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Quiz: Barrier-Reversing

Quiz: Deal # Thursday
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Basic
strategy
0000). How to use 0001). Bidding Objectives = "8 and 25" 0002). 28 for minor 0003). 33 for NT slam 0004). Suit slam 0005). Importance of length 0006). Convention card 0007). ACOL and American Standard, differences 0008). A-Z Glossary 0690). A-Z Glossary
Hand
evaluation
0010). Balanced-Unbalanced 0011). How strong is your hand, HCP 0012). Distribution points 0013). Losing trick count 0014). Barrier-Reversing 0015). Selection of opening suit 0016). Showing shape 0017). 4441 distribution 0018). The skip over principle 0019). Rule of 20 Opening 1 of a suit 0019a). Rule of 25 Opening 2 of a suit 0019b). Rule of 500 Max penalty risk on preempt if doubled 0019c). Law of total tricks 0019d). Rule of Protective bidding
Opening
bids
0020). Plan of attack 0021). Bal, 12 to 19 HCPs, weak NT 0022). Bal, 20+ points 0023). Bal, 15 to 17 HCPs, strong NT 0025). Unbal, 12 to 19 HCPs, 1 suit 0026). Unbal, Strong 2s 0027). Unbal, Pre-emptive 0028). Unbal, Gambling 3NT 0029). Benji Strong 2s
Responder
1st bids
0030). After 1NT, General principles 0031). After 1NT, Weak 0032). After 1NT, Getting out of trouble 0033). After 1NT, 11+ balanced 0034). After 1NT, 11+ 4-card major 0035). After 1NT, 11+ unbalanced 0036). After 1NT, 19+ 0037). After 2NT 0038). After 1NT, and Enemy has interfered 0039). 1 NT responses 0040). After 1 Suit, With fit 0041). After 1 Suit, No fit, but alternative suit 0042). After 1 Suit, No fit, no new suit, probably balanced 0043). After 1 Suit, 6 points, nothing to bid 0044). After 1 Suit, Very strong 0045). After 1 Suit, Weak freak 0047). After 2 Suit, Strong 2s 0048). After 2 Suit, Weak 2s 0049). After 3 Suit, Responding to preempt
Openers
rebid
0050). Unbalanced, The general idea 0051). Unbalanced, You are weak 0052). Unbalanced, You are strong 0053). Unbalanced, Partner replied with 1NT 0054). Unbalanced, Delayed support 0055). Balanced
Responder
rebids
0060). Responder rebids, The general idea 0061). Choice of two suits 0062). Responders reverse 0063). After 1NT rebid
Basic
Convention
0080). Stayman 0081). Transfer 0082). Transfer after 2NT 0161). Minor suit transfer
Slam
bidding
0090). Slam, Spotting the chance 0091). Blackwood 0092). No-trump slam 0093). Gerber 0094). Extra slam techniques
Interfering
bids
0100). Overcalls, the basic idea 0101). Overcalls, in a suit, over a suit 0102). Overcalls, in a suit, over 1NT 0103). Overcalls, in NT, over a suit 0104). Overcalls, Jump overcall 0105). Overcalls, Double then bid a suit 0106). Overcalls, Bidding opponents suit 0107). Overcalls, Balancing (protective) 0108). Overcalls, Overcall a preempt 0109). Overcalls, Preemptive double jump 0110). Overcalls, To overcall, or to double 0111). Overcalls, Response to 1NT after suit overcall (Lebensohl) 0115). Defence after 1NT 0116). Competitive bidding 0117). Be cautious sometimes 0118). Sacrificing Be bold when non-vulnerable 0119). Sacrificing 0120). Doubles, Double a 1NT 0121). Doubles, Double for takeout 0122). Doubles, Doubling after opponent overcall 0126). Doubles, Protective double
Doubles

0120). Doubles, Double a 1NT 0121). Doubles, Double for takeout 0122). Doubles, Doubling after opponent overcall 0123). Doubles, Negative double 0124). Doubles, Double a 1NT overcall 0125). Doubles, Double a suit over 1NT 0126). Doubles, Protective double 0127). Doubles, Responsive double 0128). Doubles, Double then bid a suit 0129). Doubles, Penalty 0130). Doubles, Support double 0131). Doubles, Lead directing double 0132). Doubles, Maximal double 0133). Doubles, Redoubling - coded meanings 0134). Doubles, Forcing Pass 0135). Doubles, Re-opening double 0139). Doubles, Index of doubles
Advanced
Convention
0150). Majors Jacoby 2NT 0151). Majors Splinters 0152). Majors Weak 2s 0153). Majors Weak 2 defence 0154). Trial bid 0160). NT and minors 4th suit forcing 0161). Minor suit transfer 0162). DONT Bidding When Opponents open 1NT 0163). Game tries 0166). Grand Slam Force 0167). Roman Keycard Blackwood 0168). Cue bidding for controls 0170). 2-suited Overcall Unusual 2NT 0171). 2-suited Overcall Michaels cue bid 0172). 2-suited Overcall Landy over 1NT 0173). Overcall Unassuming cue bid 0179). Very advanced

Quiz How much do you know about this page? Quiz

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Quick summary

Balanced - be precise

You must always tell your partner exactly how many points you've got when you open with a balanced hand.

With 12-14 points, you need a single bid - 1NT.

With 15-19 you need two bids. First bid your longest suit. With a choice of 2:

if you have them
otherwise cheapest suit

Then bid NT on your second bid, at a level to show exactly where you are in the 15-19 range.

With 20+ you usually open with 2 of something, & you need one or two bids depending on your strength:

method A

2NT for 20-22,
2 for 23+ then rebid NT at the right level

method B (some more advanced players use Benjamised Acol with weak twos)

2NT for 20-22
2 for 23+ then rebid NT at the right level

Print cribsheet

Bridge Venue

+	West
	A J 4 2
	9 8 4
	A 9 8
	8 6 4

	North
	K Q 7 5
	A Q 3
	K 10 3
	Q 10 9

+	East
	9 8 6
	J 10 6 2
	6 4 2
	K 7 3

+	South
	10 3
	K 7 5
	Q J 7 5
	A J 5 2

Example Deal

You: North
Dealer: East
Vuln: N-S

# 126012

Can you and partner get to game ??
..
Go to quiz (& full page) of deal # 126012
***

Click the + buttons to peep

Click on "q1" below to see question 1, and on "A1" to see the answer.

Question 1

North has a balanced hand, 16 HCP. Why should he NOT open 1NT ?

Question 1

North has a balanced hand, 16 HCP. Why should he NOT open 1NT ?

Answer

When using the weak NT convention, an opening of 1NT promises a balanced hand with 12-14 points. However, with more than 14 HCP, North should defer revealing his balanced hand until his second bid, and meanwhile choose his best suit (Spades) for the first round of bidding. If you are using Strong NT openings, that's different....open 1NT with 16 HCP.

Question 2

South has a balanced hand and 11 HCP, with stops in all the unbid suits. Surely enough to go straight to game, 3NT ?

Question 2

South has a balanced hand and 11 HCP, with stops in all the unbid suits. Surely enough to go straight to game, 3NT ?

Answer

No. North may only have 12 HCP, so 25 is not guaranteed. South should show that he is balanced, by bidding NT, inviting to game by bidding at the 2 level. Partner will convert to 3NT if he has enough power.

Note: In response to an opening bid of 1 Major (Hearts or Spades), the reply of 2NT is used by more advanced players to indicate quite a different thing (in a system called "Jacoby 2 NT"). Thus a better player will have to find something else to bid. In such a case South should probably mention his clubs at the 2 level (bid 4-card suits "up the line" ), indicating a 4+ card suit and 10+ points, allowing North to then bid 3NT if he has a balanced hand and enough power..... so, the desired result is still achieved.

Question 3

North now knows that South has 11-12 HCP, balanced hand. Apart from bidding 3NT, are there any other higher options to go for, given that North now knows that the partnership has at least 27-28 HCP, i.e. more than the 25 needed for a 3NT game level contract ?

Question 3

North now knows that South has 11-12 HCP, balanced hand. Apart from bidding 3NT, are there any other higher options to go for, given that North now knows that the partnership has at least 27-28 HCP, i.e. more than the 25 needed for a 3NT game level contract ?

Answer

No. There is nothing to be gained from a 4NT contract. Quite the contrary, only increased risk. Slam is out of the question, you're at least 5 HCP short, and credit will in any case be given for any overtricks.

Some subjects to follow up on
Bidding Objectives = "8 and 25"
After 1 Suit, No fit, no new suit, probably balanced
Bal, 12 to 19 HCPs, weak NT
33 for NT slam
Bal, 15 to 17 HCPs, strong NT

#1	+	<-- click the + to show/hide one possible Bidding Sequence
West			North	East	South
-			-	p	p
p			???
			1S	p	2NT
p			3NT	p	p
p
-			System: Acol (Benji)
suggest a different Bidding Sequence

bid	explained at....
#2	+	<-- click the + for explanation of relevant Bidding Techniques
1S	Bal, 12 to 19 HCPs, weak NT
2NT	After 1 Suit, No fit, no new suit, probably balanced
3NT	Bal, 12 to 19 HCPs, weak NT



			Hand evaluation

#3	+	<-- click the + for ideas on the Opening Lead
Opening Lead: West , 2 Reasons, when playing in No Trumps: 1. long suit 2. unbid suit 3. 4th highest, if lacking 3 honours

« 0021 »

Opening bid, Balanced Hand

You need to say "I'm balanced, and I have the following exact strength". Here's how:

21d. Balanced hand: Opener's bids. VERSION D: Recently upgraded ACOL
HCP Points	Opening bid	2nd bid (rebid)	note
12-14	1NT
15-17	1 suit	1NT, or 2NT after a 2-over-1 response	With two 4 card suits, bid if you have them. 2 NT is invitational.
18-19	1 suit	2NT, or 3NT after a 2-over-1 response	2NT is invitational. See sheet 21a below for an inferior but more conventional system, and 21d for a later preference.
20-22	2NT		Not forcing: partner might have 0-3HCP. Consider modified Acol instead, cribsheet 21b.
23-24	2(1)	Next NT bid (usually 2)	2, if followed by 2NT is not forcing. Partner might have 0 HCP.
25+	2(1)	Next NT bid + 1 (usually 3)
Add to your customised cribsheet

You have to be precise about HCP with NT bids

For No Trumps, High Card Points (HCP) count is essential and must be precise(2). That's why you must stick to the 7 bands above, so your partner can accurately assess how far to take the bidding. (For unbalanced hands, HCP count is less important than for balanced hands. After all, a mere 10 points from 13 will win all 13 tricks, provided Spades are trumps. But we'll talk about this later).

With 12-14 HCPs balanced hand, open 1NT. If your hand contains a 5-card suit:

with a 5-card minor always open 1NT, provided you satisfy the conditions for being balanced, of course.
if the 5-card Major is full of rubbish, certainly bid NT.
with a 5-card Major (), open 1NT unless your Major is strong enough to rebid. (E.g. with AKJ108, you should be forgiven for opening and rebidding , even though your partner might be expecting a 6-card suit after the rebid).

When you have 15-19 points (see the chart above), how do you choose the suit to open the bidding, prior to your NT rebid? As usual in these matters, bid your longest. However:

If you have two 4-card suits, you should keep the possibility of a Major 8-card fit () in the back of your mind, and thus bid if you have four . Otherwise bid your lower ("cheaper") suit.
If you have a 5-card minor , bid that first.
If you have a 5-card Major ….it gets a little more tricky. (Certainly if you have 54xx distribution, you do not have a balanced hand, and should be reading a different section!). Assuming a 5332 shape, if your strength is very concentrated in your Major suit, you might prefer to describe your hand as unbalanced, and bid the Major twice.

The chart above refers to a "weak NT" opening. The alternative "strong NT" system is also still popular in certain countries, and sometimes used in combination with "weak NT", switching to strong when vulnerable. The problem here is that it can go terribly wrong if your lovely partner forgets to swtich as the vulnerability changes. Or you, of course.

Opener's rebid, after 1NT opening

For beginners
When you opened 1NT with 12-14 points (a "weak No Trump"), your re-bid is almost always PASS.That's because you have already described your hand so well with the 1NT opening, that partner was often immediately able to say all that needs to be said. Your partner has usually already made the choices with some kind of closing bid. Typically these closing bids are 2 of a suit to say "enough and no more", 3 or 4 of a suit with more strength, or NT if balanced.

The table above shows how to re-bid when you have more than 14 HCP, and a balanced hand of course.

The section "responses to 1NT" covers this subject in depth.

For better players
The range of responses from your partner to your 1NT opening is very flexible, descriptive and interesting, with several advantages, and it usually requires more bidding from you the opener. These include Stayman, Transfers, and Wriggling out of trouble when doubled. See "responses to 1NT" and "basic conventions" for the full list of options.

For more advanced players

The table of NT rebids is often modified by better players, to take account of different 2-level responses. For example:

after a 2/ over 1 response, 2NT rebid promises 15-16HCP. That's because we know that responder has at least 9HCP, so 2NT shows total of 24/25+, inviting responder to choose game
after a simple raise, (e.g. 1 to 2), a 2NT rebid promises 17-18HCP. That's because we know that responder has a maximum of 9HCP, so 2NT shows a minimum of 23/24, (with a maximum of 26/27), again inviting responder to choose game (in this case with 8 or 9HCP).

1 For advanced players using "weak 2s" in the Majors, bid 2, instead of 2.

2 With more experience, you can work out how to bend the rules.

Now try the quiz

Can you put all this into action ? Try the quiz for this subject by clicking on the link at the top left of the page, just below the main menu.
(You can try quizzes for any other subjects too while you're there. Look out for the thin red line).

Crib sheet: modified version

21c. Balanced hand: Opener's bids. VERSION C: A bit more sophisticated
HCP Points	Opening bid	2nd bid (rebid)	note
12-14	1NT
15-16	1 suit	1NT, or 2NT after a 2-over-1 response	With two 4 card suits, bid if you have them. 2 NT is invitational.
17-18	1 suit	2NT, or 3NT after a 2-over-1 response	2NT is invitational. See sheet 21a below for an inferior but more conventional system.
19	1 suit	3NT	note: 25 HCP is certain. The re-bid is game forcing. Partner might convert to Major game.
20-22	2NT		Not forcing: partner might have 0-3HCP. Consider modified Acol instead, cribsheet 21b.
23-24	2(1)	Next NT bid (usually 2)	2, if followed by 2NT is not forcing. Partner might have 0 HCP.
25+	2(1)	Next NT bid + 1 (usually 3)
Add to your customised cribsheet

21b. Balanced hand: Opener's bids. VERSION B: MODIFIED ACOL (Klinger)
HCP Points	Opening bid	2nd bid (rebid)	note
12-14	1NT
15-18	1 suit	Next available NT bid, usually 1NT, can be 2	With two 4 card suits, bid if you have have them. Note: don't jump rebid to 2NT with 17-18 points as convention dictates - you can end up in trouble.
19-20	1 suit	Next NT bid +1, usually 2NT, can be 3	note: 25 HCP is certain. Game forcing. (19 in Standard Acol).
21-22	2NT		not forcing, partner might have nothing. (20-22 in Standard Acol).
23-24	2(1)	Next NT bid (usually 2)	2, if followed by 2NT is not forcing. Partner might have 0 HCP.
25+	2(1)	Next NT bid + 1 (usually 3)
Add to your customised cribsheet

21a. Balanced hand: Opener's bids. VERSION A: STANDARD ACOL
HCP Points	Opening bid	2nd bid (rebid)	note
12-14	1NT
15-16	1 suit	Next available NT bid, usually 1NT, can be 2	With two 4 card suits, bid if you have them. Also, beware jump rebid to 2NT with 17-18 points as convention dictates - you can end up in trouble. See "Klinger" modification, 21b.
17-18	1 suit	Next NT bid+1, usually 2NT, can be 3	Note the ambiguity. Bearing in mind that 3NT is game forcing, you might want to limit this bid to 2NT, and run the risk that your partner thinks you have 15-16 HCP. See sheet 21c for a better system.
19	1 suit	3NT	note: 25 HCP is certain. The re-bid is game forcing.
20-22	2NT		Not forcing, partner might have <4HCP. Consider modified Acol instead, cribsheet 21b.
23-24	2(1)	Next NT bid (usually 2)	2, if followed by 2NT is not forcing. Partner might have 0 HCP
25+	2(1)	Next NT bid + 1 (usually 3)
Add to your customised cribsheet

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Quiz: Barrier-Reversing

Quiz: Deal # Thursday