The West Side Bridge Club
This lesson received
a lot of positive feedback from our class recently and a lot of you requested
we pass it on.
So.................here it
is:
PASSED HAND
BIDDING
Following are a set of responses
for the partner of the third and fourth seat opening bidder. They are
divided into responses to 1 of a major and to 1 of a minor. Remember-if
you are a passed hand almost nothing you bid is forcing!!!
After 1 of a
Major:
a. 1 Spade after 1 Heart:
Natural, non-forcing, should show a five card suit but could be 4 W/2 top
honors
b. 1NT: Natural, semi-forcing
only if opening bidder has opened an unbalanced hand. Implies 3 or less in
opener's suit, except for 4-3-3-3 hands with no ruffing power.
c. 2 Hearts: (after
a 1 Spade opening bid) Natural, non-forcing, shows decent 5 card suit and
9-11 HCP, guarantees fewer than 3 Spades.
d. Single Raise: 6-9
support points.
e. 3 of Opener's suit:
spectacular limit raise with a singleton somewhere. Opener can bid 3S over
the 3H response or 3NT over a 3S response to ask where singleton is.
Responses
are:
1.
3NT over 3S asking bid (agreed suit is hearts) = Spade singleton
2.
4C = Club singleton in all cases
3.
4D = Diamond singleton in all cases
4.
If opener's suit was Spades and 3NT was limit raise, just bid your singleton
f. Playing the 2NT response
to show a balanced near opener will get you a lot of minus scores! You
can always bid 1NT and then bid 2NT if partner bids again to confirm a real
opening bid.
g. Bids higher than
a limit raise: new suits or 3NT are NOT recommended under any
circumstances!!! A raise to game should be pre-emptive.
After 1 of
a Minor:
a. Bids at the 1 level: Natural,
non-forcing - should be a 5 card suit
b. 1NT: denies
a 4 card major, 7-10+ HCP. Opener is passing with less than 15, so don't be
concerned about the point range.
c. 2NT: a
balanced hand with 11-12 HCP. Avoid the jump to 2NT if you can find any attractive
alternative!!!
d. 2Clubs: Inverted
over 1C (10-12 and no 4 card major) Natural over 1 diamond, showing 9-12 and
a good suit. Alertable.
e. 2 Diamonds over 1
Diamond: Inverted, as above. Alertable.
f. 3 of opener's minor:
less than a limit raise and 5+ card support of clubs. If partner opened 1D,
shows 5 card support and pre-emptive values.
g. Jump Shift: Fit Showing
and semi-forcing. Similar to the major suit structure, showing a good 5 card
suit plus good support for opener's suit and a hand that was close to an opening
bid (looking for 3NT)
h. Bids higher than
a limit raise: new suits show shortness and lots of support. They are "splinters".
What they definitely DO NOT show is some "in between" preempt that you chose
to pass in first or second seat.
Later developments
in the auction:
a. Opener takes another
call: This strongly suggests a full opening bid. Not guaranteed because opener
should not pass with a misfit.
b. The fourth suit bid:
By responder: This is absolutely natural and non-forcing. If
you have passed in first or second seat, you surrender your rights to make
partner keep on bidding. Any fourth suit bid by responder is simply
an attempt to find a better contract. If opener bids the
fourth suit: This IS ARTIFICIAL and a one round force. It
is most likely a try for 3NT, but could be showing support for the third suit
bid. This will be clarified by partner's next bid. For example,
holding: AJx, void, Qxxx, AKJxxx, opening bid would be 1C, rebid 2C over partner's
1H bid, or bid 2S over partner's diamond bid (forcing, looking for NT)
Conclusion:
All of this structure assumes you are not afraid to open the bidding
in 1st or 2nd seat. If you wait for a perfect hand to open a weak
2 bid and don't like to open 1 of a suit without absolutely full values, you
will find it very difficult to adopt this set of bidding agreements in 3rd
and 4th seat. The negative inferences available to aggressive opening
bidders when they DO NOT open gives the partnership a huge advantage thereafter.
Loosen up your standards so you can enjoy the benefits of an organized
approach to passed hand bidding!
Stolen from Larry Rock's book:
Rock Solid