[inquiry]

Dealer South
Vuln. EW


S QJ85
H KQT6
D KQT6
C K


From today's bermuda bowl. South deals and passes. Your opening bid?

Both the West isn the USA1 versus Taipei (Hamman and Hung) opened a strong 1NT with this hand.

[luis]

Kind of classic 1NT opening...

[inquiry]

Well, I certainly would open it 1NT, but I don't think many players would. My experience has been people are just beginning to open hands with 5 card majors or 5-4 with 5 card minor 1NT. The opening 1NT with a singleton honor is still extremely rare in my experience. Since you ahve so much fun with the directors, I have had the director called on me twice for opening NT (once 1NT, once 2NT) with 4-4-4-1 distibution. I keeping this hand for the next time it happens :-)

[Free]

That's why we alert our NT openings as "semi balanced, can contain a singleton"...

[EricK]

Quote

Dealer South
Vuln. EW


S QJ85
H KQT6
D KQT6
C K


From today's bermuda bowl. South deals and passes. Your opening bid?

Both the West isn the USA1 versus Taipei (Hamman and Hung) opened a strong 1NT with this hand.

1NT seems fine to me. It is almost risk free with the club singleton.

I wonder if the same opening bid would have been made if the singleton had been in a major. In that case there is a big risk of partner transferring into (or bidding) a weak 5 card major.

Eric

[Gerben47]

Easy 1D for me, but with my partner I have methods to bid 4441 with different strengths after the expected 2C by partner.

1D - 2C - 2H =

a) 4=4=4=1
Extra values and club fit
c) Natural reverse

2S asks which one it is

[bhugi]

I am still the very traditional one ~
open 1NT only with 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 and 5-3-3-2 without 5 card major
So this hand without doubt I just open 1D

[Poky]

The type of values, possesion of both majors and the hand strength make this hand a clear-cut 1NT opening.

Different thing wiould be wth singleton king in one of major suits...

[EricK]

Quote

Easy 1D for me, but with my partner I have methods to bid 4441 with different strengths after the expected 2C by partner.

1D - 2C - 2H =

a) 4=4=4=1
Extra values and club fit
c) Natural reverse

2S asks which one it is

How strong does your 2C have to be? If you need say a good ten or eleven points, then you have to worry what to do after 1D 1NT.

Eric

[Gerben47]

After 1D - 2C requires 11 or good 10 HCP. So yes, partner can have some 10-counts and bid 1NT.

What do I do after 1D - 1NT? It's close between an optimistic 2H and a pessimistic pass.

Since we open light 2H is probably right since CK tends to have some value if partner fails to have D,H or S.

For 1NT to go wrong it has to be 1NT all pass and 2suit is better, or some slam try in clubs, or opponents play and partner thinks you have another club.

For 1D to go wrong it has to be 1D - 1NT - 2H and going down in 2NT - 1 or something like that.

Both might go wrong so I like using the bid that doesn't misdescribe my hand.

[the hog]

Could open this 1N or 1D. Probably go for 1D at MPs and 1N at Imps. If pd bids 1N I would pass. 4441 shapes play notoriously badly. Tim Seres always distrusted this shape and downgraded it.

Over 1D 2C, we play 2N as showing 4441 12-14 or 17+, and 3N as 4441 15-16.