Bids Over NT

We Open the Bidding

• Over a double, redouble implies no fit and 2NT is Jordan. After an overcall, a cue bid is a limit raise or better and 2NT is 10-11 with a stopper. (This applies to 1 of a minor also.)
• Reverse by opener is forcing 1 round.

We Open 1 of a Minor

• 1NT response is 5 to 9 HCP, 2NT is 10 to 11 and 3NT is 12-15
• Inverted Minors (not in competition)
  • Denies a four-card major.
  • 2m response shows 10+ HCP and the 3m response shows 6-9 HCP. 2 of a minor also implies some distributional values, otherwise responder could respond 2NT or 3NT. Four of a minor is preemptive.
  • After 1m-2m, a single jump (e.g., 1C-2C-3H) is a splinter and implies an interest in slam if partner has the right 12 points outside the singleton suit.
  • After 1m-2m, bid of either major shows at least 1 1/2 stoppers opposite a singleton. This will usually be a 4-card suit, and raise of the suit will imply looking for a 4-3 fit.
  • After 1m-2m, any bid of 2NT or 3 of the agreed minor shows a minimum hand and is not forcing; all other bids are forcing.
• In competition, a cue bid shows a limit raise (at least). Raise with at least 4-card support and 6-9 points -- a jump raise to the three level is preemptive with 0-5 points (as for the majors).
• Both Marvin and Bob will rescue as responder with less than 6 HCP, though Bob is more likely to do this. The response of 1S by opener can be passed with a weak hand and 3-card support, and again Bob is more likely to do this.
• We bid a traditional new minor forcing. It promises invitational values. By implication, most other bids are nonforcing -- 1m-1M-1NT-2M denies invitational values, as does 1m - 1S - 1NT - 2H. Another interesting one -- 1D - 1M - 2NT - 4NT is quantitative. To ask for aces, first do NMF.
• The rebid of 2NT, skipping a major at the one level, does not deny having 4 cards in that major (e.g., 1C - 1H - 2NT). 2NT can also be passed with a rescue hand.
• Over the 2NT rebid, new minor forcing. Rebidding a major shows a 6-card suit. Supporting the minor is forcing and natural and does not deny or promise a five-card major, but instead raises the question of playing 5 or 6 of the minor.
• A new suit by responder is forcing, when 4th suit forcing and new minor forcing are not available. For example, 1C - 1S - 2C - 2H is forcing. Bidding 3H on this sequence is stronger than an opening hand and expresses an interest in slam.
• 1x - 1M - 1NT - 3M is invitational. (The opening bid can even be 1H.)

We Open 1 of a Major

• Bergen raises, not in competition or after a takeout double. A single raise is 6-9 with 3-card support, 3C is 6-9 points with 4-card support, 3D is invitational, and 3 of the major is 2-5 with four-card support.
• Jacoby 2NT, showing support and an opening hand, by unpassed hand. Shows 10-11 and two-card support by passed hand.
• Over a Jacoby 2NT, 4 of the major is weaker than 3 of the major. A bid on the 3 level shows a singleton and a bid on the four level shows a suit.
• 1NT forcing, even by a passed hand; 2/1 forcing to game (except 2C over 1D). Jumps on first rebid are at least invitational to slam.
• When the simple raise isn't available, presumably because of a preempt, the bid of 3 of a major is 8-10 HCP and some distributional values, jumping to four is 11+, and the cue bid is strong. I think the cue bid either shows support or is very strong.
• In competition, the raise to 3 is weak and can be made with xxxx Qxxx x Jxxx.
• We look for a 4-4 fit after finding a 5-3 fit, but not after a finding a 5-4 fit, and not when the bid has other meanings (more explanation).

We Open 2C

• Point responses. The 2D response shows 0-4 HCP. Rebid of the cheapest suit is a second negative, and no bids are forcing after that. Otherwise, we are forced to game. The 2H response shows 5-7 and is forcing to game. 2S is 8-10 and at least close to forcing to slam if a fit is revealed. 2NT is 11+ and forcing to slam.

  Over the 2NT response by responder (11+), 3C is Stayman, and other suit bids are natural. Otherwise, opener either bids a five-card suit or no trump without a 5-card suit. (There is no provision for 4-4-4-1 distribution, so this should probably be the meaning of the jump-shift by opener, but we have never agreed to a meaning for the jump shift.) Over the 2D response, opener shows points by bidding 2NT with 22-23 or 3NT with 24+. Otherwise, the 2NT bid is neutral for points. Bidding is normal and unchanged (Stayman, Jacoby) over 2NT and 3NT bids by opener. (Except, we perhaps should play that the 3D response to 3C shows a 4-card diamond suit, but we have not agreed on this.)

  First bid suit by either opener or responder shows at least five; second bid suit shows at least four.

  After a 2D response, I think a simple raise should also be a second negative and unforcing, but we have not agreed on this.

  Ideally, the weak hand will not bid 4NT. (However, systematically, if the opener bids 2NT he cannot ask for aces). When the responder initiates Blackwood, and the opener is still unlimited, 5NT tends to confirm all of the controls and allow the opener to bid the grand with extra. It is unlikely that responder actually wants to count kings, so the response to 5NT should not go beyond the slam suit (unless he is accepting the invitation to the grand).

  2C-2S 3H-4D 4NT? 2C-2NT 3H-3NT 4D-4NT? I think there should be a preference to thinking of 4NT as Blackwood, and meaningless bids as a way to bid 4NT. Then, 4NT is natural when there are no meaningless bids left. I define a meaningless bid, roughly, as the second bid by responder when the opener has shown two suits, and any bid after everyone has shown two suits.

We Open Preemptively (Weak Twos)

• Nonvulnerable, we "often" open 5 card suits with two of the top 3 honors. I think we open ratty 6-card suits still at the two level and good 6-card suits at the three level. Bob notes a potential problem with following the Law of total tricks.
• Over a weak-two, 2NT asks for features (with an above average hand). This is on even in competition.
• We play that bids of a new suit are not forcing. To force, first bid 2NT; bidding a new suit after first bidding 2NT is natural and forcing to game.
• A cue bid is forcing and does not show a first-round control. Opener shows a good hand and a feature by bidding the feature.
• When we make a weak two and the opps overcall at the 3-level, bidding the next higher suit is artificial invitation to game. When there is no next-higher suit, double is invitation to game.

They Intrude after We Open

• When they overcall 1NT: New suits at the 2 level are weak; new suits at the three level are strong and forcing. A double implies 10 or more HCP, and any subsequent new suits by doubler are forcing.
• Suppose you open, RHO doubles, partner redoubles, and you have a distributional hand such that you will not sit for partner's double. Bid immediately with a weak hand, and wait and then pull partner's double with a strong hand.
• We agreed to play good-bad 2NT. I am not sure when this applies. However, it definitely should apply for opener when opps have bid and supported a suit. In this situation, 2NT is the weak hand and it is a transfer to 3C, though responder is essentially passing 3C to bid that.

Doubles

There is a special page for Doubles. Click here.

They Open the Bidding

• New suits in response to an overcall are not forcing. A new major suit in response to partner's two-level minor overcall is searching for a better fit and promises tolerance for partner's rebid. This is a matchpoint policy and does not apply to IMPs. Responding with a minor suit (or major over major) suggests lack of support and looking for a better place to play the hand.
• 2NT asks for features (with an above average hand) in response to a weak jump shift.
• We make jump overcalls with 5 card suits with 2 of the top three honors, nonvul. Presumably there is some caution in going to the three level with a 5-card suit. I wonder now if you also want to change the point count for an overcall. The point of overcalling with 8 or 9 HCP is to direct a lead, but now that could be done with a jump overcall. So we could raise the point count for a 1 level overcall to 10 (not vul). That would make it easier to bid in response to an overcall.
• Skewed Cue Bids. When the opponents have bid two suits, a cue bid shows a two-suited hand with marked preference for one suit. Typically, this is a 6-4 distribution. Cue bidding the lower suit shows a preference for the lower suit, etc. Apparently the point range for this is quite wide. We should follow whatever we do for Michaels.
• A double-jump cue bid overcall in a major suit shows a runnable minor and asks partner to bid 3NT with a stopper in the enemy suit. In a minor suit, it shows the suit.

Asking for Aces (Gerber and Blackwood)

• We play Gerber when it is bid over 1NT, 2NT, a rebid of 2NT over 1 of a minor, and Stayman (over 1NT). Over a Stayman major suit response, show key cards assuming that suit is trump. In these sequences, 4NT is unambiguously quantitative.
• When there is an agreed upon minor suit, 4 of the other minor is RKC Gerber. On Jacoby transfer to a minor, MSG is on if and only if responder goes slowly showing support. A three-level preempt establishes the suit.
• The no trump opener cannot bid Blackwood -- 4NT is always to play. Exceptions: When the no trump bid is a jump or when a major suit fit has been established (including the use of Texas Transfer). (After 1NT - 4D, 4S is an artificial bid showing a super-accept. Over it, 4NT is Blackwood, and 5D is a transfer to 5H.)
• When the opponents have preempted in any way, a nonjump bid of 4NT is natural (presumably unless we have declared a major suit fit and slam is possible).
• There is a strong bias to playing Blackwood as being Roman Key Card Blackwood. Of course this is when there is an agreed trump suit, or a stated trump suit (as in a Jacoby or Texas transfer sequence). If the last bid was a natural suit and there is a jump to 4NT, then that last bid suit is the assumed trump suit. For example, 2C - 2D - 2H - 2S - 4NT is RKC for spades. Finally, when a 2C opener has bid and rebid a suit, and 4NT for Blackwood is bid, in the absence of a declared fit, it is RKC for opener's rebid suit (no generalization).
• In RKC, we play 0314. 5NT asks for number of kings (not counting trump). (This is contra to normal practice, which is to cue bid kings.) The cheapest bid over 5C or 5D (that cannot be the trump suit) asks about the queen of trump. (In one system, going beyond the agreed trump suit shows the queen of trump.)
• A response to 4NT on the 6 level shows the same number of key cards as that bid on the five level plus a void. Do not go beyond the trump suit to show a void. (We do not play this: One popular convention is 5NT shows a void and an even number of "aces"; a bid on the 6 level cue bids the void and shows an odd number of aces. Six of the suit bid shows a void in a higher ranking suit. The void should be in a side suit, not partner's suit.)
• We play D0P1 and R0P1 -- double (or redouble) as the cheapest response, pass for the next cheapest, then bid up the line. So, over a RKC 4NT and a 5D overcall, 5S would show two "aces" and the queen of trump. Assuming we play Howard's DOP1 system, this applies for any step response, which in our system now would be just responses to 2C.

We Defend

• We do not play this: A high card in idle trump discards first signals partner he can lead from his ace, if applicable. Otherwise it calls for a lead of the high suit.
• Against NT, jack denies and we lead 10 from KJ10. More generally, we lead second highest from an interior sequence. I assume we just don't lead from this sequence against a trump contract.
• Smith Echoes. If we like the suit led against no trump, high discard. Showing count, when needed, takes precedence.
• Odd Even on first discard. Odd means you like the suit. Even means you don't. High or low even suggests preference for the high or low other suit.

Miscellaneous

• We have a standard treatment of fourth-suit forcing. It is forcing one round. It applies whenever the fourth suit is bid, but when it is not on responder's first rebid, it tends to occur on the three level and be asking for a stopper.
• We play weak jump shifts both in and out of competition (except when Bergen raises apply), by both passed and unpassed hands.
• A pass of their redoubled contract does not show a desire to defend. In other words, if they open 2S, you double, and the opponent redoubles, I pass when I have nothing to say and if I happen to have a spade stack.
• AFTER SEQUENCES LIKE: (1C) X (P) 2S (P) ?. 2NT, 3SP ARE INVITATIONAL. 3NT, 4S ARE TO PLAY. Bids of no trump suggest only 3-card spade support. 3C IS GAME FORCING AND STARTS THE SEARCH FOR MORE INFORMATION. A BID OF ANY OTHER SUIT WITHOUT A JUMP (HERE, 3D OR 3H) INDICATES 16+ POINTS, SAYS NOTHING ABOUT spades. A SINGLE JUMP TO A NEW SUIT (HERE, 4C, 4D, 4H) IS A SPLINTER.
• A bid of 5 of a major is usually invitation to slam, but when there is just one unbid suit, or when the opps have bid one suit that has not been cuebid, then it asks responder to bid slam is he has a second round control in that suit.
• We use cue-bids to invite to slam. A cue bid below the level of game shows extra values and at least an interest in slam. Responding to the cue bid with another cue bid also shows extra values and an interest in slam. We cue bid our lowest first-round control. Past the game level, cue bids in response to partner's cue bids are mandatory and do not show extra values. In Blackwood, we show aces that have already been cue bid.
• When bidding a suit is forcing and natural, jumping in the suit, when that has no other defined meaning, is a splinter.

Bids that Must Mean Something

• On the auction (1D) - 1H - (1S) - 2H - (2S) - ? Marvin bid 3H with 11 HCP and 5-3-3-2 distribution, with the doubleton being two small in spades. He was not vul. So this bid does not show extra values. The logic is that we are certainly going to compete to the three level, so why not do it right away.