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Bidding What We Have Not: Not Bidding What We Have!

The rules or guidelines around bidding can be strange or at times make us do seemingly strange things. For example, if we have 7 high card points and 4 spades and a 6-card club suit, we bid 1 not 2 in response to our partner’s 1 opening bid. The logic of bidding a 4-card major before a 6-card minor is quite sound (we are not strong enough to bid a second time if, say, partner rebids 2 after our 2 bid and a spade fit will be missed). Yet, it feels strange to do so.

Look how the bidding develops in the following sequence between North and South. The opposition are silent:

North                                    South

 K                                       QJ8654

 KQ                                    8

 AQJT973                         K

 752                                  KQJ98

Let’s follow the bidding sequence below with South the dealer and neither side vulnerable:

North                                    South

                                                1

2                                          2

3                                          4

4                                          4

Pass

The first two bids are instantly recognisable as both players bid their longest suit. However, South does not show their second suit and simply rebids their opening suit, spades. Why?

With a very weak opening bid and a partner who is potentially strong, there is a danger in bidding a new suit at the 3 level. If South bid 3 second-time round, then North would expect their partner to have at least 15 high card points and might then bid on to a hopeless slam. Although South has an interesting hand with two long suits, no fit has yet been established. Therefore, it pays not to overbid one’s hand. Thus, for now, South just bids 2 which their partner knows may be but is not always a 6-card suit. North knows that South is in the 12-15 hcp range.

An even stranger action

Yet, North’s second bid is even stranger. They choose to bid their 3-card club suit in preference to rebidding a good 6 -card diamond suit. Why?

We learn that when we change suit at the 2 level after partner’s 1 level opening, we have at least 10 hcp. If we simply bid that suit a second time after a minimum rebid from partner, we are showing a long suit but around 10 or 11 hcp. Opener is minimum: responder is not that strong. Therefore, opener can pass partner’s bid (in the above sequence 3 after 2). Our North is thus, with 15 hcp, too strong to make that bid. They must find another bid, a forcing bid.

North does not have a second suit to bid and does not yet know which is the best game to play (they have no club hold for no-trumps). Therefore, they need to invent a bid to see if they can get some useful information from partner. If you are going to invent a bid, or bid a suit with less than 4 cards, then do so in a minor rather than a major suit. Partner is much less likely to raise that suit to game if it is a minor. Given a choice of games, we avoid 5 of a minor suit as we need 11 tricks to make game. A change of suit at the 3 level by responder is forcing, usually to game.

So, North is relatively safe in bidding 3. South should be aware that their partner might have less than 4 clubs when they bid 3…. but with 5 clubs of their own and only one heart, it is hard for South not to support clubs. Hence, 4 it is.

North can now emerge and rebid their diamond suit. 4 must now say that the North hand is forcing to game with a long diamond suit….and not clubs.

What is South to do? One option, with the useful K would be to raise to 5. They cannot pass 4. That is bad for partnership trust. Alternatively, South can offer 4 as a possible contract to play. The sequence is awkward for South who really wants to play in a black suit. They might even consider bidding 5 to offer that suit as trumps though again that is playing at the 5 level…. and South has no real idea how few clubs their partner has.

So, South offers 4 as a game contract…. and with their singleton king, North declares. A difficult pair of hands to bid.

We leave you in 4 with the 2 lead from West and you to plan the play, especially the first couple of tricks.

 

Have we found a making contract? With three aces missing, we seem to have done well to avoid a 5- level minor contract. Yet, we are not there yet! See you on Sunday.

Remember the rules about opener bidding a new suit at the 3 level after partner’s change of suit.

Remember that a rebid of responder’s first bid suit is not forcing, even if the first bid showed 10+ hcp.

Remember that we sometimes have to bid a suit of less than 4 cards and that if we have to do so, it is better to bid a minor than a major suit.

Remember that a change of suit by responder at the 3 level is forcing for one round and usually forcing to game.

Remember not to pass a game-forcing bid short of game.(It keeps partner happy.)

How's the memory?! 

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