FORCING ONE NOTRUMP

This lesson is on the forcing notrump response to a major suit open and will COMPLETE OUR LESSONS ON BERGEN BIDS. THERE ARE NOW FOUR DIFFERENT USES OR HANDS YOU MIGHT HAVE WHEN YOU USE THE FORCING NOTRUMP RESPONSE.

This response is simply: one of a major...pass... ONE NOTRUMP (FORCING) BY YOU. THE NOTRUMP RESPONSE TO ONE OF A MAJOR WILL NOW BECOME ALERTABLE AND YOU WILL SIMPLY SAY: "forcing one round"

This convention came about because it was noticed by many bridge players that there was one bid in particular that is miserable: You hold say a void in spades and 2 points…and partner opens a spade...opponent passes.... NOW WHAT DO YOU DO? There are no good choices…

if you bid a notrump you get into trouble
and if you pass....and second opponent passes...again your partner is in trouble

THE HAND IS GENERALIZED AS FOLLOWS:

IF your partner opens a major at the one level, and opponent passes...and you hold a WEAK HAND ...defined as 0-7 HCPS...AND EITHER A VOID OR SINGLETON IN PARTNERS SUIT...YOU MUST BID 1 NOTRUMP. THIS NOTRUMP WILL BE FORCING 1 ROUND FOR YOUR PARTNER.

NOW NOTICE THIS DEFINITION SAYS A SINGLETON OR VOID...not a doubleton

and it says 0-7 ...not 8...not 9 but ZERO TO SEVEN. UNLIKE NATURAL NOTRUMP BIDS, THIS conventional notrump bid PUTS YOU INTO CONTROL. Your partner the opener AUTOMATICALLY LOSES CONTROL TO YOU! YOU WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL UNTIL YOU deliberately give control back to your partner. This forcing notrump convention seems to be hard to learn by many bridge players, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE TROUBLE GRASPING THAT LAST FACT. Now, since the one notrump bidder is IN CONTROL, THE OPENER’S REBIDS ARE ALL CONVENTIONAL OR MECHANICAL. SHE HAS NO CHOICE IN WHAT TO REBID AND HER REBIDS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

WITH LONGER CLUBS THAN DIAMONDS SHE BIDS TWO CLUBS
WITH LONGER DIAMONDS THAN CLUBS SHE BIDS TWO DIAMONDS
WITH A FOUR CARD OR LONGER SECOND MAJOR SHE BIDS THE SECOND MAJOR
With no second major, equal number of clubs and diamonds and six + cards in the opened major she REBIDS THE MAJOR

PLEASE NOTE THAT # 4 is the very LAST CHOICE SHE HAS. ALL FOUR OF THESE BIDS SHOW THE POINT RANGE OF 11-15 HIGH CARD POINTS. If you have 16+ HCPs...the bid remains the same but with a jump.

Example:

1 heart....pass...1 notrump (alerted as forcing)...pass...THREE CLUBS SHOWS:

LONGER CLUBS THAN DIAMONDS AND 16+ hcps.

Now there is one more choice, but I am not crazy about it: if you have 15+ hcps, AND YOU HAVE EQUAL NUMBER OF MINORS, AND A STOPPER IN BOTH MINORS AND THE OTHER MAJOR, YOU CAN BID TWO NOTRUMP.

NO MATTER HOW MANY POINTS YOU MIGHT HAVE AS OPENER, it is YOUR PARTNER WHO BID 1 NOTRUMP WHO IS IN CONTROL, so you as opener will pass any bid except if that bid is the return to your opened major.

EXAMPLE 1:

1 HEART BY YOU...PASS...1 NOTRUMP BY PARTNER...PASS...THREE CLUBS BY YOU...PASS...three DIAMONDS BY PARTNER...ALL PASS!!!

example 2:

1 spade by you...pass...1 notrump by partner ...pass...two notrump by you....pass...three clubs by partner....ALL PASS!!!

EXAMPLE 3:

1 SPADE BY YOU...pass...1 Notrump by partner...pass...three spades by you....pass...four DIAMONDS BY PARTNER ...ALL PASS!!!!

Remember ...partner with her very weak hand is SIMPLY TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER SUIT THAT THIS HAND WILL PLAY BETTER IN THAN YOUR MAJOR, and THAT IS HER REASON FOR BIDDING ONE NOTRUMP. YOU MUST NOT FRUSTRATE HER ATTEMPT BY TAKING CONTROL YOU don't have.

The reason why partner’s first bidding one notrump and then bidding your opened suit gives back control to you is quite simple: YOUR PARTNER DOES NOT HAVE THAT VERY WEAK HAND WITH A VOID OR SINGLETON IN YOUR SUIT. Instead this type of bidding will show one of two very DIFFERENT TYPES OF HANDS:

TYPE 2: A HAND CONTAINING EXACTLY TWO CARD SUPPORT IN YOUR MAJOR AND EXACTLY 8-9 hcps. REMEMBER, BIDDING BERGEN YOU WILL BE PASSING YOUR PARTNER’S OPEN WITH A HAND CONTAINING 2 CARD SUPPORT AND 0-7 POINTS. SO YOU NEED A WAY TO SHOW HER TWO CARD SUPPORT AND 8-9 POINTS. THIS IS HOW IT WILL GO:

1 HEART BY PARTNER...PASS..1 NOTRUMP (FORCING) BY YOU...PASS...2 CLUBS BY PARTNER...SHOWING LONGER CLUBS THAN DIAMONDS…PASS...TWO HEARTS BY YOU! THIS RETURN TO HEARTS SHOWS exactly 8-9 points and two cards in hearts. Now the opener has control back and can decide whether game is there or not.

TYPE 3: EXACTLY 3 CARD SUPPORT..AND 9-10 POINTS INCLUDING DIST. POINTS, YOU ALSO MUST USE THE FORCING NOTRUMP

AND NOW YOU WILL SIMPLY JUMP REBID YOUR PARTNER’S OPENED MAJOR. THE SEQUENCE 1 HEART..PASS…2 HEARTS SHOWS A BERGEN RESPONSE OF 5-8 POINTS INCLUDING DIST. AND THREE CARD SUPPORT

SO YOU NEED A BID FOR THREE CARD SUPPORT AND 9-10 POINTS INCLUDING DISTRIBUTION.

IF YOU do not have a convenient 2/1 bid. Example: 1 spade by partner...pass...1 notrump (forcing) by you...pass...two diamonds by partner...pass...THREE SPADES BY YOU SHOWING EXACTLY THREE CARDS IN SPADES...AND 9-10 POINTS. ACTUALLY YOU CAN EXPAND THIS BID TO ALSO INCLUDE: five spades in support and 9+ points but this gets a little tricky. So for now, just leave it at three card support and 9-10 points.

You have three hands that require the use of the forcing notrump.

hand 1: a weak 0-7 point hand and a void or singleton in partners opened major
hand 2: a hand with EXACTLY 8-9 POINTS AND A DOUBLETON IN PARTNERS OPENED MAJOR
hand 3: a hand with EXACTLY 9-10 POINTS AND A TRIPLETON IN PARTNERS OPENED MAJOR

IF YOU HAVE HANDS TWO OR THREE..you MUST COMPLETE YOUR BIDDING

EVEN IN COMPETITION.

EXAMPLE:

1 HEART BY PARTNER...pass...1 notrump (forcing) by you...pass...two clubs by partner...TWO DIAMONDS BY OPPONENT...THREE HEARTS BY YOU SHOWING: THREE CARD SUPPORT AND 9-10 POINTS INCLUDING DIST.

NOTICE: THE THREE HEART BID IS THE completion of the reason why you USED FORCING NOTRUMP

The FORCING NOTRUMP, NEXT TO THE LEBENSHOL CONVENTION IS PROBABLY THE MOST VALUABLE CONVENTION IN BRIDGE.

Interference

Example, what does opener do in this sequence??

1 heart by opener...pass...1 NOTRUMP (FORCING) BY PARTNER...two DIAMONDS BY SECOND OPPONENT. Notice the interference. As the opener, if you GET THIS KIND OF INTERFERENCE, YOU MUST only rebid with an UNUSUAL HAND..

Example: 1 HEART BY YOU...pass...1 NT forcing by partner...two DIAMONDS BY OPPONENT. YOU WILL BID DOUBLE HOLDING AT LEAST FOUR DIAMONDS AND A VOID IN CLUBS. This is an unusual hand and the double is for penalty.

YOU WILL BID THREE CLUBS HOLDING AT LEAST FOUR CLUBS AND A VOID IN OPPONENTS DIAMONDS.
YOU WILL BID TWO SPADES (THE OTHER MAJOR) WITH AT LEAST FIVE SPADES IN YOUR HAND
YOU WILL BID TWO HEARTS (YOUR OPENED MAJOR) WITH AT LEAST 7 HEARTS IN YOUR HAND (not six, but SEVEN +)
YOU MAY BID NOTRUMP WITH AT LEAST 16+ hcPS AND A STOPPER IN OPPONENTS SUIT
ANY NON UNUSUAL HAND must be PASSED.

THE FORCING NOTRUMP CONVENTION IS USED WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE TYPES OF HANDS:

1. 0-7 POINTS AND A VOID OR SINGLETON IN PARTNERS OPENED MAJOR

2. 8-9 POINTS AND A DOUBLETON IN PARTNERS OPENED MAJOR

3. 9-10 POINTS AND A TRIPLETON IN PARTNERS OPENED MAJOR

AND ALL CONTROL IS TAKEN BY PARTNER WHEN SHE BIDS THAT NOTRUMP

TWO CLUBS SHOWS LONGER CLUBS THAN DIAMONDS AND 11-15 HCPS
TWO DIAMONDS SHOWS LONGER DIAMONDS THAN CLUBS AND 11-15 HCPS
TWO OF THE OTHER MAJOR SHOWS AT LEAST FOUR CARDS AND 11-15 POINTS
TWO OF THE OPENED MAJOR SHOWS: EQUAL LENGTH IN THE MINORS AND NO SECOND MAJOR AND AT LEAST SIX CARDS IN THE OPENED MAJOR
ANY JUMP REBID SHOWS THE SAME HAND AS ABOVE BUT WITH 16+ HCPS