Tuesday, September 10, 2002 12:11 AM
Reverses
PITBULLS:
Everybody needs a systemic bid to show weak hands after a response to a
reverse. This will clarify natural bidding as being forcing in reverse auctions
if you did not use your gadget. Lebensohl over reverses seems to be a good tool
for that purpose .
After opener's reverse, responder uses a 2NT rebid to show a
weak hand (5-7 pts.) that wants to stop in a 3-level partscore if opener has
minimum reverse values. Here's how it works:
Lebehsohl 2NT is used at your second bid
after opener makes a reverse to the 2-level (1♣-1♠-2♥). In this
situation, 2NT by you usually shows weakness (5-7 pts.) and is a relay bid,
asking partner to rebid 3♣ if he has a minimum (16-18 pts.).
After the auction: Partner You
1D
1S
2H
2NT
(Lebensohl)
3C
?
If responder bids 2NT over your reverse,
it's the Lebensohl convention, which asks you to bid 3C. You should accept the
relay and bid 3C if you have minimum values (16-18 pts.). However, with
stronger hands -- those where you want to be in game, even if partner has a
bare 5-7 pts. -- you can refuse the relay and
bid past 3C.
After the auction: You
Partner
1D
1S
2H
2NT
(Lebensohl)
?
here are the ways you can show a forcing-to-game hand (19+ playing pts.):
Lebonsohl does not help you with the 6-5 reverse
hands that have minimum high card values ( 10 –15 ) . There is one huge difference
between having a minimum reverse 5-4-2-2 that you show thru Lebensohl and these
6-5 “monster” playing strength hands under reverse strength . By the pre-emptive nature of the bid
and the fact that it is not forcing , I highly recommend that this bid get
added to your repertoire . It is like opening a 2 suited pre-empt !! In fact , I like this treatment so much I am going to repeat Karen
Walkers article on the subject
below :
This convention solves the opening bidder's
problem of how to accurately describe a minimum 6-5 hand that has greater
length in the lower-ranking suit. For example, if you're opener with ♠ 4 ♥KQJ93 ♦AJ10765 ♣4 you have a dilemma. If you open 1H, the best you can do is
show 5-5 distribution by rebidding diamonds twice. If you instead open 1D, you
can show your 6-5 pattern by rebidding 2H and 3H, but that creates a reverse
auction that shows significantly more high-card strength.
The solution is to use the jump in the higher-ranking suit as
natural, limited and non-forcing. With the hand above, you open 1D. Over
partner's 1-level suit or notrump response, you rebid 3H to show a 6-5 hand
with minimum high-card strength.
The requirements for using a jump-reverse
are:
1-You're the
opening bidder and have 6-5 distribution, with 6 cards in the lower-ranking
suit.
2-You have the
playing strength (but not the high-card values) to play at the 3-level opposite
a minimum response. This means your suits should be strong -- ideally, most (or
all) of your honor cards will be in your long suits. For example, a
jump-reverse is not recommended with a hand like ♠ K ♥A ♦J6542 ♣KJ10643. With this, just open 1C and rebid 2C.
3-You have
minimum high-card values (10-15 pts.) -- a hand that's worth an opening bid,
but has less than full reversing values (16-17 pts.).
4-Responder makes a 1-level bid that bypasses your
5-card suit -- i.e. you must go to the 2-level to bid your second suit. (You may
also use the jump-reverse if an opponent's overcall has forced you to the
2-level, whether or not partner has responded.)
Typical jump-reverse auctions that carry
this meaning include:
1C-1H-3D
1H-1NT-3S 1D-1S-3H
1C-(1H)-1S-(P)-3D
1C-(P)-P-(1S)-3H
Most pairs who play this convention choose not to apply it if
partner makes a 2/1 response, especially in a 2/1 forcing-to-game system. After
1D by you -- 2C by partner, it's best to rebid only 2H with ♠ A ♥QJ976 ♦A109864
♣4. This saves space and allows you to use a
jump to 3H here as a splinter (good club support, singleton heart, big hand).
Opener's
jump-reverse is not forcing. Responder can pass or take a signoff
preference back to opener's first suit if he has no interest in game. In
general, it's assumed that opener has given a complete description of his hand,
so it's up to responder to place the contract.
After the auction Opener
Responder
1C
1S
3H
?
the meanings of responder's rebids are:
1-Pass = a weak, possibly non-fitting hand
that prefers opener's second suit -- ♠ KQ1032
♥763 ♦KJ8 ♣54.
Partner will most often be 1-1 in the outside suits, so you can't
count your kings as covering any of his losers.
2-Preference
to opener's first suit (4C)
= a weak, possibly non-fitting hand that prefers opener's 6-card suit. This is
a signoff, and opener should pass.
3-Game
bid in either of opener's suits (4H or 5C) = to play. Opener should
always pass. In the auction above, if you hold ♠ A9854 ♥1043 ♦432 ♣K9
, you have at least two of partner's losers covered (a club and a
spade, plus a possible club ruff), so you should bid 4H. Similarly, with
♠ A9854 ♥10 ♦9432 ♣K97
, you have at least 3 losers covered (a spade, a club and 1-2 heart ruffs), so
bid 5C.
4-Rebid of your
suit (3S or 4S) = to play, showing great length in
your suit and probably no fit for opener's suits.
5-3NT
= to play.
6-4NT
= key-card Blackwood for opener's second suit.
7-Fourth
suit (4D) = a slam-try
in opener's first
suit. Opener should cuebid a below-game first-round control (4H or 4S) if he has
one, or he can use key-card Blackwood if he wants to immediately accept the
slam try. Any subsequent Blackwood bid by opener or responder is key-card for
opener's first suit.
Alternatively, if opener has a
first-round control in the fourth suit and a cuebid of that suit would be past game
(as 5D would be in the auction above), you can agree to use opener's 4NT rebid
as a cuebid of the fourth suit. After 1C-1S-3H-4D, opener's 4NT would show an
ace or void in diamonds, but no first-round control of hearts or spades.
Yet another variation is to use responder's
fourth-suit bid as key-card Blackwood for opener's second suit. Partnerships
should discuss these auctions and decide which treatment they prefer.
8-Below-game raise of opener's second suit (1C-1S-3D-4D) = invitational to
game, showing a fit and a hand that can cover 2 losers.
This
convention can be a very valuable addition to almost any Standard
American-based system. It's especially effective in finding
short-point games and slams, and can have preemptive value. Using the
jump-reverse as non-forcing does not require you to give up any other meanings,
as the jump is an otherwise idle bid. If opener has a very strong high-card
hand, there's no need to jump -- he can still show his 6-5 distribution by
making a forcing 2-level reverse and then rebidding his second suit.
The main disadvantage is that although the jump rebid gives a close-to-perfect description of opener's
hand, it takes the auction very high, very fast. If responder has a
weak, non-fitting hand with shortness in opener's second suit, the auction will
be propelled to the 4-level when he's forced to take a preference back to the
first suit. To make best use of this convention (and avoid disasters), opener
and responder must have advanced hand-evaluation skills and exercise good
judgment.
Copyright © 1998 -- Karen
Walker