By Marty Bergen

Whenever you have a balance hand and the appropriate point count, open 1NT/2NT. There are absolutely no exceptions. Do not be distracted by a five-card major. Life will be much easier when you open 1NT with a five-card major and a balanced hand. You will not have a rebid problem and your partner will immediately know about your strength and balanced distribution. If you open your five-card major, partner will not know about your strength now, and there will be no way to tell him later! Bridge can be a very unforgiving game: Either you open 1NT, or can forget about showing your 16-18 (or 15-17 ) HCP.

Although many regard the above as heresy, please read on. What would you open with this hand?

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If you open 1©, your partner will often respond 1ª. The opponents are silent. It is time for your rebid; decide before continuing.

Let’s round up the usual suspects, oops, I mean rebids:

Can you pass? Absolutely not! Partner’s 1ª response did not deny a good hand. It promised 6-16 points and was 100% forcing.

Can you rebid 1NT? No, this shows a balanced minimum; less than a 1NT opening. Obviously, a 1NT rebid misrepresents your strength.

Can you rebid 2¨? No. A 2¨ bid would promise a four-card suit. You are asking for trouble if you lie about your distribution

Can you raise to 2ª? No. This shows a minimum hand with good spade support. Partner’s response promises only a four-card suit.

Can you rebid 2NT? No. This shows more points than an opening 1NT bid. You would need about 19 points to make this bid.

Give up? You certainly do not need this aggravation – life is too short. Ignore your major and open 1NT.

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It is true that partner will not know that you have a five-card major when you open 1NT with hands like these. That is not the end of the world. (A convention called Puppet Stayman allows responder to discover if opener has a five-card major after opening 1NT.)

It will be beneficial for you to declare a notrump contract. You would prefer to play last at trick one so that the lead does not come through your honors.

Here is a recap:

Should you still open 1NT of the major is strong? yes, Yes, YES.

Is this true regardless of which major is involved? yes, Yes, YES.

Should you open 1NT with all balanced hands that include a five-card major and have the appropriate strength? yes, Yes, YES

Do I practice what I preach by always opening 1NT with five-card majors? Absolutely, positively, YES.

I’ll conclude with two related examples.

What would you do as dealer with this hand?

Your right-hand opponent opens 1ª. What do you bid?

Congratulations – you are on your way to becoming a practical nonstubborn bridge player. Susan J

I do not agree totally with Marty Bergen ( I never do ) . In my mind , it is a hand evaluation decision. Do not be as dogmatic as Bergen and always open 1NT. This is going over the deep end. Some hands are more suitable to open your 5 card major.

Bob Crosby