- 15 -

 

BEGINNER'S BRIDGE

 

LESSON 4

 

 

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO OPENING BIDS OF ONE OF A SUIT

 

 

 

        O ‑ 5  Points             Pass

 

 

    6 - 10 Points      Responding to a major suit

                                          

                             Raise to the two level with three or more card support

                                                Bid a new suit at the one level ( 4 Cards or more in length)

                                                 Bid1NT

                                                                     

                                    Responding to a minor suit

                                                                                       

                                                 Bid a new suit at the one level (Up the ladder, 4 or more cards)

                                                Raise to the two level with five‑card support         

                                                 Bid 1NT

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

ll - 12 Points      Responding to a major suit

                                                                                                                                   

                                         Raise to the three level with a three‑card or longer support

                                         Bid a new suit

 

                           Responding to a minor suit

 

                                         Bid a new suit (Up the ladder, Retards or better)

                                         Raise to the three level with a five‑card or longer support

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

        13 or more Points    Responding to a major suit

 

                                                  Jump to 2NT with a balanced hand and no trump support

                                                  Bid a new suit (Even if support for opener's suit is present)

 

                                         Responding to a minor suit

 

                                                      Bid a new suit ( Up the ladder even if minor suit support held )

                                                        Jump to 2NT with a balanced hand and no 4‑card major

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

- 15a -

 

BEGINNER'S BRIDGE

 

LESSON 4

 

 

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO OPENING BIDS OF ONE OF A SUIT

 

 

General Principles:   When responding to an opening bid of one of a suit (1C, 1D, 1H or 1S), 

                                   the responder is under the following general obligations:

           

a. With 0-5  High Card Points        =  Pass

b. With 6-18 High Card Points        =  Must Bid

c. With 19 or More High Card Points  =  Must Make a Jump Shift


            Once responder has decided that a bid is to be made other than a pass, the responder then places his hand into one of two categories; i.e. (1) with trump support, and (2) without trump support.

 

1.     With Trump Support:  With a sufficient holding; i.e., three (3) of a Major, or five (5) of  a Minor, responder is considered to have the necessary complementary pieces of the suit first named by opener such that responder can demonstrate the presence of a “Golden Fit” by supporting opener in the following manner, dependent upon the number of high card points (HCP’s)  held:

 

a. 6-10 Points   = Raise partner to two of his suit

b. 11-12 Points  = Raise partner to three of his suit

c. 13-18 Points  = Bid a new suit and then support partner

d. 19 Points or more = Jump shift and then support partner

 

                   The exception to this would be if opener has opened a Minor suit and responder holds a

             4-card or greater Major holding in addition to his Minor suit complementary holding.      

             In this instance responder would first mention his Major suit holding (“Up the Ladder”)

             in order to explore whether they also be a Major suit Golden Fit.   Remember, opener

             could well have a 4-card Major suit or even two 4-card Major suit holdings and have

             been unable to mention same due to the restriction of needing a 5-card Major suit holding

             in order to have it qualify for an opening bid in the respective Major suit.

 

2.     Without Trump Support:  Without trump support; i.e., less than that needed to be capable of signifying a golden fit, responder is governed by the following maxims:

 

a. Can bid any new suit provided it have at least four or

   more pieces and responder has 6 or more HCP’s at the 1-

   level and 11 or more HCP’s at the 2-level.

b. Responder is to bid “Up the Ladder”.

c. Must respond with 6 or more HCP’s even if a 1NT default bid is necessary to satisfy the obligation to bid.

d. May not go to the 2-level unless holding 11 or more HCP’s. (Need 5-card heart suit to bid 2H over 1S.)

e. Bid 2NT with 13 or more HCP’s and no as-yet-unmentioned 4-card Major suit holding.

 

 

 

 

- 15b -

 

BEGINNER'S BRIDGE

 

LESSON 4

 

 

Responses To Opening Bids of One of a Suit

 

 

0-5 HCP’s                                 • Pass

 

             _________________________________________________________________________

 

      

6-10 HCP’s                  Responding to a major suit

 

                                   • Raise to the two level with three‑card or longer support.

                                   • Bid a new suit at the one level (Up the Ladder).

                                   • Bid l NT (Default bid without regard for Distribution).

 

                                    Responding to a minor suit

 

                                   • Bid a new suit at the one level (Up the Ladder).

                                   • Raise to the two level with five‑card support (If no Major).

                                   • Bid l NT (Default bid without regard for Distribution).

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

11‑12 HCP’S               Responding to a major suit

 

                  • Raise to the three level with three‑card or longer support.

                  • Bid a new suit.

 

       Responding to a minor suit

                  • Bid a new suit (Especially if a major).

                  • Raise to the three level with five‑card or longer support.

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

13 or more HCP’s       Responding to a major suit

 

                 • Jump to 2 NT with a balanced hand.

                 • Bid a new suit.

 

      Responding to a minor suit

 

                 • Bid a new suit (Especially if a major)

                 • Jump to 2 NT with a balanced hand.

 

 

 

- 16 -

 

BEGINNER'S BRIDGE

 

LESSON 5

 

 

REBIDS BY THE OPENING BIDDER

 

 

GENERAL THOUGHTS:   Opener's first bid, if it be one of any suit (1C, 1D, 1H, or 1S), paints a broad indeterminate picture both as to distributional pattern; i.e., balanced or unbalanced, as well as  strength, which can fall anywhere between 13 and 21+ points.   Responder's bids, likewise, may vary as to both strength and distribution.   Responder's bids can range between 6‑18 HCP's.   With fewer points responder would have passed, and with 19 or more points responder would have made a jump shift evidencing slam probability.  As long as neither player, opener or responder, has limited his/her hand, the other must keep the bidding open by rebidding.   When finally one of the two has limited his/her hand, the other of the two becomes the Captain thereby taking the responsibility of placing the contract, or at the very least, making a game forcing bid.   Until that point takes place, both members of the team continue to describe their holdings to the other.  There must never be two Captains.  Thus, the player to take control is the first to know more of his/her partner's hand then the partner knows about his.

 

As discussed previously, the only limited bids (evidencing 6‑10 HCP's) responder can make which do not require opener to rebid are: (1) a raise of opener's suit one‑level, or (2) a response of 1 No Trump.   Because any other response by responder evidences as much as 18 points, game is always presumed possible until proven otherwise.   Thus, responder may be depending upon a rebid by the opener to further describe opener's hand both as to count and distribution so that responder can best place the contract as to both suit and level. Therefore, the opening bidder must make a rebid to any response made by responder unless it be a limited bid of two of opener's suit or 1NT.    The more points opener has for the opening bid, the higher he/she can go when rebidding but in every instance opener is obligated to fully describe and further identify the quality and type of hand held.

 

The opening bidder places the hand into one of three categories according to point count:

 

a.      Minimum Hand  ‑ 13‑15 HCP's

b.      Medium Hand    ‑ 16‑18 HCP's

c.      Maximum Hand ‑ 19 or More HCP's

 

 

               The opening bidder puts the hand into one of two categories according to the shape of his/her holding:

 

                         a. Balanced ‑ A hand containing no voids, no singletons, or not more than one doubleton.

     With a balanced hand it would seem that opener should rebid NT.   However, knowing that responder is

     interested in uncovering any Golden fits in order to decide the denomination of the final contract, opener  

     will bid a new suit of at least four cards at the one level if possible as an alternative to rebidding NT. 

     Otherwise, if no second suit is available, opener will rebid NT and let responder Captain from there.

                         b. Unbalanced ‑ A hand containing a void, a singleton, or more than one doubleton.

    With an unbalanced hand, if a Golden fit has not yet been found, opener will show a second suit of four or  

    more cards if one exists and if it can be shown without getting the partnership too high a bidding level.  

    Otherwise, opener will rebid his/her suit.

 

 

 

- 17 -

 

 

 

The opening bidder thus becomes the describer.   An opening bid of one of a suit is made with so many different kinds of hands as to shape and count that responder needs more information before making any decisions.   Opener is, thus, obligated, in all situations other than when responder has made a limited response, to rebid so as to evidence both the strength and the distribution of opener’s holding.   Thus, unless responder has made a limited bid of  1 No Trump or a raise of one level of opener's suit ( both bids evidencing a rigid and limited 6-10 HCP count), the opener is NEVER in the position to pass on his/her second opportunity to bid (the rebid).    The only exception to this would be if there were to have been an overcalled response by the RHO (Right-hand opponent) to the opening bidder, the said overcall of whom would guarantee the responder to opener the availability of an opportunity to bid once more.    In this single instance a Pass by the opener would be permissible and would likewise represent a minimum opening count.

 

 Alternatively, opener might show a larger than minimum opening hand by jumping a level in his/her opening suit or that of responder, a reverse bid to a higher ranking second suit.   These bids would evidence a 16-18 HCP count; i.e., a stronger than minimum opening hand.   A jump to 2NT would evidence an 18-19 HCP count, and an even stronger rebid by opener by means of a jump shift to a new suit would exhibit a holding of at least 19 HCP’s.

 

       In all of these instances responder can then be in a position to Captain the team, sign-off the bidding, invite, or even force to game.   The information that opener disseminates through his/her rebid in response to responder’s other than minimum original response provided the responder with the necessary information to then Captain the team to the proper contract denomination and level.

 

       If responder wants still more information from the opening bidder responder can continue to force opener to rebid by responding in an as-yet-unmentioned new suit.   ANY NEW SUIT BID BY RESPONDER IS FORCING FOR ONE MORE ROUND.     Under these circumstances, responder's hand is no longer limited to 6‑10 points.   Holding more than 10 HCP’s he/she has taken control of the bidding and is forcing the bidding by pursuing an even further description of opener's hand.   Opener is obliged to comply awaiting responder’s decision to sign-off, invitation to game, or force to game, small or even grand slam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 18 -

 

 

 

POINT SPREAD REBIDS BY OPENING BIDDER

 

 

 

BALANCED HANDS

 

 

0‑11 HCP's ‑ Pass

 

12‑14 HCP's ‑ Bid One of a Suit and Rebid 1NT (Ex. lD/lNT)

 

15‑17 HCP's ‑ Bid 1NT

 

18‑19 HCP's ‑ Bid One of a Suit and Rebid 2NT (Ex. 1D/2NT)

  20 HCP’s   - Bid One of a Suit Planning to Rebid 3NT if Partner Responds

 

21‑22 HCP's ‑ Bid 2NT

 

23‑24 HCP's ‑ Bid "2C' and Rebid 2NT

 

25‑27 HCP's ‑ Bid "2C" and Rebid 3NT

 

 

 

UNBALANCED HANDS

 

 

0‑11 Points (Sub‑Minimum) ‑ Pass

 

12‑15 Points (Minimum) ‑ Bid One of a Suit and Rebid     (a) Two of Your Suit (Ex. 1D/2D)

                                                                                (b) Two of Partner's Suit (1D/2B)

                                                                                (c) 1 NT

                                                                                (d) Second Suit at One Level (Ex. lD/lS)

                                                       (Non‑Reverse)   (e) Second lower-ranking Suit at the Two Level

                                                                                               (Ex. lD/2C)

                                                                                (f)  Pass if intervening overcall by opener’s RHO

 

16‑18 Points (Moderate) ‑ Bid One of a Suit and Rebid      (a) Three of Your Suit (Ex. 1D/3D)

                                                                                 (b) Three of Partner's Suit (Ex. 1D/3H)

                                                                (Reverse)   (c) Second higher-ranking Suit at the Two Level

                                                                                               (Ex. 1C/2D)

 

19 + Points (Maximum) ‑ Bid One of a Suit and Jump Into a Second Suit (Ex. lD/3C)

 

22 + Points (Maximum) ‑ Open "2C' (Strong, Artificial, and Forcing)