Responding to 1NT Openings

Responding to 1NT with Exactly 4 Cards in One or Both Majors

We return to our constant quest for the eight card major suit fit. When your partner opens 1NT and you have exactly four cards in hearts or spades (or both) you can afford to look for the major suit fit with hands that are invitational or better. We will cover what to do when you are responding to 1NT with 5 or more cards in a major suit in the next step

Try some hands

Hand 1

When partner opens 1NT you can see that you have enough points for game, but which is the best game?

Hand 2

This time you will get a different answer if you ask the right question. See if you can bid the best game. The card play has echoes of the previous hand.

Hand 3

Here, there are questions about both the level and the best strain (a suit or NT) in which to play. In the card play, focus on the best way to play your long suit.

Hand 4

The auction should be pretty easy for you now. In the play, think about what you are going to want to do next before you decide which hand should win the first trick.

Back

Responding to 1NT with Exactly 4 Cards in One or Both Majors

Learn about the special bid that lets you ask your partner about their major suits.

Question 1/7

Wlater has seven points and a four card major. How should he respond to Penelope’s 1NT opening bid?

Because asking the question 'do you have a 4 card major?' raises the bidding to the 2 level, responder needs at least a good 8 points to do that. If opener doesn't have the hoped-for four cards in responder's major, they will now need to play in 2NT instead of 1NT and so they need to have enough points to do that. With only 7 points, Walter has a weak, balanced hand and he should just pass. 1NT will be a good contract, and if Penelope has four hearts that suit will deliver a few tricks.

Same situation, but a slightly better hand. How should Walter bid this one?

Here, again, Walter has exactly four cards in a major suit. This time, though, he has an invitational hand, so he can afford to find out whether Penelope also has four spades. He bids the artificial 2♣ to ask 'do you have a four card major, partner?'. A Stayman enquiry.

Continuing the auction from question 2, Penelope has shown four spades - the suit Walter was hoping for. What should he bid now?

Penelope has bid the suit that Walter was hoping for and they have found their spade fit. Walter should confirm that to his partner by raising spades. As his hand is only invitational, he raises to the three level. Now Penelope has the choice to pass and play in the part score if she has the minimum 15 points, or go ahead and bid game if she has 16 or 17. If Walter had one more point, taking him to a game forcing hand opposite a 1NT opening, he would bid 4♠ instead, confirming both the fit and the fact that they have the values for game.

This time, when Walter has asked about four card majors, Penelope’s bid says that she doesn’t have four cards in either major. What should Walter bid now?

Walter has done well to look for a fit in spades but sadly hasn't found one, so now he knows the best contract for the partnership is NT. However, his hand is only invitational, so 3NT would be a stretch if Penelope has the minimum 15 points. By bidding 2NT, he shows his invitational hand and leaves it up to Penelope to pass and play in 2NT or to bid 3NT if she is non-minimum.

Here, Walter has a nice hand with four hearts. He starts by looking for heart fit but is disappointed to learn from Penelope's 2D bid that she doesn't have four hearts. What should he bid now?

Having failed to find fit, Walter knows they should play in NT and this time he has comfortably more than a game forcing hand so he can just bid 3NT. Bidding 4NT would be just like it is if you bid it directly in response to 1NT - saying we have enough for 6NT if you are non-minimum. With a maximum possible of 31 points between them, Walter cannot see enough to do this.

After the same start to the auction, Walter is delighted when Penelope shows four hearts. What should he bid?

When Walter finds the heart fit he knows two things: First that they belong in hearts, and second that they belong in game, so he can convey both pieces of information to his partner by bidding 4♥.

Genius question: Here’s one to test your ingenuity - you can feel very pleased with yourself if you work it out. Walter has asked about the majors in response to Penelope’s 1NT opening. She has four cards in both majors, and so correctly shows her hearts first (four on the floor). Walter then bids 3NT. What should Penelope do now?

When Walter asks whether she has a four card major and she shows hearts, Penelope knows that Walter would raise hearts if he had four of them. But he hasn't done that - he has bid 3NT. Penelope asks herself why would this be, and brilliantly concludes that Walter must have been hoping she would show spades, and therefore he must have four spades. She can 'see' the spade fit that Walter cannot, so she should bid 4♠. Very well done if you worked that out!

The links below will take you to the Bridge Training website. Because you are practicing responses that will make your partner declarer, you start out in the North seat for the bidding, then you will automatically be swapped to South to play the hand.