Test your knowledge
After 1NT, Getting out of trouble
- Question 1
(of 7 on this page)
Everyone is vulnerable. Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles.You have this 1-HCP 10-loser hand
10 6 5 2
8 7 6 2
J 8 7 6
9
What does the double mean ?1. double for take out
2. penalty
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- Answer 1
(of 7 on this page)
Everyone is vulnerable. Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles.You have this 1-HCP 10-loser hand
( 2 ). penalty 10 6 5 2 8 7 6 2 J 8 7 6 9
What does the double mean ?
Doubling 1NT is always for penalties. RHO has 16 points or more, and is sitting on top of your partner's points. You have only 13-15 HCP between you and a singleton in Clubs. This is a disaster - you could easily go down 3 or 4 tricks, doubled. Are you vulnerable too?
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- Question 2
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles.You have this 1-HCP 10-loser hand
10 6 5 2 8 7 6 2 J 8 7 6 9
What should you bid ?1. pass
2. 2 clubs
3. 2 diamonds
4. 2 hearts
5. 2 spades
6. 2 NT
7. redoubled
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- Answer 2
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles.You have this 1-HCP 10-loser hand
( 3 ). 2 diamonds 10 6 5 2 8 7 6 2 J 8 7 6 9
What should you bid ?
Having no 5-card suit you cannot "take-out" the double. But anyway, you don't use that system, you use the wriggle system! So bid a suit, Diamonds in this case, being the lowest of your (minimum of ) two 4-card suits, to tell your partner to start going through his 3-plus-card suits, starting with the lowest denomination. You're trying to find a 7-card fit for your team, to get out of the disatrous vulnerable 1NT doubled and your singleton in Clubs with the enemy holding 25 to 27 points!
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- Question 3
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles.You have this 1-HCP 10-loser hand
10 6 5 2 8 7 6 2 J 8 7 6 9
You bid 2 diamonds, and your partner replies with 2 Heart. What should you bid ?1. pass
2. 2 clubs
3. 2 diamonds
4. 2 hearts
5. 2 spades
6. 2 NT
7. redoubled
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- Answer 3
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles.You have this 1-HCP 10-loser hand
( 1 ). pass 10 6 5 2 8 7 6 2 J 8 7 6 9
You bid 2 diamonds, and your partner replies with 2 Heart. What should you bid ?
Your partner has told you he only has 2 diamonds, but promised you at least 3 Hearts. So you have a 7-card fit. Who knows . . it could even be an 8-card fit if he has 4 of them.
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- Question 4
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles. You have this 2-HCP 10-loser hand
J 10 6 5 2 9 8 7 6 J 8 7 6
You re-double, and your partner replies with 2 Clubs. What should you bid ?1. pass
2. 2 clubs
3. 2 diamonds
4. 2 hearts
5. 2 spades
6. 2 NT
7. redoubled
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- Answer 4
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner is dealer and opens 1NT. Your RHO doubles. You have this 2-HCP 10-loser hand
( 5 ). 2 spades J 10 6 5 2 9 8 7 6 J 8 7 6
You re-double, and your partner replies with 2 Clubs. What should you bid ?
Your re-double tells your partner that you have a 5-card suit. He will automatically bid Clubs, which you would pass if that's actually your 5-card suit. In this case it isn't, so you rebid 2 Spades, and your partner will pass. You've found your 7-carfd fit, since of course your partner has no less than 2 Spades (remember, he opened 1NT promising a balanced hand!)
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- Question 5
(of 7 on this page)
You are East in the deal to the right. Partner West opens the bidding with 1NT. Your RHO, North, doubles for penalties.
Assuming that E and W use Stayman and Transfers, whatever should you (East) do with just 1 point ?1. pass
2. 2 clubs
3. 2 diamonds
4. 2 hearts
5. 2 spades
6. 2 NT
7. redoubled
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- Answer 5
(of 7 on this page)
You are East in the deal to the right. Partner West opens the bidding with 1NT. Your RHO, North, doubles for penalties.
( 4 ). 2 hearts
Assuming that E and W use Stayman and Transfers, whatever should you (East) do with just 1 point ?
Ha ha! Stayman and Transfers are cancelled after an intervening bid (it's good that you checked beforehand that your partner does this too). Bid a" re-double" to tell your partner that you have a 5-card suit. It's also good that you agreed with partner not to use the good old-fashioned weakness takeout in your 5-card suit, 2 Hearts. Partner, being awake, will bid 2 Clubs - or die later. You of course will then rebid Hearts, since Clubs is NOT your 5-card suit. Even if you go down, it will probably only be 2-down, and quite possibly not doubled. And you deprived the enemy of a certain game in 4 Spades
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- Question 6
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner opened the bidding with a weak 1NT (12-14 points), and your RHO enemy immediately doubled for penalty, promising 15-18 points, or 15 with a good suit to lead. You have this 8-HCP 8-loser hand
K 6 5 2 J 8 7 6 2 A 7 6 9
What should you bid?1. pass
2. 2 clubs
3. 2 diamonds
4. 2 hearts
5. 2 spades
6. 2 NT
7. redoubled
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- Answer 6
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner opened the bidding with a weak 1NT (12-14 points), and your RHO enemy immediately doubled for penalty, promising 15-18 points, or 15 with a good suit to lead. You have this 8-HCP 8-loser hand
( 1 ). pass K 6 5 2 J 8 7 6 2 A 7 6 9
What should you bid?
Well, with 20 combined points as a minimum, and a 5-card suit you might be quite happy with staying in 1NT doubled, as it might not go down.
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- Question 7
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner opened the bidding with a weak 1NT (12-14 points), and your RHO enemy immediately doubled for penalty, promising 15-18 points, or 15 with a good suit to lead. With your 8 point hand, you passed. You have this 8-HCP 8-loser hand
K 6 5 2 J 8 7 6 2 A 7 6 9
What do you expect your partner to bid?1. pass
2. 2 clubs
3. 2 diamonds
4. 2 hearts
5. 2 spades
6. 2 NT
7. redoubled
8. pass or redoubled
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- Answer 7
(of 7 on this page)
Your partner opened the bidding with a weak 1NT (12-14 points), and your RHO enemy immediately doubled for penalty, promising 15-18 points, or 15 with a good suit to lead. With your 8 point hand, you passed. You have this 8-HCP 8-loser hand
( 8 ). pass or redoubled K 6 5 2 J 8 7 6 2 A 7 6 9
What do you expect your partner to bid?
If he has top end of his range, 14 points, he might re-double, on the basis that (a) on average you have 5 of the missing 10 points, and (b) that the bonus for winning the redoubled contract (760) is much higher than the penalty for going down one (200) or even two (500).
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| West | |
|---|---|
 | A 9 |
 | K Q 9 |
 | K 5 2 |
 | J 8 7 6 3 |
| North | |
|---|---|
| K Q J 3 |
| 10 |
| A Q 9 4 |
| A 10 5 2 |
| East | |
|---|---|
| 10 6 5 2 |
| J 8 7 6 2 |
| 8 7 6 |
| 9 |
| South | |
|---|---|
| 8 7 4 |
| A 5 4 3 |
| J 10 3 |
| K Q 4 |
Other Deals that illustrate this technique