Simplex Principles of 1st Round Responses to One of a Suit
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- PRINCIPLE 0: Almost always open, overcall and respond with your clearly longest suit. (That is, except when responding to an opening/overcall of Three of a Suit, when it is often better to bid one's cheapest 4+ card suit.)
- 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♣ 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 16: In response to an opening of One or Two of a Suit, responder shows a hand worth a good raise to at least Three of the Suit — i.e. 10+ HCP and 9+ trumps between them — by bidding the Simplex 2NT. If Responder bids a suit on the 1st round, a rebid by opener of 2NT shows that opener has 10+ HCP and that the pair have at least nine cards in responder's suit. And if Opener changes suit on the second round, Responder can bid the Simplex 2NT in reply, showing 10-16 HCP and 4+ card support for Opener's second suit — e.g. 1♥:1♠, 2♣:2NT.
- 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 19: Responder's first-round responses to an opening of one or two of a suit should be:
- Show support for partner's major.
- If you are weak (0-9 HCP), show support for partner's minor.
- Make the bid you would have made, had you been opener.
- If you are strong (10+ HCP), show support for partner's minor.
- Show support for partner's minor.
- Double the opposition's bid if it has taken away your opening bid.
- Bid 1NT with 8-16 HCP and no biddable suit.
- 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.
- PRINCIPLE 30: Do not double their strong (i.e. 16+ HCP), natural bids.
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Box R1A
(Version 1.0)
| Responding to One of a Suit (1♣, 1♦, 1♥, 1♠)
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Bid
| Meaning
| Forcing?
| Where to next?
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Pass
| 0-7 HCP and less than 3-card support for partner's suit
| NF
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Double
| Unable even to bid 1NT. RHO's overcall has taken his bid away.
| NF
| Box O2A
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One of a New Suit
| 5+ cards, 8-16 points, compliant with Rule of 18.
| NF
| Box O2B
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1NT
| 8-16 HCP and no other available bid — i.e. the 'dustbin' bid. The hand will contain fewer than four cards in opener's suit. The hand may contain four cards in another suit, or a 5-card suit not now biddable at the 1-level.
| NF
| Box O2B
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Two of a New Suit
| 6+ cards and 3-16 points
| NF
| Box O2B
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Raise to Two of the Suit
| 3-card support and 0-9 HCP
| NF
| Box O2C
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2NT
| 4+ card support and 10+ HCP
| F
| Box O2B
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Three of a New Suit
| 4+ cards and 17+ HCP
| GF
| Box O2B
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Raise to Three of the Suit
| 4-card support and 0-9 HCP
| NF
| Box O2D
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Raise to Four of the Suit
| 5-card support and 0-9 HCP
| NF
| Box O2E
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Raise to Five of Opener's Minor
| 6+card support and 0-9 HCP
| NF
| Box O2F
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Box O2B
(Version 1.0)
| Opener's Rebid after opening One of a Suit (1♣, 1♦, 1♥, 1♠)
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Responder's Bid
| Opener's Rebids
| Meaning
| Forcing?
| Where to next?
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One of a New Suit
| Pass
| Minimum opening hand (i.e. 8-12 HCP), little support for responder, no other 4+ card suit.
| NF
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One or Two of a New Suit
| 4+ card suit.
| NF
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1NT
| 11-16 HCP and fairly balanced with a 5-card suit.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 2-level
| 6-card suit.
| NF
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Raise Responder's suit to the 2-level
| 3-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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2NT
| The Simplex 2NT: 10+ HCP and 4+ card support for Responder's suit.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 3-level
| 7+ card suit.
| NF
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Raise Responder's suit to the 3-level
| 4-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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Raise Responder's suit to the 4-level
| 5-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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Raise Responder's minor to the 5-level
| 6-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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1NT
| Pass
| 8-10 HCP and a 5-3-3-2 shape.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 2-level
| 6-card suit.
| NF
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Two of a New Suit
| 4+ card suit.
| NF
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2NT
| 12-14 HCP, balanced or semi-balanced.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 3-level
| 7+ card suit.
| NF
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3NT
| 15+ HCP, balanced.
| NF
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Two of a New Suit
| Pass
| Minimum opening hand (i.e. 8-12 HCP), little support for responder, no other 4+ card suit.
| NF
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Two of a New Suit
| 4+ card suit.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 2-level
| 6-card suit.
| NF
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2NT
| The Simplex 2NT: 10+ HCP and 4+ card support for Responder's suit.
| NF
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Raise Responder's suit to the 3-level
| 3-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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New Suit at the 3-level
| 5+ card suit.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 3-level
| 7+ card suit.
| NF
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Raise Responder's suit to the 4-level
| 4-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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Raise Responder's minor to the 5-level
| 5-card support and less than 10 HCP.
| NF
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2NT
| Rebid of Opener's suit at the 3-level
| Up to 13 HCP.
| NF
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Cue-bid of cheapest 1st-round control
| 14+ HCP.
| F
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Three of a New Suit
| Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 3-level
| Minimum opening hand (i.e. 8-12 HCP), less than 4-card support for responder, no other 4+ card suit biddable at the 3-level.
| NF
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Three of a New Suit
| 4+ card suit.
| NF
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3NT
| Balanced, preferably with the other two suits stopped.
| NF
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Rebid of Opener's original suit at the 4-level
| 6+ card suit.
| NF
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Raise Responder's suit to the 4-level
| 3+ card support and 8-12 HCP.
| NF
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4NT
| Blackwood: 13+ HCP.
| NF
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