October 2022 - 62

Advanced Players
Mike's Advice
Opening bid problems with follow-up bids
M
ost players, when asked
what they would open with
any given hand, have no
problem coming up with a bid.
Here are a few examples. One of
them reflects a treatment you don't
want to be guilty of. You're the dealer
with no one vulnerable.
A 7 k3 lA Q 7 6 4 'A K 6 5 4
Open 1l, not 1'. If you bid 1',
intending to reverse into diamonds,
your partner will think that you have
longer clubs than diamonds. Bidding
1' is a serious error.
Say you open 1l and partner bids
1k. What is your rebid?
You have 17 points and good shape,
but the right rebid is 2'. The reason
you don't bid 3' is that your hand
isn't close to guaranteeing a game. If
your partner has 10 or more points,
he usually bids over 2' and you get
a second chance. If he has a weaker
hand, you don't want to jump, which
would force partner to keep bidding
until game is reached. Imagine he has
a 7-count along these lines:
Q 10 2 kK Q 8 7 4 l8 3 '9 8 2.
You might be able to make 3NT, but
it would be a lucky adventure. If you
bid to 5', it would require a miracle.
3 kQ J 8 7 4 lA J 7 6 3 2 'K
What is your opening bid? The rule
of 20 says to bid, but this rule is notoriously
bad if applied blindly. Worse,
on hands like this one, it doesn't tell
you what to open. You need to bring
judgment to the table. I suggest you
pass. You will often get a second
chance to show your hand on the
next round. For instance, if left-hand
opponent opens 1', partner passes
62 | Bridge Bulletin | October 2022
and RHO bids 1, you can bid 2NT,
a very unusual unusual-notrump bid
that shows hearts and diamonds with
equal-length suits or with five hearts
and six diamonds. Perfect.
- kJ 4 lK J 10 6 3 'A Q 9 7 4 3
If you open 1' and partner bids 1,
your rebid will be difficult. You can
rebid 2', which risks your nice diamond
suit being lost in the shuffle. Or
you can rebid 2l, which promises at
least another ace plus another queen.
Either way, your partner won't come
close to knowing your hand. Hint:
Might you be better off passing and
bidding later?
2 kA K J 3 lQ 7 6 3 'Q 9 8 2
If you bid 1' or 1l, according to
your style, you will hate it when your
partner bids 1. Best is to pass in
hopes of making a takeout double on
the next round.
10 kA K J 3 lQ J 8 4 'Q 9 8 4
This hand has one more point than
the previous hand and a few additional
spot cards. It would be acceptable
to open with one of a minor, and if
partner bids 1, to rebid 1NT. Rebidding
1NT with a singleton in partner's
suit isn't the terrible thing that
it was once thought to be. You won't
do it often, but if other bids don't feel
right, consider the 1NT rebid.
4 kQ J 7 lA 8 7 6 'K J 5 4 3
It's fine to open light hands when
you have an easy rebid, but if you
open 1' with this hand, you won't be
happy if your partner bids 1. If you
play that 1l is your best choice, then
you will still have a nightmare rebid
when partner bids 1. And really,
BY MIKE LAWRENCE
michaelslawrence.com
isn't that the bid you expect him to
make? If you bid 1l, a 1NT rebid isn't
a good idea with only 11 points, and a
2' bid can lead to all kinds of trouble.
Anytime you open and rebid in a
new lower-ranking suit that is longer
than the one you opened in, you will
risk playing in the wrong suit.
If holding this hand, I would pass
and anticipate that later bidding will
be easier.
A helpful rule: When you have a
marginal opening bid with awkward
shape, consider passing and then
coming in later with a takeout bid of
some sort.
Finally, what do you open with:
10 4 kA 8 lA 10 9 8 4 'A K 9 4?
You have two choices: 1l and 1NT.
If you open 1l, your partner will bid
one of a major most of the time. Say
he bids 1. What is your best rebid?
If you rebid 1NT, your partner will
think you have 12-14 HCP, but in fact,
you have a very nice 15. If you rebid
2', your partner will expect you to
have five diamonds and four clubs,
but many of your hands will be in the
11- to 13-point range. This hand is
much better than that. It has three
aces and a king and two good suits.
The bid that makes the auction as
easy as any is to open 1NT. Your partner
learns you have 15-17 balanced
points. One of the easiest auctions are
ones that start with 1NT.
The downside to 1NT is that you
may end in a notrump contract that
was better played from your partner's
side of the table. That's a possibility,
for sure, but at least the bidding will
be relatively accurate most of the
time.
http://www.michaelslawrence.com
October 2022

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