Bridge Article: Forcing Notrump

[Numbers Nerd]

The forcing notrump is a useful addition for those who play 5 card majors. Simply put, if you bid 1NT over partner’s opening bid of 1H or 1S, it is a forcing bid. Opener responds in a four card suit if he has one (but not 1H - 1NT - 2S, unless you have extra values - that is a reverse), otherwise bids his cheapest 3 card minor. Responder then clarifies his hand, such as by bidding a new suit (nonforcing), bidding 2NT to show a 10-11 point hand, or bidding 3 of openers major to show a 3-card limit raise.

Advantages

1. You can distiguish between a 3-card and a 4-card limit raise. A direct raise (1S - 3S) now promises 4 card support. Opener needs less to accept a 4-card limit raise (my rule is a 7 loser hand for a 4-card raise, but I need a 6-loser hand to accept a 3-card limit raise).

2. You can play in the weak hand’s long suit. Responder can now start with a forcing notrump if he has xx, xx, xx, KQxxxxx, and knows he will have a chance to bid 3C to play.

3. You avoid 1NT when the opponents have a long running suit. Often, you’ll play in opener’s suit in a 5-2 fit. But this is worth an extra trick versus 1NT at least 60% of the time.

Disadvantages

1. You can’t play 1NT when it’s right.

2. When opener rebids 2C, you don’t know if he has 3 or 4 cards. This is why you usually prefer to opener’s major, even when you have 4 clubs in support and a doubleton in partner’s major. Opener’s 2D rebid shows 4 cards more frequently, since the only time he has 3 is when his shape is specifically 5-3-3-2 or 4-5-3-1.

Other sequences

1S - 1NT - 2NT should show 18-19 HCP. With 16-17, bid 2 of your minor, then follow up with 2NT.

1S - 1NT - 2C - 2D - 2S should show extra values along with 6 spades and 4 clubs. With a minimum 6-4, opener should just rebid his suit.

1S - 1NT - 3NT This one is fun. Use it to show about 16-18 points and a solid 6-7 card major suit - sort of a semi-gambling bid. Responder may pass or correct.

[4sigma]

Thanks for the tips about the rebids on the 6-4 hands. I was not familiar with those.

I have also seen 1NT played as "semi-forcing". Opener may pass the 1NT response with a minimum opener, i.e. if he would not accept a 3-card limit raise.

This lets you play 1NT sometimes when it is right. Also sometimes you stay at the 1-level when opener has a rather less-than-stellar opening bid.

Against that, you sometimes play 1NT when you should be in your major, or when the weak hand would prefer to sign off in its long suit.

[John F. Kennedy]

Roth introduced the forcing notrump, and K-S adopted it, but for different reasons.

In the Roth world, the forcing notrump differentiates game-going hands from other hands, and K-S uses the forcing notrump because theory suggests that when opener has a five-card major, notrump is usually the wrong strain (current belief is that it's right 30% of the time).