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The Full Monty Convention, insofar as its OPENING bid component is concerned, goes as follows:
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1
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shows |
Forcing 1 Club Opening
(traditional) |
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1
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shows |
Hearts and a Minor Suit
– 5 in each or more |
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1
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shows |
Hearts and Spades – 5 in
each or more |
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1
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shows |
Spades and a Minor Suit
– 5 in each or more |
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1 NT |
shows |
Clubs and Diamonds – 5
in each or more |
Partner’s
response to the Forcing 1 Club is covered below:
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1
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shows |
0-9 points |
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1
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shows |
10 or better points,
biddable Hearts, OR Hearts + Spades |
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1
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shows |
10 or better points,
biddable Spade suit (4 cards) |
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1 NT |
shows |
10 or more, strength in
Minors |
With 14 points,
bid as indicated, but at the 2 level. With 17 points, same, except at 3 level.
Thus, a response of 2 Diamonds shows 14 points, and a strong 5 card Diamond
suit.
Opener’s second
bid + expectations of Responder’s second bid are as follows:
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South |
West |
North |
East
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South |
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1
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Pass |
1 |
Pass
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1 NT |
North encouraged to Pass – Possible redeal |
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1 |
Pass |
2 D 2 H 2 S |
Essentially a shutout bid - North encouraged to Pass |
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1 |
Pass |
2 NT |
Essentially a shutout bid - North may go on to 3 NT with a Max (9 points), a playable long suit and reentry to dummy |
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1 |
Pass |
1 H or 1 S |
Strong reopener – North MUST bid again |
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1 |
Pass |
2 |
South has minimum – North permitted to pass with minimum |
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1 |
Pass
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1 |
South has 4 Spades – North must describe hand further |
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1 |
Pass |
2 |
South has minimum – North permitted to pass with minimum |
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1 |
Pass |
Suit Shift |
Any suit bid at 2 level NOT a simple raise of partner’s H or S is strong by South – North must describe hand further |
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1 NT |
Pass |
2 |
South has bid his best 3 card minor – North to correct |
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1 NT |
Pass |
2 H or 2 S |
South denies having 3 card minor – promises 5 cards |
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1 NT |
Pass |
2 NT |
South denies having 3 card minor – strength in majors If North cannot stop both minors, he should bid best minor |
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1 |
1 |
????? |
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North bids as normal with 10 points. Pass with 5 or less Double with 7-9 |
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1 |
1 |
????? |
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Bid 1 NT if normal – otherwise DOUBLE with 10(or more) |
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1 |
1 |
Double |
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Double promises 10 – 1 NT overcall would be normal (10 with strength in minors) |
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1 |
1 |
2 or 3 in suit |
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Preemptive – less than 10 points |
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Note, a double of
an opponent’s opening bid at the 1 level is equivalent to an opening bid of 1
Club.
Next, we will
indicate North’s responses where North has MORE than the requisite 10 points.
NOTE: We prefer
for North to DELAY a jump in bidding until the SECOND round. The reason: With
any “positive” response by North, partner is NOT going to leave the bid where
it is, so North will ALWAYS get a chance to bid again.
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South |
West |
North |
East
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South |
North bids…………. |
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1
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Pass |
2 |
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14 points – long 5 card or better diamond suit |
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2 |
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Same, except hearts or spades |
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1 NT |
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Best minor |
Delayed response – with strong minors – 17 points – jump shift or jump raise – bypassing 3 NT – invitational towards game at 5 level |
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1 NT |
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2 H or 2 S |
Delayed response – with strong minors – 17 points - Opener
denies any minors – so bid 3 |
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2 NT |
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Invitational – balanced hand – 15 points - South passes with minimum, raises with 14 |
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3 NT |
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Shutout bid – balanced hand – stoppers in all 4 suits |
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1 |
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4S or 4 H |
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Shutout bid – permitted – but why not bid at the 1 level and await Opener’s second bid. Perhaps the hand is worth MORE than game at the 4 level |
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1 |
1 |
Double |
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Whenever Opps interfere to prevent North from making a normal positive response, Double is preferred. South should further clarify his hand. THEN, jump if necessary |
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The Strong
Reopener. South wants to proceed further, even after hearing partners Diamond
negative response. This is done by bidding 1 H or 1 S. NOTE: This MAY be an
artificial bid.
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South |
West |
North |
East
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South |
West |
North |
North bids…………. |
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1 |
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
1 NT or 1 |
Bust bid = 1NT (5 points or less) A suit response indicates a five card suit + 6 HCP overall, or 4 card suit with 5 HCP in that suit, with 2 extra points elsewhere |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 NT or 2 X |
Bust bid = 1NT (5 points or less) A suit response indicates a five card suit + 6 HCP overall, or 4 card suit with 5 HCP in that suit, with 2 extra points elsewhere |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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2 |
Single raise in opener’s suit (whether H or S) promises 3 cards in suit, 6 HCP overall |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
Opener next bids 1 NT or 2 NT (as the case may be) This is
an alert that the 1 |
Next, we will
deal with the situations where Opener opens something OTHER than 1 Club. All of
these openings are based on a fairly strong TWO-SUITER, with 5 cards in each.
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South |
West |
North |
East
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South |
Possessing 7 HCP or better, and 3-card support,… |
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1
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Pass |
1 |
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North bids his best suit in support |
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1
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1 |
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North bids his best suit in
support |
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1
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2 |
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North bids his best suit in
support |
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1
NT |
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3 |
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North bids his best minor in
support – if equal bid Clubs |
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Any
of the above |
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1 NT |
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North bids 1NT as a “bust” bid
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1
NT |
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2 |
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With LESS than 7 points, North
bids his best minor - if equal bid
clubs |
Partner’s
response to an Opening Bid of 1 D, 1 H or 1 S.
With less than 6
points, bid 1 NT. With 7 points or
better and three-card support in any of the “possible” suits, bid that suit at
the cheapest level. Whenever one of a minor is among the “possible suits”, and
partner has equal support in the minors, bid Clubs (Opener will raise to
Diamonds if necessary).
Following
Partner’s “bust” bid of 1 NT, Opener will bid his best suit. Even though
partner has made his “bust” bid and is expected to pass, where his holding
among the majors or among the minors is CLEARLY preferential in one and not the
other, he is permitted to raise Opener’s 2 Hearts to 2 Spades (if South Opened
1 Heart) and Opener’s 3 Clubs to 3 Diamonds (if South opened 1 NT).
Partner’s
response to the 1 NT opening bid.
Because there is
no safe “bust” response here, the circumstances are different. For starters,
South should have a stronger hand to open since he may end up in a 3 Diamond
contract with very little support from dummy. Holding xx and xx in the minors
(or worse), and 7 or less HCP, partner makes the “bust” bid of 2 Clubs. If he
has 7 or less but his Diamonds are decidedly better than his Clubs, he bids 2
Diamonds. Holding 3 card support and 8
HCP, responder bids his strongest minor at the THREE level .
A Response of 2
Spades indicates 4 card holdings in BOTH Spades and Hearts with controls
sufficient in both majors to suggest a final contract of 2 NT or 3 NT (Opener’s
decision). A response of 2 Hearts indicates possession of a fairly strong six
card major (hearts or spades), capable of a “run”. (Therefore, if Opener should
have a stopper in both majors, this may be an invite to a 3 NT contract).
Finally,
partner’s “expected” bid is a bid of 3 Clubs or 3 Diamonds. This indicates 3
card support with 8 HCP or better. With 4 card support and 11 HCP or better
(mostly in the minors), respond at the 4 level. Obviously, here, you will have
passed the 3 NT level, so you want to make sure that you can safely discard NT
as a potential.
Opponents
Interfere in Bidding.
Where possible,
after a 1 Club opening, make a “normal” bid. Your bid of 1 NT after the opponents
interfere with a 1 Spade bid is natural, as though the opps had not bid at all.
If their bid requires you to bid at the 2 level in order to make your natural
bid, double. NOTE: You do not have to bid Diamonds to signify a “bust”
response. Your obligation is merely to keep the bidding OPEN for partner to
make a second bid, and the opponents’ interfering bid has done that for you.
Therefore, you are given a “free bid” here.
Opponents are
more apt to interfere after Full Monty Opening bids, for instance 1 Spade
following a 1 Diamond Opener. Here, we can employ the convention that a double
by opener’s partner signifies (3 card) support in the “indicated” major suit +
7 points. Conversely, if opener’s partner bids one of the minors, it
specifically denies support in the indicated major, and here has to imply 10
points and 4 card support in the bid suit. The requirements here are higher
since there now is a possibility that the partnership has a misfit.
Opponent
interference after a 1 Heart bid is not really a problem. Should they bid 1
Spade, it is clear that your contract, if any, only has a chance in Hearts. If
they bid 2 Clubs or 2 Diamonds, partner’s double indicates support for ONE of
the majors, and opener henceforth mentions Hearts next time around. Partner
will correct to Spades if this is where his support lies.
Opponent
interference over a 1 NT opening is not a problem, either. Provided partner has
a fit and the requisite points, he simply bids his best minor at the 3 level,
as he otherwise would. A pass is equivalent to a “bust’ response.
Misfits
What if Partner
has no fit, but a massive suit of his own? Assume South opened 1 Heart
(indicating Hearts and Spades), and partner has a single Heart, is void in
Spades, but has 8 Diamonds, headed by AK. Show it by bidding 3 Diamonds. The
meaning will be clear to South. If South has a stopper in Clubs, he may close
out at 3 NT, or with 2 Diamonds and a void in Clubs, bid 4 or 5 Diamonds.
Opener’s rebid
after a Full Monty Opening bid (other than 1 Club).
The first
objective is to gain partnership understanding of the best fit. If South opened
either 1 H or 1 NT, and partner responded with a bid in the majors or minors,
respectively, the decision has been made: That is the suit in which the
contract will be made.
Following a
Opening bid of 1 D or 1 S, if partner happened to support the “indicated”
major, the determination of the suit fit has now been made, and the only
decision is how high to take the bidding.
If partner bid
his best minor, and that happens to be the “wrong” minor, Opener should correct
by bidding the “correct” minor.
(Relay Bidding –
an alternate philosophy. Partner’s Response: The principle here is that
whenever South opens 1 S or 1 D, there is a question of exactly which two suits
the opener has – therefore the responder bids the lower ranking (regardless of
his strength) of the two possible suits in question, and the opener then
corrects to the next higher suit if necessary.
Once the two suits have been determined, the “real” bidding starts. Responder
can sign off anytime in NT, in which case Opener bids the supported suit, and
that stops the bidding. If responder signs off immediately in NT, then the
opener will bid the lower ranking of his two suits, and his partner can correct
to the higher ranking one, if his support is significantly stronger there. If
opener carries on beyond this point, it is obviously because he has a powerful
hand and is prepared to go alone.) This is a matter of partnership preference.
Some partners like to paint a full picture of their hands – although this
obviously also reveals the information to the opponents.)
Ordinarily, if
Responder has 4 card support in the major suit implied by Opener’s opening bid,
he supports that suit in his response, and Opener then can conveniently mention
his minor suit, if he feels it necessary. They may simply decide to bid to game
without ever finding out which was Opener’s minor suit. Or Opener may decide to
jump bid his minor suit, if he has slam ambitions.
Following an
opening bid of 1 Heart, responder bids the major suit in which he has the best
support (and bids either 1 Spade or 2 Hearts). If he has a bust (5 points or
less) he bids 1 NT, after which Opener bids 2 Hearts, and Partner can then
correct to 2 Spades if his support there is significantly better. Again, that
should stop the bidding unless Opener has 22 points or more.
Assuming the
parties have enough points to go beyond the basic establishment of the suit in
which to compete, they have available such conventions as Blackwood or Gerber
to ask for Aces and Kings. However, by the very nature of the requirement that
Opener has two five card suits, he will have a singleton, possibly a void.
Therefore, the mere quantity of Aces or Kings in the partnership’s hands, is
less important than WHICH ones they possess. Consequently, it makes sense to
proceed with cue bidding indicating CONTROL cards. A control card in this
context means an Ace or a King, so the partners should next relay to each other
the possession of the next available control card, in the “cheapest” suit.
Bidding control
cards, remembering which have been bid, and figuring out when to “sign off”,
requires practice. As an aid to this type of bidding, you can use a schematic
on a piece of paper like the one below and check off the key cards which your
partnership has, based on the way the “control” bidding progresses.
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A K |
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A K |
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A K |
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A K |
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Full Monty as
Defense
The principles
laid out above can also be used in a wholly different situation – namely as
defense where the opponents open 1 NT. In many cases, an opponent’s opening of
1 NT tends to silence the opposing partnership (for a lack of a suitable
convention) – and only afterwards, does your own partnership realize that you
could have competed effectively in your own suit contract.
After a One No Trump opening by the
opponents
With a two-suiter, bid as follows:
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2
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shows |
Clubs and Hearts |
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2
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shows |
Diamonds and Hearts |
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2
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shows |
Hearts and Spades |
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2
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shows |
Spades and a Minor Suit |
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2 NT |
shows |
both Minor Suits |
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West |
North |
East |
South |
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1 NT |
pass |
pass |
2
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pass |
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1. North may pass 2 Spades if he has
little support, or raise with stronger support.
2. If North does not have any support for Spades, North should bid 2 No Trump
to discover the 2 Spade bidder's Minor suit, which is a Relay bid.
Since the Full Monty Convention is so
flexible, two-suited hands can also be shown even after the Partner of the 1 No
Trump bidder has made a weak response. Whatever the Responder of the One No
Trump bidder bids, the Full Monty bid indicates that suit and the next higher
unbid suit.
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West |
North |
East |
South |
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1 NT |
pass |
2
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South, by bidding the following, informs Partner of his
distribution:
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2 |
shows Hearts and Spades |
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2
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shows Spades and Clubs |
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3
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shows Clubs and Hearts |
By a Three-Suited Hand, after a 1 No Trump opening as a direct call or in
the balancing seat, the Full Monty bidder would jump to the Three Level, not
only showing good distribution and a void but also sufficient strength. For
example, the Full Monty bidder has the following holding.
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AJ109 |
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void |
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KQ87 |
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AJ963 |
The Full Monty bidder would bid 3
Hearts over the 1 No Trump opening or in the balancing position. His
Partner is expected to set the final contract.
If the Responder of the 1 No Trump Opener
has made a weak response, the Full Monty bidder can bid 2 No Trump showing a
Three-Suited Hand with adequate strength. A cuebid of the Responder’s bid
indicates a Three-Suited Hand, but suggests a stronger hand.
Using the Full Monty Convention, the Full
Monty bidder can also double, showing a one-suited hand. His Partner may pass
with very few values. If his Partner, however, wishes to enter the bidding, he
will use a Relay bid to discover the long suit of his Partner.
The flexibility of the Full Monty
Convention, used as a counter measure to the Opponents’ opening 1 NT, is
complex, but whoever masters it can use it quite effectively. However, if the
Partnership Agreement is not that solid, then the suggestion is made to avoid
this part of the bidding system because of its complexity, and merely use the
Full Monty as an alternate opening bid module. This “modularizes” the Forcing 1
Club convention. It can be used as a stand-alone convention (as we have known
it to date), or with the added module of Full Monty Opening bids, or as the
“True” Full Monty convention.
Fourth draft 10-27-2001
