Playing a 2-over-1 system with 15-17 1NT, what’s your opening bid with these hands?
(1) ♠92 ♥AKQ105 ♦K102 ♣K64
(2) ♠AQJ7 ♥642 ♦AKQ6 ♣53
(3) ♠A4 ♥KQ83 ♦Q6 ♣KJ1095
(4) ♠J82 ♥K5 ♦AQ7532 ♣AQ
In his book Matchpoints (1982), Kit Woolsey proposed what he called the “double-flaw principle”. His advice was that when you’re considering an offbeat bid, you should forgo it if there’s more than one aspect of your hand that deviates from what would be the classic or “normal” hand for that call.
This is a sound theory that can help you make decisions in many types of auctions. It's based on the idea that a non-standard action may have a good chance of working when there's only one way it might go wrong, but your odds plummet if there are two.
One of Woolsey’s examples is opening 1NT when you hold a 5-card major. The long major is one flaw because hiding it risks missing a fit in that suit. A second would be a losing doubleton, so you have two reasons to reject 1NT and open 1H with Hand (1) above.
Purists might have other objections to 1NT with this hand. One is that its values are so concentrated in hearts. Another is that your doubleton is in the other major. If partner transfers to spades and passes, there’s a danger you'll be playing a weak 5-2 fit instead of a stronger (possibly longer) heart fit.
Many beginners are reluctant to open 1NT without stoppers in all suits. Most soon learn that requirement is too restrictive, although an unstopped suit could be deemed a second flaw when you hold a 5-card major. How do you evaluate a hand with two open suits? Hand (2) is the right strength and distribution for 1NT, but with two strong suits and not even a high spot card outside, it looks like it might have two flaws, too.
The “wrong” distribution is your first reservation about opening 1NT with Hands (3) and (4). The second is that although the ♦Q6 and ♠J82 have positional value, they aren't full stoppers. According to the double-flaw principle, if you're going to open 1NT with an atypical pattern, the rest of the hand should be perfect for the bid.
However . . .
At one time, opening 1NT with all of these hands would have been considered risky or even eccentric. In a modern expert field, though, 1NT would be the choice of many (probably most) players holding these hands.
It’s not because these players don’t accept the wisdom of the double-flaw principle. They acknowledge the hands’ shortcomings, but they see the potential rebid problems as more serious.
A suit opening bid with any of these hands leaves you with awkward choices after partner responds your shorter major or 1NT. It will be almost impossible to describe your strength and pattern at your second or even third turn, if you get one. The first two hands aren’t strong enough to invite game later and (3) is too light for a reverse rebid. With (4), you don’t have the suit quality for a jump rebid of 3D.
This approach to notrump bidding is probably not what you were taught in your beginning bridge class, and you may decide it’s not your style. Consider, though, that if experienced players are evaluating hands differently than you do, they may be onto something. As any expert will tell you, good things seem to happen when you open 1NT, so reasonable strategies that allow you to do it more often are worth your attention.
© 2021 Karen Walker