Balanced hand bidding is relatively easy. We can usually describe our hand to partner by opening 1NT or rebidding 1NT. This lets partner know both our points and our hand type with either our first bid (when we open 1NT, the best situation) or with our second bid (when we rebid 1NT). However, if we have a big balanced hand then we need to have tools for describing our hand as well. These usually involve the use of 2NT – as a rebid, an opening bid, or even a rebid after having opened the bidding 2♣. But this does not solve all our bidding problems when we have these large balanced hands. Let’s look at these auctions in detail, see some of the issues, and then look at a useful gadget called Kokish to help us bid better.
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.
One of my favorite sayings is “2NT is a convention, not a contract.” In specific situations, Responder can use 2NT as conventional raise of Opener’s suit. Sometimes we need to choose between several different conventional methods for competitive auctions. Here we look at our options for how to best use 2NT.
One of my favorite sayings is “2NT is a convention, not a contract.” In specific situations, Responder can use 2NT as conventional raise of Opener’s suit. Sometimes we need to choose between several different conventional methods for competitive auctions. Here we look at our options for how to best use 2NT.
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 is particularly true in competitive auctions but is also useful in constructive auctions. Responder must balance showing the size of their fit with showing their values. This LOTT bidding is especially effective when our side has a 9+card fit. In this case, the auction is likely to become competitive if the opponents have some values as well. Predicting this to happen, we would like to be able to compete to the 3-level with a 9+card fit as quickly as possible, eating up the opponents’ bidding space while showing our values. 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.
Competing in the bidding with a 2-suited hand is something of an art form. We need to show partner our suits as well as try to communicate our values. Let's take a look at ways of accomplishing this.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free on the Adventures in Bridge website at TWiB Signup. This set accompanies TWiB 323.
When LHO opens the bidding, partner passes, and RHO responds we are in the sandwich seat. There are many options for how to describe our hand. Let's look at some examples and make sure we know how to make use of all the options.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 324.
When LHO opens the bidding and the auction passes around to us, then we are in the balancing seat.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 325.
When we have a good hand and the opponents open a suit where we hold both length and strength, we consider playing in notrump. Here we look at hands where we may want to overcall 1NT and consider our other options as well.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 326.
When the opponents open the bidding and we have an extremely long suit we want to get into the auction. We strive to describe our hand, but also take away valuable bidding space from the opponents. Let's see if you can do both on these hands.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 327.
When partner opens the bidding with 1NT and we have a weak hand (fewer than 8 points), we are generally not interested in game. We turn our focus to finding the best partscore contract for our side. A balanced 15-17 point hand does not usually have much success in 1NT when the dummy is extremely weak. We need to search for a better place to play. Let's see how to use our bidding tools to survive these auctions.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) email lessons for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 312
Responding to 1NT with a hand that has invitational values can be a challenge. We must search for a fit and invite game. We must also strive to keep the auction low, in case partner has a minimum hand and we need to stop in a partscore. If that does happen, we have to then figure out which partscore is most likely to make. That is a lot to accomplish in one or two bids. Let’s practice and improve our tools and judgement.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 313.
Responding to a 1NT opening bid when we have enough values to drive the auction to game means that we have more space to communicate with partner. Specifically, it means that we have all the space between 1NT and 3NT to search for a fit and determine if 3NT is the best contract. Let's make sure we know how to use our bidding tools to have good communication with partner.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 314.
Responding to a 1NT opening bid with an excellent hand seems like it should be simple, but that often turns out not to be the case. With a hand that is good enough to be interested in slam opposite partner's 1NT opening, we have to search for a fit, let partner know about the fit, and express slam interest, all while keeping the auction at a relatively low level. Let's take a look at how we balance all these considerations.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 315.
When partner opens the bidding with 1NT, our number one job is to search for a Major suit fit. When we have length in both Majors, this can be a challenge. Which suit do we show first? How do we keep the auction low? How do we "right side" the contact? Let's take a look at how to do this.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 316.
When responding to 1NT with a 5-card Major and a second suit that is a minor, our values will often dictate how much of our distribution we have room to describe. We also should use our judgement about when to introduce our second suit when it is a minor. Let's take a look at how to handle these types of hands.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 317.
After partner opens 1NT, it is a challenge to describe your hand when you have two suits. This is particularly true when your primary suit is a minor. Let's take a look at how we handle these hands and how we may need to use additional tools when both of our suits are minors.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 318.
After partner opens 1NT, we have a good structure for using our bids efficiently to describe our hand to partner. But when the opponents interfere in our auction, we lose some of this valuable bidding space and need to change our approach in order to deal with their interference. Let's see how to handle this.
You (and your partners) can sign up for Robert Todd's This Week in Bridge (TWiB) lesson emails for free at https://www.advinbridge.com/twib-signup This set accompanies TWiB 319.
