March 2024 - 59

Better Bridge with Bergen
Intermediate Players
BY MARTY BERGEN
martybergen.com
Opener rebids after a 1NT
response to a minor
In our series on opener's rebids in
an uncontested auction, we're now
ready to consider his rebids after a
1NT response.
But before looking at examples
of opener's rebids after 1c-1NT,
1d-1NT, 1h-1NT and 1s-1NT, for
each auction, we must consider what
is known about responder's hand. To
say that the information promised by
the four 1NT responses does vary is
definitely not an understatement.
I'll begin with the 1NT responses to
1c and 1d. Too many players are not
aware of the significant differences
between the two responses.
Comparing 1NT response to
opening bid of 1c and 1d
Of course, they are similar in some
respects.
* Both deny a four-plus-card major.
* Both deny a good hand.
* Both are nonforcing.
However, there definitely are differences.
1
Responder's distribution
A 1NT response to 1c is always
based on a balanced hand.
If the responder had an unbalanced
hand with a long suit (diamonds), he
would have responded in that suit.
But a 1NT response to 1d definitely
might include an unbalanced hand
with a long club suit. If your partner
opened 1d, here are some examples
of hands where the responder would
have no sensible alternative to a 1NT
response.
s8 5 4 h8 2 dA 3 cQ 8 6 4 3 2
s10 7 4 h2 dQ 7 5 cA 8 6 5 3 2
s9 7 3 h7 5 2 dA cK 9 7 6 5 4
Improve your bidding judgment - part 34
2 Responder's length in the minors
A 1NT response to 1c virtually
guarantees at least three cards in each
minor. Why? Responder has a maximum
of six cards in the majors. If his
remaining seven cards included a long
minor suit, rather than go out of his
way for the weaker hand to " grab the
notrump, " he would strive to show that
suit. As you can see from the three preceding
examples, a 1NT response to 1d
definitely might be short in diamonds.
3 How likely is it that a 1NT
response will lead to a bad result?
When you lack a fit in a major, a final
contract in notrump is always a likely
destination. Even if you declare better
than your partner, I'm betting that if
your side ended up in a notrump contract,
it would definitely not be in your
side's best interest if your weak hand
was the declarer. And that problem is
magnified even further when you have
a hand like the examples above which
lack a stopper in both majors.
But although a 1NT response to 1c
can't include a short major, for most
players, it certainly could be a hand
that lacked stoppers in both majors.
After partner opened 1c and your
RHO passed, what would you do with
the following hand?
s7 3 2 h 8 6 4 dA K 3 c8 6 5 4
Despite the weak clubs and awful
distribution, a beginner might raise
to 2c. These days the distinct majority
of players play inverted minors,
so 2c is out. And although this hand
has the right amount of strength for a
preemptive raise to 3c, with four low
clubs and 4-3-3-3 shape, the jump
raise is out of the question.
So, I believe that most players
would respond 1NT. And when they
ended up in a notrump contract and
March 2024 | Bridge Bulletin |
59
got a bad result because their notrump
contract was " wrong-sided, "
they would shrug it off as " bad luck. "
Even experts are sometimes unlucky.
And all of us sometimes are " stuck for a
bid. " But I would not regard receiving a
bad result for this 1NT response as " bad
luck. " With this hand, a 1NT response
to 1c is simply wrong. What would I do?
Respond 1d and not bat an eye.
Is a 1d response to 1c with three
diamonds illegal? No!
Is it Alertable? No!
Are there plenty of other situations
in bridge where you must lie about your
length in a minor suit? Yes, yes, yes.
For example. You open 1h with:
sA K 9 3 hK 10 4 3 2 d6 3 cA 7
and partner responds 1NT (forcing
or semi-forcing). Now, a 2c lie is the
lesser of evils.
Say LHO opens 1c, partner doubles
for takeout and RHO passes. You
hold:
sQ 2 h9 6 4 d9 5 4 c7 6 5 3 2.
Because 1NT here promises some
values, an unpleasant 1d is 1000%
clearcut.
When would I respond 1NT to partner's
1c opening? Only when I have
8-10 HCP and I'm happy to " grab the
notrump. "
sQ 10 8 hK J 9 dJ 9 5 2 cJ 10 2
is a textbook example. When considering
a 1NT response to partner's 1c
opening, I play and teach: If the hand
doesn't scream, " You should be the
declarer, " respond 1d. 2
http://www.martybergen.com
March 2024

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