Responding to 1♦ with balanced hands
I recently read Vic Quiros' column in the May 2025 Bridge Bulletin about the difficulty in responding to partner's opening minor suit when you have a balanced hand and no 4-card major.
Standard and 2/1 bidding suggest a simple treatment. Minimal hands, 6-10 HCP, can bid 1NT. Invitational hands (11-12 HCP) bid 2NT, and hands with 13+ HCP bid 3NT. This structure is simple and easy to remember. It does, however, contain several flaws. For example, because our 1♦ open generally shows an unbalanced hand, it can be unclear how opener should proceed given responder's HCP but unknown shape and a potential lack of a stopper in opener's shortness. After 2NT, what would 3♣ by opener mean? Is it forcing? Weak? Artificial? There is also an issue after a jump response to 3NT. Opener has to guess if 3NT is a decent contract to attempt or whether to correct back to their long diamond suit. Finally, if responder has better 15 HCP, jump bidding 3NT may cause the partnership to skip slam investigation.
There is a better way. This treatment is somewhat complex, and it is understandable if your partnership doesn't wish to add this to your Modern American system. We don't have these complex issues when partner opens 1♣. The transfer bid of 1♠ to relay to 1NT or opener bids 2♣, skipping the relay request, reveals much information about the hand, and responder is in a good position to use that information to captain the auction. However, after a 1♦ opening bid, opening is showing an unbalanced hand (or semi-balanced with a 6-card diamond suit). How should responder respond with 11-12 HCP and no 4-card major? Odds are very good that opener has a singleton in a major suit. Opponents are likely to have a 9-card fit in that major suit, and our bidding just might tip them off to its value.
I suggest using the jump bid up to 2♥ as an artificial bid. This bid is a relay request for opener to bid again. The bid probably has no natural meaning. The natural meaning would be a strong 6-card heart suit and game values (Soloway Jump Shift). We can show these hands within our natural responses.
After an artificial sequence 1♦-2♥ as a relay request to bid 2♠ or 2NT. Opener has options to bid at the 3-level also. If opener has tolerance for a No Trump contract, they can steer the auction to decide which hand will declare in no trump. Bidding 2♠ is a relay request for responder to bid 2NT. This leads to exactly the same spot that responder bidding 2NT as invitational to 3NT with 11-12 HCP would be. However, if opener decides their hand might have more tenaces to protect, they can bid 2NT or 3NT immediately to secure declaring the contract themselves. This ensures the opening lead will come through dummy and protect opener's tenace. Opener can also 'suggest' a potential 4-3 fit option when they completely dislike the idea of playing in NT.
- Opener has a tenace suit they think should be protected; they bid 2NT or 3NT directly to play
- If not, Opener bids 2♠, asking responder to relay bid 2NT. This will result in the contract being played from partner's direction and gives opener the control to pass 2NT or bid game (3NT)
- Opener can bid 3♣ to show a two-suited minor hand. Responder can pass or correct to 3♦
- Opener can bid 3♦ to show a 6-card diamond suit and minimal values (no interest in game)
- Bidding 3 of either major shows opener's shortness (singleton or void). Because other bidding sequences haven't been chosen, this is likely opener has 4 cards in the other major. The shortness bid is a game force. Responder can bid 3NT with strong stops in the short suit, bid into the diamonds, or suggest a 4-3 major-suit contract.
You can see the power in the artifical 2♥ jump. The responder can control the captaincy of the auction. In addition, Opener can show which of the variety of opening 1♦ hands they started with.
Now that 1♦-2♥ is used to show a 11-12 HCP balanced hand with no 4-card major, it frees up the bid sequence of 1♦-2NT. This bid can show 13-15 HCP balanced hands at a lower level. This gives opener a chance to show their type of opening 1♦ hand. Bidding 3♣ shows a two-suiter in the minors and a likely minimal rule-of-20 opening hand. Rebidding their diamonds shows a minimal (11-14 HCP) hand with a 6-card or longer diamond suit. Responding in a major should show shortness and invites responder to consider 6 of a minor or sign off at 3NT.
Finally, the bid sequence 1♦-3NT can be to show 16-17 HCP and strongly suggests the opener consider slam investigation with any hand more than a minimal 11-12 HCP.