October 2018 - 48

Newer Players

Bidding Basics
BY LARRY COHEN

larryco.com

Opener's rebid after 1♣-1♥
This month, we examine opener's
rebid after this start:
Opener
1♣
?

Responder
1♥

Opener can't pass because the 1♥ response is unlimited. Responder could
have up to (about) 17 points! (But see
below for the case when responder is a
passed hand.)
With his second bid, opener tries to
show two things: strength (minimum,
medium, maximum) and shape (balanced, one-suited, multi-suited).
Here is a run-through of what
opener's rebids mean:
1♠: Four spades and up to about
17 or 18 HCP, counting useful distribution. Opener can be balanced or
unbalanced. He could be 4=3=3=3 or
4=2=0=7! Opener shouldn't suppress a
four-card spade suit here, because the
responder could easily be 4-4 in the
majors. (Responder would bid 1♥ with
something like:
♠Q 10 3 2 ♥K J 3 2 ♦Q 3 2 ♣3 2.
If opener bypasses spades and rebids
1NT, a 4-4 spade fit is missed.) However, some judgment is allowed. With a
really flat, notrump-looking hand such
as:
♠J 5 4 2 ♥Q 5 4 ♦K Q 9 ♣K Q 10,
it is OK to ignore the spades and rebid
1NT. And with exactly 18-19 balanced,
don't mention a four-card spade suit;
bid 2NT as explained below.
1NT: Any balanced 12-14 HCP hand,

48 Bridge Bulletin October 2018

usually no four-card major. Stoppers
are not promised. Examples:
♠Q 4 2 ♥5 4 ♦K J 2 ♣A Q 5 4 2
♠10 6 5 ♥A 3 2 ♦K Q J ♣K 9 7 6.
Again, opener could occasionally
suppress/bypass a poor four-card
spade suit with a notrump-looking
hand.
2♣: Six or more clubs and a minimum hand (roughly 11-15 counting
useful distribution). No four-card
major. Rebid 2♣ with:
♠K 9 6 ♥4 ♦Q 8 5 ♣A Q J 7 5 2
or
♠A J 2 ♥K 3 ♦Q 3 ♣K 10 9 7 6 5.
Do not make the common error of
repeating a five-card club suit.
2♦: A reverse. This is a tough topic
for newer players, but there is no way
to avoid the subject. You can't say,
"I don't play reverses." There will
be many of them in this series - not
because I like writing about them, but
because they just come up.
When, after a one-level response,
opener next bids two of a suit higherranking than the suit he opened, he
has reversed. That previous sentence
needs to be studied intensely! And then
studied 10 more times. A reverse is a
natural bid, so in the auction 1♣-1♥;
2♦, it shows at least four diamonds. It
also promises five or more clubs (the
suit opened) and an unbalanced hand.
With a balanced hand, the opening or
rebid would be in notrump. A reverse is
forcing one round (but not to game). It

shows approximately 17-plus, counting useful distribution. Examples for
1♣-1♥; 2♦:
♠A 3 2 ♥- ♦A Q J 2 ♣A Q 10 7 6 4
♠2 ♥A 3 2 ♦A K J 2 ♣A Q J 7 6.
2♥: Typically four-card support (occasionally three) with minimum opening values (up to about 15, counting
useful distribution). Raise on 3 only if
all other rebids feel horrible. Example
of a three-card raise:
♠5 ♥K Q 10 ♦A K 3 2 ♣J 7 6 5 4.
The alternatives of either 2♣ or 2♦
are less appealing. Opener will normally expect four-card support, a hand
such as:
♠K 4 ♥K J 7 6 ♦A 3 2 ♣Q 10 3 2
or
♠K Q 5 4 ♥K J 7 6 ♦3 ♣K 8 6 5.
2♠: A jump shift. When opener
skips a level (he could have said 1♠)
and changes suit, it is a natural, gameforcing bid. It is the 800-pound gorilla
of rebids. It denies a balanced hand because opener didn't mention notrump
at any point. Here, the 2♠ bidder
would typically have four spades and
longer clubs, something like:
♠A Q 8 6 ♥K 2 ♦3 2 ♣A K Q J 5
or
♠K Q J 5 ♥A K J ♦2 ♣A J 10 8 7.
2NT: 18-19 balanced. 2NT says
nothing about stoppers and could have
four spades. Don't make this bid with
four-card heart support. This rebid
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2018
