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Beginner and above

This page last revised 27th Feb 2020

Opening Strong Hands


At some point shortly after the Bronze age most bridge players played an opening two of any suit as natural and game-forcing.

It did not take long before this was seen to be an inefficient use of the bids available.


As we moved towards the Stainless steel age it was realised that one bid was sufficient to show this hand-type.  The 2 opening bid was accordingly harnessed to show the game-forcing hand in any one of the four suits.

This released the other three opening suit bids at the two level to be played as strong, natural, and forcing, usually for one round. These bids promised a rebid by opener, but they were not forcing beyond that point.

Acol players, along with the rest of the world, played natural strong two-bids in three suits along with a strong and artificial game-forcing bid of 2 (Traditional Acol).


Now that we have entered the Silicon age such methods are almost unknown.  The bids work perfectly well - but they are still wasteful of bidding space when there are so many other things you might choose to do with them.


The need for a forcing bid


Most hands of opening strength or better will be opened with one of a suit or some number of no trumps.


The principal danger in opening one of a suit with a strong opening hand is that partner might pass when your combined holding is sufficient for game.

It follows that if your hand is good enough to make a game contract facing a hand which partner might pass when you open with one of a suit, then you must either show your strength in some way with your first bid, or force partner to make some sort of response so that you can show your strength subsequently.  With anything less than this an opening bid at the one-level will prove perfectly adequate.


Balanced hands


As a general rule, two balanced hands should bid to a game contract with a combined total of twenty five or more points, and stop in a lower contract with less than this.


That is why, if you play an opening 2NT on twenty to twenty two points, partner will find some kind of response to your one of a suit with any hand of six or more points - you might hold nineteen.  If you prefer to find a response to one of a suit with five or more points then you can play your 2NT opening bid on some range starting at twenty-one - partner will respond to your possible twenty point one of a suit.

But you will still need a way of showing show balanced hands of twenty three or more points.


Unbalanced hands


Unbalanced hands with a high combined point-count will also have the potential to make a game facing a hand which might pass one of a suit, only this time the ploy of opening 2NT is no longer available.


But there will be other unbalanced hands with fewer points which will also have the potential to make a game based on the number of potential tricks rather than number of points - never forget that the game is primarily about tricks, not points.  These potential tricks will manifest themselves in the form of low (or intermediate) cards in (a) long suit(s).


I like to assess the potential of such hands in terms of playing tricks.


Single-suited in a major


Hands worth 9½ or 10 playing tricks stand every chance of making a game even when partner has absolutely nothing of value.

Hands worth 9 playing tricks require only 1 trick from partner to make a game.  This will not always be enough to extract a response to a one of a suit opening.

Hands worth 8½ or 8 playing tricks will frequently make a game, but require at least 1½ tricks from partner and this will be sufficient to guarantee a response to a non-forcing opening almost without exception.


(Note that the imperative (so often voiced in many a club) to open with a strong bid whenever the hand is worth 8 or more playing tricks is a hand-me-down from an earlier age.  It may well be part of your agreed system if you have strong bids to spare, but it is not essential as part of a method built around not missing possible game contracts.)


Single-suited in a minor


It will only occasionally be correct to open with a forcing bid on a hand which is single-suited in a minor.  The waters are muddied by the existence of two possible game contracts (the minor suit or no trumps).  In particular the possible no trump contract will usually require bidding space in which to locate the existence of side-suit stops.

Clearly, with a high point count (twenty two say) you will need to do something reasonably dramatic, and with 10½ or 11 playing tricks you will have to ensure that the action doesn’t die a death at an early age, but with anything less it will usually be correct to open one of the minor - even if partner doesn’t come up with a response it will be extremely rare that one or other of your opponents doesn’t come to your rescue.


5-4 shape or better


Again you will need to show your strength when holding something like twenty two or more points, but usually it will be best to open one of your five-card suit on anything up to twenty one points with this shape as you leave space in which to search for the best fit.


Too strong for the one-level?


From the observations above it is clear that there are just a few hand-types which have too much playing potential to risk starting with a non-forcing opening bid at the one-level.


These are:-


those hands which are pretty much worth game in their own right:-


single-suited hands in a major worth nine and a half or more playing tricks;

single-suited hands in a minor worth ten and a half or more playing tricks;

balanced hands of twenty five or more points;

virtually all partnerships will add any other unbalanced hand of twenty three or more points;

and I also like to include unbalanced hands of twenty two points - the oft-quoted twenty three point requirement is no more than a hand me down from the balanced hand ranges;


and those hands which fall one trick short of game:-


single-suited hands in a major worth exactly nine playing tricks;

single-suited hands in a minor worth exactly ten playing tricks;

and balanced hands of 23 or 24 points.


Some of the single-suited hands mentioned above might contain little more than a long suit, very little by way of defence, and little prospect of a slam contract - they may or may not satisfy the rule for strong openings.


Such hands are best dealt with by opening the suit at game-level - the preemptive effect is all-important.


A forcing opening bid


A single artificial game-forcing bid will be sufficient to cover the other game-forcing options above, and the usual choice will be 2 as in traditional Acol.


You might choose to incorporate those single-suited hands which are one trick short of game into your ‘almost game-forcing 2’ opening bid.


Alternatively you might choose to introduce a second artificial and forcing opening bid to cover such hands, and having allocated a further bid you might choose to extend the range of hands covered by, and the allocation of different hand-types between, the two bids.


Various possibilities are considered under opening two of a suit and on the subsequent pages.


One strong bid


Playing just this one artificial and forcing strong opening bid (preferably ‘almost game-forcing’ releases the other three opening suit-bids at the two-level for other purposes.


If the choice is ‘natural weak twos’ then you will be playing ‘three weak and one strong’.

This is my preferred system for both beginner and intermediate play.

It is also more than adequate for pairs scoring at higher levels of play.


imps scoring


Playing at imps scoring you might prefer to put the emphasis on distinguishing accurately between the various possible strong hands as you search for the big contracts.

In this case you will either play two strong bids or something including one or more ‘multis’ (but you won’t play three or four strong bids).


You opened one of a suit


And what about those strong hands which I have encouraged you to open with one of a suit but which might in times past have been opened with some sort of strong forcing bid?


These will be the hands which do not quite qualify for any one of your chosen strong bids but which have the potential for game with the merest hint of help from partner.


They are likely to include single-suited hands of 8 or maybe 8½ playing tricks, and hands with something like 5-4-3-1 shape of up to about twenty two points.


You may fear the possibility that the bidding might fall short, but there should be no reason for such apprehension.

Provided that you have a repertoire of forcing rebids you will always be able to force the subsequent auction to the required level.


These rebids will include:-


a reverse rebid when the shape is suitable, forcing for at least one round;

a jump rebid in a new suit forcing to game;

a rebid in a new suit following partner’s first response in a new suit at the two-level forcing for one round.


Even a non-reverse rebid in a new suit following partner’s first response at the one-level should be played as ‘all but forcing’ thus covering those unbalanced hands on which you hold about seventeen or eighteen points.


And if a further forcing bid is required below game-level you can be certain that there will be either a bid in a fourth suit or a new suit at the three-level available to keep things going.


4-4-4-1


I have ignored 4-4-4-1 shape for the purposes of this page.


If you happen to have a dedicated opening bid or a dedicated opening sequence to show a strong hand with this shape then clearly you will use it.  Otherwise you will just have to do the best you can with what you’ve got.  Fear not - you will be in the best of company, and the strong 4-4-4-1 hand is a hand-type which does not appear with great frequency.


Further thoughts on the matter will be found on the page ‘strong three-suited’.

Context  -  Acol bidding - the opening bid.