Monday, June 12, 2006 4:18 AM

Hand Evaluation – Forcing 1NT ( 2♠ rebid )

PITBULLS:

The spade suit is the highest ranking suit in Bridge. This elementary fact quite often pre-empts partner. When you open 1♠ , partner responds 1NT beware of the 2♠ rebid. This bid virtually shuts out partner unless she has a good enough hand to bid at the 3 level. When you play the Bart convention or have an understanding that 2♦ or 2♥ by the NT bidder is forcing one round , you should avoid rebidding 2♠ without a decent spade suit. Spades shut out hearts due to the rank difference. This can be fatal quite often.

♣'s are the lowest ranking suit in Bridge. I prefer to use an informal Gazzilli like 2♣ rebid over a forcing 1NT but not the whole systemic structure as written. Virtually forcing one round but not when all responder holds is long clubs. This treatment allows you to escape the Flannery hand mess & makes a 2♦ rebid as a legitimate bid. Since 2♣ is economical , the forcing NT bidder has room to attempt to describe her hand.

You hold ♠KQxxxx ♥Axx ♦x ♣Axx , open 1♠ with partner responding a forcing 1NT. Since you have 3♥’s to the Ace , I would bid 2♣ . This gives partner a chance to bid 2♥ or otherwise describe her hand. She will bid 2♠ with a doubleton so you arrive at 2♠ just differently from most people. Say you bid 2♠ , partner holds ♠x ♥KJ10xx ♦xxx ♣KJxx or similar hands. 4♥ has a play whereas two ♠’s probably goes down. Partner gives preference with two small spades anyway in many cases .

Playing BART like structures , let the system do the work for you. When you have clubs & heart tolerance , do not “pre-empt” the bidding by rebidding 2♠. ♠AJxxxx ♥Kxx ♦Ax ♣Kx , open 1♠ and partner responds 1NT . 2♠ has a high probability of ending the auction. You have 15 HCP but your suit is not good enough to jump to 3♠. Its these “in between” hands that you do everything in your power to keep the bidding open & preserve bidding room. Playing 2♦ forcing one round by responder or BART allows you to bid 2♣ as a "Gazzilli rebid ". Partner is aware that your 2♣ rebid could show as little as two of them, so allow partner to describe her hand. Partner does have hearts so you reach +620. A rebid of 2♠ , you play it there down one.

I like a 2♠ rebid also to mean a lack of heart tolerance. Game in the other major is shut out too many times by that rebid. We like playing a 2/1 in a minor & rebidding the minor as non forcing after a major opener. Therefore , by the negative inference, when partner bids a minor after my 2♠ rebid , she is rescuing the partial so not showing any cards. ♠x ♥Kxx ♦QJ109xxx ♣xx is a 3♦ bid after a 2♠ rebid & probably says that 2♠ is not going to make.

Standard bidding is pre-occupied with HCP’s . You hold ♠QJxxxx ♥AKx ♦Qx ♣Ax so according to Goren this is a 3♠ bid after a forcing NT. No , no & no for many reasons. You do not have a good spade suit . You have a balanced hand suitable for NT . You have superb heart tolerance. This is a hand where I bid 2♣ ( informal Gazzilli ) . Partner will give me preference to 2♠ with two of them & I will raise to 3♠. We are at the exact spot the 3♠ bidders were in one bid but I did not pre-empt partner in the process.

Playing 3♣ as a multi-purpose jump shift , clarifies these hand types. A 3♠ & 3♥ bid is invitational so can be done on lighter values with a good suit . 6-4’s are always shown by rebidding the 4 card suit after partner responds a forcing NT. Therefore a 2♠ rebid after a forcing NT now is getting close to being a “picture” bid. A single suited minimum hand with no heart tolerance & decent spades.