1st Round Bidding

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* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 0:'' '''Always open, overcall and respond with your clearly longest suit. </big>
* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 0:'' '''Always open, overcall and respond with your clearly longest suit. </big>
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* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 1:'' '''An opening bid or response of 1 of suit always guarantees five or more cards and 8-16 HCP.''' </big>
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* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 1:'' '''An opening bid, overcall or response of 1 of suit always guarantees five or more cards and 8-16 HCP.''' </big>
** The hand must also satisfy the Rule of 18 &mdash; i.e. total HCP plus the combined length of the two longest suits must equal or exceed 18.
** The hand must also satisfy the Rule of 18 &mdash; 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.
** One important corollary is that you cannot respond 1 of a new suit with a four-card suit.
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* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 2:'' '''An opening bid or response of 2 of a suit always guarantees six or more cards and 3-16 HCP.''' </big>
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* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 2:'' '''An opening bid, overcall or response of 2 of a suit always guarantees six or more cards and 3-16 HCP.''' </big>
** So, for example, you cannot respond to 1NT with 2 of a suit, part from 2{{Cs}}, unless you have six cards in that suit.  And you cannot bid a natural overcall over 1NT with just five cards in the suit.
** So, for example, you cannot respond to 1NT with 2 of a suit, part from 2{{Cs}}, unless you have six cards in that suit.  And you cannot bid a natural overcall over 1NT with just five cards in the suit.
* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 3:'' '''A 6+ card suit can also be opened at the one-level if it satisfies the criteria for such a bid.''' </big>
* <big> ''PRINCIPLE 3:'' '''A 6+ card suit can also be opened at the one-level if it satisfies the criteria for such a bid.''' </big>

Revision as of 12:52, 24 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, overcall 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, overcall 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 8: If you have 11-16 HCP and no suit longer than four cards, always open or overcall 1NT, even with a 4-4-4-1 shape.
    • 1NT as a response promises the same distributional restrictions but 8-16 HCP.
  • PRINCIPLE 9: Simplex is a fundamentally natural bidding system. The only gadgets used are 2♣ Redshift, 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.
  • PRINCIPLE 15: There are no suit quality requirements for opening bids and overcalls.
  • PRINCIPLE 16: In response to an opening of one or two of a suit, responder shows a hand worth a good raise to at least 3 of the suit — i.e. 10+ HCP and 9+ trumps between them — by bidding the conventional 2NT.
  • PRINCIPLE 17: Be very wary about doubling when both opener and responder have taken your bid away. You are usually too weak.
    • For example, you have a hand worth opening 1♣ but the bidding has already gone (1♦):Pass:(1♠).
    • Exceptionally you should double when you have 11+ HCP and you are distributional (e.g. a 5-5 shape or a 6+ card suit).
  • PRINCIPLE 18: No-one may bid a new suit at the 3-level in the first round unless he has 17-22 HCP.





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