An absolute innovation: 5-5 and 6-5 two-color hands

   
Fig. 1            Fig. 2

I want to take up again my two diagrams representing fundamental statistics for bridge bidding. When I say they are fundamental I mean that, were it possible, opening bids should always suitably indicate opener's point-count and shape so that his partner could reach a conclusive bid already at the first round. However, since this is not entirely possible, we shall have to settle for indicating a good approximation (as good as we can) of our point-count range and shape.

As far as point-count is concerned, we shall confine ourselves to render a 9-14 point-count range, giving up on 0-8, which has a 37.4% probability and which we will indicate with a pass. With this arrangement, the dealer will open in 66% of cases.

So we focus on the 9-14 point-count range, which will be used for all non-forcing opening bids, with the sole exception of 3-level suit opening bids, which show a 8-13 point-count since their shapes are much stronger. The other exception to this rule will be for the 1NT and 2NT opening bids, which we shall deal with later. Lastly, we shall have the 2-level suit opening bid (15+ point-count), covering 22% of the total. As I have already mentioned, there are exceptions to this, mainly for the 1NT and 2NT opening bids, which strongly indicate 11-19 points (or even 10-18), showing right from the start 10 cards, guaranteeing tripletons in major suits -- a strong distributional message right from the opening bid.

As far as shape is concerned, as I show in my diagrams, I should recall that 1© and 1ª opening bids show only a 5-card suit (never 6), excluding, according to my proposal, the existence of another 5-card suit; this would therefore indicate a 5-4 or a 5-3-3-2. I shall also recall that 3-level suit opening bids (9-13 points) indicate a 6-card suit, which could also be 7-card long. Yet, the best information is always provided by 1NT and 2NT, which show 10 cards, with the guarantee of 3-card support in each major.

My proposal is to use high-level opening bids to show 5-5 and 6-5 two-suiters (without excluding the extremely rare cases of 6-6 or 7-5). Such two-suiters will always be opened this way, except for Club-Diamond two-suit hands, which are far less interesting, which may be opened 1¨ unless the shape is quite wild.

All these shape probabilities, combined, amount to a total of 4.5%, with the additional advantage that they will constitute a strong obstacle for the opponents while at the same time limiting the 1© and 1ª opening bids to hands with just one 5-card suit. It goes without saying that these five bids will always have a point-count range of 9-14.

How they should be called:

Partner then has two options:

- to conclude, by passing, raising, or bidding one of the two suits that opener indicated
- to ask for controls, by bidding one of the two suits opener has not shown, as a slam attempt (the first-step such bid should be reserved for the Warren convention, asking for Aces and Kings together).