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— 1 
AuctionsThese rules also apply when second seat overcalls and responder passes:
Opener's Rebid After 1 1NT 16-19 HCP. 2NT 20-21 HCP or compensating playing values. Suit bids Natural and nonforcing. Suit jumps Forcing. Natural with one exception: forces responder to bid 2
1 1 2 
(or a reasonable six-card minor); then 2NT forces game. (Opener's continuations other than 2NT shows hearts.)
The natural jump auctions are forcing to one level higher in the jump suit. Follow Standard American 2
1 1 ?
Rebid 1 . The Standard American problem of whether to open
1 or 1NT has gone away.
1 1 ?
An eight-trick hand should be a 2NT rebid. Partner will reach game with 5 or 6 HCP. The ugly is partner transfers to spades and passes.
A 20 notrump point hand is a candidate for a 2NT rebid.
Bid 1 . If partner bids anything except 2 , drive to game.
1 is any hand less than a game force.
Bid 2NT. 2 will result in a 2 partscore, whereas 2NT
will find notrump and major suit games. Try to limit 2 and 2
to 16-19 HCP.
1 1 Pass 3 ?
When partner passes the overcall, he shows less than 7 HCP.
In principle, it could be a disaster to bid. Actually, it is
relatively safe as the opponents do not know that 4 is a save
against their partscore. They do not know you have only 16 HCP!
1 1 Pass Pass ?
Bid 1NT. This returns the auction to exactly what happens at the other tables.
1 1 Pass Pass ?
Again you could bid 1NT. I think double is a better.
1 Pass 1 1 ?
Double is allowed.
1 Pass 1 1 ?
Pass or bid 1NT.
Non-jump auctions starting 1 -1 are nonforcing. If opener
bids a suit, then a suit by responder at the two-level shows six
cards (or a strong five-card suit.) Responder can bid 1 over
1 with four spades. Responder bids of suit or notrump suggests
3-6 HCP.
Raises of Opener after 1 Raise 3-6 suit points. Jump shift 7-8 (9) suit points and a singleton of void in the bid suit - a mini-splinter. Jump raise 7-8 suit points.
1 1 1 ?
Bid 2 . Because partner probably has a short suit (no doubt hearts), 2 over 2 may not work.
1 1 2 ?
Start showing suits (spades first). We may end in a spade 5-1 fit. Life would be simpler if partner had rebid 1NT.
1 1 1 ?
The suit count rules say this is 4 suit points at spades, and
you raise to 2 . If you use a better count scheme from Appendix
1, this is less than 3 suit points. Pass is okay.
1 1 1 ?
Another hand with 3 suit points. Both the appendix and I like this hand. Raise.
1 1 1 ?
Seven suit points at hearts. Jump to 2 . Opponents are not
interested in the hand, so it is alright to expose their spade
fit.
1 1 1 ?
Jump raise. This is the only way to get seven or more suit points without a singleton or void.
1 Pass 1 2 Pass Pass Dbl 3 Pass Pass Dbl 4 Pass Pass ?
You have doubled twice for takeout, and you may double once more for takeout. Do you want to?
1 Pass 1 1 Pass Pass 1 Pass Pass 2 Dbl 3 Dbl Pass ?
Your double was takeout and partner's was business. If opener held:
and wanted responder to choose a minor he would bid 3NT = Do the Right Thing.
1 Pass 1 2 Dbl 3 Pass Pass Dbl
The Standard American rule is doubles are takeout doubles
until you bid notrump or partner bids. If 1 and 1 are not
considered bids, then we have used the Standard American rule
here.
— 1 Auctions
Most of these auctions are forcing to 2NT. Opener's rebid in
these 7-8 point auctions (1 - Pass - 1 or 1 - Overcall — Double) are:
Opener's Rebid After 1 1NT 16-17 notrump points. Nonforcing.
- Responder may pass, or
- Responder may use Stayman or Jacoby and pass the response.
2NT 18-up or compensating values. Game force. Suit bids Natural and most are forcing to 2NT. The exception is 1 Jumps Natural, a strong suit, and suggest slam.
Opener forces to game with a new suit at the three-level. Rebids of opener's suit or raises of responder's suit to the three-level are nonforcing.
Doubles of overcalls after the semi-positive point response are penalty. Pass of an overcall functions as a takeout double. The opponents may not play the hand below 2NT undoubled.
1 1 1NT 2 2 Pass
Illustrating stopping below 2NT. Only responder is allowed to drop below 2NT.
1 1 1NT 2 2 Pass
Transfers are used even though you will play the heart
contract. Opener, with a strong hand at hearts, jumps to 3 .
1 1 1 2 Pass 1 1 2 3 Pass
Opener's 1 (or 2 in the second auction) shows a minimum
of 18 suit points at spades (hearts). Because you subtract for
only three trumps, and for 4-3-3-3, this is only 5 suit points. The
two-hand minimum is less than 25. Avoid the faulty arithmetic of
18 suit points plus 7 HCP equals the 25 points needed for game.
1 1 1 3 1 1 2 4
With 7 suit points, jump raise partner's major.
1 Pass 1 2 Pass Pass ?
Bid 2 . Partner's pass is a takeout double.
1 Pass 1 2 Pass Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass ?
Bid 3 . Partner has exactly four spades. Because he bid
2 , his point count is still unlimited.
1 Pass 1 2 Pass Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass ?
Pass. If partner wanted to force, he had to bid 3
immediately.
1 1 1 2 ?
Rebid 2NT. Partner does not have three spades. Don't add a point for the fifth spade.
1 1 1 2 ?
Jump to 3NT. Taking zero for the fifth spade you still have 18 notrump points.
1 1 1 2 ?
Rebid 3 . This creates a game force.
1 1 2 2 ?
Force with 3 . It would be nice if partner shows two-card
heart support or rebids a five-card spade suit. His instructions
are to do what seems natural, and he may rebid 3NT with diamond
stoppers because he did not visualize our problem.
1 1 2 2 ?
Choose between 3 and 3 . These bids are nonforcing.
Though the spade bid shows only four spades, the raise is allowed
with three spades.
— 1 Auctions
1 — 1 auctions are forcing to game. The one exception:
Opponents compete. Their suit is not stopped. Then, the auction
may stop at 4 or 4 . Opponents may not play the hand
undoubled.
1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 2 Pass Pass 3 3 Pass Pass ?
Partner, LHO, and I are testing (teasing) you. Double or bid
4 or bid 4 . I cannot recall stopping at 4 or 4 after a
1 response.
1 1 1NT 2 2 3NT, 4 1 1 2 2 3 4
Opener's rebid sets the style of the auction. A 1NT rebid
requests a minimum information auction. Responder checks for a
major suit fit (Stayman or Jacoby) and then jumps to game. If the
rebid was 3NT over 2 in the Stayman sequence, then responder has
four spades.
A suit bid requests a descriptive auction. The style is that of the two-over-one game force system, except that responder bids at the lowest-level first (rather than the longest suit first) to conserve bidding space. Neither opener or responder can turn off beauty with a shut-out bid.
1 1 2 ?
The full disclosure principle requires a 3 bid. Failure to
bid 3 will miss a club slam about one time in ten. Because you
did not bid 2 over 1 partner knows that the quality of the
club suit is limited. (2NT was bid and a 6 slam was missed.)
The 1NT response shows 13-16, maybe more, and denies a five-card suit. Opener's suit bids are natural (five cards or longer).
A 2NT rebid denies a five-card suit. After a 2NT rebid, suits are
then bid up-the-line. Keep up-the-line going after partner shows
two suits - he may be have a 4-4-4-1 pattern. The 2NT response to
1 shows 17 or more HCP and is forcing to slam. Opener's rebids
are the same — a suit bid shows five or more cards and 3NT shows
a balanced hand.
Opener's hand is:
1 1NT 2NT 3 ?
Bid 3 . You denied a five-card suit by bidding 2NT. Then you
and your partner bid suits up-the-line.
Through logic you know responder's continuations over 3
mean:
= four spades and four diamonds.
= four hearts and 13-14 points.
, and 4 = cue-bid in support of hearts and 15-16 HCP (or any hand with 17 or more points).
Two 18 HCP hands for opener:
1 1NT 2NT 3 3 3 4 4 ?
The up-the-line auction starting with clubs finds minor-suit fits first. The scoring system, being what it is, you continue with the search to check the majors and to determine that at least one partner has at least two four-card suits. Then, with an extra two points, you announce the club fit. If the fit was spades and you had two extra points, you would cue in diamonds or hearts. Partner cues in diamonds.
What now? The guaranteed total is 31 points. With only 31, partner must have the right 13. With 32 or 33 points, and at least one partner being 4-4-3-2, a club slam is better than a notrump slam. However, at matchpoints with 33 HCP, over half the field will bid 6NT.
Bid 4 and pass partner at 4NT. You both have had a chance
at Blackwood, and so 4NT is to play. If partner wants to play
slam, he must choose a slam (or bid at the five-level).
Assume that 6NT is a 40% contract, 6 is 60%, and both
contracts go down the same number of tricks when the slam fails.
The 3NT - 6 Field Plays You Play Your MatchPoints 6NT 3NT
660%
40%6 3NT
6NT40%
60%3NT 6
6NT60%
40%
In a team game (IMPs), 6 wins an average of over 2 imps per
deal over opponents who play either 3NT or 6NT.
The points are
Both opener and responder can have 4-4-4-1 patterns.
1. Complete the up-the-line auction in case partner has three four-card suits.
2. A splinter may be used to show this pattern. DONT. A splinter leads to insoluble problems. I give opener a 4=4=1=4 pattern:
1 1NT 2NT 3 ?
If you splinter how can partner stop at 4NT?
Now responder gets a 4=4=1=4 pattern:
1 1NT 2NT 3 3 3 3 ?
Bid 4 to show 13-14 HCP and 4=4=1=4 distribution. 4 would
show 4=4=1=4 and 15-up, or 17 or more points.
If 1 is overcalled by a bid of 1 or higher, the overcall
and responder's bid kicks you into one of the three types of step
auctions.
1 1 2 Pass ?
Responder shows 9 points and creates a game force with his two-level bid. With an awkward hand, opener has to deviate from the
rules. Bid 2 .
The two-level response normally shows a five-card or longer
suit. 2 or 2 may be the response with a 4-4-4-1 pattern and 13
or more HCP.
Opener's suit bids are natural and show five-card or longer suits. Notrump is natural. The immediate raise almost forces slam if responder has 13 HCP for the two-level bid.
1 2 ?
With balanced hands, opener either rebids 2NT or raises
partner. With a modest 17 or 17 and three-card support, consider
2NT. I would bid 2NT over 2 , 2 , and 2 .
1 2 ?
The natural rebid is 2 and the auction would follow a two-over-one game force pattern. Better is to raise clubs
immediately. Best is to splinter to 3 .
1 2 3 4 4NT 5 7
The double splinter auction is the route to the 26 HCP grand slam.
1 2 3 ? 1 2 3 ?
In either of these auctions, you may have a playable 4-4
major fit. Therefore responders second bid should be real rather
than a cue-bid or a splinter. Bid 3 rather than splintering to 4 .
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