On Further Review #1 by Pete Haglich

I've decided to start a new column on our website to provide some helpful tips on the rules of our game.  In this first installment I'm going to cover three points.

• Tapping or Picking Up the Bidding Cards Instead of Putting a New Pass Card Down
• When is it Appropriate to Ask About Bids?
• Permissable 1NT Openings

(11/22/24 Update:  Added details about 1NT overcalls, which differ slightly from 1NT openings.  Also, added my byline)

Please Use the Pass Card, Even if it's the Final Pass

I'm going to try to highlight some habits that are innocuous but occasionally can lead to problems at the table.  This first installment is about tapping the pass card or picking up bidding cards instead of putting a new pass card on the table.  Most of the time there's no problem.  You're sitting East, your partner is Dealer and passes, your right hand opponent opens 1NT, you pass, left hand opponent bids 3NT, pass, pass and it's pretty clear that the auction is over.  What's the harm in just tapping that pass card and picking it up?  Probably none in this case.  What about your partner, West?  It's pretty obvious to them where the auction is going, would it be OK for them to tap their pass card?  Again, there's not likely to be any harm in this case.  

Two types of problem arise in competitive auctions.  The first problem occurs when there is ambiguity about whether the final pass was actually made.  This doesn't happen often, but it can be avoided completely if the last bidder affirmatively uses the pass card each time.  The second problem is more serious because it communicates unauthorized information.  Suppose North-South are bidding Spades and East-West are bidding Diamonds.  All four players have been bidding and raising their suits.  Now South bids 4♠ and instead of passing, West starts picking up the bidding cards even though North and East still have calls coming to them.  What message do you think East will take from this?  "Partner, I have no interest in competing further in this auction.  Please don't bid 5♦ ."  Just use a pass card and avoid these problems.

When is It Proper to Ask?

Our game is based on the principle that bidding and carding agreements must be disclosed to the opponents.  The Laws allow a player, at their turn to call, to ask the opponents about the meaning of their bids.  Most players know this.  What players sometimes forget is that the questions and the manner in which they are phrased can provide unauthorized information to the asker's partner.  Here's a fairly egregious example from a Bermuda Regional when I was playing with Kathy.  I was East and I opened 2NT.  We were playing Puppet Stayman and Kathy bids 3♣ .  I reply 3♦ which Kathy alerts.  She bids 3NT, which seems likely to be the last bid.  At this point North pipes up with "What did the diamond bid mean?" with an emphasis on the word "diamond".  Kathy explained it as showing a 4 card major, denying any 5 card major.  Three passes later, South is on lead and what do you think hits the table?  Because we had seen these players before and were friendly with them I didn't call the Director, but I should have.  The problems with North's question are two-fold.  First, this was not an auction where they were likely to bid, so they don't need information to decide what to do in the auction.  Second, the question focused the opening leader's attention on a specific suit whereas a generic request "please explain all" would not do so.  Proper procedure would be for North to wait until the end of the auction, wait for South to select a lead face down, and then to ask about our bidding.  That way the UI transmitted to partner is minimized.  Did the rules allow North to ask when she did?  Yes, but it was improper to do so.

Rules for Opening 1NT

A few years ago, ACBL allowed 1NT openings with a singleton A, K, or Q.  What many players don't realize is that a 1NT opener may not contain 10 cards in 2 suits.  So you may not open 16 HCP 5-5-2-1 as 1NT even if the singleton is an A, K, or Q.  

11/21/24:  The original version of this article claimed that this applied to 1NT overcalls also.  That was inexact.  A Natural 1NT overcall is subject to the distributional limits for 1NT openings and additionally must promise at least 14 HCP.  It is legal to make an Artificial 1NT overcall with a small singleton or with 10 cards in 2 suits.  However, if your partnership agreement allows this you need to Alert.  See the ACBL article on this:  https://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/play/Conventional-Wisdom/CW_Part_10.pdf