Complimentary Issue of Better Bridge Magazine March / April 2020 | Page 19

15 points only but this hand has 17
high-card points.
With a stronger balanced hand of
about 16-18 points, you start with
a takeout double, planning to rebid
1NT if partner advances at the one
level, showing a hand too strong for
a balancing 1NT bid.
Let’s apply this in the following
example. West opens the bidding
1♦, North passes, and East passes.
O pening B id in a M ajor
Next, let’s turn to when left-hand
opponent opens 1♥ or 1♠, and
the next players pass. Applying the
guideline, a balancing 1NT can be
made with a balanced hand, a stopper
in the opponent’s suit, and as few as
about 12 points. Partner is marked
with some strength by right-hand
opponent’s pass, and the partnership
may even have a game.
However, the upper range for 1NT
in the balancing position, after a 1♥
Pass 1♥
or 1♠ opening bid, is extended to
opener
about 17 or even 18 points because
Pass Pass
1♦ Pass
the opener’s major suit bid has taken
away some of your partnership’s
DBL ?
options at the one level.
♠A J 8 7 ♥Q 4 ♦K J 10 8 ♣A Q 8
To understand this, let’s consider
With 17 high-card points, South some example hands. Suppose South
starts with a double because a holds this hand. West opens the
balancing 1NT call would be an bidding 1♠. North passes, and East
underbid. West passes, North now passes.
advances with 1♥, and East passes.
Pass
South now rebids 1NT to show a
opener
hand of about 16-18 points.
Pass
1♠
If North had bid spades, South
would raise with the four-card spade
?
suit to show a strong hand and invite
game. With North bidding hearts,
♠A J 9 ♥J 10 7 2 ♦K J 9 2 ♣Q 7
however, there is no reason to diverge
This is a balanced hand with 12
from the original plan.
high-card points and stoppers in
What if South has an even stronger the opponent’s spade suit. Applying
hand? Here’s a possible example.
the guideline of 3 fewer points than
in the direct position puts it in the
Pass
range for a balancing 1NT overcall.
opener
Contrast this with the following
Pass
1♣
example. West opens the bidding
1♥. North passes, and East passes.
?
♠Q J 8 ♥A J 10 2 ♦K Q 9 ♣A K 4
West opens the bidding 1♣. North
passes, and East passes. There are 20
high-card points, so South is far too
strong for a 1NT call.
Doubling, planning on rebidding
notrump is possible, but there is
a better call. A jump to 2NT in
balancing position is not the Unusual
2NT conventional bid. Instead, after
an opponent’s minor-suit opening,
it shows about 19-21 points, a great
description of this hand.
Pass
opener
1♥
Pass
?
♠K Q 9 2 ♥A J 10 ♦K J 2 ♣Q 8 7
There are 16 high-card points. It
might seem reasonable to start
with a double, planning to rebid
in notrump. However, since the
opening bid is a major suit, there is
little or no room for advancer to bid
at the one-level if you start with a
takeout double.
In this example, if South doubles
and partner advances with 1♠,
South would raise spades. However,
what happens if partner advances
2♣ or 2♦? A rebid of 2NT may get
the partnership too high when you
only have 16-17 points and partner
has a very weak hand. Instead, a
balancing 1NT overcall range, after
a 1♥ or 1♠ opening bid, needs to be
extended to about 12-17 or even 18
points. The right call here is 1NT.
Here is one final example hand for
South. West opens the bidding 1♥.
North passes, and East passes.
Pass
opener
1♥
Pass
?
♠K J 9 ♥A Q J ♦A 9 8 2 ♣A Q 9
With 21 high-card points, this hand
is far too strong for a balancing 1NT
call, even over a major suit opening
bid. Instead, balance with 2NT.
If the partnership range for a
balancing 1NT is about 12-17
points and double followed by
bidding notrump is about 18-19
points, then a balancing 2NT call
shows about 20-22 points.
SUMMARY
In balancing position, you can make
a 1NT overcall with 3 points less
than in direct position. However,
the upper range is extended when
the opening bid is a major suit
versus a minor suit.
Over a 1♣ or 1♦ opening bid by
left-hand opponent and the next
players pass, bid a balancing 1NT
call with 12-15 points and a stopper
in the opponent’s suit.
After a 1♥ or 1♠ opening, to
protect you from getting too high,
the upper range is extended to 12-
17 points or maybe even 18 points.
With a stronger hand, double first
with a plan to rebid notrump. With
a very strong hand, make a balancing
2NT call to show your strength.
B etter B ridge . com
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