August 2024 - 48

Newer Players
Reasoning with Robert
Interfering over opponent's 1NT:
DONT & Meckwell
W
hen an opponent opens
1NT, they announce they
have more than their fair
share of the high-card points (they
have 15-17; the average is about 10
HCP). This means that if you are
going to have a hand that can take a
lot of tricks, it is most likely to be a
hand that has some distribution.
If you are more likely to want to bid
with distributional hands, then it is
wise to construct a bidding system
that will allow you to describe those
hands. This line of thinking led to the
creation of artificial bidding systems
against the opponent's 1NT opening
bids that allow you to show distributional
hands while keeping the auction
low. Distributional hands generally
fall into two categories:
* One-suited hands - one six-card
or longer suit
* Two-suited hands - at least 5-4
shape or better
Marty Bergen, Larry Cohen, Eric
Rodwell and Jeff Meckstroth (two
powerful partnerships and frequent
teammates) led the development of
two of the most popular competitive
bidding systems against an opponent's
1NT opening bid - DONT and
Meckwell.
Both DONT and Meckwell use
almost all artificial bids after the
opponent's 1NT opening bid. That
means giving up the penalty double
(which other systems keep). By using
the double as a conventional bid, you
have the best chance to describe a
distributional hand while keeping the
auction at the two level.
DONT - Disturb opponent's
notrump
The idea behind DONT is to focus
on showing two-suited hands while
keeping the auction at the two level.
Two-suited hands often have more
playing strength and thus are the
hands that you are most likely to
want to bid with, even when you have
very few high-card points.
DONT allows you to show all twosuited
hands at the two level by simply
defining two-level bids as showing
a two-suiter, where you bid the
lower ranking of your two suits.
2c = Clubs and a higher-ranking suit
2d = Diamonds and a higherranking
suit
2h = Hearts and spades
2s = Six or more spades
You can use these bids very aggressively
with good distribution (at least
5-5). This is especially true when not
vulnerable.
sK J 10 8 3 h6 dQ J 10 8 4 c5 4
If your RHO opens the bidding
1NT, you can bid 2d with this hand,
showing diamonds and a higherranking
suit. If partner likes diamonds,
they will pass. If they want to
play in the higher-ranking, they simply
make the cheapest bid, 2h, pass
or correct.
When you are vulnerable or have
less distribution, then you usually
want to have more values to come
into the bidding. After a 1NT opening
bid, bid 2c (clubs and a higher-ranking
suit) with this hand:
sK 4 hA 10 9 4 3 d9 2 cK Q J 9.
BY ROBERT S. TODD
robert@advinbridge.com
advinbridge.com
Show one-suited hands by either
jumping to the three-level (with
extreme length) or by using a conventional
double. When you double,
partner knows you have a long suit;
they bid 2c to allow you to bid the
suit.
s9 hA Q J 8 4 3 dQ 10 9 c9 8 3
West North East
1NT Dbl
Pass 2h
Pass
South
2c
This is how you show a one-suited
hand playing DONT.
Meckwell
Meckwell is a modification to
DONT that focuses on being able to
bid both major suits naturally - not
having to go through the conventional
double to show hearts. That means
switching the meaning of some of the
bidding sequences and tweaking a
few others, but it is fundamentally a
system similar to DONT in structure
and philosophy.
Dbl = One suit (not hearts) or both
majors
2c = Clubs and a major
2d = Diamonds and a major - same
as DONT
2h = Six or more hearts
2s = Six or more spades
Understanding the strengths and
weaknesses of any bidding system is
an important part of knowing how to
play a system. DONT and Meckwell
are great for showing shapely hands,
while keeping the auction low. In
order to do so, they give up the ability
to show a powerful hand - the penalty
double. 2
48 | Bridge Bulletin | August 2024
http://www.advinbridge.com
August 2024

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