Theory and Conventions

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Bidding

Hands

You opened one of a suit

This is the workhorse of opening bids.

All anyone else knows is that you have sufficient points to start the auction at the one-level, and a hand which is unsuitable in some way for either an opening bid of 1NT or 2NT or for some kind of strong alternative.

Clearly it covers a wide range of hand-types and strengths.  The way in which you identify which of these hand-types you hold is to prepare both an opening bid and a rebid.  It is the combination of these two bids which defines the hand.

I emphasised many pages ago, in the section on the opening bid, that when you open one of a suit you should have your rebid prepared in the event of any lowest-level change of suit response which your partner might make.  Much of the content of the following pages should have been thought about before you opened your mouth in the first place.  If by any chance you find yourself wondering what to do in this situation then your thought-process in selecting an opening bid was flawed.

Indeed, many beginners get themselves into trouble because they made the wrong first bid without thinking about the possible consequences.  You, dear readers, do not wish to be counted in their numbers.

(Just as a ‘by-the-way’ there is a direct parallel in declarer play when a hasty card from dummy on the opening lead will on occasion put the whole contract in jeopardy.)

I won’t allow these thoughts to deter me from considering the situation again in the present context, but it would grieve me if these thoughts had not already crossed your mind.

Continuations are considered first in the following contexts:-

you opened in first or second seat

you opened in third seat

you opened in fourth seat

Responder’s first bid

Responder’s rebid

This section last revised 23rd Jan 2018

Context  -  opener’s rebid.