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Responding To ReversesA structured approach to showing your hand.
IntroductionBefore you continue with this article, it is essential that you and your partner have both read and understood the article on reverses. This article relies heavily on material presented by Root and Pavlicek in their excellent book, “Modern Bridge Conventions”. The book title in this case is a bit of a misnomer, because a reverse is not a convention; it’s an integral part of Standard American bidding. Still, their recommendations are the best I’ve seen for a topic that mystifies a lot of people (including some experienced players). Like most of the articles in this series, you and your partner have to be on the same wavelength. This is particularly important when responding to reverses, because mutual understanding of the bids is critical to avoiding disaster, especially when responder has a weak hand. Reverses After A One Level Suit ResponseAfter a one–level suit response, a reverse is forcing for one round. Responder must make a second bid. Here’s an example of a reverse by opener after a response at the one level: Example 1North dealer, neither side vulnerable
Since North has reversed, South must bid again. North’s reverse shows 16 to 18 points. Therefore, South’s second bid must tell North whether the hand belongs in a part score or in game. South should settle for a part score when holding 6 to 7 points, but insist on game holding 8 points or more. Keep in mind that South makes the decision on whether to settle for a part score or a game. North should not overrule South’s decision. Responder’s Second Bid (Part Score Hands)Responder has a “part score hand” when he holds 6 or 7 points. His second bid not only describes this minimum point count, but also tells something about his distribution. There are two bids, and two bids only, that show a minimum hand (6 or 7 points). The first bid is 2 NT, and the second is a rebid of the original suit. Which one do you choose?
Let’s look at two example hands for the auction shown in Example 1: Example 1 (Repeated)North dealer, neither side vulnerable
In Hand 1, your original response was in a four–card suit. Therefore, your second bid is 2 NT, showing four spades and a 6 or 7 point hand. In Hand 2, your original response was in a five–card suit, Therefore, your second bid is 2 How Does Opener Continue?Once you have shown a “part score hand” using one of the above bids, opener will sign off in what he believes to be the best part score. Let’s look at some examples. Example 2North dealer, neither side vulnerable
In Example 2, responder has shown a weak hand (6 or 7 points) with a four–card spade suit. Opener has only one “sign off” bid: 3 of his original suit (in this case, 3 Let’s look at some example hands for responder after the following auction: Example 3North dealer, neither side vulnerable
For Hand 1 and Hand 2, 3 Now, let’s consider opener’s action when responder has rebid his suit. Example 4North dealer, neither side vulnerable
In Example 4, responder has shown a weak hand (6 or 7 points) with a five–card spade suit. Opener now has three “sign off” bids available: pass, 2 NT, or 3 of his original suit (in this case, 3
With Hand 1, pass is the best option. Opener knows that the partnership has an eight–card spade fit, and opener’s red suit honour cards will be quite helpful. Also, opener’s club singleton provides some ruffing value. With Hand 2, 2 NT is best. This bid promises a stopper in the unbid suit (clubs), and shows a doubleton in responder’s suit (spades). This bid is a suggestion only; responder may bid again. Responder should return to his original suit (spades) holding six of them, or raise one of opener’s suits with appropriate support (three cards in opener’s first suit, three or four cards in opener’s second suit). With Hand 3 or Hand 4, 3 Responder’s Second Bid (Game Hands)Responder has a “game hand” after opener’s reverse when holding 8 or more points. There are two bids responder cannot make after a one–level response with a good hand (8 or more points): either of the weakness signals from the previous section. Specifically, responder cannot bid 2 NT or rebid his suit. So what does responder do to show a good hand after a one level response? Let’s consider the auction in Example 1 again: Example 1 (Repeated)North dealer, neither side vulnerable
An immediate raise of one of opener’s suits promises an eight–card fit and at least 8 points.
This promises a stopper in the unbid suit but denies adequate support for either of opener’s suits.
This shows game–forcing values but no obvious rebid. Essentially, it’s a “waiting” bid asking for opener to further describe his hand. It’s useful to play that it denies a stopper in the fourth suit; with a stopper in the fourth suit, responder should bid 3 NT if that looks like the right game. Reverses After A 1 NT ResponseWhen opener reverses after an initial 1 NT response (which shows 6 to 9 points), responder’s second bid must distinguish between “part score hands” (6 to 7 points) and “game hands” (8 to 9 points). Example 5North dealer, neither side vulnerable
Part Score HandsResponder chooses from the following bids to show a “part score hand” (6 to 7 points):
Unlike before, when responder started with one of a suit, this 2 NT bid is natural. It is a discouraging bid that denies adequate support for either of partner’s suits. Responder will hold a hand something like this:
If opener bids again over the 2 NT rebid, opener is showing more extreme distribution (generally six cards in the first suit and five cards in the second). Responder should reevaluate his hand and decide whether an additional bid is warranted. Holding the above hand, responder should raise a 3
When opener reverses in his second suit, responder may return to opener’s first suit with adequate support. This just shows a preference for that suit; it is not forcing. Responder will hold a hand something like this:
Holding this hand, responder should rebid 3 Game HandsResponder chooses from the following bids to show a “game hand” (8 to 9 points): Example 5 (Repeated)North dealer, neither side vulnerable
Pretty obvious; you’ve bid game. Partner should pass. You must hold at least one stopper in the unbid suit.
This promises three–card support only. This bid is forcing to game. You can’t hold four–card heart support, otherwise you would have responded 1
This is natural if it’s a minor suit, but shows a stopper only if it’s a major (if you had a real major suit to bid, you would have shown it on your first turn). Reverses After A Two Level Suit ResponseThis section is fairly short for two reasons:
After a two–level suit response, responder is in charge of the auction. Opener has limited his hand regarding strength (16 to 18 points) and distribution (normally five cards in the first suit, and four in the second). Therefore, it is responder’s responsibility to decide which game is best, or to investigate slam possibilities. Let’s look at some sample hands after the following auction: Example 6North dealer, neither side vulnerable
With Hand 1, South bids 3 NT. This promises a stopper in the fourth suit (spades), denies adequate support for either of North’s suits, and also denies interest in a slam. With Hand 2, South bids 4 With Hand 3, South can envision a possible slam. South should start by bidding 3
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