June 2019 - 50

Newer Players

Ask Jerry
BY JERRY HELMS

Hi Jerry,
In the April Bridge Bulletin, in
the review of Adam Parrish's book,
"When To Bid Notrump (And How
to Play It)," he states that bidding
1NT is better than opening a fivecard major when you are in notrump
range. As a Bronze Life Master, I
have played with partners of each
belief. One Gold Life Master of over
40 years opens a five-card major
whenever she has one because she
has lost too many games where 3NT
was beaten by a major-suit game
when there was a 5-3 fit. Can you
discuss your pros and cons on the
subject?
D.A.D.
Hi D.A.D.
I have yet to read the book, but I'm
sure I will, because I tend to agree with
what I saw in the review. There is a big
difference between when you could
open 1NT, as opposed to when you
should open 1NT. I don't know whether
my theories align perfectly with those
of Adam Parrish, but I will take a shot
at giving you my views on less-thanclassic 1NT opening bids. Perhaps my
guiding principle is this advice offered
by Alvin Roth: "Always plan a second
bid before you choose a first."
♠Q J ♥K Q J 4 3 ♦K 6 4 ♣A 7 3
I would always open 1NT. A good rule
of thumb is often to assume responder
will reply in your shortest suit. What
would your plan be after opening 1♥,
and receiving a 1♠ reply? A rebid of

50 Bridge Bulletin June 2019

askjerry@jerryhelms.com

jerryhelms.com

1NT ... showing 12-14 on your 16? Or
2NT ... showing 18-19 on your 16? A redundant 2♥ bid ... showing six hearts
and minimum values? Just open 1NT
and get over it!
♠Q J ♥K Q J 4 3 ♦K 4 ♣A 7 6 3
Exactly 16 HCP as before, but why
distort what you hold by opening 1NT?
Open 1♥, planning to bid your club
suit over virtually anything partner
says. If responder bids 1♠, and you
bid 2♣, this does not show 16 HCP,
but most importantly, it does not deny
those values. 2♣ here is not forcing,
but shows values somewhere between
a bad 12 up to 18 HCP.
If you hold a five-card major with
specifically one doubleton and two
three-card suits, along with 15 or 16
HCP, open 1NT. With 17 HCP, use
some judgment. If you think it's a good
17, treat it like 18, planning to open at
the one level and jump in notrump. In
general, if you hold a five-card major
and another four-card suit, do not open
1NT. However, with:
♠J 5 ♥A Q 8 5 ♦K Q J 4 3 ♣K 4,
I would open 1NT in anticipation of a
probable 1♠ reply from partner over a
1♦ opening. This hand does not quite
qualify as a reverse. It is also time to
debunk a myth that a 1NT opening bid
does not have two doubletons! But with:
♠A Q 8 5 ♥J 5 ♦K Q J 4 3 ♣K 4,
you could open 1NT, but why? If you
open 1♦ and hear a 1♥ response, you
have an easy rebid of 1♠.
The ACBL officially sanctioned

notrump opening bids with a singleton, provided it is either an ace, king or
queen. Many experienced players have
been doing this long before explicit
permission had been provided.
Holding:
♠K ♥K Q 3 ♦K Q 6 3 ♣Q J 8 7 2,
you could open 1♣, or even 1♦, but my
choice would be 1NT showing my "balanced" 15-17. Surely the singleton ♠K
rates to be as useful for play in a spade
contract, if that happens, as two low
spades would have been.
However, holding:
♠K Q 3 2 ♥K ♦K Q 6 3 ♣Q J 8 7,
you could open 1NT, but again, why?
Open 1♦ and prepare to rebid 1♠ over
the anticipated heart response.
♠Q 6 ♥A Q ♦J 8 6 5 4 2 ♣A K 5
You might open 1♦, but what rebid
would you plan to reveal your mediumstrength hand? 2♦, an underbid ... 3♦,
unthinkable. Just open 1NT. However,
holding:
♠Q 6 ♥J 6 ♦A Q 8 5 4 2 ♣A K 5,
you could open 1NT, but it is perfectly
reasonable to open 1♦ planning to
rebid 3♦.
To address your partner's fears,
compare opening 1NT with a five-card
major to probabilities in card play.
There are card combinations that in
a vacuum yield 75% results. Unfortunately, this translates into being wrong
250 times out of 1000. You might miss
an occasional better fit with an alternative action, but just go with the odds
for the long term.
◾
http://www.jerryhelms.com
June 2019

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