By Peter Rhead
Examples of transfer response to partner’s 2NT opening
Partner opens Two No-Trump. He shows a balanced or semi-balanced hand of 20-21 high- card points. If you as responder have as few as 4 points, you know your partnership should go for a possible game (21+4=25). With fewer that 4 points you just PASS.
Today, you have examples of when you might consider a Transfer response to partner’s 2NT opening. You sit there with these five responding hands. What should you bid?
Case 1:
Spades Axx
Hearts AKxxx
Diamonds xx
Clubs xxx
Case 1: With your 11 points you respond with a Transfer bid to Hearts, Three Diamonds. This is straight forward for game (20+11=31). Opening 2NT partner completes the Transfer, Three Hearts. You take the contract to 3NT to tell opening partner that with your five Hearts, you have also enough points for game. Opening 2NT partner plays 3NT or can bid and play Four Hearts if he prefers the Heart contract.
Case 2:
Spades xxx
Hearts Axxxx
Diamonds xxx
Clubs xx
Case 2: You know opening 2NT partner has 20-21 points and you have four points. You want to be in game (21+4=25). You first Transfer to Hearts, Three Diamonds. Opening 2NT partner completes the Transfer, Three Hearts. Then you bid 3NT to show the partnership has game. Opening 2NT partner either plays the contract at 3NT or corrects to Four Hearts if he prefers Hearts.
Case 3:
Spades Axxxx
Hearts Kxx
Diamonds Qx
Clubs xxx
Case 3: You know your partnership has enough points to bid game (20+9=29). You first Transfer to Spades, Three Hearts, looking for the eight-card major magic fit. Opening 2NT partner then will complete the Transfer, Three Spades. You then bid 3NT to show a game-going partnership. Opener has the option to play the contract at 3NT or to bid Four Spades.
Case 4:
Spades Axx
Hearts AKxxx
Diamonds xxx
Clubs Kx
Case 4: You know your partnership has enough points to bid slam (20+14=34). You first respond Three Diamonds, a Transfer to Hearts, looking for the eight-card major magic fit. Opening 2NT partner will complete the Transfer, Three Hearts. You then jump to 5NT telling opening 2NT partner to bid a slam, either 6NT or Six Hearts.
Case 5:
Spades Axxx
Hearts AKQxx
Diamonds xx
Clubs Qxx
Case 5: You are responding with 15 points to opening 2NT partner. Therefore, you know you want to be in slam (20+15=35). You first respond Stayman, Three Clubs, not a Transfer. Opening Two No-Trump partner will bid either Three Diamonds denying a four-card major or he will bid a major. If he bids Three Diamonds, you can now show your Hearts by jumping to Five Hearts. This jump bid shows not only your five Hearts but also that your partnership has a slam hand. With a three-card Heart suit, opening 2NT partner will go to Six Hearts. Otherwise he will go to 6NT.
Next Week: Examples of a Quantitative 4NT response to partner’s 2NT Opening.
Remember, as we all fight COVID-19 with social isolation, if you want your Bridge fix, online competition is available for all skill levels. From the ACBL Bridge website, you can hook up either to play live people or to play robots. Either way you test or consolidate various Bridge skills. At ACBL.org just click on “Play Bridge” and follow the prompts for various choices.
If you wish to promote an activity in your Bridge group or ask a Bridge question, send the information to [email protected] and I will try to include it in this column.
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