Bidding and conventions
Cappelletti
An opponent opens 1NT and the auction is suddenly difficult. Their side has announced 15 to 17 balanced points, which leaves your partnership about 23 between you — too few for game most of the time, too many to hand over the partscore without a fight.
Why 1NT is hard to defend
A strong notrump opening is a good bid precisely because it is hard to compete against. It describes a narrow, strong, balanced hand in one call and leaves the opponents bidding at the two level with no information about each other.
Natural overcalls do not work well. Bid 2♥ on a five-card suit, find partner with a doubleton, and you are in a 5-2 fit at the two level against a hand that knows it holds most of the high cards.
The opening leader is sitting over you with a very good idea of what to lead.
Passing is safe and gives up too many partscores, especially since your side often holds a fit you never find.
The insight behind every artificial 1NT defence is the same: two-suited hands are safe to compete with and one-suited hands are not.
With two suits, partner holds three cards in one of them almost always, so you land in a fit. So the bids show two suits cheaply, and one-suited hands are shunted through a single asking bid.
The bids in detail
2♣ — a one-suited hand
Artificial. It shows a good six-card suit or longer and says nothing about clubs. Partner is expected to bid 2♦, and the overcaller then names their real suit.
With genuine clubs the overcaller passes 2♦ , which is why some partnerships play that clubs are shown by passing and everything else naturally. Agree this one.
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT | |||
| 2♣ | Pass | 2♦ | Pass |
| 2♠ | Pass | Pass | Pass |
2♦ — both majors
At least 5-4 in the majors, usually 5-5. The most useful bid in the system, because responder can simply pick their longer major and the partnership lands in a fit immediately. With equal length, responder bids 2♥.
10 points, 5-5 in the majors. Too weak for much, too shapely to pass.
2♥ and 2♠ — a major and a minor
Five or more cards in the named major, and four or more in an unspecified minor, typically 5-4 or better. Responder passes with support for the major; with no fit, they bid 2NT to ask which minor, and the overcaller names it.
Double — penalties, and it is real
About 15 or more balanced points. Against a 15–17 notrump that is rare — there are only 40 points in the pack, but when it happens it is extremely profitable.
The opponents have found the one hand where their strong notrump is outgunned, and they do not know it yet. Partner passes unless very weak and very shapely.
When to compete at all
Strength is not the main criterion — shape is. A 9-point hand with 5-5 in the majors is a clear overcall; a 13-point balanced hand is a clear pass. The rough guides:
- Two-suited hands: about 8+ points with 5-5, or 10+ with 5-4.
- One-suited hands: a good six-card suit and about 10+, because you are committing to the two level with only one place to play.
- Vulnerability matters more than usual. Vulnerable against not, a bad result is expensive and the opponents are looking for a reason to double you.
The alternatives, and why it matters which you play
There are several widely played defences to 1NT and they assign different meanings to the same bids. Two players who have not agreed will not merely reach a poor contract — they will be bidding different systems at the same table.
- Landy — the simplest: 2♣ shows both majors, everything else is natural. Easy to remember and gives up the least.
- DONT (Disturb Opponents' Notrump) — double shows a one-suiter, and each suit bid shows that suit plus a higher one. Gets into the auction on very weak hands, and gives up the penalty double.
- Meckwell — double shows either a minor or both majors; 2♣ and 2♦ show that minor plus a major. Precise and demanding.
- Cappelletti — as above. Its distinguishing feature is that it keeps the penalty double, which DONT and Meckwell both give up.