| Your partner has opened the bidding with one of a suit. (Assume that your side is bidding 5 card Majors). Your right-hand opponent (RHO) passes. Now you have options. With less than 6 high card points (HCP), and a somewhat balanced hand, you must pass. However, with 6 or more HCP, you can take action and provide your partner with information about the strength and distribution of your hand. If you do have a bid in third position, you will have these choices:
a. Support your partner's suit.
b. Show your own suit.
c. Bid No trump (a last resort).
Should you choose to raise your partner's suit, you must remember that partner's bid of a Minor suit (clubs or diamonds) may show as little as three cards in that suit. As a novice player, you will eventually refine a bidding system which provides a "comfort" level for you and your partner. Please note that distributional features such as voids or singletons are very valuable in potential suit contracts.
Major Suit responses - Single Raise
Your partner has opened with one heart or one spade. A pass follows. If you opt to raise to the two level in his suit, you must have at least seven to ten points and Q X X ("X" denotes any spot card to the nine) of his suit. If you have four small cards in his suit, you may also raise. Some pairs will raise with any three cards in the trump suit; this can be a bit risky. If you have six to ten points, you should bid one no trump.
Major Suit responses - Double Raise
The same bidding scenario applies. If you have 13-16 points and a decent three card trump suit (Q X X or better), by all means raise to three of your partner's Major suit. This indicates that a game (4 of a Major) should be reached.
Note - A lot of pairs prefer the use of Limit Raises; this is a topic for another column.
Major Suit responses - Triple Raise
When you hold an unusually distributional hand, with five or more trump and less than nine points, take the "Leap of Faith" to the FOUR level of that suit. This jump bid will tell your partner that you have limited HCP with long trump and a side void or singleton.
Some experts will deduct points for three weak trump cards, weakly guarded honor cards (Q X, singleton K, singleton Q, etc.), and/or the flat shape of 4 - 3 - 3 - 3 in the responding hand. Any honor cards with at least two guards are a premium. If the RHO makes a bid, you must have a stronger hand (at least nine points).
If your partner has opened with one of a Minor suit and you hold at least seven points and a four card Major, you must bid that Major suit. (If you hold five hearts or five spades, you will re-bid that suit.) Any four card Major must have at least one honor card, preferably the Q or better. Do not bid a moth-eaten Major suit such as 2 - 3 - 5 - 6! If you do not have a Major suit response, then you bid one No trump with 6 - 10 points. If you choose to raise your partner's Minor suit, you must hold at least five cards in that suit and ten points in order to go to the two level. It is truly a waste of time to compete with a Minor suit, unless you have distributional features. Many seasoned players will not aim for a game in a Minor suit (five of clubs or diamonds), especially in Duplicate play. However in Rubber Bridge, five of a Minor may be a safer contract.
There is only a limited amount of space that can be dedicated to bidding. For additional information, I recommend that age old classic, "Five Weeks To Winning Bridge" by Alfred Sheinwold. You will also find dozens of other good books about bidding by exploring the Internet.
| |
