Forcing NT in a Nutshell Tip by :
Marjorie Michelin - Grand life Master
We are going to look at how you use the 1NT Forcing bid. If you play 2/1 you must use forcing NT. I am going to suggest a style of Forcing NT that many experts employ. Again you and your partner can agree on your own methods and tweak it for your partnership. Key points for Forcing NT. It is used only when partner opens a Major and the opponent passes. It is 100 % forcing! Some people play that a Forcing NT bid denies support for partner. I do not play it this way. We may have support for partner as we shall see. 1NT Forcing is used for hands with approx. 5-11 HCP. (some partnerships may have more)
Remember the basics of standard bidding still apply. You show your minimum, invitational hand, game going or slam hands
Example: After 1♠ by partner, you would bid 1NT with both these hands. Hand A ♠2 ♥K742 ♦KQJ876 ♣76 Hand B ♠K2 ♥432 ♦QJ987 ♣865 On Hand A when partner bids 2♣, you would bid 2♦. Your hand is more valuable if diamonds are trump and your suit is good enough to play opposite a singleton. On Hand B you would simply take a preference back to 2♠.
Likewise, the bid of 1NT followed by a raise of partner’s original major is either a minimum hand with 2 or 3 card support! If you have a 5 –7 HCP with 3 card support we suggest you bid a Forcing NT followed by 2 of the major and leave an immediate raise to the 2 level as a constructive bid showing 8-9. Why? because 5-9 is a big range and partners with some extra value hands may try for game and you are too high at the 3 level!! Many who do not play 2/1 or forcing NT still use this bid to differentiate between the two hand types, a good solid raise or a mediocre raise.
Openers rebid possibilities after 1NT forcing : Rebids 2 of his major promising 6+. (He can jump as in standard to show extra values still 6+ in the suit) Bids 2 of a new 4 or 5 card minor suit. Bids 2 of the other major (reverses still apply) Bids 2nt to show extra values, usually 18-19 If no other options, bids 2 of a 3 card minor, his lowest 3 card minor. 3 and 4 level bids are used the same as over a Standard American 1NT response, as well as other standard treatments you may use, such as jump shifts, splinters, invitational sequences, 4thsuit forcing, etc.
Same for Responder, you can sign off, invite or force. It’s so easy! The two auctions where the responder bids a forcing NT with support for partner are when he has an invitational/ limit raise for partner, generally 3 card support. This is the most common usage for a 3 card limit raise.
Example: Partner opens 1♠. Hand A ♠Q52 ♥98 ♦K782 ♣762 Bid 1NT followed by 2♠ (bad raise) Hand B ♠KQ8 ♥K98 ♦98 ♣87653 You bid 2♠ - constructive Hand C ♠A98 ♥9873 ♦K9 ♣K987 Bid a forcing NT then 3♠ - Limit raise with 3
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