What should I bid? (November 2018)
There were no submissions for November. The voucher for November has been awarded to Phil Power for his submission in October. He wins a voucher of $30 funded by TBIB, toward any purchase made at the Bridge Shop or Paul Lavings Bridge Books.
♠ 7
♥ AQ643
♦ A86542
♣ A
That’s the question what to bid?
I opened 1♥ and rebid 2♦ after my partner responded with 2♣. I won’t disagree that my rebid of 2♦ may have been a little on the limp side.
My partner and I play Standard. (Not 2/1). We often hear that one should open a 6 card minor before a 5 card major. I polled a few top local players and they all said they would open 1♥ on this hand, with one even asking if it was a trick question! BBO forums are divided whether to open 6 card minor before 5 card major, so now I ask for your advice on what to open on this hand, and when should we open a 6 card minor before a 5 card major.
Cheers Phil
Hi Phil,
Hands with 5 Major and 6 minor can be difficult to treat, and personally I find that it all comes down to your suit quality. If your hand is on the weak side (HCP and suit quality wise), then it’s best to open your Major and rebid your minor (twice if you have to, to pretend that your shape is 5-5). If you have better strength, then it would now be better to open your minor so that you have enough strength to rebid 2♥ (then 3♥ to show your 5-6), but also you will be better equipped to deal with high level competitive bidding.
For example, with your given hand, if you open 1♦ and the opposition comes in with spade bids, our heart suit/fit may be lost forever. Therefore, I would prefer to open 1♥ with your given hand. However, if your hand were instead:
♠ x
♥ AKxxx
♦ AKxxxx
♣ x
Now this is a much better hand, and if you open 1♦, your hand is strong enough to compete at a high level so you don’t need to be afraid about losing your hearts, as you will be strong enough to bid them on the next round.
Hope that helps,
Andy
