Bidding in depth
A rebid in a higher-ranking suit at the two level that promises about 17 points or more and an unbalanced hand.
A reverse shows about 17 points or more and an unbalanced hand, normally five cards in the first suit and four in the second, and it is forcing for one round. You have made a reverse when you open one suit, bid a new suit at the two level at your next turn, and two things are true:
Here is the classic example. You open one diamond, partner responds one spade, and you rebid two hearts:
| You | Partner |
|---|---|
| 1♦ | 1♠ |
| 2♥ |
Hearts ranks above diamonds, and two hearts sits above partner’s one spade. To go back to diamonds, partner would have to bid three, so this rebid is a reverse.
A reverse pushes the bidding up, and someone must be able to afford it. Suppose partner is weak and prefers your first suit: they now have to bid it at the three level. To sit safely that high you want around 23 points between the two hands. Partner’s one-level response promised only about six. Take six from twenty-three and opener needs to supply roughly seventeen.
So two suits alone are not enough to reverse. With fewer than about 17 points you must find something quieter: rebid your first suit, or bid a modest one notrump, even if that means not showing the second suit at all. The second suit waits until you have the values to show it safely.
The first suit is longer because you open your longest suit; the reverse then shows the shorter, higher-ranking one.
Watch for the look-alikes that are not reverses and promise nothing extra. A lower-ranking second suit is not a reverse: after 1♦ – 1♠, rebidding two clubs lets partner return to two diamonds cheaply, so it shows no extra strength. Nor is bidding both suits at the one level, such as 1♣ – 1♦ – 1♥: the auction never climbed, so no extra values are implied.
Partner may not pass, because you might hold a great deal. With fewer than about eight points, partner makes the cheapest sensible bid: preference back to your first suit, or a repeat of partner’s own suit to show length. The partnership can still stop below game. With about eight points or more, game is in reach and the bidding drives on to find the best one.
If partner has already made a game-forcing 2/1 response (a new suit at the two level, promising about 13 or more), the auction is already heading to game. The higher-suit rebid then no longer needs the extra values. BidMaestro drops the seventeen-point requirement there and lets opener show the suit freely.
A reverse shows about 17 points or more. It promises two suits with the first longer than the second, and it is forcing for one round. Without that strength, rebid your first suit or bid notrump, and wait to show the second suit.
