Lesson 2- Practice Games - Opening 1NT and Responses
Note: These hands are set up specifically for beginners to practice bidding following the lessons from the website: ATeacherFirst.com. For these practice games, bidding is shown both with and without using the conventions for Stayman & Jacoby. Using those two conventions will often give a better outcome, but it is simpler for new beginners to bid without them. These boards have been set up to give all positions (NSEW) an equal opportunity to be the Declarer (playing 4 out of the total 16 boards), but it is very difficult to create that equality using the same boards without the Stayman & Jacoby conventions, though it is still relatively balanced in respect to sharing the Declarer opportunities between the 4 players.
Board #1 – None vulnerable, Dealer North
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(East and West pass throughout.)
With Stayman: / Without Stayman:N / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand
E / Pass / 12 HCP, not enough pts toovercall opponent’s 1NT bid / Pass / 12 HCP, not enough pts to overcall opponent’s 1NT bid
S / 2♣ / 10 HCP, use Stayman, 8+ pts, asking for a 4-card major / 3NT / 10 HCP, enough pts for game, no 5-card major, somewhat balanced hand
W / Pass / 2 HCP / All pass – Final Contract is 3NT by North
Lead card is ♣Q by East (top of touching honors).
Results: It could be difficult to take 9 tricks in a NT contract. North may go down 1.
N / 2♠ / 4-card spade suit, denying 4 hearts
S / 4♠ / 8-card major suit fit has been found, with 10 pts + 15 pts min from N = game pts so bid Game
Contract: 4♠ by North
Lead Card:♣Q by East (lead the top of touching honors)
Expected Results:Count losers: 1 spade, 2 diamonds. North, after pulling trump twice and realizing West is out, will recognize that he has the 4 highest trump remaining. North will need to cross-ruff the 2 losing clubs to make 10 tricks. East may decide to play a trump and then North could be in trouble.
Board #2 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer East
ATeacherFirst.comBidding: (South and North pass throughout.)
With Jacoby transfer: / Without Jacoby transfer:E / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand
S / Pass / 14 HCP, not enough pts to bid over opponent’s 1NT opening, no 5+-card suit to bid / Pass / 14 HCP, not enough pts to bid over opponent’s 1NT opening, no 5+-card suit to bid
W / 2♦ / 7 HCP, 5-card major, use Jacoby transfer to hearts, E immediately says “Transfer” / 2♥ / 7 HCP and a 5-card major, bid the major at the 2 level
N / Pass / 4 HCP / Pass / 4 HCP
E / 2♥ / Transfer is completed, now up to “Captain” West to show points / All pass. Contract is 2♥ by West. Strong hand is exposed on table as dummy.
Lead Card: ♣6 by North (4th highest from longest/strongest unbid suit). It could be difficult for West to take 8 tricks and make the contract
W / Pass / With 0-7 pts, pass.
Contract:2♥by East
Lead Card:♣Q by South (first option - singleton)
Expected Results:Count losers: 1 club, 3 diamonds, 1 spade. Contract should make. East should be able to take 8-9 tricks. After the ♣Q is taken by the ♣K, East may be tempted to play the ♣A. That’s when beginners often get a surprise! It’s better to pull trump first. The Ace will win a trick later. Always consider why the opponent is leading a particular card. In a trump suit contract, it is always possible the lead is a singleton. East might expect that South would likely have the ♣Jackand be leading from the top of touching honors.
Board #3 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer South
ATeacherFirst.comBidding: (East and West pass throughout.)
With Jacoby transfer: / Without Jacoby transfer:S / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand
W / Pass / 9 HCP / Pass / 9 HCP
N / 2♥ / 12 HCP, two 5-card majors, use Jacoby transfer to spades, South immediately says “Transfer” / 4♠ / Enough pts for game. North knows there is an 8-card fit in spades. (South must have at least 2 spades to open 1NT.)
E / Pass / 3 HCP / Pass / 3 HCP
S / 2♠ / Transfer is completed, now up to North who is the “Captain” / All pass. Contract is 4♠ by North. Strong hand is exposed on table as dummy, but, in this case, both hands are quite strong so not as important.
Lead is ♦Q by East (top of touching honors). Should take 12 tricks.
N / 4♠ / Enough pts for game, definite 8-card fit in major (S must have at least 2 spades to open 1NT), N must take it to game – “The one who knows, goes!”
Contract: 4♠ by South
Lead Card:♥3 by West (4th highest from longest and strongest unbid suit, the 2♥bid was used as transfer to spades and did not mean hearts)
Expected Results:Count losers: just 1 spade loser. South should be able to take 12 tricks.Note for future bidding: Most competitive and experienced players would bid to Slam with this hand using Blackwood convention (upcoming lesson). Two long suits and a void make Responder’s hand more powerful than just the 12 HCP would indicate. Counting 4-5 Dummy pts for the void would raise the value to 16-17 pts. As above, North would first transfer South into spades, and then would initiate Blackwood by bidding 4NT. In this game, even thoughone Aceand one King are missing, the contract should end up in 6♠ and it is makeable.
Board #4 – All vulnerable, Dealer West
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(North and South pass throughout.)
With Jacoby transfer: / Without Jacoby transfer:W / 1NT / 17 HCP, balanced hand – worthless doubleton is not a concern on opening / 1NT / 17 HCP, balanced hand – worthless doubleton is not a concern on opening
N / Pass / 6 HCP / Pass / 6 HCP
E / 2♥ / 12 HCP, 5-card major, Jacoby transfer to spades, West immediately says “Transfer” / 4♠ / With enough pts for game, East must ensure they get there. Unfortunately, this bid does not give West the option of 3NT
S / Pass / 5 HCP
W / 2♠ / West transfers to spades
E / 3NT / Showing enough pts for game and giving West a choice between a NT contract (if W has only 2 spades) or 4♠contract (if W has 3 or 4 spades) / Contract is 4♠ by East. Stronger hand is exposed on table as dummy.
Lead card is ♦K from South (top of touching honors).
East should take 10 tricks.
W / Pass / With only 7 cards total in spades (no 8-card fit), West prefers 3NT
Contract:3NT by West
Lead Card:♦8 “top of nothing” (North avoids leading from spades, since it was bid, or hearts because of the tenace*♥K/♥J). South will play high and West should play the ♦A and not “duck” it for one round, since in this case, either the ♦J or ♦10 will be a stopper and will win one more trick later.
Expected Results:Count winners: 4 spades, 4 clubs, 1 heart and 1 or 2 diamonds. West should be able to make the contract and take some overtricks. West should try the finesse (play the Ace first, then back to W’s hand, lead a low spade towards the ♠K/Jack and play the ♠J if the ♠Q does not arise, or cover it with the ♠K if it does). The finesse will work this time resulting in 5 spade tricks.
*tenace (pronounced “tennis”) – Definition: Two honor cards with a gap (e.g., A/Q, K/J). It’s better to have the lead come around towards a tenace. It’s not usually a good strategy to lead awayfrom a tenace.
Board #5 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer North
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(East and West pass throughout.)
With Stayman: / Without Stayman:N / Pass / 11 HCP / Pass / 11 HCP
E / Pass / 6 HCP / Pass / 6 HCP
S / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand
W / Pass / 8 HCP / Pass / 8 HCP
N / 2♣ / Use Stayman, asking for a 4-card major / 3NT / 11 HCP, enough for game, no 5-card major, so bid NT at appropriate level
S / 2♦ / No 4-card major / In this game, the final contract is the same whether using Stayman or not.
N / 3NT / No fit in a major, with 11 pts, should take it to game in NT
Contract:3NT by South
Lead Card:♣5 by West (4th highest from longest and strongest unbid suit. Usually, against a NT contract, it is advisable to have 3 touching honors to lead from the top, but it might be a better lead to play the ♣King. It’s a matter of judgment.)
Expected Results:Count winners: Once the first trick is taken by the ♣9, South can see 7 more quick tricks, and 8 if the diamonds split evenly — 1 spade, 2 hearts, 1 club and 3 diamonds. South should play diamonds first and will be pleased to see the nice split, taking 4 tricks. South is now certain to get the 9 tricks needed to make the contract. Still holding stoppers in the other 3 suits, South could gamble on playing the ♠10 to see if another trick is possible. It will depend on which cards/suits the opponents have discarded. South must be careful that he takes his winners before he loses control in any suit. The contract should make, plus some overtricks.
Board #6 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer East
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(North and South pass throughout.)
With or without conventions (none used in this game):E / Pass / 9 HCP, plus 2 for length
S / Pass / 3 HCP
W / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand
N / Pass / 12 HCP, no 5-card suit to compete
E / 3♣ / 6 clubs, enough pts to invite game at 3NT, must jump a level as 2♣ means Stayman
W / 3NT / Has stoppers in all suits, though the ♥Jack is not the best; 3NT gives a higher possible score than 3♣ gives
Contract:3NT by West
Lead Card:♥7 by North(4th highest from longest, strongest unbid suit; S should play high, taking it with the ♥Q, then play the ♥10 which is now playing high/low from a doubleton)
Expected Results:Count winners: 6 clubs, 2 spades and 2 diamonds. West should notice that he has all the top cards in clubs. Therefore, he may have to overtake the ♣J in Dummy by playing the ♣Q. However, if he still has the ♠K entry to Dummy, it may not be of concern.West should be able to take 9 tricks. If defence plays well, West could lose 4 hearts immediately at the start but that is all. With any other lead, West would take 10 tricks. This game shows why the lead card can have an important bearing on the results.
Board #7 – All vulnerable, Dealer South
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(East and West pass throughout.)
With or without conventions (none used in this game):S / Pass / 8 HCP
W / Pass / 9 HCP
N / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand
E / Pass / 7 HCP
S / 2NT / No 4- or 5-card major. With all 8 pts in one short suit, S may prefer to pass
N / Pass / With 16 HCP, it’s a difficult decision. Does S have 8 pts or 9 pts? Bid game or not? As a beginner, it is probably best to play it safe and pass.
Contract:1NT or 2NT by North
Lead Card:♦9 from longest, strongest suit(lead “top of nothing”)
Expected Results:Count winners: 1 spade, 2 clubs and 2 diamonds. North needs 2 or 3 more. If North tries the finesse and plays the ♦J, he will lose a trick immediately. West will take the trick with the ♦Q. West’s ♦Q would fall on the ♦A/♦K, but there’s no way of knowing that. Seeing the ♦A/♦K in the Dummy hand, West might not lead back a diamond. He may switch to a low heart. North should be able to make 7-8 tricks, maybe even 9, but it could be very difficult. Many players will go down 1 trick with this hand if they bid above 1NT. Best strategy for North is to take the diamond trick immediately with either the ♦A or ♦K, then play his long suit first (clubs). Lead the ♣2 and take the trick with ♣A then play the ♣K. Play the ♣8 and lose it. Dummy’s hand still has an entry in diamonds so the rest of the clubs will take tricks. Lead a small spade over to the ♠A/Q/10. Use only the highest card to cover, e.g. the ♠10 if the ♠J does not appear from West’s hand; the ♠Q if it does. (Lots of strategy required to play this hand well.)
Board #8 – None vulnerable, Dealer West
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:
With or without conventions (none used in this game):W / 1NT / 16 HCP, balanced hand
N / Pass / 9 HCP
E / 3NT / 11 HCP, no 5-card major, no 6-card minor, bid to game
S / Pass / 4 HCP
Contract:3NT by West
Lead Card:♣5 by North (4th highest from longest, strongest suit)
Expected Results:Winners: 3 spades, 2 hearts, 1 club and no diamond winners until the ♦A is gone. South will likely play high, the ♣K, then West should play the ♣A and take the trick knowing that either the ♣J or ♣10 will stop the clubs later, once the ♣Q is out. Then West should lead the ♦10 towards Dummy’s hand. If the ♦Adoes not appear, play the ♦8 next. Once the ♦A is out, 4 tricks will be made in diamonds, 2 in clubs, 3 in spades and 1 in hearts for a total of 10 tricks, possibly more, depending on how the hands are played.
Board #9 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer North
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(North and South pass throughout.)
With Stayman: / Without Stayman:N / Pass / 5 HCP / Pass / 5 HCP
E / 1NT / 17 HCP*, balanced hand / 1NT / 17 HCP*, balanced hand
S / Pass / 5 HCP / Pass / 5 HCP
W / 2♣ / 13 HCP, use Stayman to ask for a 4-card major / 3NT / 13 HCP (based on 15-17 HCP from East, must bid to game)
E / 2♥ / Showing 4 hearts, could also have 4 spades / Contract: 3NT by East.
See analysis below.
W / 4♥ / An 8-card fit has been found in hearts, so will bid to game level
*Do not be concerned about a worthless doubleton (i.e., no stoppers or points in spade suit here) when opening 1NT, but youshould be concerned about that suit when bidding higher in NT, (e.g., 2NT or 3NT), unless partner has shown a stopper in that suit.
Final Contract:4♥ by East
Lead Card: Against a suit contract, South may wish to lead the unsupported ♠Ace. South’s other choice would be the 4th highest (♠5) from his longest/strongest suit.
Expected Results:Count losers: 1 club, 1 diamond, 1 spade. East should be able to take at least 10 tricks.
Final Contract (without Stayman): 3NT by East.
South should lead from longest/strongest suit which is spades, 4th highest = ♠5
East must play his ♠King to win, but this is not an easy choice; it’s a gamble. If he “ducks” it, North can take the trick with the♠Queen and lead a low spade back to South. Then South can run his spades, taking 5 tricks immediately. If East plays the ♠King, he must then take his winners.
East should be able to take 9-10 tricks. Do not gamble on the club finesse. Play the diamonds last, watch to see if the ♣Queen is discarded; otherwise North may discard his ♦Jack and either the clubs or the diamonds could take another trick.
Board #10 – All vulnerable, Dealer East
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(North and South pass throughout.)
With Jacoby transfer: / Without Jacoby transfer:E / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand
S / Pass / 10 HCP, plus 2 for length(South may choose to overcall 2♣) / 2♣ / South may decide to overcall, but it is not usually a good strategy with only one honor card in that suit
W / 2♥* / 9 HCP, 5-card major suit, longer major, transfer to spades, East immediately says “Transfer” / 4♠ / Bid 4♠, whether South overcalls or not.
N / Pass / 6 HCP / Contract is 4♠ by West.
Lead card is ♥5 by North or ♣8 (if South overcalls 2♣)or ♦9 (top of nothing)
E / 2♠ / Transfer to spades
W / 4♠ / Take it to game.
*Here is where good judgment should prevail. West could use Stayman toask for a
4-card major, to see if East has 4 cards in either major, but it is not logical. It’s highly unlikely that East has 4 cards in either spades or in hearts, but West knows with certainty that East has at least 2 cards in spades, so they absolutely must have 9 cards or more in spades. If East has 4 cards in hearts, they may also have a 9-card fit in hearts, but they have a 9-card fit in spades guaranteed.
Contract: 4♠ by East
Lead Card:♦J by South(top of interior sequence)or ♣J (top of touching high cards).
Expected Results:Count losers: 1 or 2 hearts and 1 spade. East/West should be able to take 10 or 11 tricks.
Board #11 – None vulnerable, Dealer South
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:
With or without conventions (none used in this game):S / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand
W / Pass / 4 HCP
N / 3NT / 12 HCP, no 4- or 5-card major, balanced hand
E / Pass / 9 HCP
Contract:3NT by South
Lead Card:♥3 by West. Hearts is West’s longest, strongest suit. When opponents jump from 1NT immediatelyto 3NT, a lead from a major can be a good strategy. However, if West leads a diamond, the contract should go down, but a diamond lead is not as likely to be chosen.
Expected Results:Count winners: The♥10will take the first trick. That gives 9 or 10 immediate tricks — 3 hearts, 3 spades, 3 clubs, maybe 4.South should try the clubs first (his longest suit) and see if they split evenly, which they do. Then he knows for sure he can make the contract so should “take the tricks and run.” South will not want the opponents to get the lead back because they might discover their diamond strength and run them. What a difference the lead can make in this game.
Board #12 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer West
ATeacherFirst.comBidding:(East and West pass throughout.)
With Jacoby transfer: / Without Jacoby transfer:W / Pass / 6 HCP / Pass / 6 HCP
N / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand / 1NT / 15 HCP, balanced hand
E / Pass / 4 HCP / Pass / 4 HCP
S / 2♦ / 15 HCP, 5+-card major suit, transfer to hearts, North immediately says, “Transfer” / 4♥ / 15 HCP. Enough pts for game, with 6 hearts, North must have 2, so that makes 8, a guaranteed fit in hearts. Take it to game.
N / 2♥ / Bid hearts as demanded. / Contract: 4♥ by South. West should lead c, but any spade lead is good in this case.
S / 4♥ / With 6 hearts, do not give an option for NT. Bid to game.
Contract: 4♥ by North