Opener’s rebid with a two-suiter.

Many inexperienced players are eager to rebid a six-card suit before showing their other suit.

This is wrong for many reasons.

They are putting all theirs eggs in the same basket and it will only work when partner has two cards in their suit.

And even then, if partner has four-card support for their second suit, they are playing in the wrong suit.

If partner has only one card in their suit and a weak hand, he will pass and a potential fit in another suit will be missed.

If it is wrong to rebid a six-card suit before showing a four-card suit, it is even worse to rebid a six-card suit before showing a five-card suit.

In fact with six-five, you should bid your six-card suit only once. You then bid your five-card suit twice, (if given the opportunity) and partner has a very nice picture of your hand...six-five or five-five in those two suits

Therefore, with six spades and five hearts, bid spades only once, and then bid hearts twice.

With five spades and six hearts, bid hearts only once, and then bid spades twice. (In this case, you are showing longer hearts because with five –five you would bid spades (the highest ranking suit) first!)

The reason why so many players tend to rebid their six-card suit is they are afraid of missing a six-two fit or to miss their best fit altogether.

This should never happen if responder follows this simple guideline.

Unless you have two more cards in partner’s second suit than you have in his first suit, give partner a preference to his first suit.

Some examples to help you understand. The opponents will not bid.

1♠ pass 1NT pass 2♥

First case: Responder has ♠97 ♥863 ♦KJ63 ♣Q764

Second case: Responder has ♠7 ♥863 ♦KJ63 ♣Q7542

First case.

According to our guideline, responder has only one more card in opener’s second suit than he has in opener’s first suit, so he gives preference to opener’s first suit. See how well it works.

If opener has six spades and four hearts, he will end up in spades playing a six-two fit.

(If opener is five-four, a five-two fit is safer than a four-three fit). Again, our guideline works well.

Second case.

According to our guideline, responder has two more cards in opener’s second suit, so he will pass, showing preference for opener’s second suit. Instead of playing a six-one fit, which would have happened if opener had rebid his six-card suit, (and responder is too weak to bid again), opener will now play a four-three fit and will be able to ruff some spades in dummy.

This guideline applies to weak responding hands in the range of 6-9 points.

With a good 10 to a poor 12, (for those who play forcing notrump), responder will rebid 2NT, or raise opener’s second suit with a fit.

One word of caution. With: ♠AQxxxx - ♥Axxx – Kx – x, bid hearts at your second turn.

With ♠AKQJ105 -♥Jxxx – Kx – x, treat your heart suit as a three card-suit and rebid spades.

(You don’t need any support from partner with such a suit!)