From Simplex
(Difference between revisions)
|
|
Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| {| border="3" cellpadding="4" | | {| border="3" cellpadding="4" |
| |- | | |- |
- | | style="background:#ffcc00;" | <center> <big> <big> ''' First-round Principles of Simplex ''' </big> </big> </center> | + | | style="background:#ffcc00;" | <center> <big> <big> ''' First-round Principles of Simplex Bidding ''' </big> </big> </center> |
| |- | | |- |
| | | | | |
Revision as of 16:11, 22 October 2012
First-round Principles of Simplex Bidding
|
- PRINCIPLE 0: Always open, overcall and respond with your clearly longest suit.
- PRINCIPLE 1: An opening bid or response of 1 of suit always guarantees five or more cards and 8-16 HCP.
- The hand must also satisfy the Rule of 18 — i.e. total HCP plus the combined length of the two longest suits must equal or exceed 18.
- One important corollary is that you cannot respond 1 of a new suit with a four-card suit.
- PRINCIPLE 2: An opening bid or response of 2 of a suit always guarantees six or more cards and 3-16 HCP.
- So, for example, you cannot respond to 1NT with 2 of a suit, part from 2♣, unless you have six cards in that suit. And you cannot bid a natural overcall over 1NT with just five cards in the suit.
- PRINCIPLE 3: A 6+ card suit can also be opened at the one-level if it satisfies the criteria for such a bid.
- This overlap in the ranges for an opening bid helps to keep the bidding low while the partners search for a fit. In practice this means that a two-level opening bid will contain 3-8 HCP, because on any more, the hand would satisfy the criteria for a one-level opening. Two-level overcalls, on the other hand, occupy the full range 3-16 HCP, because opposition bidding will often force a two-level bid.
- PRINCIPLE 4: There is no difference in the requirements for opening bids and overcalls. They share the same point-count range and the same suit-length requirements.
- PRINCIPLE 5: 1NT, whether bid as an opening, overcall or response, does not claim a stopper in any suit bid by the opponents.
- PRINCIPLE 9: Simplex is a fundamentally natural bidding system. The only gadgets used are 2♣ Stayman, 4NT Blackwood, and 2NT.
- PRINCIPLE 10: 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.)
- 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.
|