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Responding with a minimum hand
With no major suit fit to bid, responder’s second priority is bidding 1NT if possible as the points for a NoTrump contract score are higher than a Minor suit contract
Bids holding a minimum hand (6-9- points)
Usually without support for your partner’s suit, you want to see if a NoTrump contract is viable. Bidding a new suit at the 1-level shows your partner you have at least 6 HCP.
Keep the bidding as low as you can to leave more room to explore the correct place for your contract. Your choices are usually one of the following.
- Bid (show) a suit at the 1-level if possible 6+ HCP
- Bid 1NT to show you have 6 – 9 HCP
No Trump bids and suit raises are Limit bids – Limit bids are useful bids as they show the precise strength and the shape of a hand.
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Bidding game directly is a preemptive bid designed to shut out the opponents it also asks your partner stop bidding.Leaping into game promises 6-9 HCP with either 4 trumps & a void(zero cards in a suit), or 5 trumps and a singleton (one card in a suit).
If you have more than 13 HCP, you must not preempt…. you should change suit at the lowest level first and then bid game (this is known as a delayed game raise).
Responses with a minimum hand
| Opening Bid | Your Response | Points | Meaning of Responder Bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in a suit | Pass | 0-6 | Game is out of reach and you have no five card suit to bid |
| 1 in a suit | 1NT | 6-9 | Not able to bid at the two level and no four card suit higher ranked than openers suit |
| 1H/1S | 4H/4S | 5-7 | Promises five cards with minimum strength points |
| 1H/1S/1D/1C | Intervening bid by opposition and you bid double “X” | 5-7 | A negative Double promises 8-9 points and some cards but unable to bid over the opposition’s bid |
Exercise: Partner opens 1♥. What is your responding bid?
Your Hand
- ♠J 8 5
- ♥K Q
- ♦7 4 2
- ♣10 9 8 7 6
Answer: Your bid is 1NT. You know you have no major fit and you have 6 HCP.
