November 2020 - 23

Don't Let the Tail Wag the Dog
Conventions are useful tools. Two
such conventions - new minor forcing
(NMF) and "spiral" - are fast becoming part of many partnerships' bidding
toolboxes.
These treatments, however, are
subject to misuse. NMF and spiral
are similar in the sense that they both
revolve around questions about how
many cards opener holds in responder's major suit. Also, both conventions
are initiated by responder.

New Minor Forcing

Suppose we have the following hand:

♠A J 7 ♥K J 8 2 ♦K J 9 4 3 ♣5.
After we open 1♦ and partner
responds 1♠, some unwisely rebid
1NT(!) because "they want to use
NMF" they say. But this is wrong. A
rebid of 1NT by opener shows 12-14
HCP and a balanced hand. It usually
does not contain two doubletons, and it
certainly does not contain a singleton
in an unbid suit. Doing this is what I
call a Charles Bronson: a "death wish."
Look at this hand:
♠9 8 3 ♥A Q 5 ♦K 10 3 2 ♣A 7 4.
After we open 1♦ and partner
responds 1♠, we rebid 1NT because it
is the correct bid, but not because we
want to initiate NMF.
It is useful to think of NMF as Stayman-esque. As we all know, Stayman
occurs after a 1NT opener. If responder
wants to, they can ask questions about
the opener's major-suit holdings. ("Do
you have a four-card major?")
In the same way, NMF occurs after
opener rebids 1NT (and, much less
frequently, a jump to 2NT). It asks, "Do
you have three cards in my major?"*
When we open 1NT, we do so because
we believe it is the correct descriptive
bid. Of course, it has nothing directly
to do with Stayman, although Stayman
might well follow. In the same way, we
rebid 1NT as opener because it is the

BY MEL COLCHAMIRO

correct descriptive bid, not because
we want to initiate NMF, even though
NMF might well follow. NMF is initiated by responder who has a five-card
major (the dog); responder needs to
know if opener has three cards in support (the tail).
*If responder originally bid spades,
the NMF bid asks for three-card spade
support or a four-card heart suit.

strong hand, but we
have only 13 HCP.
And we've already
trashed 1NT with
a singleton in an
unbid suit as a death
wish. All pretty unthinkable. That
leaves 2♠.
So when does spiral actually come
into play?

Spiral

♠A 9 8 3 ♥K J 5 ♦9 2 ♣K Q 8 2

Spiral is much newer on the scene.
It is an attempt to smooth out the
bumps in the road to the best contract
when both opener and responder know
that opener, on occasion, might raise
responder's major with only three-card
support. But first things first. Why
would opener do that? Support responder's major with only three cards?
Here's why: It's because there are
times we believe that it is the "least
worst" choice under the circumstances. Look at this hand:
♠K J 7 ♥9 5 ♦A Q 3 ♣K 8 7 5 2.
After we open 1♣, suppose partner
responds 1♥. We'd all rebid 1NT. No
problem. But suppose partner responds 1♠? Hmmm. Not so easy. We
have three choices now, none very appealing: 1NT, 2♣ or 2♠.
Let's see. 2♣ with only five lousy
clubs? Yuck! 1NT? That seems better,
but, boy, the hearts are weak and we
have only two of them. Far from perfect. Then there is 2♠. Again, it's not
perfect; we're short a trump. But the
opinion of experts is that 2♠ is the way
to go. It is the least worst bid.
And when opener's hand is like the
one below, raising with three is really
the only way to go:
♠K J 5 ♥A Q 7 6 ♦K 9 8 4 3 ♣10.
After our 1♦ and partner's 1♠, what
else is there to do but raise to 2♠?
2♦ on king-empty-fifth?! 2♥ is no
good because it's a reverse, showing a

Partner
1♦
2♠

You
1♠
?

You certainly have the strength to go
to game, but is 4♠ the correct choice?
Remember, partner might only have
three of them. Maybe 3NT would be
better. Spiral to the rescue.
After a raise of responder's major, a
bid of 2NT by responder asks opener
two simultaneous questions: Did you
raise me with three spades or with
four? And do you have a minimum or
a maximum (within the context of 2♠
showing 13-15 support points)?
Opener responds as follows:
3♣ = three-card support, minimum
3♦ = four-card support, minimum
3♥ = three-card support, maximum
3♠ = four-card support, maximum
There are other response structures,
too, and they are OK. I like this one,
because it's easy to remember - bad
hands, then good hands.
After gaining that information,
responder is wonderfully placed to set
the contract.
Spiral can also be used when the
responder has an invitational hand, or
even a potential slam hand. Just like
NMF. And like NMF, don't use spiral
with fewer than 11 HCP.
And don't ever try to use spiral (or
NMF) if you are the opener. Remember, responder is the dog. The opener
is the tail.
◾
November 2020 Bridge Bulletin

23
November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2020
