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Standard AmericanIn order to arrive at an appropriate contract, bridge partners employ specific bidding rules to communicate the strength and suit distribution characteristics of their hand to their partners. "Standard American" was the label given to the bridge bidding system developed by Charles Goren in the 1940's. This system was the first to employ the point-count method to evaluate the strength of a bridge hand. Most bids had fairly specific requirements regarding hand strength and suit distribution. The Goren point-count system became so popular that nearly all bridge players in the United States, social and tournament players alike, used it. American bridge teams won world championships using Goren's Standard American. Modifications began to appear from the 1960's foreward. By the year 2000, some completely new bidding systems had evolved, including "Precision" and "2/1 Game Forcing" which, although still relying on point-count rules for hand evaluation, are otherwise substantial departures from the early Goren system. Most tournament pairs now assemble their own system from a variety of new treatments and conventions that have evolved. The nearest thing to a common system in tournament play is the "Standard American Yellow Card" promulgated by the American Contract Bridge League. There is no longer a widely recognized standard for social/rubber bridge players. However, there are many basic components that are common to most American and Canadian bridge players. Approximate hand strengths - 0-5 points; A hand in this range normally should not bid unless partner shows a very strong hand and makes a forcing bid.
- 6-9 points; This is a minimum response hand. It should not open the bidding, but should respond when partner opens.
- 11-12 points; This is known as invitational strength. A hand in this range should not open the bidding, but holding a good suit may overcall an opponent's bid. When partner opens the bidding, this hand should bid in a manner that is recognized by partner as inviting to game.
- 13-15 points; Hands of 13 points or more are strong enough to open the bidding. This range is sufficient to open, and should follow up with a call that shows a maximum of 15 points (or does not show more than a minimum opener). If partner opens and you hold a hand in this range, the partnership has sufficient strength for game in notrump or a major suit (26 points) and you should press on to game whenever a suitable contract can be found.
- 16-18 points; A hand in this range is strong enough to open the bidding, and bid again freely. The range may be defined accurately by making a reverse bid after opening. If partner opens, you are in a slam invitational range (slam requires 32 points). With 17 or 18 points, responder may make a jump-shift response (game-forcing)immediately following partner's opening bid.to accurately define this strength.
- 19 to 20 points; Opener shows this strength by a jump shift or by jumping to 2NT after opening a minor suit. Having such accurate information (the jump shift shows 19 to 20 points,a five-card suit and a four-card suit, and is forcing to game) responding partner should be able to place the final contract. Any time responder has a hand of this strength, he should press on to a slam contract providing a suitable strain can be found.
- 21+; Normally a hand this strong should open with a call at a higher level than one, either a strong two-level opener, a 2 club (conventional) opener, or 2NT.
Opening Bids In Standard American, the minimum hand strength for an opening bid is the Rule of 20, which says to add your high card point count (abbreviated HCP) to your 2 longest suit lengths. If this value is 20 or more, you can start bidding with 1 of a suit. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but this is right most of the time. Standard American is a 5 card major system, which means that to start with 1 heart or 1 spade, you need to have 5 card length. (Very rarely, a suit such as AKQx or KQJx will be opened with 1 of a major.) An opening of 1 club or 1 diamond typically has 4 card or longer length. However, these are default opening bids when a player has the strength for an opening bid but his hand does not fit the requirements for any other bids. Most commonly such a bid denies a 5-card major, and that means that sometimes a minor must be opened with only 3 cards. Most beginners make the mistake of responding as if partner has only 3. Most of the time, after a minor suit opening, partner has 4 or more, so you should bid as if that is true. An opening bid of 1 of a suit is virtually unlimited in strength, to about 20-21 HCP maximum. An opening bid of 1NT shows 15-17 HCP. (some older books say 16-18) Balanced hands of 12-14 points open 1 of a minor and rebid 1NT. The term "balanced hand" means that the player has no singleton or void suit. An opening bid of 2NT shows 20-21 points. Balanced hands of 18-19 points must open 1 of a minor and jump rebid NT. Hands of 22 or more points start with 2 clubs, which is a strong and artificial opening. An opening bid of 2 diamonds, 2 hearts, or 2 spades shows a good 6 card suit and less than an opening bid. This is called a "weak 2 bid". Most of the hand's high cards should be in the long suit. Having a void or a side 4 card major makes a weak 2 bid less attractive, but still possible. An opening bid of 3 of a suit or 4 of a suit shows a good long suit with little outside. If the hand has 10 or more HCP, an opening bid of 1 is better than an opening bid of 3 or 4, so that you don't miss games. A bid of 3 typically has 7 card length, and a bid of 4 has 8 card length. Such high bids are considered pre-emptive in that they are primarily used to disrupt the opponents' communication when the likelihood of damage to one's own side can be limited. It is better to count the hand's playing strength. Also, vulnerability matters here. The "Rule of 2, 3, 4" says that at favorable vulnerability (you not vul, opps vul), add 4 tricks to your hand strength, and bid to that level. At equal (both vul, both nonvul), add 3. At unfavorable (you vul, opps not vul), add 2. This is used to decide among and opening bid of 2, 3, or 4 (or 5 in a minor). The partner of a pre-emptive bidder should be cautioned against excessive optimism. An opening bid of 3NT can be used for a big balanced hand (25-27), but this situation is so rare that many players will use this bid for a long solid minor with exactly 1 trick outside (Gambling 3NT). Even in the latter case this bid is uncommon, and beginners should ignore the possibility of opening 3NT unless they understand how the bid works. Responses Responses to a 1NT opening This is the easiest of all the opening bids. Opener has almost exactly defined his hand in one bid: 15-17 high card points and a balanced hand. Opener should not have a 5 card major (but some partnerships allow this). Opener must have at least 2 cards in each suit. Opener probably should not have a 6 card minor (but some partnerships allow this). After a 1N opening, responder knows almost exactly what to do. With 0-7 points, responder knows there is no chance of game. He should pass or try to play in his long suit. With 8-9 points, responder knows there is a chance of game. With 10 or more points, responder knows there is a game. With 16 or more points, responder knows there is a chance of a slam. Some weaker unbalanced hands also may have a slam available. Todo: Define "Approach Forcing". References - Standard American 21 by John Sheridan Thomas
ISBN1412020638
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