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. If 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.

You hold ♠KQxxxx ♥Axx ♦Axx x , 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 ♦KJx ♣xxxx 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. If 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 or BART allows you to bid 2♣ as a 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.

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 is getting close to being a “picture” bid. A single suited minimum hand with no heart tolerance & decent spades.