THOSE PESKY MINORS

The introduction of five-card majors (opening bids) was a giant step forward in the art of bridge bidding.  At least I think so.  However as a consequence, we have to make some uncomfortable choices when we do not have a five-card major.  Holding a long minor is not a  problem.  The discomfort, if you feel it, comes with flat distributions: 4-3-3-3, or 4-4-3-2 or even 4-4-4-1 (in any suit order).

If you have sufficient strength to open the bidding but not enough to consider 1NT, you must choose between 1 club or 1 diamond (because you do not have a 5-card major).  How difficult can this be?  There are only two choices!

Well, there may be only two choices, but there are at least four competing concepts (excluding conventions) that I know of: stronger of the minors; good minor; better of the minors; longer of the minors.

STRONGER MINOR:  Suppose you have C) AK  and D) 5432.  Surely clubs are stronger, but to open 1C seems a little silly as it contradicts a basic tenant of standard bidding where a suit call promises some minimal length and two cards does not cut it.

GOOD MINOR:  Given the same two clubs and four diamonds shown above, which of these two suits is the good minor?  That’s an easy one.  For trump, diamonds are far superior to clubs.  Clubs are good tricks no matter what, but the diamonds are useful only if they are trump.

BETTER MINOR:  Which of the following is the better minor?
D) Q65    C) J65
D) Q65    C) A4
D) AQ      C) 8765
 

Would partner know your preference?  Does  it matter if partner knows your preference? 

LONGER MINOR:  Ah yes.  Length and trump go together, and it is easy to tell which is the longer suit.   As Alfred Scheinwold once said: “Never, never bid 1C with fewer than three clubs . . . a player who bids a minor suit with fewer than three cards should be put in solitary confinement.”

 Ok, that was easy.  Now what if both minors are 4-4 or 3-3?  How do you choose?  There are lots of different styles here.  I prefer this simple rule:  If 4-4 open diamonds; if 3-3 open clubs.  If you follow this rule, partner can safely assume that your diamond opener is a four-card suit or better.  Statistically, you will have four or more diamonds over 90% of the time (I have forgotten the exact percent).

Now your opening bidding system is this: majors promise 5+ cards; diamonds are almost always four or more; clubs are at least three and I will tell you more at the next bid.