[hirowla]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions on a systematic way to respond when our partner doubles a 1NT opening bid. Most people at the club play a 12-14 NT opening (occasionally you get the precision 13-15 one, but I'd treat them the same), and doubling usually means 15+ points. The auctions I'm thinking of are like this:

1NT - X - P - ?
1NT - X - 2x - ? (x is a natural suit)
1NT - X - something - ? ("something" is a form of escape - the most common one around here is XX for minors, 2D for majors, anything else is natural).

I've yet to work out a systematic one of doing it which can handle anything from "I hate your X" to "Maybe we have a game on". Any suggestions on how to do this?

While on this topic, any suggestions on escape methods from 1NT - X - ? (I have 2 ideas - 1 as above - but would like to hear others).


Thanks,

Ian

[nigel_k]

This has been covered in other threads which you can search for.

The short answer is that after 1NT-X-P, you can bid a five card suit if weak. Pass with values or no five card suit. You can't do everything and are going to concede -380 sometimes.

If they bid something, suit bids are natural non forcing and I think double for takeout is the majority view.

When your 1NT is doubled (I assume it's a weak NT), there are at least as many methods as there are posters on this forum, probably more. The first big decision is how badly you want to be able to play in 1NT doubled but not redoubled. Forcing opener to act if responder passes will open up many sequences and improve your chances of playing your best fit, but has the obvious downside that responder cannot choose to just play 1NT-X.

[ggwhiz]

I play mostly against a 15-17 nt where we play double as a 1-suiter good enough to prefer that I pass if I can, otherwise bid 2♣ in search of pards escape hatch.

However, the pairs that we do run across playing a weak or precision nt range are most often pretty strong, especially at ko's and swiss.

Against them we have been playing double showing a strong nt with our full front of card system as if WE opened 1nt inc. stayman, xfers and if next hand bids, lebensohl and neg doubles. Directly we play 4-suit xfers which gives you a chance to show a 2nd suit on the shapely good hands.

Fingers crossed but it has worked well so far.

[blackshoe]

One interesting suggestion I've seen for the opening side is to play your defense to 1NT as responder. So, playing Hello:

1NT-(X)-

2♣: ♦ or Mm 2 suiter
2♦: ♥
2♥: Both M
2♠: ♠
2NT: ♣
3♣: both m

M: Major(s)
m: minor(s)

[akwoo]

How important is it for you to be able to escape to 2 of a minor? If it's not important, play systems on. If you want to give up 2 clubs but not 2 diamonds, you can play with Stayman and no transfers the way they used to before transfers were invented. If even playing 2 clubs is important, you can use 3 clubs for Stayman (but you won't be able to route invitational hands through Stayman anymore).

The answer to the previous question depends in part on what hands opponents can include in a pass. If pass is "to play, expecting to make" with some frequency, you are more likely to want ways to escaping to 2 of a minor.

Also, if many of your opponents use a penalty redouble (i.e. all balanced hands >8 or so hcp redouble, possibly plus some unbalanced hands), you should have a way to run out (even to a 3-3 fit if you have trouble finding anything better) against that. Keep in mind you do not have a reredouble bid.

[sailoranch]

Try this thread:

link

[Fluffy]

My partner once suggsted this:

2♣= weak escape
2♦ = GF any not willing to pass 1NT
2♥/♠ weak

it is not best since you give up on may things, but at that time we were just tired of weak NT stealing our games and it worked ok.

[y66]

just fyi -- Google returns the same post as Sailoranch as the first result when you use this search

penalty double 1nt site:http://www.bridgebase.com/forums

Perhaps Google gives extra weight to posts by FrancesHinden.

[32519]

hirowla, on 2012-October-28, 17:59, said:

Hi, I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions on a systematic way to respond when our partner doubles a 1NT opening bid. Most people at the club play a 12-14 NT opening (occasionally you get the precision 13-15 one, but I'd treat them the same), and doubling usually means 15+ points. The auctions I'm thinking of are like this:
1NT - X - P - ?

A lot of players have different defensive agreements versus, a) a weak NT (11-14 HCP), and b) a strong NT (15-17 HCP). Against the weak NT, a X is usually penalty orientated promising as your own agreements show here, 15+ HCP. Against a strong NT, a X is whatever you and partner agree to. One popular method promises a single-suited hand. Partner is expected to bid 2♣ regardless.
Situation 1:
Over a weak NT (12-14 HCP), deciding on your coarse of action depends on a number of variables, including, a) vulnerability, b) the quality and HCP strength of your own hand.
1. When the opponents are red v white and your hand has enough trick taking value along with partners 15+ HCP (partner is sitting behind declarer in this situation), you only need to take the contract down 2 for a better score than if you were in game yourself. Therefore pass and let declarer squirm and sweat.
2. When the opponents are white v red and you think your hand has enough trick taking strength to reach game of your own, then you need to make some sort of a bid to encourage game from partner. A popular guideline for responding to a t/o X is for a jump bid to show 9+ HCP. You can use that here. Your 9 plus partner’s 15 is enough for game. You score better in a game of your own than trying to take the opponents down.
3. With a completely useless defensive hand, it is better to pull the X to your longest suit for fear of the opponents making 1NT doubled which gives them a good score. So any non-jump pull of the X shows a crappy hand. Partner is expected to pass.

hirowla, on 2012-October-28, 17:59, said:

1NT - X - 2x - ? (x is a natural suit)

Situation 2:
1. With a crappy hand, pass is easy.
2. With a competitive hand (6-8 HCP and a biddable suit), bid your suit. Don’t roll over to the opponents. Your side has the majority of HCP.
3. With a competitive hand but no biddable suit of your own, you can X for t/o of the suit bid and leave the next decision to partner (leave the X in for penalty with enough expectancy to take the contract down, or bid his best suit).
4. With a competitive hand and stoppers in the suit bid, you can try 2NT.
5. With GF values (9+ alongside partners 15+) make a cue-bid of the suit overcall.

hirowla, on 2012-October-28, 17:59, said:

1NT - X - something - ? ("something" is a form of escape - the most common one around here is XX for minors, 2D for majors, anything else is natural).

Situation 3:
1. One possibility is just to ignore the XX for minors and bid the hand as though your side has opened 1NT. Then 2♣ remains as Stayman, 2♦ and 2♥ remain as transfer bids.
2. Another possibility over XX for the minors, 2♣ shows both majors, longer ♥ and 2♦ shows both majors, longer ♠. Partner is expected to choose the suit. Then you can either pass, encourage game or bid game direct depending on your hand strength. You already know partner has 15+ HCP.
3. Over 2♦ for the majors, X = that is my suit partner. Next decision is partners.
4. Over the other natural bids, see above.