Don't be shy - After 1NT You Can Bid On Air (And A Long Suit!) - 25 August 2010

As I said last week when partner opens 1 of a suit you MUST respond when you have 6 or more points in case partner holds 19 HCP. However when partner opens 1NT things radically alter.

For a start, you know they won’t have 19, so the need to just bid any old thing with 6 HCP doesn’t arise. Alternatively, when partner open 1 of a suit you shouldn’t bid with less than 5HCP, but now after 1NT there are situations where you WILL bid with absolutely nothing! Bids have different meanings; you may be expected to bid with 0+ points and you may be expected to pass with as many 10 points. Weird huh? How can this be? you cry. Has the man taken leave of his senses? Well, maybe, but the point is …

Responses When Partner Opens (12 - 14)

When partner opens One of a Suit they can have a crummy 10 to a gorgeous 20 HCP. We just don’t know so we keep bidding until we do know. But when partner bids 1NT we know specifically the range promised – 12 - 14. Armed with this valuable knowledge your strategy is subtly different. Here’s a breakdown of what your responses should be and what they mean:

• PASS Balanced – less than 10 or unbalanced with no suitable bid
• 2C Stayman (“Have you got a 4-card major?")
• 2D Transfer (“Bid 2H”)
• 2H Transfer (“Bid 2S”)
• 2S minor suit run-out (“bid 3C”)
• 2NT 11-12 balanced (“Bid game if you have 14”)
• 3C VG suit, slam interest
• 3D VG suit, slam interest

Above this things get more complicated as well as being open to many differing and varied concepts and styles so, er… we’ll forget all that then!

Kit

A Digression on Transfers – Weakness Take-Outs With A 6-Card Minor – 10 Feb 2010

The Red Suit Transfers we know all about. 2D & 2H are transfers to the suit above after a 1NT opening. So what does 2S mean?

QJx
x
KJxxxx
xxx

Partner opens 1NT and it’s passed to you. 1NT doesn’t look like a good contract, does it. Big hole in hearts, which, if you pass, may well be filled by your left hand opponent bidding the suit. So you need to do something. But what? You can’t bid 2D as that’s a transfer to hearts. 3D is a mild slam invitation in that suit, which you certainly don’t have, so you’re a bit stuck … unless we can use 2S as a “minor suit transfer.”

The bidding goes:
1NT - PASS - 2S - PASS

Now partner must “complete” the transfer and bid 3C. With the given hand you have other plans, so it continues:

3C - PASS - 3D.

Obviously, had your suit been clubs you would have passed. This a weak manoeuvre, designed to be obstructive and/or guide partner to the best place to play the part-score.

Let’s just summarise that:

A 2S repsonse to a 1NT opening bid forces opener to bid 3C. The 2S bidder passes with a 6-card club suit, or “corrects” with a 6-card diamond suit.

Don’t use this manoeuvre with a 5-card only minor suit, just pass 1NT.