OPENING 1NT – PART 1

    An opening bid of 1NT conjures up a very particular image in modern duplicate bridge – a balanced hand with 15 to 17
    high card points (HCP).  Examples of a traditional 1NT opening include:

    1)        ♠AK9      ♥QJ42     ♦KT6         ♣A76
    2)        ♠KJ7      ♥AQJ5     ♦KQ4        ♣863
    3)        ♠A4        ♥KQJ7     ♦J975       ♣A54
    4)        ♠63        ♥AQ8       ♦KQJ9      ♣KJ74
    5)        ♠764      ♥AQ         ♦KJT95     ♣AJ6

    Note that all the hands meet three (3) criteria:

    1)        15-17 HCP
    2)        Balanced (no singleton, no void, not more than 1 doubleton), i.e., 3 specific hand patterns:  
                                      4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, and 5-3-3-2
    3)        Honors in at least 3 suits
    4)        No 5-card major

    Of course, there a numerous variations on a theme have developed over the years.

    One area of great variation is the HCP range for opening 1NT.  Among the common variations over the years have
    been 13-15, 11/12-14, 10-12 and many others.  My personal preference is 14+-17.  I will spend some time talking
    about this issue in this installment.  The other issues will be covered in upcoming installments.

    Another deviation from the old traditional forms was to include the semi-balanced hand in acceptable no trump
    opening distributions.  A semi-balanced hand has no singleton, no void, and not more than two doubletons (a few
    people allow for 3 doubletons, i.e., a 7-2-2-2 shape, but that is pushing the limits in my opinion).  This has allowed for
    opening 1NT with two additional hand patterns:  5-4-2-2 (no 5-card major) and 6-3-2-2 (no 6-card major).  I strongly
    advocate the inclusion of semi-balanced hands in no-trump openings, with certain limitations.

    The third change since the 1NT opening bid was instituted has been to allow for opening 1NT with a 5-card major.  
    This issue is still hotly contested in some circles.  An overwhelming majority of duplicate players today who play 15-17
    or 14-17 NT openings will open 1NT with a 5-card major.  However, experts are still not unanimous.  This issue will be
    discussed in the next installment.

    The fourth modification of the original no trump openings deals with the issue of suits with no honor.  Originally, many
    players required that you have an honor in every suit in order to open 1NT.  Eventually, most gave in and conceded that
    you could have one suit with no honor in it (most of them did not want that suit to be a doubleton, but this is not a
    unanimous position).  Today, many players will open 1NT with two unprotected suits.  This issue will be discussed in
    more detail in an upcoming installment.

    The main issue I want to address in this article is that of the range for opening 1NT.  Originally, all players opened 1NT
    with 16-18 HCP.  Duplicate bridge players modified this range to 15-17 HCP (as well as many other ranges,
    depending on the bidding system).  This 15-17 HCP range is still the most popular among those who use either
    Standard American bidding or most versions of 2/1 Game Forcing bidding.  The main reason is that people wanted to
    open 1NT more often than they were able to do so using the 16-18 HCP range.  Far more hands fall into the 15-17
    HCP range than the 16-18 HCP range, so the modification was made, and almost everyone adopted it (or one of the
    other ranges, depending on the bidding system).
    More recently, many expert level players started opening 1NT with 14-17 HCP.  The reason is, in large part, the same –
    it allows you to open 1NT more often, especially with the wider range.  More importantly, opening 1NT has a very
    preemptive effect on the opposition.  Many opponents hesitate to compete after a 1NT opening.  As one of my close
    friends, Harry Ross, has said on numerous occasions, 1NT is the most preemptive bid in bridge.  Therefore, it should
    be used more often.  As a result, I open 1NT with many, but not all, 14 HCP balanced hands.  There are 14 HCP hands
    of all types of quality, and only the good 14 point hands should be opened 1NT.

    Examples of good 14 HCP 1NT openings include:

    1)        ♠AK9        ♥QJ42        ♦T96           ♣AT9
    2)        ♠KJ7        ♥AQT5        ♦KJ4           ♣T63
    3)        ♠A4           ♥KQJ7        ♦J975        ♣A54
    4)        ♠764        ♥AQ             ♦KQT95     ♣AT9

    Examples of 14 HCP hands which should not be opened 1NT include:

    1)        ♠AK        ♥KQJ2        ♦432         ♣QT9
    2)        ♠KJ7      ♥KQT5        ♦QT4        ♣Q63
    3)        ♠QJ        ♥K754        ♦QJ95       ♣A54
    4)        ♠764       ♥Q2            ♦AQT85    ♣AT9

    In the first set of hands, the suits have good texture and there are decent honors in at least 3 suits.  In the second set
    of hands, the points are concentrated in two suits, leaving 2 suits very vulnerable.

    The next installment will involve opening 1NT when you have a 5-card major.
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