What to Rebid?

Here is your hand:

♠AQT842
♥Q
♦AQ
♣A976

Playing matchpoints and everyone is vulnerable.

Partner opens the bidding 1♥. The opponents are silent during the bidding. You decide to bid 1♠. Your Partner rebids 1NT.

What is your call?

Show Answer

How about ANYTHING but 2♠ or 3♠. Those are both NON-FORCING bids!

This is a tough hand to bid. One could argue that you can bid 2♠ on your VERY FIRST BID to show six or more ♠ and 17 or more HCP. You can and IF you know how to bid after a strong jump shift then you can do that. But strong jump shift do not happen very often and most partnerships do not have a good agreement on how to bid after. For example, some feel that making strong jump shift shows a suit that is SO GOOD that it can play opposite a singleton or void. Your suit is not that good. You need a couple of trump from Partner.

Some players agree to immediately start cue-bidding. Some bid still trying to find a fit. Who knows?

Unless you and Partner have a firm agreement on what the strong jump shift means then do not make a strong jump shift on the hand.

So I like the 1♠ original bid.

When Partner responds 1NT you KNOW you have a ♠ fit. Partner should be balanced to rebid the NT and therefore should have at least a doubleton ♠. How do we know this?

If they have only a singleton ♠ then they would either have six ♥ (in which case they would rebid 2♥) or they have a four card minor (in which case they would rebid 2 of that minor). So since they only have five ♥ and at most a three card minor they must therefore have at least two ♠.

So back to the fit. You have a fit. Now you have to figure out what level you want to play at.

Bidding 2♠ shows a WEAK hand with six ♠. Partner should "Pass". You have 18 HCP and Partner opened the bidding! You MUST bid AT LEAST game.

Bidding 3♠ shows an INVITATIONAL hand with six ♠. Partner could "Pass" if they are minimum. You have 18 HCP and Partner opened the bidding! You MUST bid AT LEAST game.

Bidding 4♠ gives up on the slam but at least you bid a game. But Partner will never bid again over 4♠.

Bidding 6♠ is a little risky but you definitely are close and that's the easiest way of bidding the slam.

What should you do? That depends on your agreements. But (unless you bid game or slam) you need to make a FORCING bid.

Playing normal Standard American with nothing fancy the best call on this hand is 3♣. If you do that your Partner will bid 3♠ to let you know they have three of them. (They can't have four. They originally bid 1NT and with four of them they would have originally bid 2♠.) Knowing Partner has three trump might entice you to bid the slam.

Partner had a minimum hand. 12 HCP, no Aces, very balanced. Even with that hand you still took 12 tricks. But it was on a finesse.

Responding

Here is your hand:

♠AKT6
♥J942
♦843
♣98

Playing matchpoints and everyone is vulnerable.

Partner opens the bidding 1♣. The opponents are silent during the bidding.

What is your call?

Show Answer

1♥. Four card suits UP THE LINE.

Yes your ♠ suit is nicer. But if Partner does not like your ♥ then they can always bid 1♠ if they have four of them. You will not miss your four-four ♠ fit.

Responding to 1 Diamond

Here is a hand most players found challenging.

Here is your hand:

♠J
♥974
♦Q93
♣AJ8763

Playing matchpoints you are vulnerable.

Partner opens the bidding 1♦. The opponents are silent during the bidding.

What is your call?

Tip: Think about what you are telling Partner. EVERY call means something.

Show Answer

1NT. This says "Partner I have between 6 and 10 HCP. I do NOT have a four card major and I do NOT want to support your ♦ suit." Perfect! This says NOTHING about being BALANCED. You would not OPEN NT on this hand but you are allowed to RESPOND 1NT on this hand.

Other choices?

Pass. This says "Partner I do not have 6 HCP." But you DO. (Liar.)

2♣. This says "Partner I have at least 10 or more HCP with (probably) a ♣ suit. But I might be lying about that suit." You do have the suit. You were allowed to lie about that. You do NOT have the values. You shouldn't lie about that.