When you cannot open 1 No Trump or 1 of a major suit, look to your minor suits . To open in a minor suit, you need 3+ cards and 13-21 points. This denies a 5 card major, but you could have 4 cards in one or both majors. With 4/4 in both minor suits, open a diamond - the higher ranking suit. With 3/3 in both minor suits, open a club - the lower ranking suit. With a 2/3 or 4/3 distribution in the minor suits, open with the longer suit . Responder's Responses 0-5 points: Pass 6+ points: 1. Bid up the line with 4 card suits. 2. With two 5-card suits, bid the higher ranking first. NOTE: A new suit at the one-level by responder is a forcing bid, Opener is required to bid again. 3. Bid 1NT - with a balanced hand and 6-10 points, with no 4-or-more-card suit to bid at the 1-level. 4. Bid 2NT - with a balanced hand and 11-12 points and no' 4-card major. 5. Bid 3NT - with a balanced hand and 13-15 points and no 4-card major. 6. Raise Opener's minor suit: a. To the 2 level with 6-10 points, b. With 11-12 points, jump-raise the minor to the 3 level. NOTE: As the Opener may only have a 3-card minor, Responder needs (about) 5-cards to raise the minor. .Since the partnership may still end up in a NT contract, Responder usually avoids counting dummy points. 7. If the open is 1, and you do not have a 4-card major, you can bid 2+ with a 5 card suit and 11 + points. Openers Rebid When Responder bids a new suit, Opener has to find a rebid.
Opener places her hand in one of 3 strength categories:
a. Minimum: 13-16 points, or b. Medium:
17.18 points. or
c. Maximum: 19-21 points.
With support for Responder's suit: a. Opener revalues her hand with dummy points and then raises Responder's suit with a minimum, b. Jumps in Responder's suit with a medium; or c. Goes to game in Responder's suit with a maximum. With no support for Responder's suit, and a minimum hand, Opener can: a. Show a second suit at the one level, or b. Rebid the original suit at the 2-level with 6 cards, or c. Rebid NT at the cheapest level. If Opener's rebid is a jump in her own suit, it shows a medium hand; 17 - 18 points and a 6-card suit. If Opener's rebid is a jump to 2NT, it shows a balanced hand with 18-19 points. Responder's Rebid After the opener has shown a minimum-strength hand, responder can: a. Stop in a suitable partscore with 6-10 points, b. Invite game with 11-12 points, or c Go to game with 13 or more points. If responder can support Opener's second bid suit (her rebid), Responder revalues her hand with dummy points, and then: a. Raises opener's rebid with 6-10 points, b. Jumps in opener's rebid with 11-12 points, or c. Goes to game in opener's rebid with 13 or more points.