 | Bidding Over Opponent’s 1NT Opening |
A safe way to try to steal a hand.
Before You Start
The ideas in this article require partnership agreement. If you like what you read, discuss it with your regular partners and decide whether or not to adopt it. Do not use the ideas in this article with a new partner unless that person already knows the information presented here.
If you and your partner already have a system to compete over opposing 1NT openings (such as Capelletti, for example), continue to use it if you feel it gives good results for you. But consider reading this article anyway; you might decide to switch to the ideas covered here.
If you decide to adopt these ideas, be prepared for a few “mixups” at the beginning. Learning new bids can be difficult, and during a game either you or your partner are likely to forget what to do the first few times. Don’t be discouraged: keep with it, and it will soon become second nature.
Introduction
This article will show you a safe way to compete over an opposing 1NT opening bid. There are a variety of specialized methods to choose from; I’ve chosen the one that’s the simplest to learn.
In the olden days, very few people bid over an opposing 1NT opening, mostly out of fear. Occasionally someone would overcall with a good suit; something like this:
Example 1
| ♠ 10 7 ♥ K Q J 10 8 3 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ 8 6 | Holding this hand, you might overcall 2♥. |
This is fine when you get the right hand, but the problem is it doesn’t come up very often. There are many more types of hands where you can compete safely, and this article will show you how.
Warning! This article discusses conventional bidding, which your partner must alert. If you are uncomfortable playing conventions and alerting bids, this article isn’t for you. The conventional bids described in this article do require a bit of study, but the payoff in terms of your results will more than make up for it.
Two Principles
There are two principles to keep in mind when you think about competing over an opponent’s 1NT opening:
- Penalty doubles of 1NT opening bids are generally a bad idea (for two reasons).
- Shape beats points.
Let’s look at each of these in more detail:
Penalty Doubles
In the olden days, people liked to double a 1NT opening bid when they held a hand of the same value. Here’s an example:
Example 2
| ♠ K Q 7 ♥ A Q 8 7 ♦ K J 4 ♣ Q 8 6 | Holding this hand, you might lick your lips and double when an opponent opens 1NT. |
Why is doubling for penalty with this hand a bad idea? It’s because you have too much strength concentrated in your hand. Declarer will expect you to hold 15 to 17 points; he will look at the points in his hand and dummy, add your 16 (average), subtract the total from 40, and know immediately what values your partner holds. And usually, your partner won’t hold much of anything.
Why does that matter? Because almost every time you take a trick with the above hand, your lead will give at least one trick away. Declarer will almost always make 1NT unless your partner happens to have all the missing points.
The second reason that a penalty double is not such a good idea is that you rarely get a hand that is suitable for it. There are hands that occur more frequently that need a specialized bid, and “double” is a useful one to use. We’ll discuss this in more detail later.
Shape Beats Points
If you’re playing a trump contract, and either your hand or dummy’s hand is short in a suit, you can trump some of the opponent’s high cards to win tricks. Here’s an example:
Example 3
| ♠ A J 7 4 3 ♥ A Q 8 7 2 ♦ 8 ♣ 8 6 | Assume an opponent opens 1NT when you hold this hand. If you get to play in a major suit, the opponents will win three tricks in the minor suits. Assume they have all the high cards in those suits: they’ve used 20 points to take three tricks. Not a great return. Give your partner the ♠K and ♥K, and you can likely win ten tricks. Not bad for 17 combined points. You have 3 fewer points, and took 7 more tricks. |
This doesn’t mean you can compete on hands with absolutely no high card points at all. There are several factors to consider when deciding whether to compete or not:
- Your partnership’s tolerance for risk. This is the most important factor. The more risk you and your partner are willing to take, the fewer high card points you need to interfere over an opponent’s 1NT opening.
- Vulnerability. Be more cautious when your side is vulnerable, especially when the opponents are not vulnerable.
- High card location. As we’ll see in the next section, you try to compete whenever you have one or two long suits. Your high cards should be in these long suits. If your high cards are in your short suits, you should be much less inclined to compete.
As a very rough guide, consider a minimum of 8 high card points when not vulnerable, and 11 when vulnerable. Once you gain more experience in competing over 1NT opening bids, you can judge whether you and your partner want to reduce (or maybe increase) these requirements. Remember: partnership agreement is most important.
When To Compete
Applying these principles, we can see that there are two types of hands which should compete over an opponent’s 1NT opening bid. They are:
- Hands with one long suit.
These are the easy ones; they’re the hands like those in Example 1. - Hands with a choice of suits.
These are the hands like Example 3: you would like to compete in either spades or hearts if partner can cooperate.
How do you show these hands? With Example 1 it looks easy: you could just bid 2♥. What about Example 2? You might think about bidding 2♥ or 2♠ first, planning to bid the second one on the next round of bidding, but that means abandoning the other suit if your bid gets passed out. What do you do when the other suit is better? Usually you go down.
If you make the same type of bid on both types of hands, partner won’t know which one you have. And that’s bad: the key to success in competing over a 1NT opening is for you and your partner to know exactly where you are at all times.
Solving The Problem
There have been may conventions developed over the years to compete over opposing 1NT opening bids. Some of the more common are Landy, Brozel, and Cappelletti. All of them have their advantages, but the convention called DONT (Disturbing Opponent’s NoTrump, developed by Marty Bergen) is one the best. Why?
- It’s the simplest to learn because it’s the most logical. Simplicity is good, especially with partners prone to forgetting complicated conventions.
- It lets you show all possible combinations of one–suited and two–suited hands.
- It lets you play at the two level regardless of what suits you hold.
Position At The Table
There are two positions when you can compete over an opponent’s 1NT opening. They are:
Direct Seat.
This is when your right–hand opponent opens 1NT, and you are next to bid. Here are two examples:
Example 4
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | ?? |
This is the obvious example; North deals and opens 1NT, and you are sitting East and have the next bid. Here’s the other example:
Example 5
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| Pass | Pass | 1NT | ?? |
You are still in direct seat. South has opened 1NT, and you are sitting West and have the next bid.
Balancing Seat
This is when your left–hand opponent opens 1NT, and there are two passes to you. Here are two examples:
Example 6
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | Pass | Pass | ?? |
Now you are in the balancing seat; North has opened, both East and South have passed, and you are sitting West.
Example 7
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| Pass | Pass | 1NT | Pass |
| Pass | ?? |
You are still in the balancing seat; there have been two passes after the 1NT opening bid.
Example 8
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | Pass | 2NT | ?? |
This article does not apply in an auction like this. Both North and South have bid. You do not compete using the convention discussed in this article.
Your position does not affect the way you bid. However, it may affect your decision on whether to bid or not when you have a borderline hand:
- Bidding in direct seat is more dangerous. Partner’s hand is unknown; it’s quite possible that his hand will be totally unsuitable for you if you do bid.
- Bidding in the balancing seat is less dangerous. Because partner has not made a DONT bid, he is unlikely to have a distributional hand of his own. That means he is likely to have support for any suit or suits you choose to bid.
What To Bid
Now that all of the preambles are out of the way, let’s get down to business and discuss what to bid. Before we do that, there’s one more thing to remember:
- All bids must be alerted.
All bids using the DONT convention must be alerted by your partner. I’ll provide the explanations your partner must give (when asked) as I discuss the examples.
Single–Suited Hands
What is a “single–suited hand”? It’s a hand that is suitable for competing in one suit only. You have one suit with at least six cards in it (five is possible; see Example 11), and no other suit with four cards or more.
You always show a single–suited hand with a double. Since we’ve already decided that penalty doubles of 1NT opening bids are a bad idea, that frees up the double for something else. This is the “something else”.
Your partner must alert the double. If the opponents ask about the alert, your partner says, “The double shows a single suited hand.” At this point your partner does not know what suit you have.
Here are some examples:
Example 9
| ♠ 10 7 ♥ K Q J 10 8 3 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ 8 6 | This is the same hand as Example 1. Double to show a single suit (which happens to be hearts, in this case). |
Example 10
| ♠ 10 7 ♥ 8 6 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ K Q J 10 8 3 | This time your suit is clubs, but you still double. |
Example 11
| ♠ 10 7 ♥ 8 6 4 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ K Q J 10 3 | Competing with a five card suit can be dangerous. Agree with your partner if you choose to do this; it’s frequently better to pass instead (especially in direct seat or when vulnerable). With partnership agreement, you can double with this hand. Doubling in the balancing seat is less dangerous; partner is likely to have some club support. Doubling when not vulnerable is also less dangerous because the penalties are lower. |
Example 12
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ 8 4 ♦ 10 9 ♣ K Q J 10 3 | Do not double. This is not a single–suited hand, even if you would normally double with a five card suit. You can compete in clubs or spades, so let your partner choose. You’ll see what to bid in the next section. |
Two–Suited Hands
A two–suited hand is a hand that is suitable for playing in either of two suits. You must have two long suits. How long is long? Again, that depends:
- Two five–card suits are always suitable (given that your high card strength is within the range your partnership agrees on, and that the high card strength is concentrated in your long suits).
- One five–card and one four–card suit can be suitable (given the above considerations on high card strength). Be a little wary of this when vulnerable, or with your high card strength on the low side.
- Advocates of DONT will frequently compete with two four–card suits. This can be a bit unnerving for newer players. We would recommend not doing this until you get more experience in competing over a 1NT opening. If you limit yourself by only competing with two five–card suits, you will gain more confidence because your competitive bids are more likely to be successful. Competing with two four–card suits can certainly work, but it can also lead to some spectacularly bad scores.
When you have a two–suited hand, you start by bidding the lowest ranking suit. Partner must alert this bid. We’ll discuss the explanations in the individual examples.
Example 13
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ 10 8 4 ♦ 10 9 ♣ K Q J 3 | Here you have two suits (clubs and spades). You start by bidding 2♣. When partner alerts and is asked for an explanation, partner replies, “The bid shows clubs and a higher–ranking suit”. Partner does not know (yet) what the higher ranking suit is. |
Example 14
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ 10 8 4 ♦ K Q J 3 ♣ 10 9 | Here you have two suits (diamonds and spades). You start by bidding 2♦. When partner alerts and is asked for an explanation, partner replies, “The bid shows diamonds and a higher–ranking suit”. Partner does not know (yet) what the higher ranking suit is. However, partner does know that you do not have clubs. |
Example 15
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ K Q J 3 ♦ 10 8 4 ♣ 10 9 | Here you have two suits (hearts and spades). You start by bidding 2♥. When partner alerts and is asked for an explanation, partner replies, “The bid shows hearts and spades”. This is the only case where partner knows both suits, since you cannot hold clubs or diamonds. |
Partner’s Responses
You have made your proper DONT bid (double with a single suit, lowest ranking suit with two suits), and now it’s time to hold your breath while partner responds. What will partner do?
After A Double
After a double, partner automatically bids 2♣. You must now alert this bid, because it’s strictly conventional and says nothing about clubs. The explanation is, “My partner wants me to bid my suit.”
You do what partner has told you to: you bid your suit unless you have clubs. If your long suit is clubs, pass. Do not bid 3♣. The whole point of the DONT convention is to compete at the two level, and no higher.
After A Suit
This one gets a little complicated. You have told partner you want to compete in one of two possible suits. It gets complicated when partner needs to find your second suit, so let’s get the easy one out of the way first:
- Partner Passes
Partner passes with four card support in the suit you bid. In this case, partner likes your first suit and doesn’t care about your second suit. - Partner Bids The Next Higher Suit
Partner will bid the next higher suit to find out what your second suit is. He will only do this when he doesn’t like the first one. Here are some examples:
Example 16
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ 10 8 4 ♦ 10 9 ♣ K Q J 3 | Here you have two suits (clubs and spades). You started by bidding 2♣. If partner does not like clubs, he bids 2♦ (the next higher suit after clubs). You must alert this bid, and the explanation is, “Partner wants me to bid my second suit.” You now bid 2♠ to show your second suit. Partner should now pass. If your second suit is diamonds, pass. Do not bid 3♦. Remember, you want to stay at the two level. |
Example 17
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ 10 8 4 ♦ K Q J 3 ♣ 10 9 | Here you have two suits (diamonds and spades). You started by bidding 2♦. If partner does not like diamonds, he bids 2♥ (the next higher suit after diamonds). You must alert this bid, and the explanation is, “Partner wants me to bid my second suit.” You now bid 2♠ to show your second suit. Partner should now pass. If your second suit is hearts, pass. Do not bid 3♥. Remember, you want to stay at the two level. |
Example 18
| ♠ A 10 6 3 ♥ K Q J 3 ♦ 10 8 4 ♣ 10 9 | Here you have two suits (hearts and spades). You start by bidding 2♥. This is the only case where partner knows both your suits. If he does not like hearts, he will bid 2♠, which does not require an alert. Again, do not bid 3♠. |
Partner’s Responses After Interference
If you make an initial DONT bid and your left hand opponent bids, your partner is off the hook and will normally pass. Here’s an example auction:
Example 19
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | Double | 2NT | ?? |
Your double showed a single–suited hand, but South interfered with a 2NT bid. Your partner (sitting West) will normally pass. You should pass as well, and lead your long suit to let partner know what it is.
Example 20
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | 2♣ | 2NT | ?? |
Your 2♣ bid shows clubs and a second suit, but South again interfered with a 2NT bid. Your partner (sitting West) will normally pass here as well. You should also pass. A good tip here is to lead your second suit, so partner will know what it is. South will almost surely have clubs stopped, but since the second suit is a guess it could well be a good lead.
Example 21
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | 2♥ | 2NT | ?? |
Your 2♥ bid shows hearts and spades, but South again interfered with a 2NT bid. Your partner (sitting West) will normally pass here as well. You should also pass. Since partner knows both your suits, tend to lead the longest and strongest.
Opponents Bid Your Suit
Example 22
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | Double | 2♥ |
Your double showed a single–suited hand, and your suit happens to be hearts. Assuming South’s heart bid is natural, what should you do? You should pass the final contract and lead hearts.
Example 21
North dealer, neither side vulnerable
| North | East | South | West |
| 1NT | 2♣ | 2♠ |
Your 2♣ bid showed a two–suited hand (clubs and something else). South has bid spades, which happens to be your second suit. What should you do? You should pass the final contract and lead spades (let partner know what your second suit is).
Conclusion
Interfering with an opponent’s 1NT opening is one of the best ways to get a good result. Many of your opponents will be uncertain as to how to continue their auction, whether to double you, or whether a double is for penalty or takeout.
Do not squander your tactical advantage by continuing to bid. Settle for a contract at the two level. If the opponents continue bidding, let them. Quite often they will have a misunderstanding and will end up in a poor contract.
Sometimes, you will get a bad result using DONT (partner has a bad hand with no fit for any of your suits, and the opponents pass or double for penalty). That’s life. The number of good results you get will more than make up for the occasional bad one. Just be sure your partner understands this as well.