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BIDDING CORNER STONES By Anders Wistrand
HAND EVALUATION First we have to talk about points. As most tricks are taken bye the highest cards, we use the system for counting High Card Points (hcp). This is good for evaluaing balanced hands. With a balanced hand you mostly count the hcp only. But even in a NT contract you may have a longer suite than 5 cards. Let's have a look at a very special hand:
♠ A ♥ A ♦ A ♣ A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 4, 3, 2 The hand has 22 hcp all together, but nobody can make any problem for the declarer in 7NT. So, how to evaluate the small cards in the long suite? The difference between 40 hcp and 22 is 18. If you distribute 18 points over the 6 non honours they will get 3 points each. That is about what you usually need for a trick. You are for example supposed to make 9 tricks in NT with 26 points. My recommendation is therefore that you count 1 point for the 5th card, 2 points for the 6th, 3 points for the 7th and 4 for each one of the rest. That will make 40 on the hand above. According to this you should look positive to partners support to your long suite when it is not as good as the club suite above. In suite contracts you get tricks for small trump cards. To take into consideration this you have to count length points. There are different techniques for this. To understand the power in the suite length, note that you can make a grand slam with only 10 hcp if you have all 13 cards in the same suite. Count more length points for every card more than 4 in a suite (5th 1 point, 6th 2 points, 7th 3 points, 8th 4 points for example). As responder you have to consider the fit between your own and your partner's hand. If you have a fit to openers suite, you have found a trump suite. In this case declarer can ruff small cards in your hand (dummy). The normal guideline for responder is to subtract the number of trump cards from the number of cards in the shortest suite. This usually makes 1 or 2 points (ruffing points), which is rather little compared to 3 points for a trick. If you have a singleton or a void my recommendation is this: When you can see that your pair has 9 trump cards or more together you can add 2 points for each trump card in the above subtraction. When the trump length is less there is the risk that your trump cards will go when declarer eliminates opponents trump cards. When we talk about points it is the combination of hcp and length (or ruffing) points. Otherwise we have to emphasize that we mean hcp. NT BIDDING The spine of the bidding system is the NT bidding. Opener's NT bids show a balanced hand and are very limited in strength so responder can mostly decide very soon what level is possible to reach and what the best contract can be. On the other hand, if opener does not give a NT bid within the two first bids, responder knows that the best contract probably is a suite contract NT openings: 13-14 hcp open 1 in a suite
and reply lowest NT bid after partners forcing bid THE CAPTAIN When two players are trying to find out what contract can be the best, one of them has to have the responsibility, bee the captain. In NT bidding it is the responder who is best suited to decide both level and contract (NT or trump). Also when opener has started with a suite bid responder mostly takes the captain's role. He (she!) does this by giving a suite bid on lowest (!) level. That is an unlimited bid, a forcing bid (see further down about forcing bids). If he, from the opening bid, can see that the opening suite is usable as trump he can, with 10 to 12 points, hand over to opener with an invitation to game (for example 1 – 3) or, with 13 to 17 points, bid the game. LIMITED BIDS When opener starts with a NT bid he gives a rather precise picture of his hand. All those bids are limited within a narrow range. You, as responder has to take responsibility for the rest of the bidding. You are the captain. You choices are, apart from passing, asking for more information, inviting to game or bidding game. Asking: Stayman 2C is a conventional bid used to ask for 4 card majors. This is a forcing (not limited) bid. Invitation bids: Bids that asks opener if he has a minimum or a maximum hand. 2NT is such a bid, a limited bid which means that opener can pass. Responder hands over the captain-ship to opener to decide if the pair shall try 3NT or stay in 2NT. Another limited bid is 2NT (not forcing!) as response to an opening bid 1 in a suite. This bid, showing 11 – 12 hcp, asks opener to bid 3NT with maximum (or 4 in opened major if he has a 6 card suite and more then minimum). You have also to regard a raise from 1 to 3 in a minor as a limited bid. Particularly as Standard System is a 5 card major system and opener can open with a 3 card minor. This bid says: bid 3 NT if you have a hand suitable for NT and more than minimum strength or pass. Bidding game: When you bid game, partner must know this is limited with a strength just round opening points (length points included). There should be very little chance for a slam. Responders 1NT is limited to 5 – 9 hcp and is of course not forcing. As it not necessarily shows a balanced hand opener may bid another suite for preference or rebid opening suite even with 5+ cards. There is an exception from what is said before. When opener starts with 2♣, a very strong bid, your bid 2♦ is a so called waiting bid showing less than 7 hcp. With more you can bid a good suite or 2NT. Opener's bid is often based on a very good suite in combination with good hcp. He wants to find out if you have a fit and if you have any contribution to his fine hand. If you have answered 2♦ and you by opener's next bid find you have a fit you can be generous and jump if you have close to 6 hcp. Opener is mostly the one who has the best possibilities to find out if there is a slam in this case. UNLIMITED BIDS – FORCING BIDS Forcing bids is the key to the whole bidding. The captain gives forcing bids to ask opener for more information about distribution and strength. Opener shows weakness by bidding on lowest level and strength by jumping or bidding reverse. Most forcing bids are only forcing for one round. When your partner opens with a suite bid on the 1 level, he can have resources within a wide range. You, as responder, have to ask for more information with an unlimited bid. Every bid from you in a new suite after this is forcing. Of course bids like Blackwood or RKC are forcing. If the pair uses transfer after 1NT (and 2NT) 2♦, 2♥ and 2♠ are forcing bids asking partner to bid nearest suite above. After this answer responder can pass, hand over captain-ship with a simple raise (inviting to game) or bid game. After 1NT a jump to 3H or 3S is forcing and an invitation to slam with 6 cards in the suite bid by responder. If the pair uses Jacoby 2NT as showing trump support and strength for at least game, this is of course also a forcing bid. The pair is not to stop under game level, which means they get extra time to find out about distribution and strength. Takeout double is also a forcing bid. (Responder can pass if opponent before him bids. By bidding he shows some strength or fit to doubler.) PREFERENCE When opener starts with 1 in a suite, you answer 1 over 1 or 2 over 1, and opener bids a new suite lower than the first, you have to make a preference. Partner has shown a weak opening and has a two-suited (or three-suited) hand. Try to chose one of his suites, preferably the first one. If you rebid your suite it must be a 6+ card suite. DEFENCE BIDDING When opponents have started the bidding you have three reasons for interfering by bidding. Either you think your side may have a contract or you think you have a good sacrifice or you want to tell partner you have a good suite to be led bye him. Bidding a suite can be made with a good suite. The strength can be between 7 and 17 points. The bid is not forcing. Bidding 1NT as defence bid shows a hand you would have opened with 1NT. But it should also have double stop in opponents suite. It is not forcing. Forcing defence bids are double (takeout double), Unusual NT (2NT and 4NT) and Michaels cuebid. Unless opponents bid responder must bid. There can be occasions when you may pass down a takeout double. Conditions can be that you have good cards in openers suite and is sitting after opener. If your pair is in favourable zone (not vulnerable and opponents vulnerable) you can gain by keeping result down to -2 giving you 500 versus 400 or 420 for your own possible game. Passing down a takeout after a weak 2 in a suite opening is very seldom good for your side. Unusual NT: is one of the possibilities to show a two-suited hand. In this case the two minors with at least 5 cards in each. It is a typical sacrifice bid and forces partner to bid his best one of these. Michaels cuebid: is the other possible bid of an opponents 1 level opening. The bid is in opponents suite and one level higher than their bid. It has the following meanings depending on opening bid: After 1 in a minor 2 in this minor shows five cards or more in both majors. After 1♥, 2♥ shows 5+ in spades and in a minor suite. After 1♠, 2♠ shows 5+ in hearts and in a minor suite. After cuebid in a major partner can ask with 2NT which minor cuebidding partner holds.
Härryda 2011-07-21
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