BRIDGE ON ONE PAGE

Bridge On One Page

Reply to Suit Bid at 1 Level - 10 to 12 Points

After your partner has done an opening suit bid at the 1 level (e.g. 1 Heart), your bid then depends on your reply points. If the value of your hand is 10 to 12 points, you have these options :

Raise the bid in a different suit to that bid by your partner, providing that you have at least 4 cards in the reply suit. Raising the bid means that you make a bid at the lowest level allowed by the rules. So, assuming that your partner bid 1 Heart, if your reply suit was spades, you would bid 1 Spade, but, if your reply suit was diamonds, you would bid 2 Diamonds.
Bid 3 of the same suit as your partner bid, if you have at least 4 cards in that suit.
Bid 2 No Trumps to indicate that you and your partner have cover in all suits. This means that in each suit you either have length (e.g. 4 cards) or good Honours (e.g. aces and kings).

Example 1

Here you have 2 aces, a king and a doubleton, giving you 12 points. Let us assume that your partner opened the bidding with 1 Heart. Then you raise the bid in a different suit by replying with 1 Spade because you have 4 cards in spades, and insufficient length in hearts. Spades is higher ranking than hearts, and so your bid is at the 1 level. You do not bid 2 Clubs because this is the lower ranking of 2 equal length suits.

Example 2

Here you have a king, 2 queens, a doubleton, and a singleton, giving you 10 points. Assume again that your partner opened the bidding with 1 Heart. Then on this hand you should raise the bid in a different suit by replying with 2 Clubs because your longest suit is clubs. Clubs is lower ranking than hearts, and so you have to bid it at the 2 level.

Example 3

Here you have 2 kings, 2 queens, and no distribution points, giving you 10 points. Assume again that your partner opened the bidding with 1 Heart. Then on this hand you should jump bid in hearts by replying with 3 Hearts, because this is your longest suit.

Note :

A jump bid in a suit can only be used to indicate 10 to 12 points if the same reply suit as that opened is used, otherwise 13 or more points would be indicated.

Example 4

Here you have 2 aces, a queen, a jack, and no distribution points, giving you 11 points. Assume again that your partner opened the bidding with 1 Heart. You have a flat hand, and your weak suit is the suit that your partner has bid, so together you probably have cover in all suits. This means that 2 No Trumps is your best bid on this hand.

Note :

A jump bid in no trumps is needed on this hand, as a simple raise to 1 No Trump would indicate only 6 to 9 points.