Forcing Notrump - Forcing Next Step

Forcing Next Step

With this approach, the next step bid over the major open is forcing and unspecified. "Forcing next step," also known as the "Kaplan Inversion", is a mid-chart convention in the ACBL.

  • 1♠ - 1NT is forcing, unspecified
  • 1♥ - 1♠ is forcing, with responder having 0-4 spades
  • 1♥ - 1NT is forcing with responder showing 5+ spades.

One immediate benefit of this is that the correct major fit can be found. In standard forcing notrump, responder with 5 spades bids 1♠ over opener's 1♥ but if she also has 2 hearts she does not then know whether to rebid 2♥ or 2♠. In forcing next step, opener will raise 1♥ - 1NT to 2♠ if she has support, so if she makes another bid, responder can happily give preference to 2♥.

The forcing next step approach has the further benefit over the classic forcing notrump of allowing an opener with a balanced hand to define his point count range more tightly.

Here is a simple approach. Assuming the use of strong 1NT openings, the sequence 1♥ - 1♠ - 1NT would show a balanced 12-14 HCP with five hearts and 1♥ - 1♠ - 2NT would show 18-19 HCP with five hearts.

Here is a more complex approach: Over a sequence of 1♠ - 1NT, opener rebids:

  • 2♣ = 12-16, 4 clubs, or balanced. (2♦ from responder finds out which, as well as the strength range.)
  • 2♦/♥ = 12-16, 4 card suit
  • 2♠ = 12-16, 6+ card suit
  • 2NT = 17-18 balanced
  • 3 any = 17+ natural

If responder wishes to know further about the 2♣ bid, she asks with 2♦. Opener rebids 2♥ = 12-14 balanced, 2♠ = 12-14 club suit, 2NT = 15-16 balanced, 3♣ = 15-16 clubs.

Similarly with a sequence starting 1♥ - 1♠, opener rebids:

  • 1NT = 12-16, balanced, or 4 spades. (2♣ from partner finds out which, as well as the strength range.)
  • 2♣/♦ = 12-16, 4 card suit
  • 2♥ = 12-16, 6+ card suit
  • 2NT = 17-18 balanced
  • 3 any = 17+ natural

If responder wishes to know further about the 1NT bid, she asks with 2♣. Opener rebids 2♦ = 12-14 balanced, 2♥ = 12-14 spade suit, 2♠ = 15-16 spade suit, 2NT = 15-16 balanced. Note that if responder and opener both have 4 spades, they can still play in 2♠ in spite of the artificial response.

Contract bridge articles
Overview
Introduction
  • Contract bridge •
  • Duplicate bridge •
  • Glossary of contract bridge terms •
  • Rubber bridge
See also
  • Auction bridge •
  • Bridge ethics •
  • Bridge maxims •
  • Bridge Murder case
  • Bridge scoring •
  • Bridge whist •
  • Bridgette (game) •
  • Chicago (bridge card game) •
  • Computer bridge •
  • Contract bridge diagram •
  • Duplicate bridge movements •
  • Goulash (bridge) •
  • History of contract bridge •
  • Laws of Duplicate Bridge •
  • Masterpoints •
  • Minibridge •
  • Neuberg formula •
  • Screen (bridge) •
  • Singaporean bridge •
  • Suit (cards) •
  • Traveling scoreslip •
  • Vugraph
Bidding
Introduction
  • Bidding system •
  • Bridge convention •
  • Hand evaluation
Bridge systems
  • List of bidding systems •
  • 2/1 game forcing •
  • Acol •
  • Bidding system •
  • Blue Club •
  • Boring Club •
  • Bridge Base Basic •
  • Bridge World Standard •
  • Canapé (bridge) •
  • Carrot Club •
  • EHAA •
  • Fantunes •
  • Highly unusual method •
  • Kaplan-Sheinwold •
  • Little Major •
  • Moscito •
  • OK bridge 2/1 •
  • Polish Club •
  • Precision Club •
  • Roman Club •
  • Romex system •
  • Säffle Spade •
  • Standard American •
  • Strong club system
Bridge conventions
  • Asptro •
  • Astro convention •
  • Baron convention •
  • Bergen raises •
  • Blackout convention •
  • Blackwood convention •
  • Brozel •
  • Byzantine Blackwood convention •
  • Cappelletti convention •
  • Carrot 1NT •
  • Carrot 4NT •
  • Comfy Canapé •
  • Copenhagen convention (bridge) •
  • CRASH convention •
  • DONT •
  • Drury convention •
  • Ekren convention •
  • Fishbein convention •
  • Fit showing jump bid •
  • Flannery •
  • Forcing notrump •
  • Fourth suit forcing •
  • Gardener 1NT •
  • Gerber convention •
  • Ghestem •
  • Grand slam force •
  • Hello convention •
  • Jacoby 2NT •
  • Jacoby transfer •
  • Kamikaze 1NT •
  • Landy •
  • Last Train •
  • Leaping Michaels •
  • Lebensohl •
  • Lightner double •
  • Lionel convention •
  • Meckwell convention •
  • Meyerson convention •
  • Michaels cuebid •
  • Mini-Roman 2 Diamond •
  • Mohan convention •
  • Muiderberg convention •
  • Multi 2 diamonds •
  • Namyats •
  • Negative double •
  • Negative free bid •
  • New minor forcing •
  • Norman four notrump •
  • Ogust convention •
  • Pass-or-correct bid •
  • Raptor convention •
  • Relay bid •
  • Rosenkranz double/redouble •
  • Rubens advances •
  • Rubensohl •
  • San Francisco convention •
  • Serious 3NT •
  • Slam-seeking conventions •
  • Snapdragon double •
  • Splinter bid •
  • Stayman convention •
  • Strong Notrump After Passing (SNAP) •
  • Strong two bid •
  • Strong two clubs •
  • Suction convention •
  • Transfer Walsh •
  • Unusual notrump •
  • Unusual vs. unusual •
  • Walsh convention •
  • Woolsey convention •
  • XY Notrump convention
See also
  • List of defenses to 1NT •
  • Balanced hand •
  • Balancing (bridge) •
  • Bidding box •
  • Board (bridge) •
  • Brown sticker •
  • Cue bid •
  • Five-card majors •
  • Forcing bid •
  • Forcing pass •
  • Gambling 3NT •
  • Game try •
  • Honor point count •
  • Inverted minors •
  • Law of total tricks •
  • Losing-Trick Count •
  • Major suit •
  • Minor suit •
  • Optimum contract and par contract •
  • Overcall •
  • Preempt •
  • Prepared opening bid •
  • Principle of fast arrival •
  • Psychic bid •
  • Quantitative no trump bids •
  • Reverse (bridge) •
  • Sacrifice (bridge) •
  • Shooting (bridge) •
  • Single suiter •
  • Strong pass •
  • Support double •
  • Takeout double •
  • Three suiter •
  • Two suiter •
  • Useful space principle •
  • Void (cards) •
  • Weak two bid •
  • Zar Points
Card Play
Introduction
  • List of play techniques (bridge) •
  • Card reading (bridge) •
  • Duck (bridge) •
  • Endplay •
  • Entry (cards) •
  • Finesse •
  • Hold up (bridge) •
  • Ruff (cards) •
  • Safety play
Declarer play
  • Coups:
  • Alcatraz coup •
  • Bath coup •
  • Belladonna coup •
  • Coup (bridge) •
  • Coup en passant •
  • Crocodile coup •
  • Deschapelles coup •
  • Devil's coup •
  • Merrimac coup •
  • Morton's fork coup •
  • Scissors coup •
  • Trump coup •
  • Vienna coup •
  • Squeezes:
  • Backwash squeeze •
  • Cannibal squeeze •
  • Clash squeeze •
  • Compound squeeze •
  • Criss-cross squeeze •
  • Double squeeze •
  • Entry squeeze •
  • Entry-shifting squeeze •
  • Guard squeeze •
  • Knockout squeeze •
  • Non-simultaneous double squeeze •
  • Progressive squeeze •
  • Pseudo-squeeze •
  • Saturated squeeze •
  • Simple squeeze •
  • Simultaneous double squeeze •
  • Single-suit squeeze •
  • Squeeze play (bridge) •
  • Stepping-stone squeeze •
  • Strip squeeze •
  • Triple squeeze •
  • Trump squeeze •
  • Vice squeeze •
  • Winkle squeeze •
  • Suit combinations:
  • Suit combination •
  • Suit combination – J missing •
  • Suit combination – 10 missing •
  • Suit combinations – K10 missing
Defender play
  • Journalist leads •
  • Opening lead •
  • Rule of 10-12 •
  • Rule of 11 •
  • Rusinow leads
See also
  • Avoidance play •
  • Beer card •
  • Bridge probabilities •
  • Forcing defense •
  • Grosvenor gambit •
  • Loser on loser •
  • Percentage play •
  • Pin (bridge) •
  • Principle of restricted choice •
  • Shooting (bridge) •
  • Signal (bridge) •
  • Smother play •
  • Tempo (bridge) •
  • Trump promotion •
  • Uppercut (bridge) •
  • Vacant Places
People and Organizations
Administrators,
players and
writers
  • List of bridge people •
  • List of nationality transfers in sport •
  • A
  • Terje Aa •
  • Pierre Albarran •
  • Martin Andresen •
  • Walter Avarelli •
  • B
  • Cezary Balicki •
  • Hermine Baron •
  • Henry Beasley •
  • Giorgio Belladonna •
  • Richard Belton •
  • Albert Benjamin •
  • Marty A. Bergen •
  • David Berkowitz •
  • Huub Bertens •
  • David Bird •
  • Easley Blackwood, Sr. •
  • Blue Team •
  • Norberto Bocchi •
  • Janet de Botton •
  • Tim Bourke •
  • Marcelo Branco •
  • Tomas Brenning •
  • Raymond Brock •
  • Jane Bronstein •
  • John Brown •
  • David Bruce •
  • Michelle Brunner •
  • Walter Buller •
  • Wesley Burrowes •
  • C
  • Orlando Campos •
  • Mike Cappelletti •
  • Drew Casen •
  • James Cayne •
  • Gabriel Chagas •
  • Paul Chemla •
  • George Coffin •
  • Larry N. Cohen •
  • Ben Cohen •
  • Barry Crane •
  • John R. Crawford •
  • Ely Culbertson •
  • D
  • Massimo D'Alelio •
  • Dallas Aces •
  • Hugh Darwen •
  • Mike Develin •
  • Leslie Dodds •
  • Giorgio Duboin •
  • Michel Duguet •
  • E
  • Billy Eisenberg •
  • Maria Erhart •
  • Bob Etter •
  • F
  • Fulvio Fantoni •
  • Martin Fleisher •
  • Jeremy Flint •
  • Pietro Forquet •
  • Tony Forrester •
  • Robert Frederick Foster •
  • Richard Freeman •
  • G
  • Nico Gardener •
  • Benito Garozzo •
  • Piotr Gawryś •
  • Pierre Ghestem •
  • Eldad Ginossar •
  • Fred Gitelman •
  • Ramesh Gokhale •
  • Bobby Goldman •
  • Phil Gordon •
  • Fritzi Gordon •
  • Charles Goren •
  • Audrey Grant •
  • Alan C. Greenberg •
  • Susanna Gross •
  • Glenn Grøtheim •
  • Ace Gutowsky •
  • H
  • Bob Hamman •
  • Nicolas Hammond •
  • Maurice Harrison-Gray •
  • Geir Helgemo •
  • Tor Helness •
  • Walter Herbert •
  • Marc Hodler •
  • Mark Horton •
  • Carl Hudecek •
  • Roy Hughes •
  • I
  • J
  • Oswald Jacoby •
  • Pierre Jaïs •
  • K
  • Charles Kalme •
  • Edwin Kantar •
  • Edgar Kaplan •
  • Ralph Katz •
  • George S. Kaufman •
  • Norman Kay •
  • Amalya Lyle Kearse •
  • Sami Kehela •
  • Hugh Kelsey •
  • Roy Kerr •
  • Ron Klinger •
  • Martin de Knijff •
  • Putte Kock •
  • Kenneth Konstam •
  • Janusz Korwin-Mikke •
  • Michał Kwiecień •
  • L
  • Harry Lampert •
  • Emmanuel Lasker •
  • Lorenzo Lauria •
  • Michael Lawrence •
  • Peter Lee •
  • Linda Lee •
  • James Lemon •
  • Bobby Levin •
  • Irina Levitina •
  • Clyde E. Love •
  • Paul Lukacs •
  • M
  • Iain Macleod •
  • Zia Mahmood •
  • Ronald Mansbridge •
  • Rixi Markus •
  • Jack Marx •
  • Jeff Meckstroth •
  • Adam Meredith •
  • Marshall Miles •
  • Victor Mollo •
  • Albert Hodges Morehead •
  • Bauke Muller •
  • Eric Murray •
  • N
  • Claudio Nunes •
  • O
  • Jack Olsen •
  • Aileen Osofsky •
  • Géza Ottlik •
  • P
  • Camillo Pabis Ticci •
  • Richard Pavlicek •
  • Jordanis Pavlides •
  • Leonard Pennario •
  • Carl'Alberto Perroux •
  • Hubert Phillips •
  • Gary Pomerantz •
  • Julian Pottage •
  • R Prabhakar •
  • Tony Priday •
  • Tommy Prothro •
  • Jacek Pszczoła •
  • Q
  • R
  • Terence Reese •
  • Doris Rhodes •
  • Andrew Robson •
  • Eric Rodwell •
  • Bill Root •
  • Eunice Rosen •
  • William Rosen •
  • Michael Rosenberg •
  • George Rosenkranz •
  • Alvin Roth •
  • Jeff Rubens •
  • Ron Rubin •
  • S
  • Boris Schapiro •
  • Howard Schenken •
  • Peter Schneider •
  • A. J. Sefi •
  • Martin Seligman •
  • Omar Sharif •
  • Alfred Sheinwold •
  • Shen Chun-shan •
  • Jaggy Shivdasani •
  • S. J. Simon •
  • P. Hal Sims •
  • Helen Sobel Smith •
  • Nicola Smith •
  • Marc Smith •
  • Tobi Sokolow •
  • Paul Soloway •
  • Alan Sontag •
  • Nathan B. Spingold •
  • Samuel Stayman •
  • Paul Stern •
  • Ralph Swimer •
  • Peter Swinnerton-Dyer •
  • T
  • Roger Trézel •
  • Dorothy Hayden Truscott •
  • Alan Truscott •
  • U
  • V
  • Harold Stirling Vanderbilt •
  • Alfredo Versace •
  • Bep Vriend •
  • W
  • Louis H. Watson •
  • C. C. Wei •
  • Roy Welland •
  • Berry Westra •
  • Charles Wigoder •
  • Bobby Wolff •
  • Kit Woolsey •
  • Milton Work •
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
  • Richard Zeckhauser •
  • Jack Zhao •
  • Adam Żmudziński
Clubs
  • Bridge Club Braşov •
  • Galatasaray Bridge Team •
  • Melville Bridge Club •
  • Portland Club (London) •
  • Young Chelsea Bridge Club
Governing bodies
  • American Bridge Association •
  • American Contract Bridge League •
  • Austrian Bridge Federation •
  • Canadian Bridge Federation •
  • English Bridge Union •
  • European Bridge League •
  • World Bridge Federation
Championships
Introduction
  • List of bridge competitions and awards
World
  • Bermuda Bowl •
  • Bridge at the 1st World Mind Sports Games •
  • Cavendish Invitational •
  • McConnell Cup •
  • Rosenblum Cup •
  • Senior Bowl (bridge) •
  • Triple crown of bridge •
  • Venice Cup •
  • World Bridge Championships •
  • World IMP Pairs Championship •
  • World Junior Pairs Championship •
  • World Junior Teams Championship •
  • World Mind Sports Games •
  • World Mixed Pairs Championship •
  • World Mixed Teams Championship •
  • World Open Pairs Championship •
  • World Senior Pairs Championship •
  • World Senior Teams Championship •
  • World Team Olympiad •
  • World Transnational Open Teams Championship •
  • World Women Pairs Championship
National and Zonal
  • Buffett Cup •
  • Camrose Trophy •
  • Commonwealth Nations Bridge Championships •
  • Gold Cup (bridge) •
  • North American bridge Championships:
  • Blue Ribbon Pairs •
  • Bruce LM-5000 Pairs •
  • Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match •
  • Fall National Open Pairs •
  • Fast Open Pairs •
  • Fishbein Trophy •
  • Goren Trophy •
  • Grand National Teams •
  • Hilliard Mixed Pairs •
  • Jacoby Open Swiss Teams •
  • Keohane North American Swiss Teams •
  • Lebhar IMP Pairs •
  • Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs •
  • Machlin Women's Swiss Teams •
  • Manfield Non-Life Master Pairs •
  • Master Individual •
  • Mini-Blue Ribbon Pairs •
  • Mini-Spingold •
  • Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams •
  • Mott-Smith Trophy •
  • Nail Life Master Open Pairs •
  • National 199er Pairs •
  • National 49er Pairs •
  • National 99er Pairs •
  • Non-Life Master Swiss Teams •
  • Norman Kay Platinum Pairs •
  • North American Bridge Championships •
  • North American Pairs •
  • Red Ribbon Pairs •
  • Reisinger •
  • Rockwell Mixed Pairs •
  • Roth Open Swiss Teams •
  • Senior Knockout Teams •
  • Silodor Open Pairs •
  • Smith Life Master Women's Pairs •
  • Spingold •
  • Sternberg Women's Board-a-Match Teams •
  • Truscott Senior Swiss Teams •
  • Vanderbilt Trophy •
  • Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs •
  • Wagar Women's Knockout Teams •
  • Wernher Open Pairs •
  • Whitehead Women's Pairs •
  • Young LM-1500 Pairs
Resources
Books
  • List of bridge books •
  • 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know •
  • Bridge Squeezes Complete •
  • The Cardturner •
  • Contract Bridge for Beginners •
  • Edwin Kantar bibliography •
  • Master Point Press •
  • Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand •
  • Terence Reese bibliography •
  • The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge •
  • Tickets to the Devil
Magazines
  • List of bridge magazines •
  • Bridge d'Italia •
  • The Bridge World
External links
  • Bridge Base Basic •
  • Bridge Base Inc. •
  • OK bridge 2/1
Take me to a random contract bridge article

Read more about this topic:  Forcing Notrump

Famous quotes containing the words forcing and/or step:

    ““Who cares what they say? It’s a nice way to live,
    Just taking what Nature is willing to give,
    Not forcing her hand with harrow and plow.””
    —Robert Frost (1874–1963)

    “If women were umpiring none of this [rowdyism] would happen. Do you suppose any ball player in the country would step up to a good-looking girl and say to her, “You color- blind, pickle-brained, cross-eyed idiot, if you don’t stop throwing the soup into me I’ll distribute your features all over you countenance!” Of course he wouldn’t.”
    —Amanda Clement (1888–1971)