OliverC's Precision Parlour        Guest User

Natural Bidding in 1♣ Sequences

If not using Asking Bids and in all cases where the One Diamond Negative is used (unless the Impossible Negative) then bidding proceeds naturally.

• Over negative responses where Asking Bids are not normally in use, then 4♣/4♦ Beta is still usually available.
  
• Similarly if a suit is agreed at the 3-level then Beta is available as above and bids in side-suits are Epsilon. This also applies when suits are implicitly agreed by Splinters after an initial negative.
  
• If A Major suit is agreed at the 3-level then a bid of 3NT by Opener asks for a singelton or void suit to be shown by bidding the suit below. A return to the Major denies. Opener can now use the singleton suit as Beta or RKCB depending on the methods in use.
  
• As with Major suit Openers, Lebensohl is available in 3-suited sequences ending at the 2-level to differentiate between slow and fast rebids, raises and 4th-suit-forces.
  
• Similarly Romex trial bids are available where a Major suit has been agreed naturally at the 2-level.
  
• Splinters (ie: a double-jump-shift) are available to show a maximum negative response, excellent trump support and a shortage in the suit above. If should be noted that where a responder's rebid is a single-jump-shift, this is usually the Impossible Negative and thus showing 8-10, and therefore stronger but less distributional than a full splinter after a negative response (and a splinter will normally have 5-card trump support).

Semi-Positive Responses

Over a 2♥ Response

Over a 2♠ Response

Over a 2NT Response

Over the 2NT semi-positive response the scheme of responses is as follows. It is recognised that these methods do not always end up in "right-siding" the hand, but it is felt that the advantage gained by the use of transfers outweighs this:

The Impossible Negative

In the scheme of responses shown above the "normal" positive responses show either a balanced hand of one with a 5-card or longer suit. Immediate jump-shifts at the 3-level over the 1♣ Opening show 4441 hands with 11+ points.

This presents Responder with a problem when they have a 4441-shape hand with 8-10 points. In these cases the answer is initially to bid the 1♦ Negative Response and then to take some action inconsistent with that negative response on the second round of bidding. This means:

• If Opener has bid one of Responder's 4-card suits, then Responder jumps in the suit below their singleton suit (as in a mini-splinter).
  
• If Opener has bid Responder's singleton suit, then Responder jumps in No Trumps.
  
• Note that a jump-raise of Opener's suit is not the Impossible Negative but simply a natural raise, showing a maximum range for the initial negative and trump support.
• If Opener rebids 1NT (direct or via the Cambridge Heart Complex then Responder does not make the Impossible Negative but proceeds via Stayman or the 2-Way 2♦ since they are now the Captain of the hand.
  
• If Opener rebids 1♥ over the 1♦ Negative, then this is either a natural bid in Hearts or the start of the Cambridge Heart Complex. With an Impossible Negative Hand, Responder always assumes it is a Heart suit and jumps in No Trumps or the suit below their shortage, as appropriate. In all cases Opener will know Responder's range and exact distribution and can proceed accordingly.
  

If The Impossible Negative is shown by a rebid of 2NT (ie: when Opener rebids 1♥ or 1♠) then new suit bids at the 3-level are Eta, agreeing that suit and Asking Bids are now established.

If the Impossible Negative is shown by jumping in the suit below the shortage (ie: agreeing Opener's suit) then:

• If Opener showed Hearts or has 4-card Hearts in a strong balanced hand, their initial action should be a rebid of Hearts at the 3-level. This confirms that they have at least a 4-card Heart suit and is Eta. Asking Bids are now established with Beta available in the singleton suit and Epsilons elsewhere. If, however, Opener makes an immediate Beta in the Singleton suit then Hearts are assumed to be agreed even though no Eta has specifically agreed them.
  
• If Opener rebid 1♥ but has a strong balanced hand without 4-card Hearts, then if a suit fit has been identified by Responder's rebid, they can bid it below game level as Eta or at game level "to play".
• An immediate bid of 3NT by Opener is always "to play" and denies 4-card Hearts and suggests that no useful fit is available.
  
• If Opener showed any suit other than Hearts, then Asking Bids are now established with Beta available in the singleton suit and Epsilons available elsewhere.

Strong Balanced Hands

General Considerations

Where Opener opens 1♣ and ends up rebidding 1NT (whether directly or via the Cambridge Heart Complex) then the scheme of responses is exactly as for a normal 1NT Opening, including the use of Stayman, Transfers and the 2-Way 2♦ Convention.

Where Opener opens or ends up rebidding 2NT (or 3NT in which case one level higher) to show a strong balanced hand, the scheme of responses is as follows:

• ...2NT-3♣ is Baron, asking for 4-card suits to be bid upwards towards 3NT in search of a fit. All raises to 3NT go via Baron because the 3NT response is a Transfer to Diamonds.
  
• ...2NT-3♦ is a transfer to Hearts.
• ...2NT-3♥ is a transfer to Spades.
• ...2NT-3♠ is a transfer to Clubs.
• ...2NT-3NT is a transfer to Diamonds.
  
• ...2NT-4♣ is Beta on the appropriate scale (see Beta)
• No other responses are permitted.

Cambridge Heart Complex

After the sequence 1♣-1♦ a rebid of 1♥ by Opener is either natural, promising a 5-card or longer Heart suit or showing a strong balanced hand. In either case it asks Responder to rebid 1♠ if they have a normal negative (for action when Responder has an Impossible Negative hand, see above). Over Responder's 1♠ bid Opener now clarifies their hand-type and range, rebids in NTs promising strong balanced hands and any other bid being 100% natural and confirming the Heart suit.


The full scheme for showing balanced hands is as follows

Exceptions

Over the sequence 1♣-1♦-1♥ Responder with a normal negative (ie: not the Impossible Negative) can refuse to bid 1&spade; in only 2 precisely defined situations:

• with 5-7 points, exactly 5-card Hearts and with a side-suit singleton.
• 0-4 points with a 6-card or longer Minor suit

Captaincy of the Hand

Who is the Captain of the Hand?

This is of critical importance in any bidding sequence, not just sequences that start with a 1♣ opener. The Captaincy of the Hand determines who is deciding whether bidding should continue and in what direction it should take. The Captaincy of the Hand can change several times during the course of an average auction. There will even be some occasions when there is effectively no "Captain", mainly when either nobody has made a bid that takes charge, and neither partner has limited their hand. An example of this might be in a cue-bidding sequence). It is very important that you recognise the occasions when Partner is the Captain of the Hand, though, and this is almost certainly more important than recognising when you are in control. There are certain guiding principles that will help determine this:

• The making of any kind of Limit Bid automatically gives Captaincy of the Hand to the bidder's partner. A Limit Bid in this context is any bid that is non-forcing and which limits the bidder's hand in some way such as:
  • Natural Bids in No Trumps
  • Raises of Partner's suit unless that are non-forcing (See Lebensohl)
  • Other non-forcing bids such as a limited repetition of your own suit.
• In an Asking Bid sequence, The person doing the asking is always the Captain of the Hand. This normally means the stronger hand but that is not always the case.
• In sequences that start with a 1NT Opener or where 1NT is rebid by Opener, Responder is almost always the Captain of the Hand (because the 1NT Opener/rebidder has limited their hand).
• The making of any kind of invitational bid (including Trial Bids) always means that partner is the Captain (because the fact of the invitation limits the hand of the person making the invitation).

What does Captaincy affect?

The most critical things that are affected by the question of "Who is currently the Captain?" are as follows:-

1. Am I allowed to pass partner's bid (ie: is it forcing)?
2. Am I allowed to pass if RHO intervenes (ie: is partner's bid only forcing to the extent that I must bid if RHO passes)?
3. Am I obliged to pass this bid? (ie: Partner's bid is strictly "to play")
4. If I am being forced to bid, am I in a strict sequence where there are limitations on what I can bid? (eg: am I being asked a question here, as in Stayman, RKCB, Asking Bids etc?)
5. Are there constraints on what I can bid even if partner's bid isn't strictly forcing?

These questions are particularly important when Partner is the Captain of the Hand. In most instances you will already deal with these issues automatically on a common-sense basis, but there are frequently instances where someone who is not the Captain makes a unilateral decision that wrests the Captaincy of the hand away from partner and this is almost always wrong.

An example of this might be making a trial bid and when partner declines the invitation you bid game anyway. When you made the invitation you handed partner the Captaincy of the hand (whoever had it up to that point). It is up to partner to evaluate your invitation and make a decision. If you had no intention of abiding by their decision then you shouldn't have issued the invitation in the first place, but should simply have bid game without making the trial bid.

Handing over the Captaincy

Besides the instances mentioned above where a bid effectively gives partner the Captaincy of the Hand, there are a few specific situations where there is a specific way of handing over the Captaincy in a forcing way (ie: Partner must continue, but is free to decide how). This is most often the case in 1♣ sequences where partner has made a positive response and no good fit has been found below the level of 2NT. In these situations a bid of 2NT by Opener specifically hands the Captaincy of the Hand to Responder and announces that Opener wishes Responder to take the initiative, perhaps by showing a second suit, or by showing a partial fit for one of Opener's suits where support has previously been denied. This does not normally mean that Responder is free to pass the 2NT bid, since the positive response has made the sequence game-forcing, but how Responder continues is for them to decide. In some sequences the 2NT bid effectively shows 16-18 balanced or semi-balanced without good support for Partner's suit but nothing better to suggest (eg: 1♣-1♠(8+ balanced)-2NT, 1♣-1NT(8+ with Spades)-2♣(Beta)-2♥(3 Controls)-2NT, or 1♣-1♥-1NT(Beta)-2♦(3 Controls)-2♥(Gamma)-2♠(No Top Honour)-2NT).

In Asking Bids Sequences when the Captaincy is handed over like this, Asking Bids automatically lapse and bidding proceeds naturally unless and until a trump suit is explicitly agreed by natural means, after which 4♣/4♦ Beta is available, but Epsilons are generally not used.

Intervention over Natural Bidding Sequences

Immediately over the 1♣ Opening

Responder passes with 0-4 points and doubles with 5-7 points or with a minimum positive response with no good bid available.

Positive Responses are bid just like normal (potentially including a positive response of 1♦).

An immediate jump-shift shows any positive 4441 hand, always bidding the suit below the shortage. If Opps double the 1♣ Opening, then redouble shows 5-7 points.

After 1♣-1♦

If Opps intervene over the 1♦ Negative, then Opener generally passes with any minimum 1♣ Opener. A double by Opener is strictly for takeout, including by responder in the protective position where it becomes effectively a negative double showing 4-card interest in any unbid Major.

Lebensohl

Lebensohl sequences are available in either of the above situations. Immediate bids at the same level are essentially competitive. Fast bids at the next level are forcing whilst slow bids at the next level are invitational or competitive depending on whether or not they could have been bid at the 2-level. "Slow" and "Fast" cue-bids have the same meaning as in normal Lebensohl. In Responder's case "fast" bids at the next level tend to be invitational whereas "slow" bids at the next level tend to be "to play".

Direct raises of Opener's suit by Responder are pre-emptive (slow raises being invitational). Immediate raises of Responder's suit by Opener agree the suit and ask if a shortage is held (Responder bidding the suit below). (If this seems inconsistent, it is for a good reason: At this stage the 1♣ Opener has not limited their hand, whereas we are always talking about situations where Responder is in the 0-7 range. Thus raises by Responder fall into 2 categories (pre-emptive and invitational) whereas Opener's raises fall into two different categories, invitational and forcing. The slow raises by either partner are invitational, but the fast raises differ, as stated).

Positive Responses

Responder should always endeavour to describe their hand as accurately as possible. A 5-card suit should generally always be shown, except that an honourless 5-card Minor suit in a semi-balanced hand can be "hidden". If Responder has two 5-card suits, then Responder should generally show the cheapest or higher-ranking one first, even if the more expensive or lower-ranking suit is "stronger" (eg: Spades before Hearts, any Major before any Minor, Diamonds before Clubs). With 6-5 distribution, Responder should normally show the 6-card suit first, except that it is normally better to show a strong 5-card Major before a weaker 6-card Minor.

Once a positive response has been given the sequence becomes game-forcing and Asking Bids are firmly established unless Opener hands over the Captaincy with 2NT at some stage, returns to an agreed trump suit at game-level or above, signs off in No Trumps at game level or above, or jump-shifts into a new suit at or above game level, all of which are always "to play" unless obviously invitational.

As regards jump-shifts into a new suit in the middle of an Asking Bid Sequence, this is a commonly-used tactic. For reasons of convenience, opener will sometimes find it necessary to "agree" one suit (eg: Responder's) so that Epsilons etc become quickly available, whilst all the time concealing a long solid suit of their own. When the time is right, they may jump-shift into their suit, which is always "to play".

Similarly, a third bid in a suit in which Opener has already made two Epsilon Asks is always "to play" unless Responder has shown a singleton or void in that suit and their exact number of controls is not yet known, in which case the bid is Beta.