3a: Bidding - Unbalanced Hands

3a.1: Opening the bidding with an unbalanced hand

If you have two suits of equal length, you should open the highest ranking of these unless they are spades and clubs, in which case open 1C.

Examples

What would you open with these? ("x" represents a low card)

1)

S H D C

AKxxx x Qxxx AJx

2)

S H D C

AKxxx xx x AQJxx

3)

S H D C

x AQxxx KQJxx xx

4)

S H D C

AKxxx xx J Qxxxx

Answers

3a.2: Responses to your partner's 1 of a suit opening

Here is a quick reference guide to responses to 1 of a suit openings. They will be discussed in more detail later in this lesson, and in the next lesson.

Pass	Any weak hand (less than 6 points)
Raise opener's suit	2 level 6-9, 4+ cards 3 level 10-12, 4+ cards 4 level 13-15, 4+ cards
No Trumps	1 level 6-9 2 level 10-12 balanced 3 level 13-15 balanced
New Suit	1 level 6-17, 4+ cards 2 level (no jump) 8-17, 4+ cards Jump bid 16+, 4+ cards

Two general rules to remember are:

• A bid of a suit, unless it is conventional, almost always shows 4 cards in that suit.
• A change-of-suit response is forcing.

3a.3: Discussion of responses to opening 1(suit)

1. you have four or more cards in partner's suit
2. you have a balanced hand without four cards in partner's suit
3. you have neither of the above, and therefore have a suit or suits of your own

3a.3.1: You have four or more cards in partner's suit

This means that you have the majority of the cards in the suit between you, so it would be a good choice for a trump suit. So, you must tell your partner this by bidding the same suit at a higher level. This is known as raising your partner's suit, or supporting your partner.

When you and your partner have a fit, you (as responder) can add extra points to your hand if you have any useful distributional values. To demonstrate, consider these hands:

1)

S H D C

KQJxxxxxx xx xx none

2)

S H D C

KQJx xxx xxx xxx

It is easy to see that the first hand will be much more useful to partner than the second hand. It is likely to lose 3 less clubs, and one less heart and diamond. One way of allowing for this is to add points for distribution when raising partner's suit. This is done as follows:

For each doubleton	1 point
For each singleton	2 points
For each void	3 points

After adjusting your point count, bid at the appropriate level according to this scale:

6-9 points	2 level
10-12 points	3 level
13-15 points	4 level

By responding like this, you agree that your partner's suit will be trumps, and tell him/her how good your hand is. Bids like these and the no trump responses that will be described next are known as limit bids. This is because they tell your partner the limits of your strength. (Like the NT openings and rebids we talked about last week).

3a.3.2 You have a balanced hand

Examples

What would you respond if partner opened 1H?

1)

S H D C

Kxx Jxxx Axxx xx

2)

S H D C

Kxx xx AQxx Qxxx

3)

S H D C

xxx QJxx xx Jxxx

4)

S H D C

Kxxx xx Axx Qxxx

5)

S H D C

Kxx AJxxxx Qxxx none

Answers

3a.4: Opener's rebid

Examples

You opened 1H, partner responded 2H. What is your rebid?

1)

S H D C

AKQ AQJxx Jx Qxx

2)

S H D C

Kx KJxxx AJxx Jx

3)

S H D C

xx KQJxx AQx KQx

Answers

3a.4.2: Your partner responded in no trumps

What is your rebid with these hands after you opened 1H and partner responded 1NT?

1)	S H D C	Kxx AQxxx Kxxx x	2)	S H D C	AQx Qxxxx KQx Ax	3)	S H D C	Qxx AKQxxx Jxx x	4)	S H D C	Kx AQJxx x AKxxx
5)	S H D C	xxx Kxxxx KQx Ax	6)	S H D C	QJx AKQJxx Qx Ax	7)	S H D C	Axx KQxx KQJx Ax	8)	S H D C	xx AKJxxx KQx Ax

Answers

3a.5: Responder's rebid

For example, after the bidding sequence:

Partner	You
1H	1NT
2D	??

you should pass with more diamonds than hearts, and bid 2H with at least as many hearts as diamonds. This makes sure your partner plays the contract in the suit you prefer, which is the suit that you have the best fit in.

3b: Simple card play (2)

3b.1: Drawing trumps

It is normally best to draw trumps as early as possible. This hand demonstrates why:

W:

AKx AKxxx Axx xx

E:

Qxxx QJxx xxx Ax

Contract: 4H by West Lead: 5S

West can count 10 tricks (S:AKQ, H:AKQJx, D:A and C:A), and 3 losers (2 diamonds and a club). So far so good. What can go wrong? Why shouldn't West take the three spade tricks, then take the hearts and the other aces?

There is a reason, and this is it: the chances are pretty low that one of the defenders is void in spades and able to trump the first trick, but they are slightly higher that a defender will be able to trump the second or third round of the suit.

To prevent this, West plans to take his heart tricks as soon as he wins the lead with the first spade trick. This prevents apparently certain winners being trumped, and ensures that West makes the contract. This is called drawing trumps.

One thing that you will find very useful, that you should try to practice from now on, is counting how many cards are left in a suit. This is most useful when drawing trumps (so you know when to stop playing trumps), or when establishing long suits (so you know when the remaining cards have become winners). Try to keep track of the cards played in trump suits, and in long suits in no trump contracts. It will get easier with practice!

3b.2: Establishing side suits

Consider the following example:

W:

Kx AKxxx xxx xxx

E:

QJ10x QJxx Axx Ax

Contract: 4H by West Lead: 3H

West can count 10 winners (3 spades - once the ace has been knocked out, 5 hearts, a diamond, and a club). However, there seem to be 4 losers (a spade, two diamonds, and a club). The problem can be overcome by first drawing trumps, then playing the KS. If the defenders don't take the AS, West should carry on with the suit until they do. After all, they can't trump one of the spade tricks. On the third and fourth spade tricks, West can discard the two small diamonds from his/her own hand.

3b.3: Ruffing with the short trump suit

This example will demonstrate the principle:

W:

Axx AKQJ10 Axx xx

E:

x xxxx xxxx AJxx

Contract: 4H by West Lead: 3H

West can see 8 tricks (5 hearts, and 3 aces). If he draws trumps, that is the highest number of tricks that West can make.

However, if he can use two of dummy's trumps to make tricks before drawing trumps, he can make the contract. The plan is to win the first trick, play the AS immediately, ruff a spade in dummy, get back to hand with the AH and ruff another spade. This way, two little trumps have made tricks which they would not have made if West had drawn trumps immediately.

This contract isn't guaranteed to make, but at least West has done the best s/he can. It is usually the case that declarer isn't certain of making a contract; the aim is to maximise the chances of making it.

Note that ruffing with the long trump suit isn't nearly as useful, because it is likely that the little trumps in the long suit will make tricks anyway - they won't get played under the higher honours when trumps are drawn, as little trumps in the short suit would do.

Also note that it may be necessary to lose a trick before you can ruff with the short trump suit. For example, if you have something like this:

W:

S H

Axx AKQJ10

E:

S H

xx xxx

and you need one more trick, you should play the AS, then another spade, as soon as you are on lead. Then when you next get the lead, you can ruff a spade in dummy.