opening which accommodates 11-13
balanced HCP.What's better - weak notrumps, or strong?
Proponents of weak and super-weak 1NT openings will tell you that while you often preempt yourself out of a superior suit partscore, you will also often do the same to the opponents. So, say they, the bid does not place you at a disadvantage.
However the problem is that when you play the weak notrump, you can no longer open a strong notrump. And stronger hands are where the 1NT opening achieves its greatest tactical benefit. When you pick up about 16-17 HCP, this is the tipping point where your side has about a 50% chance of holding game values. Here the 1NT opening reaches its full obstructive potential, because your side usually has the balance of power to find its best fit and level, while the opponents enter the auction only at great peril.*
Of course, when you have a good tactical weapon you want to use it
frequently. For most of us, those 16-18 HCP balanced hands just do not
come up often enough. We compromise between these conflicting desires for
a good tactical advantage versus frequent occurrence by setting an "intermediate"
range of 14-16 HCP for our 1NT opening bids. This range also fits happily
with our 1 opening which accommodates 11-13
balanced HCP.
We seem to be in good company, as Meckwell also prefers the 14-16 range. Interestingly, they also play 10-12 only when white versus red (particularly at IMPs, you would like bridge to be a more difficult game when the opponents are vulnerable than when you are).
The 1NT opening shows a balanced hand with 14-16 HCP. This may include 5-4-2-2 shapes where strength is not concentrated in the long suits.
Any popular system of responses may be used. If you are not strongly attached to such a system, we recommend that you consider the following which is easy, effective and relatively complete:
| 1NT | 2 | Stayman, either game-invitational or better, or "drop dead" with both majors | |
2/ | Jacoby Transfers | ||
2 | Inverted Baron, artificial, at least mild slam interest | ||
| 2NT | Natural, invitational, nonforcing | ||
| 3/ | To play, bad hand | ||
| 3/ | Slammish, sets trumps and requests cue-bidding | ||
| 3NT | To Play | ||
| 4 | Plain Gerber | ||
| 4/ | Texas Transfers |
| 1NT | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Bad hand, opener must pass or correct to 2 | |
| 2 | Invitational with 5 spades and 4 hearts | ||
| 2NT | Natural, invitational | ||
| 3/ | Invitational, nonforcing (need not have a major) | ||
| 3/ | Smolen, forcing (5 cards in other major) | ||
| 3NT | To play | ||
| 4 | Plain Gerber |
| 1NT | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Invitational with 5 hearts and 4 spades | |
| 3 | Game-forcing with 5-5 majors |
| 1NT | 2 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Invitational with 5-5 majors |
After a Jacoby Transfer, a minor suit rebid by responder is forcing for one round; bidding could still stop in three of the major.
TBD
* Anders Wirgren in his article "The Either-Or Principle" (The Bridge World, October 1992), explains another theoretical deficiency in the weak notrump without mentioning the tactical value of the strong notrump. He notes that when you have an opening bid with a wide range (such as one of a minor), it's better that it be either weak or strong (for example 12-14 or 18-19 HCP when balanced) rather than one continuous wide range of strength such as 15-19 HCP, as partner will be better able to determine your strength should the opponents interfere. However this example is not very relevant to Big Club systems.