REALBRIDGE 

Pass.

Simple arithmetic tells you game values are not held. Partner can have a maximum of 14 points.

The combined point requirements for various contracts need to be remembered. See High Card Point Requirements.

Partner may make 2NT but he may not. Do not make his task more difficult. At Duplicate 1NT making 8 scores exactly the same as 2NT making 8. There is every chance he will end up with 7 tricks.  

3NT.

Simple arithmetic again. Game values are held but not Slam values. See HCP Requirements.

It would be a big mistake to invite game with 2NT as partner may Pass.

IF PARTNER OPENS 1NT YOU AS RESPONDER ARE IN CHARGE. YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT PARTNER's HAND THAN HE DOES ABOUT YOURS.

2NT (shows 11-12 points)

You have a balanced 11 point hand. Partner could have 14. 13 or 12 for his 1NT bid. Combined the partnership could have the magical 25 points generally accepted as the minimum requirement for 3NT Game.

The bid of 2NT is an invitation to bid game i.e. 3NT if he is maximum or near maximum for his bid. If he isn't he should pass.

With experience you might Pass on this hand or bid a conventional 2S which shows precisely 11 points. Users of this convention use a 2NT response to show precisely 12 points..

2C

This is the Stayman convention trying to find a fit. Opener will show any 4+ card major suit. With both he bids 2H. With no 4 card major he bids 2D.

The question is often asked how many points does the 2C bidder need to use the 2C Stayman ask. This hand gives the answer - points are largely irrelevant. South knows that Partner's 1NT has very little chance in view of the weak South hand. South therefore attempts to rescue North by finding any fit. South will pass any response from partner even a 2D bid.

The answer to the question really is that the 2C bidder must be able to accept any answer he is given.

2C Stayman.

South knows partner has 12-14 points for his 1NT bid. With his 14 that makes a minimum of 26 points so game should be achievable.

South could bid 3NT as he is balanced 4432. However, with a heart doubeton he first checks to see if partner has 4S. If not then the final contract will be 3NT.

2S

This is a Weak Take Out. South knows partner will struggle in 1NT because of South's poor hand. The only hope for a positive score is if spades are trumps. South knows partner must have at least 2 spades for his opening bid (balanced NT) but he hopes for more - 3 would give a fit whilst 4 would be a bonus. If the hand is played in anything but spades South's small spades are worthless.

South could use transfers to arrive at the same contract by bidding 2H asking North to bid 2S. In this way the stronger hand becomes declarer and hidden from the opponents. A better option but we will deal with transfer on a future hand.

3NT

Minor suit games are unattractive because you need 11 tricks and about a combined 29 point count (see HCP Requirements). 

South probably has 7 tricks in his hand (one opponent would need 4 of the remaining 6 cards in the suit - North must have 2 of them for his opening bid. North will have no difficulty reaching the South hand) so North only needs another 2 tricks.

There is a chance one or more suits could be weak but that is a chance worth taking. North's 12 - 14 points have got to be somewhere as he has very little in diamonds.

The bidding has given the opponents no clue as to what that weak suit might be. 

4H

Partner has bid 1NT (12-14) you have 14 so at worst you have 26 combined points. Game values. (see HCP Requirements)

Partner's 1NT also guarantees a minimum of 2 cards in hearts so there is a fit (6 + 2 at worst)

You could reach 4H via a transfer i.e. 1NT - 2D - 2H - 4H in which case North would be playing the hand. However, your hand is at least as strong as North's and having West on opening lead, has a lot of appeal, in view of your two black kings and the tenace in hearts.

3S

South with 14 points know that the partnership hold 26+. Partner must have 2 spades to be balanced for his bid, he might have 3 in which case there is a fit.

This jump bid is forcing. South is telling partner we have values for game and I have 5 cards in spades. The choice is 3NT or 4S. 

2H

In an earlier hand (RE 06) we looked at Weak Take Outs after partner opens !NT. Brief mention was made of transfers. In this hand we are recommending the superior transfer system. The 2H bid asks partner to bid 2S. There are several advantages to this approach but for now we will mention just two:-

a) The strong hand becomes declarer.

b) The NT bidder has another chance to speak.

When we look at Opener's rebid we will again look at this hand and see how b) can be a big plus.

2H.

When you have 4+ card support for partner's major support it at once if holding 6+ points. There is a scale of responses depending on your strength:-

6 - 9 - 2H

10 - 12 - 3H

13 - 19 - 4H

As we will see this is a very simplistic scale but it is a start. In future hands we will refine this but it is a good guide. Your response at the correct level will help partner enormously.

If you passed with 6+ points you are possibly missing game. Partner could have 19 points for his bid. (19 + 6 = 25) (See HCP Requirements)

1H.

Show a major suit before showing support for partner's minor.

Being in a minor suit is a last resort, because we need 11 tricks for game. We therefore try to find a major suit fit.

The North hand is OP 11 from the Opener's tab.

1S

Not an easy one. The principles state that with 6+ points you must respond. (Partner could have 19) It doesn't say with less than 6 you must pass.

The danger is partner will repeat his suit and then you have a problem. It is probably worth the chance you might uncover a spade fit.

As we will see when looking at Opener rebids the suit is normally only repeated when holding 6 cards so if Opener repeats his suit he will be left in 2H with 7 trumps..

Pass.

East's overcall will ensure partner will get another chance to bid, so your obligation to bid with 6+ is removed. 

You have no sensible bid to make as 1NT would be dangerous in view of the 1S overcall. With a stronger hand you would bid.

3H

You can support partner's major so no need to show the spade suit. The only question is at what level do you bid. In hand RE 11 we looked at a very basic system of response. There are two tools which can be used to enhance this basic approach.

a) The Losing Trick Count (LTC) This will be looked at later.

b) Adding Points for shortage in side suits - 5 for a void; 3 for a singleton & 1 for a doubleton.

Using b) we see that our 8 point hand has now become 11 points. Looking at our scale of responses our hand is now worth a bid of 3H not 2H. The thinking is that North's losers can be ruffed once the singleton club has been played. North will treat your hand as 10-12 and rebid accordingly.

2S

Normally 4+ cards are required in partner's suit before supporting. However, if just a minimum raise is being made i.e. 2S then 3 cards with a good honour is just about acceptable. The advantage of 2S over the alternative 1NT is that it is more preemptive.Partner should realise you may only have 3 cards in the suit.

A 1NT response, preferred by many, gives partner no idea of your spade holding.

4S

You have 13 you can assume partner has 12+ or compensating values so bidding game is okay.

However, it is not widely accepted for various reasons:-

1. It is a bit of a shut out bid and does not leave much room for slam investigations.

2. The bid of 4S is wanted to show a weak hand with a lot of trumps. This is a shut out bid and is intended to be preemptive.

3. Other methods are available e.g. 2NT Jacoby NT convention (will be looked at later)

4. Several experts prefer a holding bid to see what partner rebids. This is a Delayed Game Raise which I am not a fan of.

2C

When responding your prioroties (in order) are:-

1. Support partner's suit. (3 small cards is not enough)

2. Call a new higher ranking suit at the 1 level. (cannot bid spades with only 3 cards)

3. Bid a new suit at the 2 level

4. Bid 1NT

Here you cannot support partner or bid a new suit at the one level.

To decide whether you are strong enough to bid a new suit at the two level add you points to the number of cards held in the proposed bid suit. If the total come to 14 or more the suit/hand is strong enough. You therefore need 10 points + 4 card suit, 9 points and a 5 card suit or 8 points and a 6 card suit. The Rule of 14.

2C.

In a previous hand (RE 18) we saw the priority list for responding to partner's 1 of a suit i.e. a) support partner's suit b) Bid a new suit at the 1 level c) Bid 2 of a suit if hand qualifies d) bid 1NT. We also saw that we should not respond 2H to opener's 1S if only holding 4 hearts.

If responder's hand meets the Rule of 14 and he has two 4 cards suit he should bid the cheaper one first, no matter how weak the suit is.

1NT (shows 6 - 9 points)

Number 4 in our priority list.

The top 3 cannot be bid i.e.

a) cannot support partner

b) cannot bid a new suit at the one level

c) does not satisfy the Rule of 14 to bid at the two level.

4NT Blackwood see section on Basic Training

or 4NT Roman Key Card Blackwood see section on "More bidding"

or 4C Splinter bid (not Gerber convention) - see "More bidding" section for Splinters

or 2NT (Jacoby 2NT convention see "More bidding" section)

or 6H values are held for a small slam

or 7H values may be held for grand slam. Risky without first seeking more information about partner's hand)

The sky is the limit. Partner has a minimum of 12 you have 19 giving 31 minimum.(see HCP Requirements) Furthermore there are a minimum of 9 trumps between the two hands. If we refer back to adding points for shortage then our singleton club counts for a further 3 points making 34 minimum.

We will revisit this hand when looking at Blackwood, Roman Key Card Blackwood, Jacoby 2NT & Splinters