KISS 3: Support Partner as a Priority

This really is one of the most important bidding rules. It certainly produces good results and keep the game simple. It also improves partnership dynamics and morale. 

Here are some common areas where people go wrong, where instead of supporting partner:

1. They bid No Trump with a stopper in the opponents suit, 
2. They decide to do a takeout double
3. They try introduce their own suit instead* (This is sometimes called for if your suit is a major and partner's is a minor, but not always).
4. They do a number of other "fancy" bids that don't show support.

 Lets look at some examples where you are North.

1.In this fairly simple example, some players are tempted to bid 1NT, as they have stoppers in the opponents suit. I would simply just say, Always (almost invariably) support partner. In my eyes the correct bid is 2♥, while 1NT is not even a reasonable alternative. 

2. I think this is a hand where some people might go wrong, mainly because of the 5 card spade suit. I think it is best to think about the hand like this

"I have support for partner, so as a starting point I am going to show support. Its just a matter of how". At that point you have narrowed your options and thinking down. Bids like 1♠ have left the building, you are no longer distracted by them. I think the most appropriate bid here is a simple "cue raise", this involves bidding the opponent's suit, 2♣,. It should show a hand that is stronger than a simple raise, so about 10+ points.

The main point of the article is to reinforce the idea as mentioned above "as a starting point, I am going to show support. Its just a matter of how". Its up to partnerships to discuss how they show different hands with support. There are countless numbers of distractions that cause people to suppress their support in favour of something else. Its about training the muscle. 

I'll cover some of the common exceptions to the rule in a future article.

Where to next

• -> Next: KISS 4: Do Not Save by Default
• -> Related: Bidding Basics: Build a Clear Auction Plan
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