-
1NT opening
Suitable hands
“1NT is a limit bid as it shows a precise point count range”
To open 1NT you should try to ensure that you have some control in all suits by having an
honor card
in each. Notrump openings show a
balanced hand
and can be made with a
five-card major
suit or a
five-card minor
suit. You should also have an honor card of Queen or higher in all of the suits and your hand should not contain a
void
, a
singleton
or a worthless
doubleton
.
Distribution of your hand can be in either of the three following patterns
5, 3, 3, 2
or
4, 3, 3, 3
or
4, 4, 3, 2
If your cards are in either of these three patterns your hand is called "balanced" or "flat"
Distribution of your hand can be in either of the three following patterns
5, 3, 3, 2
or
4, 3, 3, 3
or
4, 4, 3, 2
If your cards are in either of these three patterns your hand is called "balanced" or "flat"
|
Opening with a 1NT Bid
· 15-17 HCP |
*Note
A doubleton when in a NoTrump contract should contain an honor card with the rank of Queen or higher. If the doubleton has two cards neither of which is a Q or higher then it is referred to as a "worthless doubleton" because effectively there are no stoppers in that suit
Exercise: With the hand below, what would you open the bidding?
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Your Hand
- ♠ K 7 6 3
- ♥ A 10 8 7
- ♦ K Q 7
- ♣ A 7
Answer: Open 1NT with this hand. With no 5 card Major suit you should show your 4-4-3-2 distribution and 16 HCP
Practice Game for this lesson (with full commentary)
Practice UNLIMITED 'Opening 1NT' hands on your computer here (without commentary)
When you have finished this game progress to the next 1NT game by selecting "Next" from the blue menu above the Game Screen
When you have finished this game progress to the next 1NT game by selecting "Next" from the blue menu above the Game Screen