April 2023 - 53

Newer Players
BY LYNN BERG
lynn7ntxx@icloud.com
O
ne of the huge challenges in
bridge is that we have only
a 15-word vocabulary to
describe billions of possible hands.
Notrump seems like such a simple,
straightforward concept: balanced
hand and a certain number of points
is the first thing we learn about notrump
bids.
But that's a dangerous oversimplification.
It's true, these days in the
Western Hemisphere a 1NT opener
usually promises a balanced hand
and 15-17 HCP. So what else is there
to know? What if your right hand
opponent opens 1l and you hold:
K J 6 kA Q 7 3 l9 6 'A Q 7 5?
You would have opened 1NT, but
you can't bid 1NT now because in addition
to having a balanced hand and
15-17 HCP, you also promise a stopper
in the suit bid by your opponent.
You do, however, have an excellent
takeout double.
K J 6 kA Q 7 3 lA 9 6 'Q 7 5
Now you can bid 1NT because you
have a diamond stopper.
Opening 2NT also shows a balanced
hand, the difference being that
now you have 20-21 points.
Responses to partner's opening bid
and other overcalls in notrump are
not so easy to learn, however. The
most common use of 1NT is not as
an opening bid or overcall but as a
response to partner's opening bid.
K J 6 k7 l9 6 4 3 2 ' Q J 7 5
Partner opens 1k. You do not have
heart support, nor do you have four
spades to respond at the one level.
To bid your five-card suit, you would
have to go to the two level, dangerous
and misleading when you have only
Startup Bridge
Notrump, no trouble?
7 HCP. Your response is 1NT, which
says, " Partner, I don't have three
hearts or four spades, nor do I have
enough points to bid a new suit at
the two level. But I promised I would
keep the bidding open with 6 or more
points. " You might call this use of
1NT a " none of the above " bid. Why
must you keep the bidding open? Just
in case partner has 18-19 points, in
which case your two hands together
are likely to produce a game. Of
course, most of the time partner won't
turn out that strong, but what if she
held:
9 kA K J 9 6 lA K Q 8 'K 9 4?
Your hand will look a whole lot
better when partner's next bid is a
jumpshift to 3l.
A big reason for that 1NT response
to partner's opening bid was to keep
the bidding open in case partner has
a big hand. If there is an intervening
bid, you are no longer required to bid
just to give partner another opportunity.
K
J 6 k3 2 lK 9 7 5 'Q 8 7 5
Partner opens 1k, RHO bids 1.
You don't have three hearts for a
raise, but you can bid 1NT, limiting
the value of your hand to no more
than 10 points and promising a spade
stopper.
J 4 2 k3 2 lJ 9 7 5 4 'A Q 7
No spade stopper, only two hearts,
only 8 HCP? Just pass. You are not
saying you are broke, just that you
have nothing to say at this time.
With such a small bridge vocabulary,
we have to use each of the 15
word choices in many different capacities.
Part of mastering the game
is realizing how many nuances there
are.
thesettingtrick.com
April 2023 | Bridge Bulletin |
53
West hands for the
April Bidding Box
Bid these hands with a partner. The East
hands are on page 55. The North-South
players are silent unless otherwise
noted. Scores on page 42-45.
Problem 1. North deals. None vul.
K Q J 6 5 k6 4 lA K 3 '7 4 2
Problem 2. East deals. N-S vul.
A Q J 6 5 k5 lK Q 8 7 '10 5 3
Problem 3. South deals. E-W vul.
South opens 1l.
K 7 3 k8 4 3 l9 'A K Q J 6 3
Problem 4. West deals. Both vul.
9 5 4 kK 7 5 lA K J 'A Q 10 2
Problem 5. North deals. N-S vul.
8 kA 8 5 lA 8 3 'A K J 10 5 2
Problem 6. East deals. E-W vul.
J 3 2 kA J 10 8 lK Q 8 7 2 '2
Problem 7. South deals. Both vul.
A Q 7 kJ 6 4 2 lA 8 'A Q 7 2
Problem 8. West deals. None vul.
3 kA K Q 8 5 3 lA K Q 'A 10 5
http://www.thesettingtrick.com
April 2023

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