Responding to Major Suit Openings

Responding to Major Suit Openings without Fit

Now that you know how to respond to partner’s major suit openings when you can see an eight card fit, we will move on to look at what to do when that’s not the case. Start with the video and the quiz, then have a go at our practice hands.

Try some hands

Hand 1

Your partner will open the bidding, and you must find the best response. Partner will raise your suit and you can then pass. Think carefully about which hand you want to be in when you finish drawing trumps – there is a finesse to take that will deliver extra tricks.

Hand 2

Here, again, you must choose the best response to partner’s opening bid, after which they will pass. Look out for those finesses if you want to make the maximum number of tricks.

Hand 3

After you choose your response to your partner’s opening bid, they will show support for your suit. However, as minor suit games are two levels higher than game in NT, you decide just to settle for 3NT instead with good cards in the other two suits.

Hand 4

After you respond to North’s opening bid, your partner will bid game in your suit, and you can pass. There is a way to make all the tricks on this hand, but you will need to keep a close eye on what the defenders play in order to see the opportunity.

Back

Responding to Major Suit Openings without Fit

This video explains how to bid hands that don’t have fit and also talks you through what the ‘two-over-one’ system means.

Question 1/5

Penelope has opened 1♥. How should Walter respond?

Walter has a weak hand with no fit. The only suit that there is room to bid at the one level is spades and he would need four of them to do that. He does have enough points to respond, though (6+), so he should bid 1NT.

Another 1♥ opening from Penelope. What is Walter’s best bid this time?

Again, Walter has a weak hand with no fit. This time, though, there is a suit that he can bid at the one level. Remember that as responder, you only need four cards in a major suit to bid it, so here Walter can bid 1♠. Because he is responding at the one level, he is only showing responding strength - at least 6 points. Note: If you respond 1NT when there is room for you to have shown a major suit at the one level, your partner will assume you don't have four or more cards in a major, because you should always show a major suit of 4+ cards when you have one.

Penelope is in danger of looking unimaginative, with another 1♥ opening. How should Walter respond?

Walter has an invitational hand - 11 points, but sadly, no fit with partner's suit. He can't show his nice club suit because that would mean responding at the 2 level, and that would show a game forcing hand. He doesn't have four or more spades (he could bid 1♠ if he had), so he must bid 1NT for now and see what his partner does next. If Penelope makes another bid, he will be able to show his invitational strength with his next bid.

Variety, at last! Penelope has opened 1♠. Walter has a nice hand - what should he bid?

Walter doesn't have fit with partner's spades but he does have a game forcing hand, so he can show his own suit at the two level. When he does that, Penenlope will know not to stop bidding below game and the pair can describe their hands further with their next bids in order to reach the best game contract.

Another 1♠ opening! How should Walter bid here?

Walter has 14 points, so a game forcing hand, but he doesn't have fit with Penelope's spades. Responding 2♦ or 2♥ would show a five card suit. But because sometimes, like here, you need to be able to say 'I have a game forcing hand' but you don't have fit or a biddable suit of your own. Because of this, we use 2♣ in a more general way to show a game forcing hand that may or may not have clubs. It's rather like the 1♣ opening in that way. Notice that to your partner, your bid where you have a real club suit (question 4), and this one look the same at the point where you respond 2♣. You clarify things with your next bid.

These links will take you to the Bridge Training website, where you can have a go at choosing the best response to your partner’s opening bid. Because there are aspects of bidding that you have not yet covered, we have given you some notes on each hand that will tell you what to do if you have to make more than one bid. You will then be able to play the hands and see if you can make your contract. Have as many goes as you like if you don’t succeed the first time.