An opening suit bid starts the description of a wide range of hands. For a 1C opening, you could have 12 points and three clubs, or 19 points and six clubs. You’ll need to use later bids to give partner a more accurate picture of your suit lengths and exact point range.
Partner will help you by responding to your opening bid when he has at least 6 points. His response keeps the auction “open” and allows you to continue describing your hand.
In some auctions, you won't need to bid again because partner's response will actually be the best final contract. This can happen when he shows his exact strength by raising your suit or responding 1NT. After other responses, you'll have to come up with a bid that shows another feature of your hand. Your choice for this rebid will depend on what you learn from partner’s response. If his response is:
A raise of your suit or a notrump bid (1H - 2H or 1H - 1NT) -- You'll know something about his length in your suit. The level of his bid will also tell you his point range, and that may be all the information you need to place the final contract. You can do this by bidding on or by passing partner’s response.
A new suit (1C - 1D, 1H or 1S) -- A new-suit response shows length in that suit (at least 4 cards), but it doesn't show a specific point range. Partner could have game-level strength, so you must bid again.
Keep in mind that partner will follow these basic guidelines when he responds to your opening suit bid:
If the next player (your left-hand opponent) passes: Partner will bid something if he has at least 6 points.
If you opened 1H or 1S: He will raise your suit if he has 3+-card support. If he fails to raise your major, he is showing at most two cards in your suit.
If you opened 1C or
1D: He will respond a 4+-card major if he has one.
With two
4-card majors, he’ll bid the cheaper major. If you open 1C and he responds 1S, you should assume
(for now) that he does not have length in hearts.
With a minimum response (6-9 points), he won’t bid at the two-level unless he can raise your suit. He may have to respond 1NT with an unbalanced hand.
Partner will show his point range (minimum, invitational or forcing) when he raises your suit, rebids his own suit or bids notrump at any level.
Here are general guidelines that apply to your second bid:
Always raise partner’s 1H or 1S response if you have 4-card support (1C – 1H / 2H).
After your opening bid, all your later bids of new suits promise 4+ cards (1C – 1D / 1H or 1S).
Use the entire one-level to search for major-suit fits. If you don’t have support for partner’s major, bid your own 4-card major if you can do so at the one-level (1C – 1H / 1S). If you have two 4-card majors you could bid at the one-level, bid the cheaper major.
Avoid telling the same story twice. If you open 1H or 1S and partner doesn’t raise, don’t bid your suit again unless you have extra length (6+ cards).
If you have a minimum
opener (12-14 points), don’t go to the two-level unless:
You’re
raising responder’s suit (1H – 1S / 2S)
You’re rebidding your
first suit to show
extra length (1H – 1S / 2H)
You’re showing a second suit (4+
cards) that’s lower in rank than your first suit (1H – 1NT
/ 2C or 2D)
Partner has forced the auction past
the one-level by bidding two of a new suit (1S – 2C, 2D or 2H). Partner's "2-over-1" response shows at least invitational strength and forces you
to bid again.
If partner's response was a raise of your suit or a notrump bid, he has shown an exact point range. These bids are not forcing. You may pass if you have a minimum opener (1H – 2H / Pass or 1H – 1NT / Pass).
New suits by responder are forcing. These responses do not show an upper point range. As long as responder keeps bidding new suits, you cannot pass (1D – 1H / 1NT – 2C or 2S).
Remember that in all auctions and with all hand types, your goal is to find an 8+-card fit in hearts or spades. If partner doesn’t raise your 1H or 1S opening bid (and if you can’t raise his 1H or 1S response), you’ll use your rebid to describe other features of your hand – a balanced pattern, a second suit, extra length in your first suit, extra strength. Your decision will depend on whether your hand has balanced or unbalanced suit distribution.
Your first choice with a balanced hand is to open 1NT or 2NT to show your pattern and point-count all in one bid. You can do that only when you have exactly 15-17 points (1NT) or 20-22 (2NT). With other point ranges -- 12-14 and 18-19 -- you'll need at least two bids to describe a balanced hand. Your plan is to open one of a suit, then make a notrump rebid if you don’t find a major-suit fit.
Here’s a summary of how to describe balanced
hands of all strengths:
|
Balanced hands |
||
|
Point range |
Opening bid |
Your rebid after partner responds a new suit: |
|
12-14 |
1 of a suit |
Raise
partner’s major to the 2-level or |
|
15-17 |
1NT |
|
|
18-19 |
1 of a suit |
Raise
partner’s major to game or |
|
20-22 |
2NT |
|
|
23-24 |
2C (strong) |
2NT |
|
25-27 |
3NT |
|
You open 1C and partner responds 1H. The opponents pass. What is your rebid with each of the following hands?
♠K764 ♥KQ3 ♦A2 ♣J1065
1S. A new-suit bid at your second turn promises only four cards. Your hearts aren’t long enough to raise partner (his 1H response promised only a 4-card suit), but there’s still a chance that you have an 8-card fit in spades.♠KQ4 ♥A8 ♦1083 ♣KJ732
1NT. A 1NT rebid shows a balanced hand with exactly 12-14 points. It also denies 4-card length in hearts or spades. It does not guarantee stoppers (honors) in every suit. 1NT is a better description than a 2C rebid, which suggests a 6-card suit and a more distributional hand.♠AQ ♥Q62 ♦KQ7 ♣KQJ94
2NT. A balanced hand of 18-19 points is a “1˝” notrump hand – too strong to open 1NT, not strong enough to open 2NT. To show this strength, start with one of a suit and hope partner can respond. If you don’t have 4 cards in his major, jump to 2NT at your second turn. Partner can raise to 3NT or, if he has 5+ hearts, he can rebid 3H and you’ll raise to 4H.♠AKQ5 ♥J1064 ♦A5 ♣AJ8
4H. Even if partner has a bare 6 points, you know you have at least 25 combined points and the 8-card fit needed for game. Don’t hide your support by bidding spades or notrump. If partner had responded 1NT (instead of 1H), you would give up on the majors and jump to 3NT.
An unbalanced hand -- also called a distributional hand -- is any hand that doesn’t fit the definition of balanced. It includes all hand patterns that are not 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 or 5-3-3-2.
When you open one of a suit, partner can’t tell whether your hand is balanced or unbalanced. You’ll need to use your rebid to describe your suit lengths and communicate your hand’s full playing strength.
The basic guidelines for your rebid are the same for balanced and unbalanced hands. The main difference is that when you hold an unbalanced hand, your second bid will usually be a suit instead of a notrump bid.
Long and short suits add trick-taking power to your hand. For this reason, you may stretch to open with 11-12 points when you have a good suit and quick tricks (aces and kings). The point ranges suggested below are general guidelines. With very long, strong suits and extra playing strength, you can "value up" and make these bids with fewer high-card points. See Hand evaluation for tips on how to make these decisions.
With most hands, you’ll want to keep the bidding low until you find a
trump fit, ideally in a major suit. When you find a major-suit fit, there's no
need to look for other trump suits.
If you open 1H or 1S and partner raises your suit, that
will be your trump suit. Depending on your strength, you'll pass or bid higher
in that suit.
If partner responds 1H or
1S and you have 4-card support, always raise his suit, no matter what you hold in
outside suits. Confirming the major-suit fit is more important than showing your
length in any other suit.
If you don’t locate a major-suit fit early in the auction, you’ll need to find a rebid that tells partner about another feature of your hand. Here’s a summary of how to describe common types of unbalanced hands:
One long suit (6+ cards): Open that suit and bid it again at your next turn.
12-14 points: Rebid your 6+-card suit at the lowest
level available.
After 1S by you – 1NT by partner, rebid 2S with ♠KJ9864 ♥4
♦AK3
♣J105
15-17 points: Make a jump rebid if your
suit is long and strong. This invites partner to bid game.
After 1S – 1NT,
jump to 3S with ♠AQJ1094
♥KQ3
♦864 ♣A
Two 5-card suits: Open the higher-ranking suit, then rebid the lower-ranking suit. Bidding your suits in this order will allow partner to choose between your two suits without having to go to a higher level.
12-17 points: Rebid your second suit at the
lowest level available. Partner can pass or bid your first suit to show his
preference. He can also raise your second suit if he has a good fit.
After 1S – 1NT,
bid 2H with ♠K10875
♥AJ1043
♦A3
♣2. If partner prefers spades, he'll rebid 2S. If he prefers hearts, he
can pass your 2H rebid or raise to 3H.
A 5-card suit and a lower-ranking 4-card suit
(a 5-card major and a 4-card minor, for example): Open the 5-card
suit, then bid the 4-card suit.
Note that there’s a fairly wide point range (12-17 points) for opener's rebid of a new suit. These bids don’t force
partner to bid again, but he can raise if he has a good responding hand.
12-17 points: Rebid your second suit at the
lowest level available.
After 1H – 1NT, bid 2D with
♠A83
♥QJ984
♦AJ106 ♣5
A 5-card suit and a higher-ranking 4-card suit (a 5-card minor and a 4-card major, for example): Open the 5-card suit, then show the 4-card suit if possible.
12-15 points: Rebid your 4-card suit
if you can do so at the
one-level.
After 1C – 1D, bid 1H with ♠82
♥KQ54
♦K3
♣AJ865
If partner responds 1S, though, a 2H rebid by you may force the auction
too high. A 1NT bid is better with this hand. Note that partner "skipped" over
1H, so you should assume he does not have 4 hearts.
With a minimum opener, don’t bid two of a suit partner has
bypassed with his first response. This is called a reverse rebid, and
it promises more strength (at least a good 16 points, similar to the next hand).
Three suits (4-4-4-1 pattern): Open 1C if your exact distribution is 4-4-1-4 (your singleton is a diamond). Open 1D if your singleton is a club, heart or spade.
If partner responds your 4-card major, add in your distribution points to determine your support points.
12-15 support points: Raise his suit one level.
After 1D - 1H, bid 2H with ♠AK43 ♥Q865
♦K1083 ♣2
16-18 support points: Make a jump raise to
invite game.
After 1D - 1H, jump to 3H with ♠AK43 ♥KJ65
♦K1083 ♣2
18+ support points: Jump to game in
the major.
After 1D – 1H, jump to 4H with ♠AK43 ♥KJ65
♦AQ103 ♣2
If partner responds your short suit:
12-17 points: Bid your cheaper 4-card major
if you can do so at the one-level.
After 1C – 1D. bid 1H with
♠AQ32
♥K1043
♦2
♣KQ75
12-17 points: If you opened 1D and
don't have a major you can bid at the one-level, rebid 2C.
After 1D – 1S,
bid 2C with
♠2
♥Q1062
♦AQ64
♣KQ86
18+ points: Make a strong jump shift.
After 1D - 1S, jump to 3C with ♠2 ♥KQ65
♦AKQ3 ♣AJ102
You open 1C and partner responds 1H. The opponents pass. What is your rebid?
♠J1053 ♥2 ♦AQ ♣KQJ764
1S. Don’t give up on a major-suit fit until you’ve bid through the one-level. If partner can’t raise spades, you’ll rebid clubs at your next turn.♠AQJ5 ♥10962 ♦Void ♣AK874
3H. Always raise immediately when you find an 8-card fit in a major (if you rebid 1S, you will be denying four hearts). A jump raise shows 4-card support and invitational strength (16-18 support points). Your diamond void is worth 3 points, so your hand values to 17 points. Partner can pass if he has a bare 6-7 points. With a good 7 or more points, he’ll bid on to 4H.♠AQ2 ♥J62 ♦K ♣AQJ1094
3C. A jump rebid of your suit shows a strong 6+ cards and 16-18 points. It also denies four cards in hearts or spades. Partner can pass if he has a weak response, or he can make any other bid to accept your game invitation. If he rebids 3H (showing 5+ cards in his suit), you’ll raise to 4H. If he rebids 3NT, you’ll pass.♠K43 ♥3 ♦AQJ5 ♣AKJ102
2D. This is a reverse rebid, which is a two-level bid of a new suit that’s higher in rank than your first suit. It promises at least invitational strength (16+ points) and at least 9 cards in your two suits. Partner must bid again.
You open 1H and partner responds 1NT. The opponents pass. What is your rebid?
♠5 ♥AQ1084 ♦KQJ5 ♣1072
2D. Your spade shortness makes you wary of notrump (partner denied four spades when he responded 1NT), so you’d like to find a trump suit. Your 2D rebid shows 4+ cards and is not forcing. It asks partner to choose one of your suits by passing 2D or by bidding 2H.♠A ♥QJ10964 ♦K5 ♣Q1065
2H. Emphasizing your long hearts is more important than showing the club suit. A low-level rebid of your first suit promises extra length (6+ cards) and a minimum opening bid (12-14 points). Partner will pass.♠K1086 ♥AKQ53 ♦KJ4 ♣K
3NT. Your 19 points and partner’s 6-9 points add up to at least the 25 points you need for a game contract. There’s no 8-card fit in a major (partner’s 1NT denied 3-card heart support or a 4-card spade suit), so 3NT rates to be the best game. Don’t worry about your club shortness. Since partner has at most 5 total cards in hearts and spades, he must be “heavy” (at least 8 cards) in clubs and diamonds.♠KJ76 ♥AJ982 ♦105 ♣KJ
Pass. Your hand isn’t strong enough to make a reverse rebid of 2S, which would force the auction to at least the three-level (partner has denied holding 4 spades). A 5-4-2-2 pattern is called “semi-balanced”, and it’s suitable for a notrump contract.
Note: If you play the 2-over-1 bidding system, partner's 1NT is forcing. In that system, the correct rebid with this hand is 2C.
Copyright © Karen Walker