August 2016 - 47

Newer Players

Startup Bridge
BY LYNN BERG

lberg@cfl.rr.com

Minimum, medium, maximum
It's pretty easy to decide whether or
not to open the bidding or to respond
if partner opens. But bridge requires
us to plan what we're going to do
next. Think of a traffic light: With a
minimum, plan to stop as soon as you
can; with a medium hand, invite and
partner will proceed with caution; with
a maximum, plan to go to game.
With balanced hands, we usually
rebid notrump when we don't open in
notrump.
If you have a balanced hand, for
one-level openings, it's minimum with
12-14 points, medium with 15-17 and
maximum with 18-19.

❶ ♠K J 6

♥A 3 ♦J 10 9 7 4 ♣A 9 7

Open 1♦, planning to rebid 1NT if
partner responds in a major.

❷ ♠K J 6

♥A 3 ♦Q 10 9 7 4 ♣A J 9

Open 1NT - it's a better description
of your shape and points than 1♦.
Those two extra high-card points put
this hand into the 15-17 range.

❸ ♠K J 6

♥A 3 ♦A Q J 9 7 ♣A 9 7

Open 1♦, planning to jump to 2NT
when partner responds with a major.
With 20-21 points, open 2NT.
More than that? Open 2♣ and rebid
in notrump. If you get the very rare
balanced hand with 25 or more points
(I had one once - in 1967), open 3NT
or open 2♣ and rebid notrump with a
jump.
It is easier to define your strength
quickly when you don't have a fourcard major. When you have one, trying

to find out if you have an eight-card
major-suit fit has a higher priority than
bidding notrump.
♠K J 6 5 ♥A 3 ♦J 10 9 7 ♣A J 9
You open 1♦. If partner bids 1♥, bid
1♠ next: She hasn't denied holding
four spades, so that 4-4 fit is still possible and worth taking time to inquire
about. Why? Because the same cards
will often take more tricks in the major-suit fit than they will in notrump.
♠A 3 ♥K J 6 5 ♦J 10 9 7 ♣A J 9
Note the difference when you open
this hand 1♦ and partner responds
1♠. She has bypassed hearts on the
bidding ladder, so there's little point in
your mentioning them. (Either partner
doesn't have four hearts or is planning
to bid them next, having started with
spades because she has five.) Now you
rebid 1NT to show your minimum balanced hand. Partner will know that you
have either two or three spades, but not
fewer or more - handy information.
Unbalanced hands
When you open in a suit with an
unbalanced hand, it's still a good idea
to identify whether your hand is minimum, medium or maximum - information you'll need for your rebid considerations.

❶ ♠K J 9 6 3
❷ ♠K J 9 6 3
❸ ♠K Q J 9 6

♥A ♦J 9 7 4 ♣A 9 7
♥A ♦A J 7 4 ♣A 9 7
♥A ♦A J 7 4 ♣A 9 7

In all three cases, you open 1♠ and
partner raises to 2♠ (a single raise).

Partner has put a top limit of 9 or a bad
10 on his hand.
In the first case, there's no point in
continuing on; we don't have the points
for game even if partner is at the top of
his bid: stop.
With the second hand, we might
have enough for game, so I'll proceed
with caution, bidding 3♦ or 3♠ to let
partner know I'm interested in bidding
game. Partner should count his points
and bid accordingly.
But with the third hand, it would be
wrong for me not to bid 4♠. Bridge
auctions are intended to find out where
we should play the hand and how high
we should go. This time, "where" is
spades, as partner's raise tells me we
have an eight-card fit, and "how high"
is game: I have enough points to want
to be in game even if partner has a
minimum. I must not give partner the
opportunity to pass; I should bid 4♠
immediately.
Even when your hand is as restricted
in points as a 1NT opener, you might
still have to think of that traffic light.
When your partner raises 1NT to 2NT,
he's asking you to make a quantitative decision: Is the hand a minimum,
maximum, or that in-between that
takes a bit of consideration? With 15
HCP, I'll pass; with 17, I'll bid the game.
With 16, I'll look at the other assets of
the hand - a five-card suit, two fourcard suits, lots of 10s and 9s - look for
a reason to bid the game rather than an
excuse to pass when partner invites. ◾
August 2016 Bridge Bulletin

47
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2016
