The first responses to the 1NT opening
Stayman over 1NT
When you have at least a hope of game in response to the 1NT opening, if you hold a 4-card major, two choices of games are possible:
3NT or 4 Major, provided that your partner also holds 4 cards in the same major.
To find out your partner's major, you will use an artificial bid called Stayman 2 (It doesn't promise anything in the suit bid, i.e. Clubs). This 2 bid is a simple question: the opener is asked if he holds a 4-card major.
3NT or 4 Major, provided that your partner also holds 4 cards in the same major.
To find out your partner's major, you will use an artificial bid called Stayman 2 (It doesn't promise anything in the suit bid, i.e. Clubs). This 2 bid is a simple question: the opener is asked if he holds a 4-card major.
The auction will start as follows:
The opener will respond:
With both 4-card majors, two solutions are possible: you can respond 2NT to show 4 and 4 (this is the default solution on Funbridge) or you can start by bidding Hearts with 2, (this is the solution recommended in this introductory module).
Example auction:
With 4 cards in Hearts, responder will bid 4 with enough points for game (10+ points) or 3 if he wants to ask the opener if he is maximum in order to play in game (with 8-9 points).
With 4 cards in Spades, responder will bid 3NT with enough points for game (10+ points) or 2NT if he wants to ask the opener if he is maximum in order to play in game (with 8-9 points).
With 4 cards in Spades, responder will bid 3NT with enough points for game (10+ points) or 2NT if he wants to ask the opener if he is maximum in order to play in game (with 8-9 points).
Ducking
Ducking is a card-play technique whose most frequent aim is to "cut opponents' communications". Its mechanism is simple: it consists of deliberately not winning one or several tricks where you have the possibility of doing so (as in ducking a trick). The objective is to ensure that only one of the two opponents (called the "dangerous opponent") ends up with master cards in a suit and his partner doesn't have any left in that suit. You will have to avoid putting the "dangerous opponent" back on lead later but his partner will become harmless: a trick can be conceded to him. Sometimes this technique is used in trump contracts but most of the time, it is used in NT. It will prove particularly useful in the battle against the dangerous opponent.
If East and West each have 4 cards in the suit, it is not possible to cut opponents' communications (but in that case, you only lose 3 tricks in the suit). However, if they split 5/3, by winning the trick on the third round, you isolate the two master cards held by the opposing side (which should be on the left if that player led the suit).
Distribution points
When a fit (8 cards held between the two players) is found, it is preferable to play in a trump contract. An 8-card fit produces one-and-a-half more tricks on average than in NT with the same hands. The advantage of playing in a trump contract is that you can ruff.
In a trump contract, your hand will be reevaluated in two cases: if you have a lot of trumps (lots of possible ruffs) and if you have a short suit (quick ruffs possible).
1 point will thus be added for the ninth trump held by the two partners.
You will also count:
1 point for a doubleton (2 cards in a suit other than the trump suit),
2 points for a singleton (only 1 card in a suit other than the trump suit),
3 points for a void (no cards in a suit other than the trump suit).
In this example, North can add 2 distribution points (1 for the ninth trump and 1 for the doubleton club). South can add 2 distribution points for his singleton heart.
In a trump contract, your hand will be reevaluated in two cases: if you have a lot of trumps (lots of possible ruffs) and if you have a short suit (quick ruffs possible).
1 point will thus be added for the ninth trump held by the two partners.
You will also count:
1 point for a doubleton (2 cards in a suit other than the trump suit),
2 points for a singleton (only 1 card in a suit other than the trump suit),
3 points for a void (no cards in a suit other than the trump suit).
In this example, North can add 2 distribution points (1 for the ninth trump and 1 for the doubleton club). South can add 2 distribution points for his singleton heart.
