What to respond

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠K986
♥KQJ
♦5
♣QJ983

You are Dealer and open the bidding 1♣. The Opponents are silent during the auction. Partner bids 1♥. What is your call?

Show Answer

1♠

You cannot support your Partner's suit. They might only have four ♥. Show Partner you have a four card major. You might have a fit there.

What to bid

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠53
♥KQ76
♦AJ
♣98642

Partner opens the bidding 1♦. Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) bids 1♠. What is your call?

Show Answer

That's a tough one unless you play Negative Doubles. If you do play Negative Doubles, you can bid "Double" to show ♥ and ♣.

If you don't play Negative Doubles you might have to bid 2♣ on this hand. Yeach!

Check out my Negative Double posts to learn more about this useful bid.

What to Open

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠AKT2
♥A3
♦AK96
♣K83

You are Dealer. What is your call?

Show Answer

2NT.

This shows a balanced hand with 20 or 21 HCP.

Responding to a Take Out Double

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AT97
♥Q754
♦AQ53
♣J

Your LHO (Left Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♥. Partner says "Double". Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass". What is your call?

Refresh your memory with the following post if you wish. It's a good review:
Responding to a Take Out Double -- Suit Bids, NT Bids and Cuebids


Show Answer

How about 4♠?

Partner should have four ♠. So you have a fit there.
Partner Doubled so they are supposed to have an opening hand. You have an opening hand. Get to game.

What to bid

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠QJ84
♥T
♦KT82
♣A543

Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) opens the bidding 1♥. What is your call?

Show Answer

How about Double?

You cannot bid a suit -- you don't have 5 cards in a suit.
Ask Partner what their longest suit is other than ♥. Double.

If you are not familiar with the Take Out Double look into it. There are quite a few posts on this blog. It's a nice bid if you use it wisely.

Another rebid?

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠AK2
♥K9
♦AKJ6
♣JT82

Partner is Dealer and says "Pass". Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass". We decided a couple of posts ago to open 1♦. Let's say now the Opponents are silent during the auction. Partner bids 1♥. What is your call?

Show Answer

2NT.

This shows a balanced hand that was too strong to open the bidding 1NT. So about 18 or 19 HCP.

This auction is a little different if the opponents stay silent and Partner bids. If you rebid 1NT in THIS auction you show a balanced hand with less that 15 HCP. You must JUMP to 2NT to show your 18 or 19 HCP. If however the Opponents had bid and Partner bids "Pass" you show 18 or 19 HCP by bidding 1NT because if you had just a minimum hand you would "PASS".

Your Rebid?

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠AK2
♥K9
♦AKJ6
♣JT82

Partner is Dealer and says "Pass". Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass". We decided last post to open 1♦. LHO bids 1♠, Partner bids "Pass", RHO bids "Pass" and it is now back to you. What is your call?

Show Answer

1NT.

This shows a balanced hand that was too strong to open the bidding 1NT. So about 18 or 19 HCP. You MUST have the Opponent's suit stopped. (But you do.)

What would you do with a minimum hand that wasn't strong enough to open 1NT? "Pass" of course!

What to Open?

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠AK2
♥K9
♦AKJ6
♣JT82

Partner is Dealer and says "Pass". Your RHO (Right Hand Opponent) says "Pass". What is your call?

Show Answer

1♦.

You should not open the bidding 1NT. You have 19 HCP (High Card Points) and bidding 1NT shows 17 HCP at the very most.

Since you do not have a 5 card major you must open your longest minor. Generally with three cards in both minors you open 1♣ and four cards in both minors you open 1♦.

What will you Open?

Playing matchpoints. You are vulnerable and the Opponents are not.

Here is your hand:
♠AK
♥AQJ8643
♦9
♣A98

Your RHO (Right Hand Opponet) is Dealer and says "Pass". What is your call?

Show Answer

1♥

You have too many points to open the bidding with 3♥. 3♥ shows your seven card ♥ suit (this is true) but 3♥ also shows a WEAK hand. About 6 to 10 points.

You have 18 HCP. Way too good a hand to bid 3♥. Start with 1♥ and see what Partner responds. If they raise you 1 level you can now bid a game.

What to Open

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠AJT9
♥AQ54
♦A52
♣52

What is your call?

Show Answer

How about 1NT?

This shows a balanced hand with 15 to 17 HCP.

You can open the bidding 1♦ and hope Partner bids 1 of a major (you have support for both) but it is hard to show 15 HCP with a balanced hand once you don't open 1NT. In fact it is impossible to show 15 HCP with a balanced hand. If you had that hand you would have opened the bidding 1NT.

Responding to a Strong 2 Club bid

Playing matchpoints. Both you and the Opponents are vulnerable.

Here is your hand:
♠J96432
♥
♦652
♣T732

Partner is Dealer and opens the bidding 2♣ to show a very strong hand. The Opponents are silent during the bidding. You respond 2♦ which is just a waiting bid. You don't want to show a nice hand and any other bid would. Plus you are curious -- just WHY did Partner open the bidding 2♣? If they have a strong, balanced hand you probably can make 4♠. Partner now bids 2♥. This means they opened 2♣ because they have a very strong hand with a nice suit.

What is your call?

Show Answer

2♠?

If you play second negatives you can do that also. (If you do not know what they are you do not play them.)

But one bid you CANNOT make is "Pass". Yes, you have nothing. Yes, you don't even have trump but PARTNER opened 2♣ to tell you they have a strong enough hand they don't NEED anything from you in order to make a game.

If they needed a few values from you to make a game they would have opened the bidding 1♥. That way if you had to "Pass" because you had no values you would not have missed a game.

Believe it or not Partner can take 10 tricks if ♥ are trump. If you "Passed" 2♥ they will not get a chance to bid again.

If you bid (anything) they will bid 4♥. Now you can "Pass" and you have reached your game.