What should I respond...
WHAT SHOULD I RESPOND?
We are often in a position where we are unsure whether to respond to partner's
opening bid. Let's look at some these situations :
ª Q87©73,¨J632, §K943
Your partner opens 1H and you seriously think of passing. Your thoughts " I only
have 6 points and partner can't be strong so I think I will pass". Partner's hand
happens to be ª A63©AKQ92,¨K7, §QJ2
This hand is only one point stronger than a 1NT opening and has 6 losers. It is
definitely not a 2C opening. Had you responded 1NT partner would have raised to 3NT with the above hand which has an excellent chance of making. There may even be 10 tricks in hearts if the suit breaks 3-3.
***************
Now a different kind of hand :
ª 963©J862,¨KQ93, §82
Partner opens 1C. Normally you should respond 1D bidding your 4 card suits up the line. However with a weak hand you may not have another chance to bid so you should respond 1H to avoid missing a possible heart contract. Compare this with the following hand :
ª J63©J862,¨KQ93, §A62
With the above hand you should respond 1D as this bid may be crucial if partner is looking for 3NT.
***************
It's time to address more tricky situations. Your partner opens 1D and you hold the following :
ª 963©A9543,¨9, §8762
Your thinking is "If I respond 1H can the roof cave in?" It's a very difficult situation. If partner has :
ª A87©KQ87,¨AKJ42, §3
He will naturally jump to 4H which will make unless hearts break 4-0.
However if partner holds : ª AJ2©62,¨AK642, § AK4
he will jump to 2NT (19-20) and now you would like to make a quick exit!
These situations are always difficult. The tactical approach should be - if we are
doing well I'll be conservative and pass. If we are doing badly I will respond 1H and
pray. If we are running at 50% I will toss a coin.
***************
Another tricky situation is the following. Partner opens 1D and you hold the following :
ª J872©87,¨K4, §AQ765
If you respond 2C you could easily miss a 4-4 spade fit (partner will not rebid 2S over your response of 2C unless he has a strong hand (16 +). Your correct response is 1S. If partner rebids 1NT you should pass and forget about the club suit.
***************
Partner opens 1D and you hold the following :
ª AQJ8732©87,¨84, §65
Don't even think of bidding 3S!. You should preempt the opponents, not partner.
If you respond 3S with the above hand and partner has :
ª - ©AK62,¨AJ653, §A732
you've just destroyed the auction. Your correct response is 1S. If partner rebids 2H you now rebid 2S and partner must pass with the above hand to avoid a catastrophe (e.g. 3NT)
COPYRIGHT : GREG QUITTNER
If you have any difficult hands please email them to me and I will be happy to respond ASAP
