1,000+ Great Games/1_1000 Games.iso/DOSGAMES/MARVIN13.ZIP/REOPENBD.DBA

Text File | 1995-08-30 | 5.8 KB | 137 lines

                      REOPENING THE BIDDING


When an opening bid is followed by two passes:

                       South  West   North
                       1C     Pass   Pass

                       South  West   North
                       1S     Pass   Pass

-- A takeout double shows at least two defensive tricks. A cue bid
response to the double is at least a game try, as usual.

-- Double and then bid a suit shows an opening bid or better (but
you don't have to double with an opening bid).

-- A minimum overcall in a suit can be quite weak, but can be more
than an opening bid if the suit is not strong or for some reason
the hand is unsuitable for a stronger bid or takeout double.

-- A jump overcall in a suit is lighter than an immediate strong
jump overcall. In a major, it shows a good suit and a good hand,
perhaps a two-suiter. The jumper fears that a minimum overcall
might be passed out and a game missed. A jump to the three-level
in a minor strongly invites 3NT, so should be based on a solid six-
card suit and perhaps an ace or king outside.

-- A jump overcall in notrump is a natural bid, showing a solid
minor and a stopper in the opposing suit (or semi-solid suit with
a double stopper). Bid 3NT if all you need is an ace or king in
partner's hand, because he needs the equivalent of an ace and a
king to bid 3NT.

-- A cue bid reopening is discussed in chapter REOPENING CUE BID
OVERCALLS in the book "Cue Bids." A jump cue bid asks partner to
bid 3NT with a stopper in the opposing suit. This ugly bid is
needed in the absence of a true strong jump overcall.

-- A reopening bid of 1NT varies in strength, depending on which
suit was opened. As the likelihood of a two-level response
increases, the HCP requirement increases accordingly:

     Over 1C, shows a light-to-fair opening bid, 11-14 HCP

     Over 1D, shows a fair-to-good opening bid, 12-15 HCP

     Over 1H, shows a sound opening bid, 13-16 HCP

     Over 1S, shows a very sound opening bid, 14-17 HCP

To remember these four-point ranges, you start with 11 for 1C and
add 1 HCP for each step higher. A double stopper, or a good suit,
can count as a point or two. All bids in response have the same
meaning as over a 1NT opening:  Stayman, Jacoby, Texas, etc., are
all applicable. If opener rebids over the notrump bid, 2NT by
advancer is a natural raise and a double is for penalties.
Rumpelsohl and negative doubles are not appropriate to this
situation.

-- To reopen with a double and then bid notrump after a minimum
response requires more strength than a notrump overcall:

     After doubling 1C, a light opening 1NT hand, 15-17 HCP

     After doubling 1D, a strong opening NT hand, 16-18 HCP

     After doubling 1H, a point more: 17-19 HCP

     After doubling 1S, yet another point: 18-20 HCP

Each 3-HCP range is just above the HCP requirement for a double.
The reason for the difference between a minor and a major is this:
When you double a minor and then bid notrump, you are probably
bidding 1NT. When you double a major and then bid notrump, you are
probably bidding 2NT. It takes more points to make 2NT than to make
1NT, hence the difference in HCP requirements.

Since there is no overlap between a 1NT overcall and a double
followed by a notrump bid, you must look ahead. When a 1C or 1D
bid is passed around and you hold S-42 H-AJ93 D-KQ5 C-Q983, you
must reopen with 1NT and not with a takeout double. A double is the
instinctive action, planning to bid 1NT if partner responds 1S, but
that sequence shows a stronger hand. Yes, you may miss a heart fit
by bidding 1NT, but you can't do everything in bridge. Your first
duty is to describe your hand in general. If you double and then
bid 1NT with everything from 10 to 17 HCP, your partner will never
know what to do.

-- To reopen with a double, then jump in notrump, requires even
more. As might be expected, the minimum is a hand that is too good
for doubling and bidding notrump at the minimum level:

     After doubling 1C, 18-20 HCP

     After doubling 1D, 19-21 HCP

     After doubling 1H, 20-22 HCP

     After doubling 1S, 21 HCP or more

Note that each 3-HCP range starts at 7 HCP above a minimum double.

After a cue bid response to the double, these requirements change:

South  West   North  East
1C     Pass   Pass   Dbl
Pass   2C     Pass   2NT - not enough to reopen 1NT (not forcing)
                     3NT - a hand too good to reopen 1NT
                     2D/2H/2S - forcing for one round

With a hand that lies within the range of a 1NT reopening, East
would not have doubled unless he had at least one major. His
failure to bid a major in response to the cue bid therefore marks
him as not having values for a 1NT overcall, or having too much.
The cue bid response promises another bid if the doubler bids a
suit, but a 2NT bid can be passed because East limits his hand by
this call. (A 2NT response to a cue bid by a person who has not
previously acted is forcing, but a double is an "act".)

A notrump rebid after a jump response to the double has similar
implications.

-- To reopen with a double, then raise the response one level,
shows at least 4 HCP more than a minimum double. A free raise
(i.e., over an intervening bid) might be justified with four trumps
and only a king extra. Any raise strongly implies at least four-
card trump support, although a raise with strong three-card support
is sometimes necessary when opener's partner throws in a bid. A
three-card raise requires more HCP than a four-card raise, however.

For reopening actions by a passed hand, see DEFENSIVE BIDDING BY
A PASSED HAND. For cue bid reopenings, see chapter REOPENING CUE
BID OVERCALLS in the book "Cue Bids." For reopening when a 1NT bid
is passed around, see chapters MARVIN VS STRONG NOTRUMP and MARVIN
VS WEAK NOTRUMP in the book "Countermeasures."