From Simplex
The Principles for Responder's 1st Round Bid
| Simplex Principles of 1st Round Responses to Three of a Suit
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- PRINCIPLE 9: Simplex is a fundamentally natural bidding system. The only gadgets used are 2♣ Redshift, 4NT Blackwood, and the Simplex 2NT.
- PRINCIPLE 10: Responding hands with trump support but less than 10 HCP bid immediately to their total trump level. (For example, after a 1♥ opening by partner, a hand containing 6 HCP and four cards in the heart suit would immediately raise to 3♥. Partner is known to have at least five hearts. Add those five to the four that responder has makes nine. Take six from nine means a raise to the 3-level.) Equally if opener has less than 10 HCP but support for responder's suit, he will bid to the total trump level on the second round.
- PRINCIPLE 11: If a bidder cannot make the first-round bid his hand merits (because the opposition have already taken the auction too high), the bidder simply doubles, with an implied message to partner: "RHO has just taken my opening bid away, and I believe it is safe for you to bid at this or one level higher."
- PRINCIPLE 13: Ignore first-round doubles by the opponents. Carry on and make the bid you would have made if the opponents had passed.
- PRINCIPLE 18: An opening bid, overcall or response of Three of a new Suit guarantees four or more cards in the suit and 17-22 HCP.
- PRINCIPLE 22: Always bid the cheaper of two equal-length suits.
- PRINCIPLE 23: Except for strong (17+ HCP) hands and responses to doubles, four-card suits are never explicitly bid in the first round.
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1st Round Bids available to Responder
Responding to three of a suit is a little different to one and two of a suit, as the bidding has started high, which has the potential to cause problems for flat hands if you are not careful. Unlike responding to 1-level and 2-level bids, responder should not necessarily bid his longest suit; instead he often bids his cheapest 4+ card suit.
| Box R1D
| Responding to Three of a Suit (3♣, 3♦, 3♥, 3♠)
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| Bid
| Meaning
| Forcing?
| Where to next?
|
| Pass
| 0-2 points.
| NF
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|
| Double
| "I had a bid but RHO has just taken it away."
| NF
|
|
| Raise to 4 of Opener's Suit
| 4+ card support, no other 4+ card suit, 3-8 points.
| NF
|
|
| New Suit below 3NT
| 3-13 points, cheapest 4+ card suit.
| F
|
|
| New Suit above 3NT but below 4 of Opener's suit
| 8-13 HCP and a 5+ card suit.
| GF
|
|
| 3NT
| 5-10 HCP and stoppers in all suits junior to Opener's suit.
| NF
|
|
| 4NT Blackwood
| 13+ points.
| F
|
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