x A Q x Q x [S] x K Q J x x x x x x x x x With a good 5- or 6-card suit, South can bid it on the 2 or 3 level. This shows a hand with less than 10 points, since with 10+, you would have bid 2H directly. If 1NT were not forcing, this is the kind of hand you would end up playing in 1NT because South lacks the points to bid 2H over 1S. (1NT is doomed with this holding most of the time because of the Club weakness.) // [Bid,N] 1S Pass 1NT Pass 2D Pass 2S Pass Pass Pass [S] J x x x x x x x x x x x x The theory here is that you are preempting the opponents with this sequence with a hand that would not justify a raise ordinarily. Frankly, if your opponents have 25+ points between them, it's highly unlikely that they are going to quietly keep passing, but it can't hurt to try. [Pause] [Bid,N] 1S Pass 1NT Pass 2D Pass 2S Pass Pass Pass [S] x x K x x x x x x K Q x x The sequence shown illustrates a worst-case scenario where an 8-card fit could not be found. Still, playing in a 5-2 fit is not too bad and may even play better than at 1NT. // [Bid,N] 1S Pass 1NT Pass 2C Pass Pass Pass [S] x x x x x x x x K Q x x x North may be forced to bid with 3 small Clubs, so South needs every bit of his 5-card Club support in order to pass or to raise Clubs. With, say, the Ace of Hearts thrown into South's hand, South could afford to raise to 3C. If North had bid 2H instead of 2C, he would be promising a 4-card Heart suit. Again, South would pass with a very weak hand and raise according to the number of points held. // Weak Jump-Shift: It makes sense to keep the bidding slow with strong hands so as not to use up bidding space and to bid as high as possible as quickly as possible with weak hands in order to restrict the opponent's bidding space. The weak jump-shift bid fills this bill. [Pause] [Bid,N] 1C Pass 2S [S] Q J T x x x x x x x x x x [Pause] [Bid,N] 1C Pass 3S [S] K J T x x x x x x x x x x This is an example of an even more preemptive jump-shift. // [Bid] 1C Pass 2S Pass ??? [S] x K Q x x x x x A K x x Without a very unusual hand, opener will pass a weak jump-shift, even if she does not like the suit. [Pause] [S] x x A K x x K Q x A K J x With a very strong hand (19+ points), South will bid 2NT as a game force. [Pause] Q x x K Q x x x x A J x x With a minimum opener and good trump support, South may raise to the 3 level for preemptive purposes and North is expected to pass. [Pause] [Bid] 1H Pass 2S Pass ??? [S] x A Q x x x x K Q J x x x With a 2-suiter and poor trump support for partner, South should bid his other suit. North may pass or correct to South's original suit. // The bidding of weak jump-shifts is the same even when the opponents interfere. Double and triple jump-shifts show 7+ cards and are still weak, except that in some cases, Splinter Bids take precedence (assuming that you use them). // 19-Point Forcing Openings: This system is based on the popular idea that perfectly good opening bids should not be wasted on hands that rarely arise if they can be used to describe hands that more frequently arise. When playing Weak 2's, the 2C forcing bid is used with a hand that is within a trick of game. A much more common hand is one in the 19+ range with which you can make game if partner has a minimum response (6+). So in this system, any hand of 19+ points, balanced or unbalanced, is opened 2C. One advantage this has is that if you open the bidding on the 1 level, partner knows that you canNOT have 19+ points. This may immediately settle the question for partner of whether your side has game, slam, or just a part-score. This one factor alone makes this system very worthwhile. // [Bid] 1D Pass 2C Pass 3D Pass 3NT Pass ??? [S] x x x K x A K Q J T x A Q This is a typical example of how the 19-point 2C bid makes bidding easier (and this is an example you probably will not find in books on other bidding systems). What is South to bid now? This hand is worth 19-21 points or more. (It's hard to put a value on 6 quick tricks.) North has not limited the strength of her hand. But you are already at the 3NT level and neither partner has any idea of the true strength of the other partner. If South had opened 2C to show 19+ points, at least North would have a better idea of whether a slam was in reach. // [Erase] [Bid] 1S Pass 2C Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass [N] Q J J T x K Q x K J T x x [S] A K T x x K Q x A x x A x One difference between the 19-Point 2C and a regular strong-2 opening is that that if partner has opening strength, she bids 3C. (This says nothing about her Club holding.) Look at the hands and bidding shown. A slam is being missed, but with regular strong-2 requirements, it is almost impossible to find. South cannot jump to 2NT, which is only invitational. He cannot bid 4NT, which is Blackwood. He can't jump in Spades or Clubs, which shows greater length. He can only bid 3NT. [Pause] [Bid] 2C Pass 3C Pass 3S Pass 3NT Pass 6NT With the bidding now shown, North's 3C bid shows opening strength. Now South can add his 20 and partner's 13 and see slam. (If North had even more points, like 16+, she could raise to 7NT.) // [Erase] Opening a 19+ 2C affects other bids. [S] A K Q x x K x x x x K Q x In Level I, Course 3, we saw that a player may have to open 1H to start a Reverse even though Spades might have been a better suit. With 3 small Spades and 3 small Hearts, North might raise Hearts and N-S will never find their better Spade suit. Another situation we don't like is when you have to reverse and your two 5-card suits are Hearts and Diamonds. Again, if you bid Diamonds first and partner raises them, you have a hard time finding a Heart fit. In fact, if partner raises the first bid of an intended reverse, you may have trouble ever showing your strength. With this system, South opens 2C to show his strength and then bids his better suit. // [Erase] Another difference in this system is that a jump to game in opener's suit is considered a "shut-up" bid which opener should pass. Without this system, there is a greater risk that a slam might be missed if you jump to game and it turns out that partner has a 19+ hand. With this system, there is a risk that opener will have a hand with 24+ points and partner may pass on the second round (2C-2D, 2H-Pass) and miss game. So for opener to show a 24+ point hand, he must jump on the second round (2C-2D, 3H-4H). // The bidding in this sytem is very similar to a normal strong 2C opening with the following exceptions: 1. After a positive response from partner (ie: anything but 2D), you can still stop short of game in case of a misfit and minimum hands on both sides. 2. Partner responds with 3C to show an opening-strength hand and thus a strong interest in slam. 3. The even-rarer 2NT and 3NT strength hands are still opened 2C and the balance and strength shown later. This frees up 2NT and 3NT for more common types of hands, as seen on the next screen. // [Erase] [S] x x Q J x x x K Q x x x x [Bid] 2NT Pass 3C In the 19-Point Forcing 2C system, an opening bid of 2NT is used for preempting with a hand 2-suited in the minors. (See "Unusual 2NT" for responses.) Many people already play that an "unusual 2NT" overcall shows the minors or the two lower unbid suits. This system just lets you OPEN the same bid instead of only being able to overcall with it. With the hand shown, you cannot open a weak 2C because 2C is a strong bid and you don't have enough Clubs to open 3C. Opening 2NT is the only way to preempt with this hand. [Pause] [Bid,N] Pass Pass Pass 3NT [S] K x x x x A K Q J x x x x Opening 3NT is used for a "Gambling 3NT" bid, which is made with a long, solid suit, usually in the minors. The gamble is that the opponents will lead a suit that you or dummy can capture, after which you rip off your solid suit tricks. This bid is safer in 3rd or 4th chair. // [Bid] 2C Pass 2D Pass 2H Pass 2S Pass Pass Pass [N] x x x x x x x J x x x x x [S] A J x A K Q x x K Q x x x You must let your opponents know before you start play that you use a 19-point 2C opening, as well as what your 2NT and 3NT bids mean. Nevertheless, we have found that part of the appeal of opening 2C is that opponents are less inclined to jump into the bidding on the 2 level after you have made a "strong, forcing opening" (and rightfully so), even though the bid is not as strong as usual. As a result, you will be able to win some bids without interference that the opponents would have otherwise competed for, such as shown at right where N-S only have half the high card points in the deck, yet E-W never bid. Without this system, bidding might have gone 1H-Pass-Pass-2C, all pass. // Negative Double: [Bid,N] 1C 1H Dbl [S] A x x x x x K x x x x x x The negative double is a very simple and useful concept. Its basic purpose is to find a 4-4 fit in the majors. After partner has opened and the opponent on your right overcalled, you can double to show the two unbid suits (most often) or at least the unbid major. With more than 4 of the unbid major, you would simply bid it. If the two suits already bid are Hearts and Spades, than your negative double shows Clubs and Diamonds. If the opponent bids above the 3 level, a double is normally treated as being for penalties rather than as negative. // Reverse Drury: [Bid] Pass Pass 1S Pass 2C Pass 2D A problem with opening with weaker hands in 3rd and 4th position is that partner, who is a passed hand, may have a hand worth game opposite a good hand but not opposite a weak one. Drury is used when partner opens 1 of a major in 3rd or 4th chair. The Drury bidder must have around 10 points and either trump support for partner or a 6+ card suit. The Drury convention calls for responder to bid 2C. Responses to the 2C bid by opener show: 2D -- full opening bid (13+ points). 2 of the same major -- a weak hand. This is artificial and doesn't promise extra length. 2H (after opening 1S) -- a weak hand with at least 4 Hearts. // [+] [Bid+E] Pass 2S If North rebids his major suit, showing a weak hand, South can just pass. If North bids 2H after opening 1S, South can pick the major suit he likes best. If North bids 2D to show 13+ points, South: raises partner to show a normal Drury holding, jumps in partner's suit to show extra trumps, bids his own suit to deny trump support, bids NT with a flat hand. // Notrump Game Try: In Level I we stressed that trumps do not produce any more tricks than a notrump contract unless you can use trumps that would not have otherwise won tricks to ruff cards in partner's hand that would not have otherwise have won tricks. If you and your partner have hands that will NOT produce extra trump tricks and if you have hands that will play all right in notrump, it is easier to make 3NT than 4 of a major. [Bid] 1H Pass 2H Pass 2S Pass 3NT [N] A Q x x x x J x x x Q x x [S] x x K Q J x x K Q x A x x One situation that can arise is when partner raises your suit and you have a 5-3-3-2 type of hand, stoppers in all but the doubleton, and enough points to invite to game. Instead of bidding 3 of your suit to invite, make an artificial bid of your doubleton suit. // [+] If partner has a hand like the one shown, she will bid NT because she knows that you are left with 3-3 in the minors and she has no shortness there to be able to ruff in. [Pause] [N] A Q x x x x x x x K x x x With a hand like this one, North would bid 4S because she can ruff the third round of Diamonds, thus producing an extra trump trick. // [Erase] [Bid] 1H Pass 2H Pass 3H [S] x A Q x x x K Q x x x x x Another part of the Notrump Game Try is Preemptive Reraises. If South passes 2H with the bidding shown, E-W are likely to come back with 2S. By raising to 3H with a minimum hand, you are more likely to keep them out of the bidding. [Pause] [Bid] 1H Pass 2H Pass 2NT Pass 4H [N] A Q x x x x x x x x x K x [S] x x K Q J x x K Q x A x x With a 16-18 point hand and a desire to invite partner to game, instead of bidding 3 of your suit, you bid 2NT. If partner is at a minimum (6-8 points), she rebids your suit at the 3 level. If she has enough to accept the invitation to game, she bids it. // [Pause] [Erase] [Bid] 1C Pass 1H Pass 2H Pass 3H Pass Pass Pass [N] x K Q x x x x x x J x x x [S] A Q x A x x x x x K x x x The notrump game try can be used not just by opener, but any time that a player would normally bid a suit a third time to invite to game. In the bidding shown, North's reraise to 3H is preemptive. With a stronger hand, North must bid 2NT or 3 of a suit to show a doubleton in 4-4-3-2 type distribution. // [Erase] [Bid] 1C Pass 1H Pass 2H Pass 2S Pass 3D Pass 3NT [N] x x A Q x x K J x x x x x [S] A x K x x x Q x x K J x x When both partner's have 4 trumps, an extra trump trick can be generated by ruffing in either hand, so the only time you would want to be in notrump, normally, would be when both players have identical distribution. After the raise in Hearts, North bids 2S to show the doubleton, South's 3D bid shows that he also has 2-4-3-4 distribution with a Spade doubleton and a Diamond tripleton. With this information, South bids game in notrump. With the hands shown, there is a very good chance that 3NT will make and 4S would not. // Fourth Suit Forcing: [Bid,N] 1C Pass 1H Pass 1S Pass ??? [S] A x K Q x x x x x x Q x x What can South bid now? If he bids 2H, partner may pass and miss game. It's risky to bid 2NT without a Diamond stopper. You can't raise Clubs or Spades. Bid 2D. Bidding the fourth suit in this situation is an artificial bid that is forcing for one round and does not promise anything about the suit. North can raise partner with 3 cards in South's first bid suit, or she can rebid one of her suits to show 5+. With a strong hand (18+), North can jump-raise or make a jump-rebid, as long as that does not take her beyond the 3 level. Although South does not promise 4+ cards in the fourth suit, he may have them. If North has 4+ in the suit, she can raise the suit to look for a fit. If North cannot make any of these bids, she must bid 2NT with a minimum hand and 3NT with a strong hand. // [+] South is not required to bid again if North makes a minimum response. When using this convention, you have the problem of how to show a hand that is really two-suited. With a minimum hand, make one of the bids already described. With enough strength to invite opener to game (10-12 points), rebid the 4th suit if below the 3NT level. With enough points to force opener to game (14+), jump in the 4th suit if below 3NT, bid and rebid the 4th suit above the 3 level, or bid 3NT. This convention is off if the opponents interfere. // Truscott/Jordan 2NT: After South has opened a major and West made a takeout double, North bids 2NT with a 10-12 point hand and 4+ trump support. This is not a real NT bid, but an aritificial jump raise. This frees up the jump raise for preemptive use with less than 10 points and 4+ trump support. (With 3 trumps, just make a normal single raise.) With 13+ points, force to game by making a splinter bid if you have a singleton or void, or by bidding 3NT with a balanced hand. If South opens 1 of a minor and you are using inverted minors, a raise to the 3 level is already weak and preemptive, so 2NT is natural and not an artificial raise. // [Erase] [Bid,N] 1S Dbl Rdbl [S] x A Q x x K x x x Q x x x Since the redouble is no longer needed to show trump support and a good hand, shows a hand that will play well on defense. Although it does not deny trump support, it is a bid uniquely suited for hands like the one shown in which you do not have trump support and the opponents will have to bid one of your 4-card suits. This is even more appealing if the opponents are vulnerable and you are not, since the penalty points could be more than your points for making game. If you have trump support plus a good defensive hand, you can redouble first and raise partner later. // Invisible Cue Bids: [Bid,N] 1S 2NT 3C Opponents can make a number of different overcalls to show two-suited hands (Unusual NT, Michaels, Roman Jump Overcall, Astro) that it is handy to have a way to deal with them. In the bidding shown, East uses the Unusual NT to show a hand two-suited in the minors. Therefore, a bid of one of the minors by South has to be a cue bid of the opponent's suit. South's 3C cue bid shows 10+ points and trump support for North. If South bids the higher of the two suits (Diamonds, in this case), it promises 10+ points and a least 5 cards in the fourth suit (Hearts). A jump in the opponent's suit (4C/4D) is a splinter bid game force raise of partner's suit which shows a singleton or void in the suit bid. // When playing Invisible Cue Bids, a double of the opponent's bid by opener's partner shows a hand with 10+ HCP that will defend well against either of the opponent's two suits. A single OR jump raise or a bid of a new suit shows 6-9 points. A bid of 2NT or 3NT promises stopper's in the opponent's suits It is possible that an opponent could make an overcall promising two suits and not have one of the suits. If you have that suit, the problem is how to show it. The solution is to pass with a weak hand or double with a 10+ point hand and bid your suit the next time. // Lead-Directing Doubles: [Bid] 1NT Pass 2C Dbl 2D Pass 3NT [E] x x x x x A x x K Q J x x When the opponents are bidding towards game or slam and your partner is likely to be the one to lead, you can tell him which suit to lead if the opponents mention that suit and you double it, as in the auction shown. If you have to lead and partner did NOT double 2C in the above bidding, you can infer that partner does NOT have Clubs. You should look for another suit to lead. [Pause] [Bid] 1H Pass 1S Pass 4H Pass 4NT Pass 5D Pass 6H In the bidding shown, if West has a good Diamond holding, it does him no good to double South's Diamonds because West is going to be the one to lead. In fact, a double in that situation could hurt E-W, since it would tell declarer who has the Diamonds. // [Bid,E] 1S 1NT 2D 3NT Dbl When East doubles the final NT bid, it directs West to lead one of the following suits in this order: 1. the suit bid by the leader 2. the suit bid by the doubler 3. dummy's first bid REAL suit 4. leader's WEAKER major Dummy's REAL suit is the one indicated by a transfer bid. For example, if North bids 2D playing Jacoby transfers, his real suit is Hearts. The purpose of #4 is that if East has a powerful major suit, West is going to be weak in that suit, so this is the only way to get him to lead it. If you consider leader's weaker major to be his "Tiniest" suit, you can use this acronym to remeber the order: "WENT" for West's suit, East's suit, North's first suit, west's Tiniest suit. // Lightner Double: [Bid] 1C Pass 1D Pass 2H Pass 4H Pass 4NT Pass 5C Pass 6H Pass Pass Dbl Lightner Double is a lead-directing double of a voluntarily bid slam (ie: not a against a sacrifice at slam level). It asks partner NOT to lead a suit bid by your side and to lead one of the following suits in this order: 1. a non-trump suit bid by N-S 2. leader's longest suit If N-S have bid more than one side suit, West has to figure out which one to lead. In the bidding shown, East had a chance to make a lead-directing double of 5C and did not, so West can assume that East wants Diamonds led. (Some people play Lightner with different meanings, so ask your partner and opponents.) // Unusual Notrump: [Bid] 1D 2NT Pass 3H [W] x K x x x x x x A Q x x x [E] Q x x x J x x K x x x K x A 2NT overcall of an opponent's bid shows a hand with 5+ in each of the two lower unbid suits and partner must bid one of those suits. In the bidding shown, the two lower unbid suits are Hearts and Diamonds. East's Hearts are better, so she bids those. West can pass with a weak hand, bid the longer suit with greater than 5-5 distribution, or cue bid or bid NT to show a very strong hand (17+ HCP). With a stronger hand, East would jump in Hearts to game. With a very weak hand and very good trump support, East could jump in Hearts, not to make game but to obstruct the opponents. With a very strong hand East would cue bid the opponent's suit. If West had a weak hand, he must bid the lower suit. With a game or slam going hand, West should bid something else. // You do not have to JUMP in NT to make an unusual NT bid. Any NT bid over strong bids by the opponents is unusual. Bidding 2NT over a strong 2 bid (eg: 2C-2NT), over 1NT, over a 2-over-1 response (eg: 1S-Pass-2H-2NT) or over a single major raise (eg: 1S-Pass-2S-2NT) shows a weak hand with the two lowest unbid suits. Even 1NT by a passed hand (Pass-Pass-Pass-1S-1NT) is unusual, since you cannot possibly have a NT strength hand. Bidding 4NT over an opening bid of 4 of a major by the opponents is unusual (eg: 4S-Pass-Pass-4NT). Over 4S, it promises the 3 other suits. Over 4H, it promises only the minors. If you had Spades, you would double 4H rather than bid 4NT, which takes you past the 4S level. // Michaels Cue Bid Instead of using a cue bid of the oponent's suit to show strength, it can be used much like the Unusual NT to show a two-suited hand of any strength. A cue bid of a minor shows the majors. A cue bid of a major shows the other major and "a minor to be named later". The cue bidder's partner can - bid one of the promised suits, - bid 2NT with no preference, - jump in one of partner's suits with a weak hand and very good trump support, - cue bid the opponent's suit to show interest in game or slam, - bid a self-sustaining suit not promised by partner. // Responsive Doubles: [Bid] 1C Dbl 2C Dbl A Responsive Double ("RD") is one made after partner has doubled, the next opponent has raised, and you do not have a suit preference yourself. It shows 6+ points if made on the 2 level, 8+ on the 3 level, 10+ on the 4 level. An RD of a major shows the minors, since you could bid the other major yourself with 4+. An RD of a minor shows that you either have the majors or a hand suitable for NT. Respond to an RD by counting your points and bidding accordingly. A double is not an RD if the opponents did not bid and raise a suit or if a preemptive bid was made (eg: 2H-Dbl-3H-Dbl). // Astro: Astro is a way to get into the bidding after an opponent opens 1NT. It require 9+ HCP and a 5-4 two-suited hand. A 2C overcall of 1NT promises 4+ Hearts and a minor suit. 2D promises 4+ Spades and another suit. Responses by Astro's partner: - 2 of the promised major shows 3+ cards. - 2S over 2C shows 6+ cards in Spades. - 3C over 2D shows 6+ cards in Diamonds. - 2NT asks Astro bidder to show his suit. - a jump in any suit is inviting to game. - a jump to game is a sign-off. - 2D over 2C, or 2H over 2D, denies any of the above holdings and asks partner to bid. The first 3 bids are weak, non-forcing bids. // 5 of a Major: [Bid] 1H Pass 3H Pass 4D Pass 4S Pass 5H When trying for slam, Blackwood, Gerber, and even control asking cue bids may not give you the exact information you need to decide whether to go to small slam, grand slam, or to stop short of slam. If you freely bid 1 over game in a major, that is obviously a slam try. This convention calls for your partner if she has a control in the opponent's suit. If the opponents did not bid, it asks for a control of a suit not bid by your side. In the bidding shown, South is asking for North's controls in Clubs. North passes short of slam with no controls, bids 6 with second round control, bids 5NT with a King (not singelton), bids the suit being asked about to show 1st round control, or bids some other suit to show 1st round control of that suit PLUS the one asked about. If the opponents have not bid and N-S have not bid 3 of the suits, then 5 of a major cannot possibly be asking for information about a side suit. Instead, it is asking about the trump suit. North passes if he expects two trump losers from the bidding, bids 6 if one loser is expected, and bids 7 with solid trumps. // Grand Slam Force: Grand Slam Force is not a "force". You bid 5NT after trumps have been agreed to ask partner to bid 7 with two of the top 3 or otherwise bid 6. If a trump suit has not been agreed, it is the implied trump suit (eg: 3S-5NT). Alternatively, partner can make more informative responses: - 6C (assuming C aren't trumps) shows A and K. - 6D shows the Q or enough length to bring in the Q (eg: partner has shown 6 cards and you have 5). - 6 of the trump suit to deny the above. - 7 of the trump suit to show 2 of the top 3 trumps. After 4NT Blackwood, 5NT is asking for Kings, so another bid is needed for a Grand Slam Force: bid 6 of the cheapest suit below the trump suit (cannot be used with Clubs as trumps, obviously). // Flannery: Under the assumption that a weak 2D opening has little preemptive value, that bid is used to show five Hearts and four Spades - a holding that is otherwise difficult to show and still stay below the 3 level. Opener's partner responds according to the points and holdings in those suits or bid 2NT to ask for features. Over 2NT, opener bids: - 3C or 3D to show 3 cards in C or D. - 4C or 4D to show 4 cards in C or D. - 3H to show a minimum hand and 2-2 in C-D. - 3S to show a strong hand with 2-2 in C-D. - 3NT is like 3S but also shows an honor in each of the minor suits. // Flint: After partner opens 2NT to show 22-24 points, it may be difficult to stop short of game even if you have a hand with no points. Bidding 3D over 2NT shows a hand with less than 2 points. Opener must respond 3H to the 3D bid, after which the 3D bidder can pass with a Heart suit or correct to 3S with a Spade suit. (Obviously, either a Heart or Spade suit is required.) // Solid Minor Preempts: If your taste does not lean towards the Gambling 3NT when you have a 6- or 7-card minor suit headed by the A-K-Q, you might want to use Solid Minor Preempts. A preempt of 3D or 3C is reserved for the holding just described and little or no outside strength. Partner can then bid 3NT if she has the other suits stopped. You can still preempt in Clubs or Diamonds on the 2 or 4 levels with the usual proviso that you must go set no more than 2 if vulnerable, 3 if non-vulnerable. // Landy: After an opening bid of 1NT, overcall 2C to show a two-suited hand in the minors or 2D to show both majors. This is actually known as Revised Landy. The original Landy only uses 2C to show the majors. This sort of "takeout" bid is needed because a double of 1NT is mostly for penalties instead of takeout. // Precision 1 Club: There are many strong, artificial 1C opening systems. Most of them involve countless additional artificial bids. Precision 1 Club uses more Standard American type bidding. Opening 1C shows 16+ points, says nothing about Clubs, and is forcing. Since 16-18 point notrumps are no longer applicable, weak notrumps (13-15 points) are used; however, 2NT is still used to show a balanced hand with 22-24 points. A response of 1D shows less than 7 HCP. All other bids by opener or responder are natural. Complete treatment of the Precision Club system is a separate CSBT course. // Jump Cue Bid: [Bid,W] 1S Pass Pass 3S [S] x x x A A K A K Q J x x x With an opponent bidding ahead of you and you having a game-force strength hand but no stopper in the opponent's suit, you can ask partner to bid 3NT by making a jump cue bid in the opponent's suit. One possible holding is shown. Opposite a passed hand, it is unlikely that you are missing slam. In fact, you may not even be able to make 5C if you have 3 quick Spade losers, which is why you would rather be in 3NT. [Pause] [Bid,N] 1C 1H 3H [S] A K x x x x x A Q J x J x The jump cue bid can also be used after partner has bid, as shown. // Be Logical: It takes about 13 points to open, about 26 for game in the Majors, about 33 for a small slam, etc. These are general guidelines for which there are frequent exceptions. To make the most of your cards, you must always ask yourself what the bidding tells you about the other hands and how that changes the value of your hand. Many, many slams have been made with fewer than 20 HCP. Many game bids have gone set with more than 26 points. The next screen is a quick test of your ability to reason beyond counting points. // [Bid] 1H Pass 3H Pass ??? [S] K Q x K T x x x x A J T x Q: What would you bid with South's cards? A: 4NT. North's jump only promises 13-15 points and heart support. You only have 13 HCP, 15 total points. Sounds like just enough for game and not enough for slam, right? But ask yourself what 15 points could North have that would NOT give you a good shot at slam. With as little as 3 Hearts to the Queen (which is the least that North is likely to have for his jump raise), you may have only 1 loser in each suit even if partner has no Aces. With 13-15 points, he is bound to have at least 1, probably 2, and maybe 3 Aces. With 28-30 points, if North has only 1 Ace, you have enough points to safely sign off at 5S. // [End]