Opening 1 of a FIVE card suit and taking Partner out of 1NT by now bidding a lower ranking FOUR card suit

What do you do as Opener when you have an UNBALANCED hand?

Here is your hand:

♠A8542
♥Q4
♦3
♣AKT64

You decide to open the bidding 1♠ but then Partner bids 1NT. Bidding 1NT as Responder does NOT say they have a balanced hand. It just says Responder has 6 to 10 HCP and no fit for ♠.

In any case YOU are unbalanced. You should take Partner out of their 1NT bid and bid 2♣. Partner now can choose between your ♠ suit and your ♣ suit. Either contract should be safer than 1NT.

This was an extreme example. Your hand does not even have to be as unbalanced. If you open 1 of a major and Partner responds 1NT you should take Partner out of 1NT any time you have an unbalanced hand. This could be anytime you hold a six card suit OR anytime you hold a five card suit and another four (or more) card suit. With these holdings you either have a singleton or two doubletons. This makes the hand unbalanced.

Also note that this should be a LOWER RANKING four card suit. This will be explained in another post.

Say this is your hand:

♠A8542
♥Q4
♦83
♣AKT6

You decide to open the bidding 1♠ but then Partner bids 1NT. You should take Partner out of their 1NT bid and bid 2♣. Partner now can choose between your ♠ suit and your ♣ suit. This should show at least a five card suit and at least a four card suit.

When you rebid a lower ranking suit this does NOT limit your hand much. You could have as much as 18 HCP. (With more you can make a JUMP SHIFT.)

Let's practice. On the following hands you will open the bidding and Partner will respond 1NT. What will you now bid?

Hand 1

♠AKJT7
♥4
♦K83
♣QJ83

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 2

♠AJ6
♥QJT85
♦8
♣KQ82

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 3

♠AKJ87
♥A
♦Q96
♣Q752

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 4

♠KT873
♥KJ
♦A4
♣K853

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 5

♠AT853
♥QJ96
♦A3
♣Q9

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 6

♠AKQ
♥QJ642
♦K876
♣9

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 7

♠KQJ84
♥A984
♦6
♣AJ6

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 8

♠QT843
♥AQ
♦65
♣AK76

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 9

♠6
♥KT843
♦AK43
♣AJ5

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 10

♠8
♥AQJ98
♦KJ85
♣K85

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 11

♠KQ864
♥K2
♦Q5
♣KQ63

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 12

♠AQJT4
♥KJ952
♦K3
♣3

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 13

♠42
♥KQJ86
♦AQT4
♣J5

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 14

♠KQ7
♥KJT53
♦KJ52
♣6

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 15

♠QJ943
♥A
♦AT
♣A9532

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 16

♠KJ743
♥A654
♦K3
♣QJ

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 17

♠A32
♥QJ872
♦AK73
♣5

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♥	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 18

♠KQ943
♥2
♦A62
♣KQ96

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?



Hand 19

♠Q9654
♥QT
♦2
♣AKQ63

This is the auction:

Opener (you)	Responder (Partner)
1♠	1NT
???

What do you think you should rebid?