[1eyedjack]

Playing a weak 1N system you open 1-suit.
Opponents overcall, and partner makes a negative double.
Does your cheapest rebid in NT show
1) a weak distributional hand with length in the opponent's suit? or
2) a balanced strong 1N type of hand?

Does the answer vary depending on whether you have been forced to rebid NT at the 2 level (if you choose to do so at all), following
a_) a 2/1 overcall,
b_) a 1-suit overcall
c_) a jump overcall at the 2 level

Personally I tend to go through phases of alternating between one preference and the other.

[mikeh]

I (almost) agree with Justin: the exception is that I usually open 1♣ with 4=2=2=5, unless both blacks are weak: there is rarely a rebid problem with that shape.

[pbleighton]

I agree with Justin.

Peter

[FrancesHinden]

I used to play weak NT, many years ago...

In general, I make the rebid I would have made without the intervention.
After a 1-level overcall and partner's negative double, I bid as if partner had responded at the 1-level in the relevant suit

e.g. 1C (1H) x : my rebids are now effectively the same as 1C P 1S P. Except with a 16-count 2425 I'd bid 1NT rather than reverse into hearts...

1H/S (2x) x.. basically the same; if I have minimum HCP values I have a 5-card major which I can rebid for lack of anything else to do.

There's more to be said for playing, say, 1D (2S) x P 2NT as weak, but I didn't.

[whereagles]

I play cheapest rebid as the NT hand and don't care much about it

[Cascade]

I agree with mikeh who almost agrees with Justin.

Actually I might still open 1♣ with bad clubs or spades if I had a weak doubleton.

[zasanya]

I play 12-14 NT with 4 card majors.So the NT rebid is always strong NT.Rebidding original suit shows 5+ card weak unbalanced opening with or without another suit could be 5 carder.Bidding a new suit without reversing shows unbalanced weak opening.Reversing is unbalanced strong.A 5-3-3-2 hand in 12-14 range is opened 1NT if 5 carder is minor and also with weak 5 card major.
Do not see any problem with this approach.

[neilkaz]

zasanya, on Jan 8 2007, 09:05 PM, said:

I play 12-14 NT with 4 card majors.So the NT rebid is always strong NT.Rebidding original suit shows 5+ card weak unbalanced opening with or without another suit could be 5 carder.Bidding a new suit without reversing shows unbalanced weak opening.Reversing is unbalanced strong.A 5-3-3-2 hand in 12-14 range is opened 1NT if 5 carder is minor and also with weak 5 card major.
Do not see any problem with this approach.

Are you playing classical ACOL with maybe a few gadgets ? If so, I want to read up on standard ACOL..4 card majors weak NT. Can you direct me to a very detailed website or a really good book about it.

Thx .. neilkaz .. (not a weak NTer so I won't reply with an opinion here)

[MFA]

I also play the NT-rebid as a 15-17NT. In fact all the weak notrumpers I know do that.

[zasanya]

neilkaz, on Jan 8 2007, 10:49 PM, said:

Are you playing classical ACOL with maybe a few gadgets ? If so, I want to read up on standard ACOL..4 card majors weak NT. Can you direct me to a very detailed website or a really good book about it.

Thx .. neilkaz .. (not a weak NTer so I won't reply with an opinion here)

Not exactly classical acol as i play 2♦ as multi and 2♥/♠ as weak 2 suiters.I recommend Guide to better acol bridge by Ron Klinger.In fact all books by Klinger on acol are very good.I haven't visited any acol sites although there must be quite a few.

[Cascade]

Jlall, on Jan 9 2007, 03:20 PM, said:

Cascade, on Jan 8 2007, 09:18 PM, said:

I agree with mikeh who almost agrees with Justin.

Actually I might still open 1♣ with bad clubs or spades if I had a weak doubleton.

Then you're in quite a bit of trouble after 1C-1S-X-pass

Of course.

If I have

♠AQJx
♥xx
♦KJ
♣Jxxxx

I am in quite a bit of trouble after

1NT 3NT

and they take five or six hearts on the go.

There are swings and round-abouts.

[Al_U_Card]

I played 10-12 NT for years. It included any balanced shape.

open 1C and rebid lowest # of NT 16-18 in any balanced hand (no 5 cM)
open 1D and rebid lowest # or NT 13-15 in any balanced hand (no 5 cM)
1H and 1S both promised 13+ hcp so NT rebids were std.

The 1NT response to the minor suit bids was

over 1C (4-6 hcp)
over 1D (7-9 hcp)

so with interference, these values held but with a bit more incentive to show the 5 card minor suit without a good stop in the overcalled suit. Nonetheless, the opener with the unbalanced opener with clubs would retire to 2 C unless he had a full stop in the overcalled suit.

[1eyedjack]

Cascade, on Jan 9 2007, 11:44 AM, said:

Jlall, on Jan 9 2007, 03:20 PM, said:

Cascade, on Jan 8 2007, 09:18 PM, said:

I agree with mikeh who almost agrees with Justin.

Actually I might still open 1♣ with bad clubs or spades if I had a weak doubleton.

Then you're in quite a bit of trouble after 1C-1S-X-pass

Of course.

If I have

♠AQJx
♥xx
♦KJ
♣Jxxxx

I am in quite a bit of trouble after

1NT 3NT

and they take five or six hearts on the go.

There are swings and round-abouts.

The same would be the case had you held any hand with a weak doubleton in the specified range that otherwise fitted more closely the classical profile of a balanced hand, but that does not stop us opening 1N.

The question to ask yourself is how likely is it that there is an alternative making game contract (presumably 5C as partner did not use Stayman)? Obviously it is fractionally more likely if you have 4-2-2-5 shape as opener than if you were more balanced, but is it enough more likely to justify changing your opening bid?

[helene_t]

Cascade, on Jan 9 2007, 04:18 AM, said:

I agree with mikeh who almost agrees with Justin.

Actually I might still open 1♣ with bad clubs or spades if I had a weak doubleton.

All your strength concentrated in one strong doubleton? You obviously play a very weak NT :-)