The 1 NT opener normally has a stronger hand than its responder. Ideally, the partnership wants the opener's stronger hand to remain hidden from the opposition. If the opener mentions the trump suit first, the opener is the "declarer" of that suit and the responder exposes its hand when laid down as the "dummy".
If the partnership ends up in a No Trump contract, the opener will be the declarer, since the opener mentioned No Trump first.
Once play begins, the responder with the weaker hand becomes the "dummy" and lays its hand face up on the table for all to see. The declarer's hand, which is stronger, remains hidden from the opponents.
If the responder does not have a 4+card major suit, the responder can be balanced or can have a long minor suit (6+cards). The partnership will not enter a major suit contract. The partnership will resort to a contract in No Trump or in a minor suit.
Point Count Requirement: The responder must have 8 or more HCPs in the hand to respond.
Suit Length Requirement: The responder does not have a 4+card major. So the responder will have one of the following hand shapes:
• Balanced: no 4+card major, no voids, no singletons, no more than 1 doubleton. The suit distribution will be (3-3-3-2) or (3-3-2-3).
• 6+clubs: more clubs than diamonds
• 6+diamonds: more diamonds than clubs
Strategy for Minor Suits: With a 6+card minor suit, the responder's hand is not balanced. If the responder also has a void and perhaps a singleton, a No Trump contract may be difficult to make. The responder must decide whether to pursue a contract in the minor suit or in No
Trump as soon as the opener bids 1 NT. The responder will learn nothing from the opener during the bidding, so the decision must be made immediately.
If the responder bids the minor suit, the responder will be the declarer, and the opener will be the dummy. If the responder has a 14+ point hand, the responder has about the same strength as the opener. In this event, there is an advantage in keeping the hand with the long suit and series of short suits out of the dummy.
Path 3 - Initial Responses to 1 NT Opening - No 4+card Major
NO 4-card Major Responses to 1 NT Opening
Responder's HCPs and Bid
0-7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Part Score
Game Major
Game Minor
Path 3 NO 4+card Major
Balanced
PASS
2 NT
3 NT
3 NT
6+ clubs
3 NT or 3 ♣
3 NT or 5 ♣
6+ diamonds
3 NT or 3 ♦
3 NT or 5 ♦
6/17/2024
15-22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Minimum PARTNERSHIP Point Count (assume opener holds 15 HCPs)
Step 1: Opener bids 1 NT .
Step 2: With no 4+card major, the responder's response is based upon the shape of the responder's hand.
If the responder's hand is
.
×Step 2 by Responder - no 4+card major, but balanced. If responder has:
• 0 to 7 pts: Responder bids PASS - There are not enough points to support the opener. The opener might have to play a 1 NT contract.
• 8 to 9 pts: Responder bids 2 NT - There are not quite enough points for a game in No Trump.
• 10 to 17 pts: Responder bids 3 NT - There are enough points for a game in No Trump. The opener will pass.
Step 3 by Opener. The responder's 2 NT bid indicates 8 to 9 points, which may not be enough points for a game. If the opener has 17 points, there are enough combined points for a game, so the opener will bid 3 NT . Otherwise, the responder will PASS .
If the responder's hand has
.
×Step 2 by responder - no 4+card major and a 6+card club suit. If the responder has:
• 0 to 7 pts: Responder bids PASS - There are not enough points to support the opener. The opener might have to play a 1 NT contract.
• 8 to 9 pts: Responder bids 2 NT . There are not quite enough combined points for a game in No Trump, and not enough points for a game in clubs. The long club suit might be helpful in making a sub game contract.
• 10 to 13 pts: The responder has 2 options:
1) Responder bids 3 NT . There are enough combined points for a game in No Trump, but not enough points for a game in clubs. The long club suit might be helpful in making the NT contract.
2) If the responder's hand will not play well in a No Trump contract, the responder bids 3 ♣ .
• 14 to 17 pts: The responder has 2 options:
1) Responder bids 3 NT . There are enough combined points for a game in No Trump and in clubs. The long club suit might be helpful in making the NT contract.
2) There are enough combined points for a game in in clubs. If the responder's hand will not play well in a No Trump contract, the responder bids game at 5 ♣ .
Step 3 by Opener.
• If the responder bids 2 NT - the opener has two options:
15 to 16 pts - Opener bids PASS . There are not enough combined points for a game.
17 pts - Opener bids 3 NT . There are enough combined points for a game.
• If the responder bids 3 NT - the opener bids PASS .
• If the responder bids 3 Clubs - Responder feels the contract may not play well in No Trump, and should be played in clubs. The opener has two options. One is to return to a No Trump contract and bid 3 NT and play the game level contract. Or the opener can bid PASS and let the responder be the declarer who plays the sub-game contract in clubs.
• If the responder bids 5 Clubs - Responder feels the contract will not play well in No Trump, but should be played in clubs. The opener bids PASS and the responder will be the declarer who plays the game-level contract. Since the responder's hand in about the same strength as the opener, there is an advantage in keeping the hand with the long suit and series of short suits out of the dummy.
If the responder's hand has
.
×Step 2 by Responder - no 4+card major and a 6+card diamond suit. If the responder has:
• 0 to 7 pts: Responder bids PASS - There are not enough points to support the opener. The opener might have to play a 1 NT contract.
• 8 to 9 pts: Responder bids 2 NT . There are not quite enough combined points for a game in No Trump, and not enough points for a game in diamonds. The long diamond suit might be helpful in making a sub game contract.
• 10 to 13 pts: The responder has 2 options:
1) Responder bids 3 NT . There are enough combined points for a game in No Trump, but not enough points for a game in diamonds. The long diamond suit might be helpful in making the NT contract.
2) If the responder's hand will not play well in a No Trump contract, the responder bids 3 ♦ .
• 14 to 17 pts: The responder has 2 options:
1) Responder bids 3 NT . There are enough combined points for a game in No Trump and in diamonds. The long diamond suit might be helpful in making the NT contract.
2) There are enough combined points for a game in in diamonds. If the responder's hand will not play well in a No Trump contract, the responder bids game at 5 ♦ .
Step 3 by Opener.
• If the responder bids 2 NT - the opener has two options:
15 to 16 pts - Opener bids PASS . There are not enough combined points for a game.
17 pts - Opener bids 3 NT . There are enough combined points for a game.
• If the responder bids 3 NT - the opener bids PASS .
• If the responder bids 3 Diamonds - Responder feels the contract may not play well in No Trump, and should be played in diamonds. The opener has two options. One is to return to a No Trump contract and bid 3 NT and play the game level contract. Or the opener can bid PASS and let the responder be the declarer who plays the sub-game contract in diamonds.
• If the responder bids 5 Diamonds - Responder feels the contract will not play well in No Trump, but should be played in diamonds. The opener bids PASS and the responder will be the declarer who plays the game-level contract. Since the responder's hand in about the same strength as the opener, there is an advantage in keeping the hand with the long suit and series of short suits out of the dummy.
