August 2018 - 49

Newer Players

Bidding Basics
BY LARRY COHEN

larryco.com

Responding by a passed hand
This is the final article in the series
on responding. This month, we look at
a special responding situation, namely,
the one where the responder has
already passed. For example, say the
auction has been something like:
West
Pass
?
or

North
Pass

East
1♥

South
Pass

West
Pass
Pass

North
Pass
?

East
Pass

South
1♠

Don't get worried - there is nothing
earth-shattering here, but let's state
some of the obvious things. The person
responding already failed to open the
bidding. We call this a PH for "passed
hand." So in these cases, responder will
be limited to at most 12 HCP (and most
hands with 12 HCP would have opened
the bidding), so usually 11 HCP.
Accordingly, no responses (unless
artificial - see below) are forcing.
Opener can (and often will) pass the
response.
Because responder wouldn't bid at
all with 0-5 HCP, the range for all oneof-a-suit responses by a passed hand
is 6 to a bad 12. A two-level response
would be 10 to a bad 12.

Each responding bid below, therefore, means what it would mean by an
UPH (unpassed hand), but the range is
different.
West
Pass
1♥

North
Pass

East
1♦

South
Pass

shows at least four hearts and 6 to 12
HCP.
West
Pass
1♠

North
Pass

East
1♣

South
Pass

shows at least four spades and 6 to 12
HCP.
West
Pass
2♦

North
Pass

East
1♠

South
Pass

shows at least five diamonds and 10 to
12 HCP. With only 9 points, the response would be 1NT.
Note that 2/1 game forcing is not
used by a passed hand. This is logical,
because the responder has already
passed and can't have enough for a
game force.
A response of 1NT by a passed hand
shows 6-10 HCP. A response of 2NT
would be unlikely, but to keep things
simple, just assume it shows 11-12
balanced (with no four-card major
that could have been shown on the one
level).

Jumps in a new suit
Some players erroneously think they
can jump as a passed hand to show a
maximum non-opener. They want to
jump from 1♣ to 2♥ with:
♠A 2 ♥A J 9 8 7 ♦Q 3 2 ♣6 5 4
to say, "Partner, I am at the top of my
range." No. This is not what a jump
shows. For now, I recommend you
don't jump in a new suit as a passed
hand. (Down the road, you might wish
to discuss with your partner what it
would mean - possibly "fit-showing"
promising at least five cards in the
jump suit and at least four in opener's
suit.)
Raises
Raises mean what they would have
meant by an UPH. Raising partner's
one-level suit opening to the two level
shows 6-10 HCP. Raising to the three
level is invitational (11-12 HCP), but ...
Drury
This series is meant to KISS (keep it
simple, stupid), but I will mention that
Drury (an artificial 2♣ response to 1♥
or 1♠) is a popular convention used
by a passed hand. If I went into more
detail, I'd be doing a disservice. It is
the world's most forgotten convention,
especially by newer players. Unless you
want to have lots of accidents, I suggest
doing without this for now. If you are
adventurous, you can do a web search
from a reliable source and have some
fun.
See next page for quiz and answers
August 2018 Bridge Bulletin

49
http://www.larryco.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2018
