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
South |
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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:
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.
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
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 ? |
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 ? |
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. |
Natural. Pass or correct to | |
4 | Signoff. |
4NT | Quantitative, invitation to 6NT. |
There are also particular meanings to bidding sequences in which responder skips the Roudi
South |
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Here,
South |
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South can bid
It's up to the partnership how to handle interference before or after responder can bid
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.
If the opponents bid over
For players who use the popular American convention New Minor Forcing, here’s a short comparison:
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".
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