Roudi

Roudi, a popular French convention, is a 2 rebid by responder to check back for major suit support. It’s used in this specific auction:

Opener 1/ 1NT (12-14)

Responder 1/ 2!

2 is artificial and forcing, promising a 5+ card major and 11+ points. That said, there are a lot of variations out there. Some Roudi treatments only require a 4-card major, along with puppet relays and/or canapé rebids, but these are beyond my scope. I’ll share more when I retire to the south of France one day.

Note that Roudi assumes a strong 1NT opening bid. In the above auction, opener’s 1NT rebid shows a minimum balanced hand.

Roudi can be quite valuable for game-invitational sequences, and it doesn't cost much to play. When partner opens 1/ with 12-14 points, locating a minor-suit fit is of little value:

South QJ952 654 9 AT82

West Pass Pass North 1 1NT East Pass Pass South 1 ?

A natural 2 here typically lacks staying power. Decent opponents will strive to balance after your side indicates such humble strength.

Opener's artificial replies to 2 all focus on showing support and strength. Presumably:

1. Opener always has at least 2-card support (given the 1NT rebid), but...
2. Opener has no more than 3-card support (given the failure to raise immediately).

Opener's Rebid	Meaning
2	2-card support, 12-14 points
2	3-card support, 12-13 points
2	3-card support, 14 points. Forcing to game.

A 2NT rebid can be optionally added to distinguish the 2-card support hands by strength.

Opener's Rebid	Meaning
2	2-card support, 12-13 points
2	3-card support, 12-13 points
2	3-card support, 14 points
2NT	2-card support, 14 points

Going even further, some partnerships use a 3/ rebid to show 3-card support, 14 points, and a 5-card minor.

After Opener Rebids 2

These are the most complex sequences, since there may not be a major-suit fit or values for game. A lot of flexibility is still needed.

When responder's suit is hearts:

Opener 1/ 1NT (12-14) 2

Responder 1 2 ?

Responder's Rebid	Meaning
2	Signoff.
2	A forcing reverse with 5+ hearts, 4+ spades and 12+ points. Responder needs a good hand since opener already denied a 4-card spade suit.
2NT	Signoff.
3/	Natural and forcing for one round.
3	Invitation to game with a 6-card suit. Non-forcing.
3NT	Signoff.
4	Signoff.
4NT	Quantitative, invitation to 6NT.

When responder's suit is spades:

Opener 1/ 1NT (12-14) 2

Responder 1 2 ?

Responder's Rebid	Meaning
2	5 spades, 4+ hearts, and 11-12 points. Non-forcing.
2	Signoff.
2NT	Signoff.
3/	Natural and forcing for one round.
3	5 spades, 4+ hearts and forcing to game.
3	Invitation to game with a 6-card suit.
3NT	Signoff.
4	Natural. Pass or correct to 4.
4	Signoff.
4NT	Quantitative, invitation to 6NT.

There are also particular meanings to bidding sequences in which responder skips the Roudi 2 bid.

South AT963 KJT3 5 972

West Pass Pass North 1 1NT East Pass Pass South 1 ?

Here,2 shows 4+ hearts, but 10 points or less. Opener can pass or correct.

South K92 AKJT64 AK9 6

West Pass Pass North 1 1NT East Pass Pass South 1 ?

South can bid 3 with a game-forcing hand that has some slam interest. The invitational-strength hands are already covered by Roudi.

It's up to the partnership how to handle interference before or after responder can bid 2.

Interference Over 1NT

If 1NT is doubled, you can choose to either play Roudi on or off. If the opponents bid over 1NT, a simple approach is to treat a cue-bid as a query for major suit support. Since this pushes the bidding up to the 3-level, responder must have a good hand.

Interference Over 1NT

If the opponents bid over 2, opener can pass with 2-card support or make any other natural bids.

For players who use the popular American convention New Minor Forcing, here’s a short comparison:

• New Minor Forcing applies after a 1, 1, or 1 opening. Roudi is only used after 1 or 1.
• New Minor Forcing requires responder to bid a “new” (i.e. previously unbid) minor. By contrast, Roudi always uses 2 – regardless of whether partner originally opened 1.
• The responses to each convention differ. Roudi employs artificial step responses, whereas New Minor Forcing is more natural.

Roudi was created by French expert and author Jean-Marc Roudinesco in 1977. Roudinesco won European bridge championships in 1966 and 1970. He also penned multiple books, including "The Dictionary of Suit Combinations".