J, then plays his top diamonds. Nine tricks and contract made.
Tip 16
Respond a suit (four(+) cards) at the one-level in preference to 1NT.
Deal 17
Unless he can support – top priority – the basic principle for responder is to bid a suit to a suit. He does this in order to locate a fit. To this end, with two four-card suits, he should bid the cheaper, that is to say the one he reaches first as he works up the bidding ladder. If responder bids four-card suits ‘up the line’, no fit can be missed.
What happened
South made the mistake of responding 1
. ‘I was worried about missing a spade fit’, was his excuse. The point is that if opener has four spades, HE will rebid 1
and the fit will be found. At least South did not respond 1NT – a worse mistake (see last deal).
South’s failure to respond 1
, the cheaper of his four-card suits, resulted in the suit never being mentioned. It was normal for North to compete to 3
overcall and then give in.
Defending 3
Q. South won
A and switched to
2. North won
AQ. Down one but better was available…
What should have happened
Against 5
3. Declarer wins
A, crosses to
K, up to
AQ, trumps
5, then cashes the established
874. Eleven tricks and game made.
Tip 17
Bid the cheaper of four-card suits as responder.
Deal 18
You may be wondering if it is EVER appropriate for responder to reply notrumps to a suit bid? The answer is yes, but only with a weak hand that has no higher-ranking four-card suit (which can be bid at the one-level). A two-over-one response (e.g. 1
) should not be made with six measly points. Some schools think 10 points must be held; some a good eight. The reality is that the criteria should be a combination of the overall strength of your hand combined with the length of the suit in which you wish to respond. I offer you The Rule of 14: Respond in a new suit at the two-level if the number of high-card points in your hand added to the number of cards in your suit reaches 14. If not, respond 1NT.
