AQTxx-75-void-AQxxxx

[Finch]

With a weak 5-6 in the reds, not strong enough to reverse, you'll find a lot (possibly the majority) of people even outside France opening 1H.

 

With a weak 5-6 in spades and diamonds, or a weak 5-6 in hearts and clubs, I would guess maybe 50% of people, maybe a bit less would open 1S.

 

With a weak 5-6 in the majors I have no idea what the majority would do (I'm not sure what I would open it until I saw the hand).

 

With a weak 5-6 in the minors I guess again the majority would open 1D.

 

With a weak 5-6 in the blacks the vast majority (99.9%) open 1C.

 

But I realise I have very little idea for the middle 3 what the majority of people would do at the table. Luckily I know what I and my regular partners do, because we've discussed it, but that's all.

[Walddk]

Sorry for being very late, but 1♣ followed by a couple of spade bids seems a prudent approach with this hand.

 

Now, so Koen opened 1♠ and is asking what to do over 2♦. You have no choice really: 3♣. The auction hasn't been very economical so far, but that can't be helped. I am happy to bid 3♣ even. Yes, it's forcing (even game forcing in my methods). A good rule is: new suit at the 3-level, by opener as well as responder, is game forcing.

 

You have a 4-loser hand. That should be plenty to force to game after a 2-o-1 response, even if 2♦ doesn't promise more than 9+ hcp. Sure, occasionally you have a serious misfit (partner is perhaps 2-4-6-1 or 1-5-6-1, ouch), but if you don't bid clubs and spades, or spades and clubs the way you did it, you may as well stop bidding.

 

I mean, no-one will tell her/himself before taking the first call: "I am sure partner has 65 in the red suits, so I'd better pass before we get overboard". That's not bridge.

 

Finally, if the bidding had gone

 

1♣ (1♥) 2♦ (2♥)

2♠

 

must be obvious to any expert in this world. The hand is much too good to pass, and if you rebid your clubs, you will never tell about your spade suit. Does 2♠ promise 5 spades? No, but my intention is to show the 5th on my next turn.

 

Roland

[Finch]

After

 

1C (1H) P (2H)

 

you could consider bidding 3S. I wouldn't, because I think that shows a better hand, but it's a possible call.

 

I wouldn't bid 3S after

1C (1H) 2D (2H)

 

because partner might think it's a splinter (many people play that if a simple bid is forcing unnecessary jumps show shortage)

[whereagles]

Koen:

 

In SEF, if you have a weakish black 55, after 1♠ 2♦, the rebid is usually 2♠, intending to bid clubs to show 5 cards if pard bids 2NT. The 2♠ rebid is a catch-all, so it doesn't promise 6 spades. You might consider 2♠ here for this reason. But 3♣ is fine as well.

 

I know, americans might find these ideas wierd, but this time they are *not* mine :P

[Codo]

Koen:

 

In SEF, if you have a weakish black 55, after 1♠ 2♦, the rebid is usually 2♠, intending to bid clubs to show 5 cards if pard bids 2NT. The 2♠ rebid is a catch-all, so it doesn't promise 6 spades. You might consider 2♠ here for this reason. But 3♣ is fine as well.

 

I know, americans might find these ideas wierd, but this time they are *not* mine :P

As the black 5/5 hands are nearly always opened 1 Club in SEF, your statement is false. Just if you decide to use the clubs as too weak to mention, you must use your catch all bid after the 2/1 response. And that is 2 Spade in this case. (We agree on this...)

 

And for the site of M. Mathieu, as far as I know, he as a very respected player, but he is not the authority for the french school of Bridge, so I guess his opinion on his personal web-site does not need to show the official view on this theme.

 

But anyway, his opinion is shared among the most others, you just misred it.

[whereagles]

1.

As the black 5/5 hands are nearly always opened 1 Club in SEF, your statement is false.

 

2.

But anyway, his [Mathieu] opinion is shared among the most others, you just misred it.

1. Which statement?

 

2. Excuse me? I didn't understand this. Can you be more specific?

[bid_em_up]

With a weak 5-6 in the majors I have no idea what the majority would do (I'm not sure what I would open it until I saw the hand).

Here ya go: ;) From live tourny this past weekend[hv=s=skj108xhkqj9xxdjcx]133|100|1st seat nobody vul[/hv]

 

If its of any importance, I opened 1♥ but wasnt all that thrilled about it, as the auction quickly spiralled out of hand.

 

1♥-2♦-2♠-3♣-3♠-6♠

 

gulp.

[luke warm]

The strong clubbers seem happy to open this hand with 1♠, perhaps because they never regard the club suit as something they need to bid. I often wonder how extreme we have to make the hand to get them to show it (5-0-0-8 perhaps?) :)

that's why it's a 2♠ opener for me (5+ spades, 4+ clubs)

[mike777]

With a weak 5-6 in the majors I have no idea what the majority would do (I'm not sure what I would open it until I saw the hand).

Here ya go: :) From live tourny this past weekend[hv=s=skj108xhkqj9xxdjcx]133|100|1st seat nobody vul[/hv]

 

If its of any importance, I opened 1♥ but wasnt all that thrilled about it, as the auction quickly spiralled out of hand.

 

1♥-2♦-2♠-3♣-3♠-6♠

 

gulp.

Again using Blackwood is not evil, one does not have to only cuebid or just bid slam :)

 

Your auction through 3s was fine.....:) I could have so much less than this :)

[kgr]

... but if you don't bid clubs and spades, or spades and clubs the way you did it, you may as well stop bidding....

First of all: I tend to post hands that I feel I really did bid wrong and then hope I'll never forget. B)

The bidding was:

1S-2D-2NT all pass

I did hold this hand, opened 1S and rebid 2NT (we don't play this forcing, so don't blame my partner).

 

Void

98xx

AQxxx

KJxx

 

AQTxx

75

Void

AQxxxx

[blackshoe]

Somebody asked upthread if 3♣ in the uncontested auction 1♠-2♦-3♣ is a reverse. It's what the English call a "high reverse". Most North Americans don't consider it a reverse (because it's not a bid at the two level) but it certainly has the same effect.

 

I would have opened 1♣, but an argument could be made for 1♠, I suppose. It is a major, after all. OTOH, if you decide the hand isn't strong enough to reverse (debatable - it's only 13 HCP, but it does have only four losers) then you don't really have a rebid after a 2 level response in a red suit. As others have pointed out, opening 1♣ keeps your options open, and doesn't distort your shape (if you open 1♣ and rebid ♠ twice, you must have 6♣ and 5♠ - or 7 and 6. :-))

 

2NT was, well, pretty bad, but once you decide to open 1♠ and not rebid 3♣, you're kind of stuck. B)

[keylime]

1♣, absolutely, playing 2/1 GF. Opening 1♠ subjects partner to guessing about degree of fit over a red suit bid and 3♣ rebid. Playing slower arrival (what I strongly prefer), it's still 1♣.

 

Opening 1♠ also causes headaches when the opps get into the act:

 

1♠ (2 ♥) P P

 

Partner may be sitting on a heart stack, but it would scare me to reopen with a double here. However:

 

1♣ (1/2♥) P (P/raise)

 

Now bidding spades helps A LOT. Pard can compete in clubs (yes it is STILL a suit, amazingly enough) and will have an idea of what you've shown.

[fred]

It should be noted that there is group of American experts (I believe they are following the ideas of Steve Robinson) who claim to always open 1H or 1S with a 5-card major and a longer minor. Suit quality and which specific suits they hold do not come into play for this group.

 

My personal preference is about as far from this position as possible. I almost always open the 6-card suit and it would not occur to me to do otherwise with the hand in question. Occasionally (ie a couple of time a year) I make exceptions for hands with 56xx, x56x, x5x6, and xx56 distribution, but I really hate doing this.

 

While I don't agree with Steve Robinson's views in this area, he is a great player who has a lot more experience than I do and he is quite passionate in his opinion that it is better to "always" open the 5-card major. It would be both arrogant and ignorant for me to claim that I *know* I am right and that he is wrong.

 

I can state with confidence that almost all North American experts would open 1C with the hand that this thread is about (but of course that doesn't mean that this is the "right" bid).

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[cf_John0]

1♠ for anytime,3♣ ia a good rebid for any response;they are typical,I think.