January 2024 - 59

Better Bridge with Bergen
Intermediate Players
BY MARTY BERGEN
martybergen.com
Opener's rebids - part 4
Opener rebids after 1h-1s
Only the opponents are vulnerable.
This month features rebids for
opener after:
You
1h
?
(Pass)
Partner
1s
(Pass)
What would you rebid? Since there
are quite a few examples below, I
suggest writing down each answer
before reading on.
A sA J hA K 9 7 2 d7 5 4 c7 5 4
B sA Q hJ 6 5 4 3 dA Q c6 5 4 2
C sA 3 hK Q J 10 8 dK 3 c6 5 4 2
D s9 hA J 7 6 3 2 dK J cA Q J 9
E s7 hQ J 10 9 8 5 d7 5 cA K 10 9
F s7 hK J 5 3 2 dA Q 8 6 3 2 c3
G s5 3 2 hA K 7 4 3 dA K 2 cQ 9
H sK 9 h9 7 6 5 3 2 dK J 2 cA Q
I sA 10 9 hA 8 6 4 3 d8 4 cA 7 3
J sK J 10 hA K 10 9 7 5 4 d- c7 6 4
K sK 7 2 hA Q 10 6 2 dJ 3 cA K J
L sK 9 4 hA Q 7 6 4 3 dK Q J cA
M sA 10 9 7 hA K 10 8 6 d8 6 5 2 c-
N sA 2 hA Q J 9 7 5 4 2 dQ 10 6 c-
Here are my answers:
A Bid 1NT. No stopper in either minor.
Whatever! With this shape and a
minimum opening bid, what else can
you do?
B Bid 1NT. Most 2-5-2-4 hands
should bid 2c here, but with your
Improve your bidding judgment - part 32
strong diamonds and terrible clubs,
1NT seems more appropriate.
C Bid 2h, not 2c or 1NT. Same 2-5-
2-4 distribution, 13 HCP and terrible
clubs as in the previous example.
However, you should treat great suits
(four-plus honors) as if they have an
additional card.
D Bid 2c, not 2h or 3c. The hand is
strong enough to jump to 3h, but with
most 6-4 hands, it's more flexible to
show your second suit when easy to
do so.
E Bid 2h, not 2c. Your clubs are lovely
but ... your hearts are impressive
(very playable opposite shortness),
and you don't have a lot of high-card
points. That's two good reasons to
rebid the six-card suit.
F Bid 2d. A nice, easy, painless
rebid. That is what you had in mind
when you correctly opened 1h to
facilitate showing both suits without
reversing.
G Bid 2d. You are too strong to rebid
1NT, but not strong enough to jump
to 2NT. I hope you would have opened
1NT and avoided this dilemma. 1NT
is the most descriptive opening bid, so
strive to open it.
H Bid 1NT, not 2h. With your atrocious
hearts and scattered strength, I
see no reason to rebid this long suit.
I Bid 2s. With nice three-card
support, a worthless doubleton, and a
minimum opening bid, raise partner's
major rather than bidding 1NT.
" Aces and spaces " hands play better
in a suit contract than in notrump.
J Jump to 3h. You love your red suit
holdings, and partner's 1s response
increases the value of your spade
holding. Voids are rare and special,
so try to show your appreciation by
bidding strongly.
January 2024 | Bridge Bulletin |
59
K Bid 2NT. With no diamond stopper
this is imperfect, but any other
bid would be a serious distortion.
L Bid 3d. Once partner responded,
you must force to game, so the lie
about your number of diamonds is
necessary. When opener jumpshifts
in a minor, responder should definitely
think twice before raising that suit.
With a doubleton heart, he should
often make a preference bid of 3h.
M Bid 3s. Once you've found a
fit, your club void, concentrated
strength, great intermediates and
three quick tricks justify a strong rebid.
I definitely believe in " the magic
of voids. "
N Bid 4h. The hand has too many
controls and slam potential to open
with 4h preempt. Once partner
responds, you can't risk playing in a
partscore. Your jump to game is not
a shutout bid. If partner has a worthwhile
hand, he is welcome to bid on. 2
http://www.martybergen.com
January 2024

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