BALANCED HANDS BALANCED HAND RESPONSES

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BALANCED HANDSBALANCED HAND RESPONSES
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• Balanced Hand Openings
• Definition
• No Voids
• No Singletons
• No more than one Doubleton
• High Card Points
• 12 14 Open 1 No trump
• 15 19 Open a suit then bid No trump
• 20 22 Open 2 No trump
• 23 Open 2 Clubs

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RESPONSES TO 1 NO TRUMP WITH BALANCED HAND

• Game 3NT requires
• 25 points between two hands
• Small Slam requires
• 33 Points between two hands
• Grand Slam requires
• 37 points between two hands

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GETTING TO GAME

• Open
• Invite
• Bid Game

• 12 - 14
• 11 - 12
• 13 - 18

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GETTING TO SLAM

• Open
• Invite
• Bid Slam

• 12 - 14
• 19 - 20
• 21 - 22

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GETTING TO GRAND SLAM

• Open
• Invite
• Bid Grand Slam

• 12 - 14
• 23 - 24
• 25

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RESPONDER SUMMARY

• BID GAME 3NT with 13 HCPs
• BID 2NT to INVITE game with 11/12 HCPs
• BID SMALL SLAM 6NT with 21-22 HCPs
• BID 4NT to INVITE SMALL SLAM with 19 - 20
• BID GRAND SLAM 7NT with 25 HCPs
• BID 5NT to INVITE GRAND SLAM with 23 - 24

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RESPONSES TO 2 NO TRUMP WITH BALANCED HAND

• Game 3NT requires
• 25 points between two hands
• Small Slam requires
• 33 Points between two hands
• Grand Slam requires
• 37 points between two hands

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RESPONSES TO 2NO TRUMP WITH BALANCED HAND

• BID GAME 3NT with 5 HCPs
• BID SMALL SLAM 6NT with 13 - 14 HCPs
• BID 4NT to INVITE SMALL SLAM with 11 - 12
• BID GRAND SLAM 7NT with 17 HCPs
• BID 5NT to INVITE GRAND SLAM with 15 16

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BALANCED OPENING 15 - 16

• OPEN 1 of Suit
• If partner Responds with 1 of suit then
• BID 1 No Trump e.g. 1D 1H 1NT
• If partner Responds with 2 of suit then
• BID 2 NO Trump e.g. 1S 2C 2NT

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BALANCED OPENING 17 - 18

• OPEN 1 of Suit
• If partner Responds with 1 of suit then
• BID 2 No Trump e.g. 1D 1H 2NT
• If partner Responds with 2 of suit then
• BID 3 NO Trump e.g. 1S 2C 3NT

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BALANCED OPENING 19 HCPs

• OPEN 1 of Suit
• If partner Responds with 1 of suit then
• BID 3 No Trump e.g. 1D 1H 3NT
• If partner Responds with 2 of suit then
• BID 3 NO Trump e.g. 1S 2C 3NT

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BALANCED OPENING 15 19 CAN BE BID TO GAME OR
SLAM IN SAME WAY AS BEFORE

• In sequence 1D 1H 1NT
• Opener has shown 15 16 HCPs
• Responder can bid or invite Game or Small or
  Grand Slam in same way
• Bid Game with 10 11 HCPs
• Invite Game with 9 HCPs etc. etc.

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STAYMAN

• In Bridge we are always looking for
• A Major Fit
• As Responder to 1NT Opening
• If you have 4 cards in either or both Majors
• USE STAYMAN

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STAYMAN

• A bid of 2C in Response to 1NT Opening
• SAYS
• Partner please tell me your 4 card Major
• If you do not have one please bid 2D

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STAYMAN

• A sequence of 1NT 2C 2S
• Tells Responder that Opener has 4 Spades
• A sequence of 1NT 2C 2D
• Tells responder that Opener has no 4 Card Major

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STAYMAN

• If Opener has 4 Hearts 4 Spades
• Opener bids Hearts first
• A sequence of 1NT 2C 2H
• Tells responder that Opener has 4 Hearts
• But does not Necessarily not have 4 Spades

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EXTENDED STAYMAN

• IF Responder to 1NT has 2 five card Majors he
  needs to know Openers 3 card minimum
• Responder starts with Stayman
• If Opener bids 2D showing no 4 card Major then
  Responder can bid 3D asking for best 3 card
  Major.
• 1NT 2C 2D 3D 3S
• This shows Openers best 3 card Major is Spades

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TRANSFERS
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ORIGIN

• First played in United States
• To be used with high No Trump Opening
• The Idea is that the strong hand is Concealed
• Therefore if Responder has 6 Hearts for example
  in a weak hand he would like Opener to become
  Declarer thus leaving the stronger hand concealed.

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• Strictly speaking it is not needed in this way if
  you use a low No Trump Opening
• However it is often used as an add on to Acol
  especially to give Opener an option of playing in
  No Trump or in a Major suit with a 5-3 fit.
• As Responder you can deal with 5-5 in Majors by
  using extended Stayman.
• But you have no reasonable way without using
  Transfers of showing 5 Card Major.

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THIS IS HOW THEY WORK

• Opener 1NT
• Responder 2D Says Please Bid 2Hearts
• OR
• Opener 1NT
• Responder 2H Says Please Bid 2Spades
• Thus the Suit bid is Transferred to Opener

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• If Responder has 6 cards in a Major Suit he can
  transfer then either pass, bid game or look for
  Slam according to hand value.
• 1NT 2D 2H - Pass is weak takeout
• 1NT 2D 2H 3H invitation to Game with Max.
• 1NT 2D 2H 4H we have game in Hearts
• 1NT 2D 2H 4NT Looking for Slam

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• If Responder has a five card Major he can
  transfer then bid 2NT or 3NT according to hand
  value, giving partner choice of staying in No
  trump or re bidding the Major.
• If Responder has 2 five card Majors he can
  transfer to Spades then bid Hearts at the
  appropriate level.
• 1NT 2H 2S 4H says partner we have enough
  points for game in Hearts or Spades. Please
  choose.

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• Most partnerships using Red Suit Transfers will
  use a convention to utilise 2 Spade bid after a
  1NT Opening.
• 1NT 2Clubs Stayman
• 1NT 2Diamonds Transfer to Hearts
• 1NT 2Hearts Transfer to Spades
• 1NT 2Spades Exactly 11 points
• 1NT 2No Trump Exactly 12 points