MINOR SUIT OPENING and RESPONSES · 2019. 5. 13. · MINOR SUIT OPENING and RESPONSES Pg. 6 Preference Responses In either major or minor suit bidding, a responder with a weak hand

MINOR SUIT OPENING and RESPONSES

OPENING ONE OF A MINOR

"One Banana”. A minor suit opening says little about the opened suit, but shows a

hand that contains no five+ card major suit and lacks the HCP and/or shape for a

NoTrump opening.

Our basic approach after an opening of one of a minor is to respond with any 4+ card

major suit and then bids by both until an 8+ card major fit, if any, is found. If not,

NoTrump is explored unless there is an unstopped suit(s); then the minor suit is

played. (Later we’ll see “Inverted Minors” – a conventional technique for bidding

when neither partner can bid a major.)

Minor Suit Opening Distributions. Until the rebid, responder doesn't know how long

opener's minor suit is. It's at least 3 cards long – NOT “could be short” - but it could

be 5 or 6+ cards long. Opener’s distribution determines the suit(s) to be opened and

rebid, per these guidelines:

Distribution

(♠-♥-♦-♣)

Opening Bid

4-3-3-3 1 – then raise Spades or bid NT next

4-2-4-3 1 – then raise Spades or bid NT next (Not a 1♦ opening)

2-4-4-3 1 – then raise Hearts or bid NT next (Not a 1♦ opening)

3-3-3-4 1 – then NT next – don’t raise a 4-card major with 3 cards.

2-2-5-4 1♦ – then 2 next, unless reverse strength exists (17+)

2-2-4-5 1♦ – then 2 next – not “longest suit first”.

1-2-5-5 1 or 1♦, then the other minor. Reverse with 17+ [1 . . 2]

With 3 – 3 or 4 – 4 or 4 – 3 or 3 - 4 in the minors, we open 1 Club.

This usually (90%) means that Diamond openings are 4+ cards long unless the

distribution is exactly 4-4-3-2. Always prefer a 1 opening to 1, because it allows

partner to respond 1 with a weak (6 – 7 HCP) hand lacking a 4+-card major, instead

of having to bid 1NT over 1♦ with a mere 6 HCP, wrong-siding the contract. We are

never going to bid both minors without at least 9 minor suit cards, so treat the hand

as flat – NoTrump-ish. (Thank you, Mike Lawrence.)

Pg. 1


Pg. 2

A rare exception: raise a 1♦ opener preemptively with just 4-card support?

Sometimes, responder simply has no better bid than to raise a 1♦ opener with

just 4 Diamonds. Since the known odds (per Eddie Kantar) are 90% in favor of

a 4+ length Diamond suit opening, it’s sometimes OK to take the 90% chance.

Not in Clubs; it’s not the same odds. It’s best done – only done - to preempt

the opponents early on. Best done not vul, of course.

Reverse Only with 17+ HCP. With two good/long minor suits, the correct opening

depends on the strength of the hand in HCP - if it should be reversed or not. With

17+ HCP, reverse by opening 1 then bidding 2 on the second round. With fewer

than 17 HCP, open Diamonds and then rebid Clubs unless there’s a major suit fit.

Forget “longest suit first”.

Responses to Minor Suit Openings Without Interference

Pass

With nothing worthwhile to bid, pass. Don’t worry about “leaving partner in 1”. If

you shouldn’t bid, don’t bid. 5 HCP is about the minimum strength, but not just any

5 HCP. AJT2 is worth bidding 1 (It might take 3 tricks!), but a Queen and 3 Jacks in

4 different suits isn’t nearly of equal value. Pass it.

Responses with a 4+ Card Major.

OPEN or RESPOND IN MAJORS FIRST: IF YOU DON’T, YOU DON’T HAVE ANY. Period.

An initial response to a minor suit opening should show any four+ card major suit

regardless of HCP. Therefore a 1♦ or 1NT response to 1♣ denies a four+ card major.

Both players will eventually show strength, but the first obligation is to find any

8-card major suit fit. Opener will raise a major suit response with 4 cards in the suit,

but not with 3, even if they are the A, K and Q. Trump suit strength is not the issue:

length – a minimum of an 8-card fit – is the issue. Opener will usually bid 1♠ over a 1

response if she holds 4 Spades but not 4 Hearts. But bidding two suits at the one

level suggests an unbalanced hand, not flat / NT-ish. As a result, we frequently bid

1NT even holding 4 Spades after a 1♥ response.


Pg. 3

N S

1♣ 1♥ Responding with a 4+ card major.

1♠

Opener has 4 Spades, not 4 Hearts and at least 4+

Clubs. With short Clubs, she should rebid 1NT; not 1♠.

By bidding two suits at the 1-level, opener shows an

unbalanced hand, so responder can prefer to the

minor with 3 pieces. It’s not a raise. It’s a preference

Guarantee. Any time either partner raises a suit bid, she guarantees an 8+-card fit in

that suit, based on the opener having at least 5 in a major or 3 for a minor suit

opener and 4+ cards in an initial major suit response. [1 - P - 1 - P 1♠…]

1♥ could be 5+; not Spades, as it would have been the opening bid.

When this approach is followed, partnership bidding precision increases

substantially. This offsets the cases where it could be theoretically correct to

bid a longer suit first. Minor suit tricks won't go away -- they'll take tricks in a

weakish 4-4 fit in a major suit or in a NoTrump contract.

[1 - P - 1 - P 2- P - 4 . . .] this responder has a game-going hand

after opener shows a 4 card Heart fit. Passing 2, she would have 6 to 9 HCP.

Responses without a 4+ Card Major

Bid 1 NT even with hands that are not perfectly balanced or are short of “stoppers”.

1NT does not promise stoppers everywhere. Or, with a minor suit fit, preempt in your

minor as early as possible.

Opponents are listening to your bidding and will realize your lack of major suits if

both you and partner fail to bid them. They will probably enter the bidding in a major

when they hear your side not bidding them -- it’s called balancing. You should too.


Pg. 4

Responses in NoTrump

With no 4+ major suit and lacking 5+ card support for opener’s minor suit, respond

in NoTrump, per these guidelines. Not alertable and not forcing.

With 6 or 7 HCP and no 4-card major, bid 1 over 1, not 1 NoTrump. Usually

you will have at least one major suit stopper. This is because it’s much better

for the opener to declare in NT rather than the 6 HCP responder.

With 8 to 10 HCP over 1♣ or 1♦, respond 1 NoTrump [1♣ - P - 1NT …]

With 10 to 12 HCP over 1♣ or 1♦, respond 2 NoTrump, natural.

With 13 to 15 HCP over 1♣ or 1♦, respond 3 NoTrump [1♣ - P - 3NT …]

INVERTED MINOR SUIT RESPONSES – AKA “INVERTED MINORS”

“Inverted Minor Suit Responses” are recommended, meaning that we invert Standard

minor suit raises lacking a 4-card major. To do so, with 5 of opener’s minor suit and a

weak hand, jump preemptively to 3 of the minor, [1 – P – 3♣* …] (not forcing) and

with a good hand, raise to 2♣* or 2♦* - both forcing and alerted. If an opponent

inquires, answer “Inverted Minors, where a single raise is a forcing limit raise plus,

and a jump raise is preemptive”. Both show 5+ card support. Single raises by an

unpassed hand are at least game invitational: by a passed hand, they show a Limit

Raise of 9 to 11 HCP or so.

[1 – P – 3* …] 5+ Clubs and a weak hand (< 9 points). Alerted without competition.

Why Play “Inverted”? Duplicate is a competitive game, and majors outrank

minors at every level. When we don’t bid a major suit in response to a minor opener,

who has the majors? The opponents do. And we just told them about their major suit

fit by our not bidding them. So, when weak with an 8-card fit, jump to 3 or 3 (or

4 or 4) to make it harder for opponents to find their fit and proper level of play.

They then must start their search at the 3+ level.

Preemption with a fit is why Inverted Minors are effective: the “other guys” have

majors but have to start high to find them.


Pg. 5

With Strength and 5-Card Support. With strength (9+ points) and 5 of opener’s

minor suit, guaranteeing an 8+card fit, respond 2* or 2♦* with or without

competition. This hand belongs to us, so there’s no point in using up our own bidding

space by jumping. (Alerted.) [1 – P – 2* …] [1 – 1♥ – 2* …]

This “inverted” raise to 2 or 2 starts a search for a NoTrump contract, not a minor

suit contract. With a base of 8+ cards (5 tricks?) in our minor suit, we may be able to

take 9 tricks at NoTrump, provided we have stoppers in other suits. Bidding after a

single raise in a minor suit shows stoppers – not suits – and they are bid up-the-line

by both partners. If a partner bypasses a suit, she doesn’t have a stopper in that suit.

If we identify stoppers in all side suits, we play a NT contract. Without appropriate

stoppers, we have a safe spot in our 8+ card minor suit.

[1 – P – 2* – P 2 . . .] Opener has a Heart, but not a Diamond stopper.

[1 – P – 2* – P 2 . . .] a Heart stopper but not stoppers in all 3 side suits.

[1♣ – P – 2♣ * – P 2NT – P – P...] Even with stoppers in all majors, this

responder can’t go to 3NT, but invites it.

Subsequent Bidding. If all suits are stopped, we play in NT. If not, the opponents

know what suit is open, and will lead it, so we play in our minor with our known 8+

card fit.

[1 – P – 2* – P 2 – P – 3 – P P…] no Diamond stopper and maybe no

Spade stopper so we bail out in our minor suit. Or we might go on to 4♣ or 5♣

in a competitive hand, especially if we’re not vulnerable and they are.

[1 – P – 2*– P 2 – P – 2 – P 2NT – P – 3NT]. Opener has a Club

stopper to bid 2NT. Responder has a good hand and goes for the 3NT game.

[1 – P – 2*– P 2 – P – 3NT] responder has a strong (15+) hand with

Spade and Diamond stoppers; opener showed Heart stopper(s).

Don’t bid the 4th suit to show a stopper; bid NoTrump so the lead comes into your

hand with the stopper.

Bidding a 4th suit on purpose is a convention meaning “I’m stronger than indicated

so far, but I don’t have any bid available” – it’s called “4th Suit Forcing”, for 1 round or

to game. It’s not part of the Inverted Minors system.


Pg. 6

Preference Responses

In either major or minor suit bidding, a responder with a weak hand - - less than

enough to bid twice - - may have to make a correction to opener’s first bid suit. If

opener’s second suit can’t be passed because of shortness, or because it was a

reverse, then responder may have to “prefer” back to the first suit, but it is not a raise.

It’s a forced preference bid and opener must not treat it as positive or guaranteeing

an 8-card fit.

Preference Examples

N E S

1♦ P 1♥ Responding with a 4+ card major.

2♣ P 2♦ Opener has both minors, but responder can’t pass Clubs, so

she “prefers” to Diamonds. It’s not a raise, and so doesn’t

guarantee an 8-card fit.

N E S

1♠ P 1NT# Our good old 1NT Forcing bid.

2♣ P 2♠ Opener has 2 black suits, but responder can’t pass Clubs, so

she “prefers” back to Spades. She doesn’t have 3 Spades, or

she would have raised them directly. It’s always better to play

in a major at any level if possible. Even with a Club fit – but

with 2 decent Spades - responder should prefer back to the

major. (with ♠QT, for example)

REBIDS BY OPENER WITHOUT COMPETITION

After a minor suit opening, opener will join the search for an 8+ card major suit fit if

responder bids a major. If responder didn’t bid a major, she doesn’t have any, so the

contract will be in a minor or in NoTrump or opponents will outbid you in a major, or

you will sacrifice in your non-vulnerable minor.

Rebids with a 4-card fit With responder’s major

Opener should immediately raise any major suit bid by responder if holding 4 trump

cards, but not with only three. (see New Minor Force and Support Doubles /

Redoubles conventions below for alternatives to the “No-No” 3-card raise).


Pg. 7

If responder subsequently rebids the major, opener can then raise or pass with 2-card

support because partner has 6+ (not 5) cards in the suit. We don’t rebid unsupported

5-card suits.

How high to raise with an 8-card fit depends on opener’s “dummy point” strength.

Opener needs 17+ dummy points to raise more than the minimum amount – 2 of a

major - because responder may have only 5 HCP. (E.g., the previously shown ♥AJT2 –

a decent response with only 5 HCP.)

[1 – P – 1 – P 3 . . .] opener is strong (17+) and has 4 Heart cards.

Usually, rebid 1 over a response of 1 (assuming you don't have 4 Heart cards)

because responder’s 1 response doesn't deny 4 Spades as. We respond up-the-line

with both majors. But this shows a 4+ minor opening suit. Why? Because responder

may have to prefer to your minor suit rather than rebidding her suit, passing 1♠ or

bidding 1NT.

[1 – P – 1 – P 1 . . .] opener is minimum with 4 Spade cards and not 4

Hearts, and she has at least 4 Diamonds; otherwise,

she’d bid 1NT.

Responder can prefer to Diamonds, pass 1♠, rebid a 6-card Heart suit or bid 1,

2 or 3NT. 1♠ is not forcing because it’s a 2nd bid at the 1- level by opener.

Example Sequences

N S

1♣ 1♥

2♥ A minimum (12 to 14 point) opener with four Hearts.

1♦ 1♠

4♠

A big (19+ dummy point) opener with 4 Spades.

1♦ 1♥

3♥ An invitational (17 to 18 dummy point) opener with 4 Heart cards.


Pg. 8

Have Your Bid. Remember that responder may be stretching a bit to bid rather than

pass one of a minor. Don't punish her by jumping to game or even inviting with only

15 or 16 points. On the other hand, responder could have 18 HCP and is simply

showing her major first at the 1-level. She will carry on after any raise or any other

rebid by opener.

No Closeouts. Don't make 'close-out bids'. They make little sense in bridge, as they

are unilateral, and you will miss slams because by doing it. Jumping too high is

closing out your partner, not your opponents.

Jump to game only when you have sufficient strength in the two hands and a fit,

always assuming minimum bids by your partner. She may go on, confident that you

have your bid and are not bidding “seat of the pants” style. Don’t do it. Game should

be bid with 26 combined points in majors or NT or 29 points in a minor suit.

OPENER’S REBID WITHOUT A 4-CARD FIT WITH RESPONDER’S MAJOR

Without a 4-card major fit with responder, the minor suit opener’s rebid will usually

be Spades (with 4 Spade cards) or 1NT or 2NT, unless the minor suit is rebiddable

(6+ long) or a second minor is bid.

N E S

1♣ P 1♥

1NT

North shows a minimum opener with less than four

Hearts, probably less than 4 Spades, no interest in a

Club contract and can't bid 2, a reverse-strength

hand.

2-2-5-4

1 – 2 next - a minimum of 9 minor suit cards and

not 4♠ or 4♥ ’s.

2-2-4-5

1 – 2 next – a minimum of 9 minor suit cards and

not 4♠ or 4♥ ’s. Forget “longest suit first.”

Forget ‘Stoppers everywhere’ to bid 1NT. The 1NT sequence above is no guarantee of

all suits stopped or even three suits stopped. It simply suggests 1NT is likely to be the

best contract because of opener’s flat distribution.


Pg. 9

NT Rebid. With a minimum hand, rebid your suit or the other minor if there is reason

to believe NT shouldn't be the contract. This can occur in hands with 9+ cards in the

minors and a singleton in a major suit, or with a 6-card minor. Any NT rebid limits

opener’s hand, meaning responder is the Captain. [1 – P – 1 – P 1NT . . .] Flat, 12

to 14 HCP with no singleton or void.

Rebid Examples after a Major Suit Response to a Minor Opening

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

2 2 4 5 Open 1♦; Rebid 1NT with major suit stoppers, else 2♣'s

3 3 5 2 Open 1♦ then bid 1NT or 2NT

2 4 5 2 Open 1♦, then 2♥ raise or 1NT over 1 Spade

1 3 5 4 Open ♦ then 1NT over 1 Spade or 2♣ without a 1♠ response.

Subsequent Bidding. Any further bidding by responder - the Captain - over a NT or a

(non-reverse) minor suit rebid indicates a strong hand because opener limited her

hand. Opener will stretch to bid 1NT in preference to 2 of a minor, even without

good 'stoppers', so responder should be careful about counting on all major suit

stoppers when opener rebids 1NT or 2NT.

NEW MINOR FORCE.

Finding a 3 – 5 Fit. Responder may have 5 Hearts or 5 Spades – not just 4. But opener

won’t raise a 1 or 1 response with 3-card support because we guarantee an 8+ card

fit whenever we raise partner’s suit. This simple guarantee makes bidding much less

ambiguous, but it also means we need a way to find a 3-card fit with responder’s

5-card major. “The way” is a popular convention called a “New Minor Force” - NMF.

(It should be called the “Other Minor Force” convention but isn’t.) Think of it that

way – a low-level bid of the minor suit the opener didn’t open.

When responder has bid a 5-card major in response to opener’s minor and opener

has rebid 1NT or 2NT and responder has another bid coming, (10+ HCP over 1NT.)

responder conventionally bids 2 or 3 of the other minor to ask opener if he has 3-

card support.

Responder guarantees a good 5-card suit, but cannot rebid it without 6 and 10+ HCP

[1 – P – 1 – P 1NT – P – 2* . . .] 2* is a NMF. “Hey, pard, do you have 3 Hearts?”


Pg. 10

With 3-card support for responder’s major after a NMF, he then bids it at some level.

[1 – P – 1 – P 1NT – P – 2* – P 2…] minimum opener has 3 Hearts

[1 – P – 1 – P 1NT – P – 2*– P 2 – P – 4] the responder sees game.

[1 – P – 1 – P 2NT – P – 3*– P 3 – P – 4NT…] responder sees slam.

Without 3-card support, opener bids anything else except Pass -- his minor, NT again,

a new suit, etc. Opener can’t leave responder in 2♦.

[1 – P – 1 – P 1NT – P – 2*– P 2NT – P – 3NT] Not Spades fit, 3NT

[1 – P – 1 – P 1NT – P – 2*– P 2 – P – 2NT . . .] No fit or game . . .

[1 – P – 1 – P 1 – P – 2 . . .] not NMF because opener didn’t rebid NT.

(Some play NMF without a NT rebid, but this is the simple / “Bob’s Standard”

way to play it.)

A New Minor Force finds 3 – 5 fits in major suits so we don’t play in NT or in a minor

with a 3 – 5 major fit. The advantages of finding an 8+ fit in a major makes the risk of

not finding one worthwhile. (“3 – 5” means 3 trumps in opener’s hand and 5 in

responder’s hand.)

But, because there might not be a fit, a responder using NMF should have a good 5-

card major; not ♥J9754 and 10+ HCP. Why? Opponent’s will hear if there’s no Heart

fit. What do you suppose they’ll lead if you end up in 3NT?

Another Finder of a 3 – 5 Fit: Support Double and Redouble Conventions.

Support Doubles and Redoubles by opener serve the same purpose as a NMF but are

used only when the 4th hand opponent bids over responder’s major suit. Double by

the opener shows 3-card major support for responder’s major, and Redouble over

opponent’s 4th hand Double does the same. Both are alerted. Of course, opener

would raise responder’s suit with 4 card support. Any other bid by opener, including

Pass, denies 3-card support. Note that this is a TELL of 3-card support by opener

without being asked, whereas a NMF by responder is an ASK.

[1 – P – 1 – 1 Dbl*. . .] 3-card Heart Support Double by opener.

[1 – P – 1 – Dbl ReDbl*. . .] 3-card Spade support. A Support Redouble.

[1 – P – 1 – 1 1NT. . . ] Denies 3 Hearts; shows a Spade stopper.

[1 – P – 1 – 1 2. . .] Denies 3 Hearts but shows 9+ minor suit cards.


Pg. 11

It tells responder that opener has 3 of her trumps. It’s a Double* as opener’s rebid:

[1♣ - P - 1♠ - 2♥ Dbl* …]. If 4th seat Doubles, opener can Redouble to show 3

trumps. [1♣ - P - 1♠ - Dbl ReDbl* …] A Tell, not an Ask as in NMF.

OPENER’S REBIDS SHOWING STRONG HANDS

With strong opening hands, the rebid, other than a jump raise of responder’s major,

could be 2NT (18 or 19 HCP) or a reverse (17+) or a jump shift or jump rebid (18+), etc.

N S

1♣ 1♥

3♥ 18+ HCP and 4 Hearts. A Jump Raise, invitational to game.

1♣ 1♥

3♣ A jump rebid, showing 18+ and a good 6+ card Club suit.

1♣ 1♠

2♦ A reverse with 17+ HCP, 9+ minors but fewer than 4 Spades.

A reverse is not a convention and it must not be bid with a hand weaker than 17 HCP.

In the 3rd example above, opener doesn't have majors, yet has bid Diamonds at the

two level, forcing responder to bid at the 3-level to prefer back to opener’s Club suit.

That’s what a Reverse does: it forces responder.

It’s called a Reverse because with normal strength hands, we bid higher-ranking suits

before lower-ranking ones and the final sequence above is the reverse of that

pattern. It must be 17+ HCP because responder may be forced to the 3-level with only

a 5-point hand. That’s why it’s not a convention: it’s a “treatment”, when you force a

6-point responder to the 3-level, perhaps with a poor preference suit.

Don't reverse unintentionally -- plan to reverse when you have 17+ HCP strength and

2 biddable suits, to accurately show your hand; and vice versa.

[1 - P - 1 - P 2 …] and [1 - P - 1 - P 2 …] sound similar but they are very

different: the first shows 17+ and the other shows 12 HCP or so.


Pg. 12

Example Minor Suit Opener Rebids Showing Strength

N S

1♣ 1♥

2NT

18 or 19 HCP without 4 Hearts or 4 Spades by North.

Not forcing. A 3♦ NMF response could follow the

2NT rebid to ASK for 3-card Heart support.

1♣ 1♥

2♠

2♠ is a Reverse. North has four Spades, less than four

Hearts, 17+ HCP, yet didn’t open 1NT. He may need

help in Diamonds for a NoTrump contract. Forcing.

RESPONSES TO MINOR SUIT OPENINGS WITH INTERFERENCE

(For a description of Inverted Minors Without Interference, see Inverted Minor Suit

Raises – aka “Inverted Minors” above – page 5.)

So how do our Inverted Minor bids change when there’s an intervening bid directly

after openers 1♣ or 1♦ opening? [1♣ - 1♠ - ??]. An intervening bid, which is usually

looking for a major fit and makes our Inverted Minors convention even more flexible

because it adds several more bids to our list. Without an intervening bid, it’s just

[1♣ - P - 2♣*…] or [1♣ - P - 3♣*…]. Not much difference there.

But add an intervening bid and we have several additional responses other than a

4-card major: Negative Doubles, Cue Bid Limit Raises, Simple Raises and ReDoubles.

This is why we play Inverted Minors ON at all times, regardless of what interference

there is.

Some play Inverted Minors are “off in competition”; some play “off with a suit

bid, but on with a takeout double”, and other combinations. Why? Simple

bridge is good bridge, and by far the simplest approach is to play Inverted

Minors ON over any interference, as it’s one less thing to forget during the

bidding. Exceptions makes bidding more difficult. We avoid exceptions

wherever possible and this is a good example: our Inverted Minors are always

“on”. Period. A Partnership Agreement.

Recall that our basic plan is to search for a major suit fit. That doesn’t change,

although some of the examples below preclude that: C. and D. below show both


Pg. 13

majors and A. shows one major, although the other major is still in play. But, even in

the case of a takeout double showing both majors, that doesn’t mean responder can’t

bid a 4+ card major: we won’t be playing a game in that suit, but it shows opener a

stopper in that suit, (It must be a chunky suit, ♠AJT6 not ♠9632.) And so we might be

on our way to a NT contract, despite the interference, knowing about responder’s

good Spade stopper.

Example: [1♣ - Dbl - ??]. The double shows at least 4 – 3 in the majors and an

opening strength hand, but responder can bid a major to show opener his

stopper. [1♣ - Dbl - 1♠ . . .]. A Spade response/stopper bid is especially

effective because it forces 4th seat to the 2-level, or maybe prevents her from

bidding at all.

We show major suit responses in competition by

1. Bidding them, showing a good 5+ card suit over an overcall, [1♣ - 1♥ - 1♠…].

2. Bidding a 4 card suit over a Takeout Double, or [1♣ - Dbl - 1♠ …].

3. Bidding a Negative Double over an overcall: shows 4 of any unbid majors.

[1♣ - 1♠ - Dbl …] Showing 4 Hearts – not 5. With 5 Hearts, bid them

No Jacoby 2NT or Jordan 2NT responses – those are after Major suit openings only;

not Minor suit openings.

Competition in the direct seat. i.e., immediately following the opening:

A. [1♣ - 1♠ - ??] B. [1♣ - 1♦ - ??] C. [1♣ - Dbl - ??] D. [1♣ - 2♣ - ??] E. [1♣ - 1NT - ??]

First, what do these interference bids mean?

A. 5 Spades, 8 - 15. B. Diamonds. C. Opener: both majors. D. 5 – 5 in Majors. E. 15 – 17


Pg. 14

Basic “Standard” Responses in Competition: Our priority is: “always show majors”.

- Bid a new 5+ card suit: [1♦ - 1♠ - 2♥ …] or [1♦ - 1♠ - 2♣ …] Denying 4+ Hearts.

- Negative Double with any 4-card major: [1♦ - 1♠ - Dbl…] or [1♣ - 1♦ - Dbl...]

- Bid some level of NT with good stoppers: [1♦ - 1♠ - 2NT…] or [1♣ - 1♦ - 1NT...]

- Cue Bid Limit Raise with a strong hand and fit [1♦ - 1♠ - 2♠…]

- ReDouble with a 5-trump Limit Raise: [1♣ - Dbl - ReDbl]. 5+ Clubs.

Inverted Minor Conventional Responses in Competition:

- Preempt with an 8+-card fit [1♦ - 1♠ - 3♦ …] or [1♣ - 1♦ - 3♣...] or 4♣? or 5♣?

- Bid 2 over 1NT with a limit raise [1♣ - 1NT - 2♣ …] A strong response over 1NT.

- Raise minimally with a fit and 6 - 9 points: [1♦ - 1♠ - 2♦…] or [1♣ - 2♣ - 3♣]

Minor suit raises in competition are not forcing, and they show an 8+ card fit, as

usual. Remember that the purpose of weak and preemptive minor suit raises is to

make it hard on 4th seat to bid cheaply or easily. If we don’t have the majors, they do,

so we’re not going to declare this hand in a major, but maybe we can push them too

high? With a minor suit fit, do it, especially if not vul.

VS COMPETITION IN THE 4TH SEAT. I.e., immediately following responder’s bid:

[1♣ - 1♠ - 2♠ …] The 2♠ bid is a forcing Limit Raise+ hand, denying any 4-card

major, but showing a Club fit, playing Inverted Minors. Opener knows a lot about

where this hand is going: responder has no 4-card major, but has Clubs and strength.

The 2♠ interference is awkward, as it takes away 4th hand’s 2♦ and 2♥ and 2♠ bids.

With stoppers in all 3 of those suits, opener could bid 2NT or 3NT with ♠AKJ, for

example. Or she could pass, awaiting responder’s action. Or she could bid her

cheapest stopper; 3♦, for example, still looking for a NT contract, or she could

double, offering to play in a 2-level doubled contract (usually not a good idea), or she

could just bid 3♣, bailing out in the known 8+ card Club fit. But if opener passes,

responder with the ♠AKJ or something similar, can bid 2NT or 3NT.

[1♣ - P - 1♠ - 2♥…] This responder has an unlimited hand with 4 Spades or more.

4th seat has a lot of Hearts. An opener with 4 Spades will simply raise responder. But if

she has 3 Spades, she can’t raise, so we use a convention called Support Doubles –

see Page 10.


Pg. 15

But responder may have only 4 Spades, and so must find another bid: she can’t play

2♥ Doubled or 1♠ Redoubled in a 3 – 4 fit Spade Suit. Another suit? 2NT with Heart

stoppers? Bail out in opener’s minor?

There’s usually a Partnership Agreement agreeing on an upper limit of 2♠ for

Support Doubles / ReDoubles – if this 4th hand bids 3♥ over responder’s 1♠,

then a double by opener doesn’t show 3 trumps. A penalty double perhaps?

Who knows? She forgot?

When 4th seat interferes, any bid by opener other than Double or ReDouble, including

Pass, denies 3 trump support for responder. [1♣ - P - 1♠ - Dbl P – P – 1NT …]

responder has 4 Spades & a Heart stopper(s). [1♣ - P - 1♠ - Dbl 1NT …] Opener has

fewer than 3 Spades, but a Heart stopper(s).

We don’t rebid unsupported 5-card suits. If responder rebids his major on his own,

without opener showing 3-card support, he has 6 trumps – not 5.

[1♣ - P - 1♠ - Dbl P - 2♥- 2♠…] Responder has 6 decent Spades. Since he could have

passed the 2♥ bid, he also has “stuff” - HCP.

Why not rebid with 5? Simplicity. If a player rebids a suit by herself, she has 6

of them, without question, in our system. It’s not “wrong” to rebid 5-card suits:

we see it in newspapers all the time. But when we don’t do it, then our system

is simpler and unambiguous, and that’s what we are after. Rarely, we might

rebid a 5-card minor. Partner will think we had only 3 when we opened and a

rebid may clarify your hand for her. But that’s very rare, not frequent, as

partner will take you for 6, not 5, and will bid accordingly.

Minor Suit Sacrifices. Don’t think that just because you have minors and “they”

have majors, you are automatically out of the auction. Especially Not vulnerable vs.

Vulnerable, you can certainly make it hard for them if you have a known minor suit

fit. If they look like they are about to bid and make a vulnerable major suit game,

that’s 620 for them. If you’re not vulnerable, and you bid 5 of your minor and get

doubled, how many do they have to set you to win the hand?

Let’s figure it out: 2 tricks is their “book”. If they set you one, that’s 100 for

them; 2 is 300, 3 is 500 – and you are still the winner vs. their 620, so they need

to set you 4 tricks – in other words they need to take 6 tricks to make 800 and

beat their potential 620 score. If they took 6 tricks, that means you took only 7

tricks. With a known 8+ card fit, and side suit tricks and probably a shortage in


Pg. 16

their major suit? Especially if your side opened? But they may “take the push”

and go on to 5 of their major. If they make 5, they were going to make it

anyhow, but you tried. If they go off one, guess who gets a top?

Advance Sacrifices. You don’t have to wait until they bid their vulnerable game: if

it looks like they are going to bid it, there’s no reason you can’t jump to 5 Clubs early

on – before they have time to figure it out completely: [1♣ - Dbl - 2♣ - 2♠ 5♣ …].

With your single Spade, Mr. opener, you can stick it to them on your first rebid. Fun.


Pg. 17

Minor Openings Convention Card

MINOR OPENINGS

Expected min.

length 3 (never fewer)

RESPONSES

Double Raise: Weak ■

After Overcall: Weak ■

Forcing Raise:

Single Raise ■ Other: Always

On.

Frequently bypass 4+ ♦ ■

1NT/1♣ __8_ to __10_

2NT over 1♣ or 1♦ ■ __11_ to __12_

3NT over 1♣ or 1♦ ■ __13_ to __15_

Other:

With 3 or 4 ♣’s and ♦’s, we open 1♣.

In this section, we state our expected length for minor suit openings and our

responses. These numbers are written on your Convention Card.

Expected Min. Length: (for opening) Some players open with less than 3 Clubs, to

“guarantee” 4 Diamonds when it is opened. A bad idea and not even always true, as

with a 4-4-3-2 shape. Don’t do “Could be Short”: every minor opening is 3+ cards.

Responses. We state what we mean by a “Double Raise” or a “Double Raise After an

Overcall”, a “Forcing Raise” and a “Single Raise” of the opened minor suit. (Ours are

“Inverted - always”)

We play a Double Raise as weak in every case. [1 – P – 3* . . .] However, this

double raise without competition is not “standard”, so we must alert such raises.

[1 – P – 3* . . .] alerted. [1 – 1♣ – 3 . . .] not alerted – because it’s in

competition.

We play a single minor suit raise without competition as forcing (9+), so we must

alert them. [1 – P – 2* . . .]. With competition, a single minor suit raise shows 6 - 9

and is not alerted.


Pg. 18

We bypass a 4+ card Diamond suit in response to a 1 opening in order to bid any

4+ card major suit, so we check the “Frequently bypass 4+ □” box.

1NT/1 8 to 10- With fewer than 8 HCP and no 4+ card major, respond 1♦, not 1NT.

2NT over a minor opening: ■ 10+ to 12

3NT over a minor opening: ■ 13 to 15

With exactly 3 or 4 cards in both minors, we open 1♣ to leave the 1♦ response open

for our weak responder without a 4+ card major. (Per Mike Lawrence.). Over a 1♦

opening, she must bid 1NT regardless. Bad. We are never going to bid both minors

anyhow, so this is a good thing for responder at no real cost to opener.


Pg. 19

Minor Suit Opening Quiz – Without Competition.

Estimate what the points and distribution are for each hand. Answers follow below.

A.

_________ __________ ________ ______________

N points N distribution S points S distribution

B.

N S N S N

1♣ 1♥ 1♠ 1NT P -

_________ __________ ________ ______________


C.

N S N S N

1♦ 1♠ 2♣ 2♦ P

_________ __________ ________ ______________


D.

N S N S N

1♦ 1♠ 2♣ 2♠ P

_________ __________ ________ ______________


E.

N S N S N S

1♣ 1♠ 2♦ 2♠ 4♠ P

N S N S N S

1♦ 1♥ 1NT 2♣* 2♥ P


Pg. 20

_________ __________ ________ ______________


F.

N S N S N

1♣ 1♠ 2♣ 2NT P

_________ __________ ________ ______________


G.

N S N S N S

1♦ 2♦ 2♥ 2♠ 2NT 3NT

_________ __________ ________ ______________


H.

N S N S N

1♣ 1♥ 1♠ 2♠ 4♠

_________ __________ ________ ______________


I.

N S N S N

1♦ 1♥ 1NT 2♣* 2♥

_________ __________ ________ ______________


J.

N S N S N

1♣ 1♠ 2♦ 3♦ 3NT

_________ __________ ________ ______________



Pg. 21

K.

N S N

1♦ 3♦* P

_________ __________ ________ ______________


L.

N S N S

1♣ 3♣ 5♣ P

_________ __________ ________ ______________



Pg. 22

Minor Suit Opening Without Competition - Quiz Answers

A.

N S N S N S

1♦ 1♥ 1NT 2♣* 2♥ P

12 - 14 ?-3-4/5-4/5 10 - 11 ?-6-?-?


A New Minor Force auction with 6 Hearts in the South and 3 in the North. South, with

a minimum, passes in the 3 – 6 Heart fit.

B.

N S N S

1♣ 1♥ 1♠ 1NT

_12 - 14_ 4- <4 -?-4+_ 6 - 10 3-4-4-2


Basically, the same hands as A, but North has 4 Spades this time. Either may take the

push to the other's suit if the opponents force them to the two level, maybe with only

a 7-card fit. North needs decent 4+ Club length to bid 2 suits at the one level,

showing an unbalanced hand.

C.

N S N S

1♦ 1♠ 2♣ 2♦

12 -14 ?-?-4/5-4/5 6 - 8 4 - ?- 3+ -?


Two minors by North, with South taking a preference to Diamonds. North must avoid

reversing with less than 17. South’s 2♦’s is not a raise and doesn’t promise more than

6 points.


Pg. 23

D.

N S N S

1♦ 1♠ 2♣ 2♠

12 -14 2-1-4/5-4/5 10 6-?-?-?


South has 6 Spades and rebids them. North is happy to leave her there with his 2

Spade cards and minimum hand.

E.

N S N S N

1♣ 1♠ 2 3♠ 4♠

17+ 2-1-4/5-4/5 10 + 6-?-?-?


Like D, but a reverse by North shows a much better hand. When North raises South’s

rebid of Spades, he is glad to bid game. North's hand re-evaluates a lot higher after

the second Spade bid by South, because of the 8-card Spade fit and Heart singleton;

now she can easily bid game.

F.

N S N S

1♣ 1♠ 2♣ 2NT

12 - 14 2-3-2-6 10 -11 4-3-3/4-2/3


North is minimum with 6 Clubs. South has a good hand, so tries a second bid. South

shows stoppers in Hearts and Diamonds, but not enough to bid game with a weak

North rebid in Clubs.


Pg. 24

G.

N S N S N S

1♦ 2♦* 2♥ 2♠ 2NT 3NT

12 - 14 2-4-4-3 12 - 13 3-?-5-?


An Inverted Minor sequence. South denies any 4+ card majors but has 5+ Diamonds

and good points. North starts showing stoppers up the line with the 2 bid, South

does the same with 2, North invites 3NT; South accepts. 3 by South on the 2nd

round would deny a Spade stopper.

H.

N S N S N

1♣ 1♥ 1♠ 2♠ 4♠

16+ 4-?-?-4/5 10+ 4-4-?-?


Finally N/S find a major fit, illustrating why we bid four card majors up the line

regardless of strength. North didn't open NT, so he probably has a singleton.

I.

N S N S N S

1♦ 1♥ 1NT 2♣* 2♥ P

12-14 ?-3-4/5-? 10 ?-5-?-?


A New Minor Force sequence, finding a 3 – 5 Heart fit.


Pg. 25

J.

N S N S N S

1♣ 1♠ 2♦ 3♦ 3NT P

__19+ __ 2-3-4/5-4/5 6+ 4-?-?-?


North reverses, showing a strong hand with both minors. When South supports one

of them on the second bid, North can go for the NT game with major suit stoppers.

K.

N S N

1♦ 3♦* P

12+ ?-?-?-3+ 5 - 8 3-3-5-2


North has opened an average hand and can’t visualize making a game, so he passes

the Inverted Minor weak raise by South.

L.

N S N S

1♣ 3♣* 5♣ P

20+ ?-?-?-5/6 6+ 3-3-2-5


After a weak 3♣ by South, North tries the minor suit game anyhow. This means South

has a wide-open suit, no doubt a major, which the opponents are likely to lead,

thereby eliminating 3NT as the best game try. Another Inverted Minor sequence.

MINOR SUIT OPENING and RESPONSES · 2019. 5. 13. · MINOR SUIT OPENING and RESPONSES Pg. 6 Preference Responses In either major or minor suit bidding, a responder with a weak hand

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