Hand of the day #570
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the...
This conundrum was written by Barbara Seagram's and was originally published in the book Barbara's Bridge Tips - you can find out all about it further down the page.
Hand 1
You are the dealer. What is your opening bid?
Open with 1NT. I know you have a five-card major but if you open with anything other than 1NT, you will never have a rebid that will accurately describe your hand. For example, if you start with 1♥ and partner bids 1♠, then if you now bid 2♦, you are showing a minimum opening bid: 13–15 points. If instead you decide to choose 1NT as your rebid, partner will expect you to have 12–14 HCP. So, anytime you have 5–3–3–2 shape and 15–17 HCP, just open 1NT and ignore the fact that you have a five-card major.
Hand 2
You are the dealer. You choose to open the bidding with 1♦. Partner bids 1♠. Now what?
You may not now bid 2♥. With only 13–15 points you have four choices: raise partner, bid a lower-ranking suit than your first, rebid your own suit, or bid notrump at the lowest level possible. If you select 2♠ as your rebid, you will be behaving like someone with more than 13–15 points. Specifically, you will be promising 17 or more points. Rebidding in a higher-ranking second suit is called a reverse; it always promises more cards in the first-bid suit than the second and 17 or more points. It also promises an unbalanced hand. Thus you must now rebid 2♦.
Hand 3
You’re the dealer. What’ll it be?
Open 1NT. There was a time when you weren’t allowed to open the bidding with 1NT if you had a useless doubleton. Those days are gone. Also at that time, you couldn’t open 1NT with two suits unstopped. That’s gone too. Reason: it is vital that you show your partner how many points you have. If you don’t open 1NT, you will never be able to show your true point when it is your turn to bid again. You are showing 15–17 HCP with no singleton or void and usually no more than one doubleton.
Whether you have been playing for a while or you're not very experienced, this book will help you to move your game up to the next level. The tips cover all aspects of bridge - bidding, play and defense. Advice and examples are drawn from material Barbara Seagram has developed for her students over the last twenty years - it's like having your own personal bridge coach sitting beside you!
on the 1rst hand, 2d rebid shows 12-17, not 12-15. responder with 8 pts has to keep bidding alive.
Why not just rebid 1NT on board 2? You're semibalanced and a 2D bid suggests a more shapely hand than this. If I had been 1-4-5-3 I might have rebid 2D.
I like 1 NT. It is not perfect as it hints of a stopper in the unbid suit, clubs. But it shows at least two spades.
A valid point. It is very much a matter for practiced partnerships to discuss. In the previous millenium, 2!D would have been a 'no brainer' rebid.
It is a recent trend in bridge to rebid 1NT. Discuss with your regular partner.