There are many variations of Lebensohl. I’m gong to describe what I think is one of the best because it works well in several circumstances — after 1N even when it has a four-point spread such as 12-15 or 10-13, after a big club opening is preempted, and after partner makes any takeout double at the two level.
Basic overview: When the opponents bid at the two level there often isn’t enough bidding room to do everything we’d like to do. For example, suppose they overcall 2♠ after our 1N opening. Here’s what we’d like to be able to do:
1) compete for the partial
2) invite game
3) find major suit fits (4-4 or 5-3) when they exist, and avoid them when they don’t
4) play 3N when we have their suit stopped and avoid it when we don’t
The trouble is, after their 2♠ call, we have only one major suit bid (3♥) available below 3N. Is that competitive, invitational or forcing? Does it show 4 hearts or 5+? No agreement is satisfactory because it leaves out the other meanings.
Similarly, we have only one way to show diamonds — bid 3♦. Is 3♦ competitive, invitational or forcing? And the same problem exists for clubs.
Lebensohl solves these problems by giving up a natural 2N. Using 2N as a forcing relay (partner is requested to bid 3♣), allows responder to bid three level suits in multiple ways — directly, or slowly by using the 2N relay first. And on some sequences he may be able to bid the suit a third way — after he makes a takeout double.
1N (2♠) 3♦ = directly
1N (2♠) 2N*(relay) (P)
3♣* (P) 3♦ = slowly
I’ll put agreements to remember in bold, numbered.
1) bidding any two level suit = competitive or invitational.
xx
QTxxx
Kxx
KJx
1N(12-15) (2♦) 2♥ = 5+ suit (NF about 8-11) This spans the competitive – invitational range
If opener has a good fit with a max, he is permitted to invite.
2) Bidding a lower ranking suit directly = invitational.
Bidding a lower ranking suit slowly = competitive (less than invitational).
If partner has opened a 12-15 1N, 10-11 is normally invitational. So, with this ten pointer…
xx
Kxx
AQTxx
JTx
1N (2♠) 3♦ = direct, and is therefore invitational. Opener will pass to decline or bid on to accept. He’ll rebid 3N to accept with a spade stop, and rebid 3cue to accept while asking responder for a stop.
However, with less strength…
xx
Qxx
AQTxx
Txx
1N (2♠) 2N* (P)
3♣* (P) 3♦ = slowly (only competitive) Opener will then pass, even with a max.
There are a two things I should point out. First, these example hands are good minimums for the actions given, and second this agreement is not the usual agreement when playing a big NT(15-17). Standard bidders most frequently use direct = forcing, and slow = competitive. They assume that the narrower range of the 1N opening gives responder a decent guess about whether or not to play game, so they give up on having a way to invite. Furthermore, after a big NT they’re more likely to have slam than we are with our weak NT, so they want forcing bids to help sort out when to bid 6 and when to stop in game. But with our wider range 1N(12-15) I believe we need an invitation, and can reasonably give up on careful slam investigations. Even with Lebensohl we can’t do everything. Standard bidders give up game invitations, I give up three-level slam invitations.
3) cue bidding is stayman. Direct Denies a stop (both letter Ds). Slow Shows a stop (both letter Ss).
1N (2♠) 3♠ (direct denies) = 4 hearts, GF, denies a spade stop
1N (2♠) 2N* (P)
3♣* (P) 3♠ (slow shows) = 4 hearts, GF, shows a spade stop
Note that if we have no fit and also no stop, we can play 4♣♦ without bidding game.
4) Bidding 3 of a higher ranking suit is GF with 5. Direct Denies and Slow Shows.
1N (2♦) 3♥ (direct denies)= 5 hearts, GF, denies a diamond stop
1N (2♠) 2N* (P)
3♣* (P) 3♥ (slow shows) = 5 hearts, GF, shows a diamond stop
5) Bid 3N with GF strength and no interest in a Major, even with an unbalanced minor suit holding. Direct Denies and Slow Shows.
1N (2♠) 3N (direct denies) = no interest in hearts, denying a spade stop
1N (2♠) 2N* (P)
3♣* (P) 3N (slow shows) = no interest in hearts, showing a spade stop
example:
x
KQx
AKJxxx
xxx
1N (2♠) 3N (direct denies)
If opener doesn’t have a spade stop, he will pull 3N and you will arrive in a playable suit contact (4♥, 5♦, or 6♦)
Same hand, different bidding:
x
KQx
AKJxxx
xxx
1N (2♥) 2N* (P)
3♣* (P) 3N (slow shows)
6) Double is takeout.
We have been playing that double promises invitational or better. It’s sad that we’ve had to give up on competitive hands with takeout shape. But Lebensohl comes to the rescue with a surprising wrinkle. With the new wrinkle that I’m about to explain, we can also double on competitive hands. It goes like this: After responder makes a takeout double which might be competitive or invitational, OPENER employs Lebehsohl to show if he would accept or decline an invitation by the way he bids to the three level. Direct accepts, and Slow Slows down the bidding (declines). This is similar to agreement #2 above where the direct bid is stronger.
1N (2♥) X (P)
??
a) if opener has spades, he can bid 2♠, allowing responder to invite with 3♠ if responder in fact has invitational tickets. Opener doesn’t have to accept or decline because he’s bidding on the two level and there’s still room for partner to invite.
b) if opener bids clubs or diamonds instead of spades, he has to bid on the three level, and there will be no bidding room for partner to invite (3N is the presumed game), so opener must pre-accept or pre-decline. (I just made those words up.)
1N (2♥) X (P)
3♣♦ (direct accepts)
If responder has a true invitation, which opener has just pre-accepted, the partnership must then sort out stoppers. 3cue asks for a stop, and 3N promises one.
1N (2♥) X (P)
2N* (P) 3♣* (P)
??
pass or 3♦ (slow) declines.
————————
All of the minor suit treatments have direct bids showing more strength than slow bids.
————————
7) Double, followed by a new suit = forcing with a 5+ suit (this is similar to other power-double sequences)
**************************************************
Summary: (this is what to put into a document of agreements)
Lebensohl:
2N is a relay to 3♣.
Cue bid is stayman.
For higher ranking suits and for NT, direct denies and slow shows.
For lower ranking suits, direct is better and slow is weaker. (for both opener and responder)
2 level bids are competitive.
Double is takeout.
Double followed by a new suit is forcing.
***************************************************
Additional uses for Lebensohl:
Suppose they bid a weak two, and partner doubles. Lebensohl is ON in response to the double, with all the same meanings as when they overcall our 1N with a two level bid. We need to be able to show when we have a poor hand in response to the double, so doubler doesn’t bid too much, hoping for a reasonable dummy that doesn’t exist. For example:
(2♠) X (P) ??
Bidding to the three level (lower ranking suits) Directly, is invitational — about 8-10 points, maybe 11 with poor plus factors.
Bidding Slowly = 0-7.
This helps doubler make a reasonable, if imprecise, rebid. Without Lebensohl, a 3 level response to the double would show 0-10+. Yuck. What’s doubler to do then???
———————————
Now suppose we open a forcing 1♣ (16+) and they preempt to 2♥♠. Clubber’s most common holding is a balanced hand, so this is very similar to them bidding 2♥♠ over a big NT opening.
If responder has a good hand, he needs to be able to show or deny stops while he shows his major suit length. And if he doesn’t have a good hand, he needs to be able to show his shape while denying a good hand. With Lebensohl ON, his double is almost always a balanced hand (5-7) because he has ways to show shape with modest holdings using Lebensohl.
And what about opener’s response to the 5-7 double? He needs Lebensohl to show when he wants to drive to game and when he wants to sign off — just like after #6 above.
So… after 1♣ is overcalled at the one or two level:
a) Lebehsohl is ON for bids of 2N and above
b) new suits by responder are Non-forcing (constructive)
c) double is normally 5-7 balanced (with 5-7 unbalanced, bid a 5+ suit)
d) double followed by a new suit is GF (a power double, just in case one of us forgets to use Lebensohl)
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