TWiB Lesson #592 (8 of 9)
When partner opens the bidding 1-minor (1m), a jump shift to 2-Major (2M) by Responder can be used for a variety of different hand types. Both the standard approach of a strong jump shift and the common approach of a weak jump shift leave a lot to be desired. The modern style is for good hands to go slow, which makes a strong jump shift less appealing because it eats up valuable bidding space. With players responding to a 1m opening bid with 1M more and more aggressively, this makes using a weak jump shift less common…
TWiB Lesson #572 (6 of 9)
When responding to partner’s 1-Major opening bid, Responder tries to apply the Law of Total Tricks (LOTT) – getting to the size of the partnership’s fit as quickly as possible. This LOTT bidding is especially effective when our side has a 9+card fit. Bergen Raises are a set of conventional bids Responder can use when responding to a 1-Major opening bid with 4+card support (at least a 9+card fit). Let’s see how this system works.
TWiB Lesson #574 (8 of 9)
Jumping in the auction eats up a lot of bidding space, which is likely to make communicating with partner more difficult. Since our jump bid may make future communication more difficult, it should have a specific meaning. When partner opens the bidding, Responder’s jump shifts can be used to show a variety of different types of hands. We need to decide, as a partnership, which ones we want to use. We will choose different agreements for different situations.
TWiB Lesson #575 (9 of 9)
When partner makes a bid, and we choose to bid a suit of our own, this is called a freebid. In most normal situations freebids show values (called positive freebids) and are often forcing 1-round. We’ve all heard the saying -- a new suit is forcing by an unpassed hand. Unfortunately, this is not always true, but it is often our agreement. Let’s look at freebids made by a passed hand and see how the fact that we are passed changes these situations.
TWiB Lesson #577 (2 of 9)
When Opener makes a jump shift into a new suit with their second bid, it is a strong bid that creates a game forcing auction. This is a good bid because it ensures we reach game, but it is a bad bid because it eats up a lot of bidding space without fully describing our distribution. This is a problem. One of the most difficult opening hands to describe to partner is the unbalanced single-suited (one 6+card suit) hand with 18-19 HCP. This is one of the strongest hands that does not open the bidding 2♣. Let’s look at a system that helps us improve our jump shift methods.
TWiB Lesson #628 (1 of 8)
When partner opens 1-Major and we play 2/1 GF, then a 1NT response is used with most hands that have minimum or invitational values without a fit, showing 6-11 points. A 2NT response to a Major suit opening is not used as a natural bid because it is Jacoby 2NT, showing game forcing values and at least 4-card support. So the question is what should a jump to 3NT in response to a 1-Major opening show?
TWiB Lesson #629 (2 of 8)
When partner opens the bidding with 1 ♣ or 1 ♦ then our primary objective is to look for a Major suit fit. We do so by responding to 1-Major when we have a 4-card Major suit. We do so if we have 6 HCP or even enough for game (a good 12+ points). If we do not have a 4-card Major suit, but we have a balanced hand with enough values for game, then our most common action is to just bid the game we are likely to make, 3NT!
TWiB Lesson #630 (3 of 8)
The modern expert 2NT response to a 1-Major opening shows a limit raise or better (LR+), instead of game forcing values. This has many different inventors, advocates, and variants. In Europe, it is known as Limit Sternberg while in America, Larry Cohen popularized a similar approach. The idea of using 1M – 2NT as LR+ accomplishes a couple of goals. First, this opens up 1M – 3M to always be…
TWiB Lesson #631 (4 of 8)
When we are a passed hand and partner opens the bidding, we must be careful in trying to describe our hand. Partner’s opening bid in the 3rd seat can be light in values, trying to be destructive or lead-directing, so we cannot respond to it in the same way we would a normal opening bid. Specifically, if partner opens 1-Major in the 3rd seat, we should not go jumping around without…
TWiB Lesson #632 (5 of 8)
In general, we use jumps in competitive auctions as weak bids (0-5 points) applying the Law of Total Tricks (LOTT) -- (though sometimes the modern approach can be to use mixed bids, 6-9 points). The key is that we jump to our Law level, eating up bidding space, to quickly and narrowly define our hand. Let’s look at how we can better describe our hand to partner while preempting the auction.
TWiB Lesson #602 (1 of 8)
There are a variety of conventional rebids that are additions to a fundamental 2/1 GF system, but there are also some fundamental response agreements that can be adjusted. One of these is the length that we promise when we respond in a minor suit at the 2-level. In the standard 2/1 system, a 2♥ response shows at least a 5-card suit, a 2♦ response shows at least a 4-card suit, and 2♣ usually shows a 4+card suit (occasionally it could be a 3-card suit).
TWiB Lesson #603 (2 of 8)
When we choose to adopt the alternative approach to our 2/1 GF responses, 2♦ showing a 5+card suit, 2♣ being “could be short as 2 cards”, then this changes our reasonable options for rebids by the Opener. Good agreements with partner about how this approach changes our rebid agreements are vital. Let’s look at the hands that are simplified & problems created.
TWiB Lesson #604 (3 of 8)
When we play the version of 2/1 GF that uses “2-Major Waiting” (meaning that Opener can rebid their suit without promising a 6th card), then we gain the ability to “right side” a NT contract when we have a balanced hand without a stopper in one of the suits. But, by having 2-Major be a waiting bid we make it harder for us to show our 6-card suit. Let’s see how we can add a gadget to help give us better rebid options to describe our hand.
TWiB Lesson #605 (4 of 8)
The most complicated 2/1 GF auctions are the ones that start 1♦ – 2♣. Actually, these can be some of the most difficult auctions in all of bridge. These auctions can lead to lots of complexity and confusion about the meaning of bids on the second and third round of the bidding. Many pairs have played in 3-3 Major suit fits after the auction began with 1♦ - 2♣, thinking they were headed to a much better fit. Let’s take a look.
TWiB Lesson #594 (1 of 9)
There are two general categories of systems against the opponents 1NT opening bids – ones that use a Double as Penalty and others that use a Double as conventional. When the opponents open the bidding with a weak 1NT we need a good method for dealing with their unusual opening bid. The most common range for a weak NT is 12-14 points, but we define 1NT to be weak if the range does not contain 16 points. Some examples: 10-12, 11-13, 11-14, 12-14, 12-15, or 13-15 points. Against these opening bids we use a system that has a penalty double. Let’s look at one of the most interesting of these systems, Landy with Transfer bids.
TWiB Lesson #595 (2 of 9)
Transfers have become a larger and larger part of both competitive and constructive bidding. They help with playing the contract from correct side, but they are also effective in searching for a fit while keeping the auction at a low level. One auction where transfers by Responder can be helpful is after Opener has started with a suit opening bid at the 1-level (1X) and then made a jump rebid of 2NT – showing a balanced hand with 18-19 points. See how transfers by Responder in this auction can help our side describe our hands in the limited space below 3NT. This replaces Modified Wolff Signoff after a 2NT rebid.
TWiB Lesson #596 (3 of 9)
Responding to 1NT is a balancing act of showing both strength and shape while keeping the auction at a low enough level. With a game forcing hand (10+ points), the goal is usually to be able to describe our hand below 3NT, particularly with hands that are strong enough to be interested in slam. This is not a problem with relatively balanced hands, but with distributional hands it may be more difficult for Responder to show their shape and explore slam without getting the auction too high (going past 3NT). After a transfer bid, Responder often gets a second bid without raising the auction much — one of the key benefits of transfers.
TWiB Lesson #597 (4 of 9)
The modern approach to improving our bidding structures (especially in competition) is to add transfers to our methods. This gives us more space and allows us to communicate more efficiently. When we play a system like McCabe, designed to give us more ways of raising partner and show support, we already have a useful structure. If we add transfers to this structure, we gain even more space for communication, making it easier to describe hand strength, clarify fits, and reach better contracts more consistently at the table, even under pressure, against tough opponents in competitive auctions.
TWiB Lesson #598 (5 of 9)
When partner opens the bidding with a Major suit and right-hand opponent makes a takeout double, the modern approach for many expert partnerships is to play transfer bids by Responder. When Responder transfers to the suit with length instead of bidding it, we gain many advantages in these competitive bidding auctions. Let’s look at how we use these transfers by Responder and what they gain for us — improving both clarity and flexibility in our partnership communication, and helping us find the best fit even when opponents interfere. We’ll also see how these methods can simplify auctions and lead to more accurate, confident contracts.
TWiB Lesson #599 (6 of 9)
When partner opens the bidding with a minor suit and right-hand opponent makes a takeout double, the modern approach for many expert partnerships is to play transfer bids by the Responder. By Responder transferring to the suit with length instead of bidding it directly, we gain many advantages in these competitive bidding auctions. These transfers help clarify hand strength, improve accuracy in finding major-suit fits, and allow the partnership to describe shape efficiently while keeping bidding space available. Let’s look at how we use these transfers by Responder and what they gain for us.
TWiB Lesson #600 (7 of 9)
When partner opens the bidding with 1-minor and our RHO makes an overcall of a suit, then we need a way to describe our hand to partner. The traditional Responder tools are negative doubles and positive freebids, but in some auctions, other approaches that use transfers give us a better and more flexible way to compete as Responder. Unfortunately, we don’t have a transfer structure in every auction (when they overcall 1♠, we have very few good systems available), but hopefully there will be more and more interesting developments in this fascinating area of bidding theory.
TWiB Lesson #601 (8 of 9)
Transfers are an extremely useful tool for competitive bidding. So are relay bids, like the way we use 2NT in a Lebensohl auction. We can play a useful system, like Transfer Lebensohl, in a variety of situations. Let’s see how we can use these methods after partner opens the bidding and the opponents take away our bidding space with a Weak Jump Overcall, giving us structured ways to compete without guessing while keeping partner fully informed. These agreements help us navigate tough auctions with clarity.
TWiB Lesson #606 (9 of 9)
The modern approach to improving our bidding structures (especially in competition) is to add transfers to our methods. This gives us more space and allows us to communicate more efficiently. When we play a system like McCabe, designed to give us more ways of raising partner and show support, we already have a useful structure. If we add transfers to this structure, we gain even more space for communication, making it easier to describe hand strength, clarify fits, and reach better contracts more consistently at the table, even under pressure, against tough opponents in competitive auctions.
TWiB Lesson #585 (1 of 9)
The concept of having a conventional bid like Drury available to show a limit raise in support of partner’s Major suit when we are a passed hand is a regular part of most partnerships’ passed hand bidding structure. Given that making a 2/1 bid into a minor suit is not that attractive (or even possible!) by a passed hand, it makes sense to allocate both 2♣ and 2♦ as artificial raises of Opener’s third seat (or fourth seat) Major suit opening bid. Many partnerships that play Drury play 2-Way Drury, using one bid to show a 3-card limit raise and the other a 4-card limit raise. But a more sophisticated structure can allow us to describe even more hand types in the same bidding space.
TWiB Lesson #586 (2 of 9)
New Minor Forcing is an excellent convention for continuing the auction when Opener has shown a balanced hand that is weaker than opening 1NT. But after a New Minor Forcing bid, the auction often gets complicated if we don’t go straight to game. It can be confusing whether we are inviting game or trying to make a slam try – which bids are forcing and which bids are non-forcing? 2-Way New Minor Forcing is an upgrade to New Minor Forcing that allows Responder to better describe their hand and simplify and clarify the rest of the auction. Let’s take look at how this works to make your bidding smoother and more precise.
