Lesson 11 - Responding To An Opening Bid Of One Of A Suit

This is just a summary of the responses to a 1 of a suit bid.  This is a large topic and one which you should study by taking your trial membership at No Fear Bridge.  Just Click Here Now to join for two weeks at no cost.

There are four basic types of bid you can make if your partner opened with a bid of 1 of a suit.  You can:

• Support partner's suit


• Bid a new suit


• Make a No Trumps bid


• Pass

You need to decide which of these bids you should make.

0 - 5 Points

You have a weak hand and partner has fewer than 20 points.  Between you do not have enough points for "game" - 25 points.

You PASS.

6+ Points

• Partner opened with a major suit bid:
  
  
  
  • Support if you have 4+ cards in the suit (even if you have more or better cards in another suit)
    
    
    
    • 6 - 9 points, bid at the 2 level
    
    
    • 10 - 12 points, bid at the 3 level, 1
    
    
    • 3 - 15 points bid for game at the 4 level (partner has at least 12 points, so you have at lest 25 points between you)
  
  
  • Fewer than 4 cards in partner's suit
    
    
    
    • Bid a new suit at the 1 level, if you can
    
    
    • If you can't support or bid at the 1 level:
      
      
      
      •  6 - 9 points, bid 1NT.  This doesn't mean that you have a balanced hand, just that you don't have enough points to bid at the 2 level.
      
      
      • 10 + points, bid a new suit at the 2 level

Bidding a NEW Suit is a forcing bid, your partner must bid again.

Pass is a sign off bid - your partner must not bid again

Raising partner's suit or bidding in NT are limit bids and partner can bid again if they want to.