Monday, September 18, 2006 1:35 PM
Forcing 1NT - Fit Showing Jumps
PITBULLS:
Fit
showing jumps as a passed hand are
now part of Bridge World Standard. They make perfect sense as your weak two’s have already
been bid & splinters as a passed hand are ludicrous. These fit showing
jumps are especially good when
partner opens a minor
in 3rd or 4th seat. The only rules are that the bid is a jump shift meaning
the best passed hand possible and show values concentrated
in the jumped suit. NT by opener always asks for the stiff and a simple raise
of the major is forcing. C’est tout.
I
like fit showing jumps in another place also. I play a 2/1 over a major as non forcing to game.
Therefore there is no reason for a forcing 1NT followed by a jump bid to show a
suit. This opens up the jump bid as a splinter or a fit showing jump. I prefer the latter.
Showing
a strong minor raise after a forcing NT has always been a problem. A fit showing jump helps &
it is clearly better than an artificial 2♠ after a 1♥ opener or an artificial 2♥ bid requiring a relay. You are in effect recovering the Goren 2/1 by showing where you live ,
support &10+ HCP.
Showing
a strong heart raise after a spade opener & a 2♥ rebid has been a problem ( other than
leaping to game ) as slam is still possible.
When you had a limit raise in partners major and partner rebids a major , a fit showing jump
leaves slam possibilities open.
1♠-P-1NT-P
2♣-P-3♦-P ♠void ♥xx ♦AQxxxx
♣J987x grand slam
possible opposite ♠J10xxx ♥Ax ♦Kx ♣AKxx
1♠-P-1NT-P
2♦-P-3♥-P ♠xx
♥KQJx ♦Axxxx
♣xx
slam opposite ♠AKxxx ♥Axx ♦KQxx ♣x
1♠-P-1NT-P
2♥-P-4♦-P ♠xx ♥Axxxx ♦KQJx
♣xx
slam opposite ♠AKxxx ♥KQxx ♦Axx ♣x
1♠-P-1NT-P
2♠-P-4♣-P ♠Axx ♥xx ♦xxx
♣KQJxx
slam opposite ♠KQxxx ♥Axx ♦x ♣Axx
Fit
showing jumps have the advantage of alternative game contracts especially 3NT .
1♥-P-1NT-P
2♦-P-3♠-P
3NT
♠KQJ ♥xx ♦Axxxx ♣xxx
opposite ♠x ♥AQxxx ♦KQxx ♣A10x
( avoids 5♦ )
Two suited fits are
best described with a fit showing jump.
Partner opens 1♥
and you respond 1NT with ♠Ax ♥Kxx
♦K10xxx
♣xxx intending on showing a limit raise. Partner surprises you by bidding 2♦. Leap to 4♦ which shows a fit showing jump with support
for both suits. Partner has ♠Kxx ♥AQJxx ♦AQxx ♣x and 6 is cold in either red suit.
Here
is an auction from a Bermuda Bowl where they got to 3♣ where 6♣ for +1370 was
cold. They opened 1♥
on ♠x ♥Axxxx
♦KQx
♣Axxx and partner bid a forcing NT with ♠xx ♥x ♦Axxxx ♣KQxxx . At one table they bid 3♣ after a 2♣ rebid by openerwhich
was passed out. At the other table , they bid 2♠ showing a strong club
raise and that got converted to 3♣ passed out. Our auction over 2♣ is 3♦ a fit showing jump. This is followed by a 3♠ Q bid and on to 6♣ . Vive
la difference !
I
feel there is no reason to leap to 3NT
by responder after she has bid a forcing 1NT. 2NT is a strong bid in the teeth
of a misfit and can be done with as many as 13 HCP. Passing 2NT in IMPS is rare
and we have relays to bail out in these auctions. Therefore a leap to 3NT is a fit showing jump with partners major &
soft values giving partner a choice of contracts. If opener bids over 3NT , it
is a stiff & a slam try in the major. This means a leap to 4 of a major
after a forcing 1NT can not be a balanced hand & probably shows controls
rather than soft values.