No Trump Structure

 A bidding system has a certain structure to its no trump bids. It is important not to stray from this structure. Because these bids give your partner such a clear picture of your hand he will often know where the team belongs based on your one bid.

Opening the Bidding with a No Trump Hand

An opening no trump bid requires a specific distribution in the suits and a specific high card point range. Don't fudge these requirements--even by one point or one card. Your partner is counting on you to have this specific hand.

First of all, there is distribution. A no trump opening bid needs to have suits distributed as 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2. Perhaps an easier way to remember these distributions is that you can have at, most, one doubleton and no singleton or void.

Second, there are high card points. These HCPs fit into nice 2 and 3 point ranges:

The first two are 3 point ranges

• 12-14 HCP: Open with 1 of a suit and rebid NT at the minimum level.
• 15-17 HCP: Open 1NT

The next two ranges are 2 point ranges.

• 18-19 HCP: Open 1 of a suit and jump in NT at your next turn
• 20-21 HCP: Open 2NT

In SAYC, they go back to 3 point ranges. I've played them a little differently, but let's stick with SAYC.

• 22-24 HCP: Open 2C and rebid NT at the minimum level
• 25-27 HCP: Open 3NT
• 28+: Should you ever see this in your lifetime, open 2C and see what happens from there.

 It is OK to forget that last one. You aren't likely to need it.

Players often ask if they should open in no trump if they hold a 5-card major. Today, I'll just give the short answer: yes. Opening one spade with 5-3-3-2 distribution and 16 points puts you in a difficult rebid situation at your next turn. You'll need to lie about the length of your suit, or the strength of your hand. I'll cover that situation in detail in a later post.

Responding to a No Trump Opener

Once your partner has described her hand so well with a NT bid, you can add your points to hers to decide if you should be in 

• a part score (<26 points combined)
• a game (26+ points combined)
• a small slam (33+ points)
• a grand slam (37+ points). 

Here is how to remember some of those point ranges: 

• Strength for a game is two opening hands. 
• For a small slam, 33 HCP means that you cannot be missing 2 aces. There are 40 HCP in the deck. Missing two aces would subtract 8 points, leaving your side with 32. Therefore, 33 HCP guarantees that your side is not missing two aces.
• For a grand slam 37 HCP means that you cannot be missing any aces. 

Responding in No Trump

If you are happy to let your partner play in no trump, you simply add your points to hers and let her know where you think the contract ought to be. For example:

• With 8 or fewer points, you know your side has at most 25 points (17+8). That's not enough for game. Pass.
• With 11 points, you know your side has at least 26 points (15+11). That is enough for game. Bid 3NT.
• In between, with 9 or 10 points, your side might have enough for game, but you can't be sure. Invite game by bidding 2NT. Partner will take you to game with 17 and pass with 15. With 16 she has a judgement call.

You might find that you have enough for a small slam. If you have 18 points, you know that your side has at least 33 points (15+18). Don't dilly dally. Just bid 6NT.

If you find yourself with 16 or 17 points, you add that to partners minimum of 15 and come up short of 33. However, if she opened with 17, you have enough for slam. Invite a small slam by bidding 4NT. Note that that is NOT the Blackwood ace-asking convention. It is just an invitation to be 6NT with a maximum 1NT opener. With a minimum opener, she will just pass 4NT.

Similarly, if you are sure that your side has 37 HCP, just sit right up and bid 7NT. If you need partner to have a maximum opener to reach a grand slam, invite grand slam by bidding 5NT. Partner will bid 7NT with a 17 point hand and bid 6NT with 15.

The same principles apply to 2NT opening bids. You add your points to partners, and decide where the contract belongs. The two-point range for an opening 2NT makes it easier for partner to decide what to do with a slam invitation. You can't invite game, because the next higher bid IS game. C'est la vie.

Jacoby Transfers

Your partner's opening no trump bid means that she probably has at least 3 cards in your best suit. If your best suit has 5 cards, you can expect to have an 8-card trump suit. That's why you bid a Jacoby transfer with a 5 card suit. You expect your partner to have 3 card support and she automatically bids the transfer suit. You may have been unfortunate and found her with a doubleton in your suit. If you are going to bid again, you need 6 cards to bid your suit. Otherwise you bid NT, giving her the chance to stay in no trump with a doubleton, or take you back to your suit if she has 3 or more. Here's an example:

Partner opens 1NT (15-17 HCP)

You have 11 HCP and a 5 card spade suit. You expect your partner to have at least 3 spades, so you expect to have an adequate trump suit. You know your team has enough strength for game.

You bid 2H. Partner bids 2S without thinking it over. That's the transfer part.

Now, you want to show your partner that you have enough strength for game, but want to give her the chance to stay in no trump if you happened to catch her with a doubleton spade. Bid 3NT.

Partner will pass with a doubleton spade and bid 4S with 3 or more.

If you held 6 cards in spades, you would bid 4S at your second turn. Partner will pass without thinking, because she has described her hand so well with her opening bid putting you in control.

Suppose you had only 9 or 10 points. Now, you don't know if your side has enough strength for game. The transfer works the same way. You bid 2H. Partner automatically bids 2S. Now, you invite game by bidding 2NT with a 5 card suit. Partner will end the bidding in a part score with 15 points, and take you to game with 17. With 16, she makes a judgement call. Let's say she has 15. If she has 3 spades, she will take you back to spades by bidding 3S. If she has only 2 spades, she leaves it at 2NT. If she has 17 points, she bids game--either 3NT with a doubleton spade or 4S with 3 or more.

Going back to your second bid, if you had a 6 card spade suit, you would bid 3S at your second turn to invite game. Partner will pass with 15 points and bit 4S with 17.

One more example. Partner opens 1NT. You have a very weak hand with a 5+ card spade suit. You bid 2H as a Jacoby transfer. Partner makes her automatic bid of 2S. You pass. That's an easy way to keep the bidding low when you just prefer to play in a suit rather than pass 1NT.

Should you have a medium to strong hand, but have only a 4 card major suit (or maybe both of them), you bid 2C as the Stayman convention. I'll expand on that another time.

What if the opponents interfere?

Your partner opens 1NT. You hold a 5-card spade suit, and intend to bid 2H as a Jacoby transfer. Your uncooperative right-hand opponent bids 2H before you get your chance. What then?

Generally, when the opponents interfere in the bidding, conventions are off. The example above is rather obvious. The opponent has taken your conventional bid. Suppose that the opponent had interfered with 2D. Your intended 2H bid is still available. No matter, Jacoby transfers are still off. Otherwise, you would have no way to show a hand with a long heart suit. Your partner is going to be confused about whether your 2H bid means a heart suit or a transfer to spades. That is, your partner will be confused unless you have this agreement. Transfers are off with interference.

When there is an interfering bid, all new suit responses by the responder are natural. They show at least 5 cards in that suit. 1NT - 2D - 2H means that responder has a 5-card heart suit.

There is one exception. If the interference is a double, it doesn't take away any conventional responses. The interference is transparent. Transfers are still on. So is Stayman.

There is a convention known as "cue bid Stayman." To use this bid you bid the same suit as the interference, asking your partner to show you if she has a 4-card major. It is forcing to game. An example would be 1NT - 2D - 3D. The 3D bid is Stayman.

Interference from the other opponent

Suppose your partner opens 1NT, the next player passes, you bid 2H telling your partner to bid 2S. Then, your uncooperative left-hand opponent bids 3D. Naturally, your bid hasn't changed its meaning, but your partner is no longer required to bid spades. She can if she wants to, but she isn't forced to bid. A 3S rebid by the opener would say, "I'm happy to play spades opposite your 5-card suit." This principle of a "free bid" also applies if the interference was a double. For example, in this auction:

1NT - pass - 2H (Jacoby transfer) - double

Opener can pass to show that she only has 2 cards in spades. Responder will have another chance to bid, so there is no risk of playing 2H doubled. If the opener makes the (previously automatic) response of 2S it means she has 3 card support for spades.

You might wonder what the doubler had in mind by doubling a bid that he knew wasn't going to be the final contract. Everyone at the table knows that 2H is a Jacoby transfer. His double means that he would like to see a heart lead from his partner once the contract is settled.