LEBENSOHL Your partner opens 1NT. RHO makes an overcall. You have a 5 card Heart suit and about 6/7 points. It would be nice to be able to play in a part score in Hearts right? BUT………..You can’t make a bid; as partner will not be able to stop short of game. The answer of course is to play Lebensohl. The simple basic explanation of the system is this: - Over 1NT from partner and interference from the opps, a bid of 2NT is a demand for partner to bid 3 clubs. This you will now pass (if your 5-card suit is clubs), or bid your suit which partner MUST pass. Now having grasped the basics, let us go through exactly what the convention is. Do not feel tempted to rush through this, without fully understanding each step as you go. 1) A bid from you of 2♦ /♥ /♠ is to play and is NOT invitational Any bid from you BELOW 2NT is weak and natural 2) You bid 2NT. Partner has to bid 3♣ . You now bid 3♦ /♥ /♠ . This is invitational. How can he tell this? For the simple reason that with a weak hand you would have bid 2♦ , or 2♥ ,or2♠. It is logical, right? - RHO bids 2♦ Any bid from you BELOW 2NT i.e. 2♥ /♠ is weak and natural. Exactly the same applies here. A bid of 2NT, followed by 3♣ , and then 3♥ /♠ by you is invitational
A bid of 2♠ is weak and natural. 2NT-3♣ -and then 3♦ /♠ is again invitational After any bid from RHO, an immediate bid at the 3 level is forcing, and not just invitational Study these different sequences. It is important to understand them, if you want to use the system to its full advantage. We now come to the Stayman inquiries. Remember this key phrase….slow shows, fast denies. - 1NT--2♥ --3NT-- denies a Heart guard
This is Stayman showing spades and denying heart guard. 3♣ -- P-- 3♥ This is Stayman showing a Heart guard. It is necessary to go on this long route in order to let partner know that you have a Heart guard. Without the Heart guard, you would have bid a DIRECT 3NT Using Lebensohl over weak 2s LHO opens 2 ♠ and your partner doubles You hold ♠ xx ♥ xx ♦ Qxxx ♣ Jxxxxx You have to bid 3♣ right? How is your partner to know that you have such a weak hand? You could have made the same bid with up to 10 points (if your suit had been clubs). Even if you held a major, you could not jumped with only say 8 points. For Example: ♠ xx ♥ QJxx ♦ Kxx ♣ Qxxx 2♠ - X- P- ? You are only good enough to bid 3♥ . To let partner know the difference whether you have 0 to 6 or 6 to 9 you can use Lebensohl. You use Lebensohl to tell partner you have under 6 points 2♠ -x-p-? 2NT from you asks partner to bid 3♣ . This you will now pass or convert, which partner will pass knowing you have under 6 points. 2♠ -x-p-2NT p - 3♣ -p- 3♦ This shows a 4 or 5-card Diamond suit and under 6 points Of course if partner has 18 points or more, he will ignore the request to bid 3♣ . He will make another bid which will be forcing for one round. The weak hand will now be free to show values of 4 to 6 points, remembering that partner will not expect more than a bad 6 points.
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