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Home > Tutorial > Bidding > Opener's first bid > Opening with balanced hands of more than 14 points
 

 

 

 

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Odds and Ends

Opening with balanced hands of more than 14 points

In general, you want to play balanced hands in no-trump contracts, and this is your prime intention when you see this hand. You may, of course, be deflected by partner as the auction progresses.

You have too many points to open 1NT (which requires 12-14), and so, perforce, must open one of a suit. You intend to rebid no-trumps, to show your point-count, unless partner's response forces you to change direction (ie 1H-2H, you will play the contract in hearts; 1S-1NT, your partner will play this no-trump contract).

Your balanced shape will be 5-2-3-3, 4-4-2-3 or 4-3-3-3. If you have a five-card suit or only one four-card suit, then your choice of suit to open is obvious. Your rebid will be no-trumps.

S A 4 3
H K 3
D K Q 7 4 2
C K 3 2
Open 1D and rebid no-trumps at the lowest available level unless partner supports  diamonds or bids no-trumps (see later for these).

 

S A 4 3 2
H A 6 4
D A 7 3
C K Q 2
Open 1S and jump in no-trumps, unless partner supports spades or bids no-trumps.

If your shape is 4-4-2-3, you have a choice of opening bids. With one minor and one major, despite advice to the contrary from some authors, always open the major otherwise

(a) you will only be able to bid your major if you reject your no-trump rebid, or

(b) you will rebid no-trumps and partner does not know of your major-suit holding.

S K Q 2
H K 9 7 5
D K 2
C A 4 3 2
Open 1H and rebid no-trumps over any response from partner other than 2H or 1NT.

 

S A K 4 3
H A 3
D K 9 8 7
C A 9 7
Open 1S and rebid no-trumps over any response from partner other than 2S.

When your four-card suits are hearts and spades, your thinking is different. You open 1H and if partner does not bid spades, then you must assume that she does not have them and make your intended rebid of no-trumps, happy that you have not missed a spade fit. You must train your partner to prefer a response of 1S          (even with S 5432), to a five-card minor.

You might argue that an opening bid of 1S would give partner the chance to bid 2H if she had them, anyway, but there are two reasons why this is not good.

(1) Partner may have hearts but not enough points to bid at the two-level

(2) Partner may have 8+ points but only hold four hearts, in which case the agreed system may not permit her to bid two hearts over one spade, which may call for a five-card heart suit.

S A 4 3 2
H A 4 3 2
D A 4
C K 4 3
Open 1H and rebid 2NT over 2C or 2D.Over 1H-1S, support to 2S, over 1H-2H, pass and over 1H-1NT, pass.

 

S A 9 7 6
H A 5 4 3
D A J 2
C K Q
Open 1H and rebid 3NT over 2C or 2D.After 1H-1S, raise to 3S,over 1H-2H, raise to 3H and over 1H-1NT, bid 2NT.

Try here for a quiz on this topic.
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