Opening with a Short Club Bid

	Why bid a short club	When to bid a short club	How to bid a short club
	Start the bidding Tell partner your strength	A hand with 13+ points No five card major suit	Open with 1 Club Think what you'll rebid

Bidding a Short Club To open 1 of a suit you should have 13 points or more. To open with a major suit you need to have at least 5 cards in the suit. You bid it and then wait for partner's response to see if they also have cards in your major. A Q 10 7 5     J 6 3     A K 5     8 2     With this hand you would of course open with a bid of 1S. What if you don't have a 5 card major though, then what? You can't open a 4 card major so you look to the minor suits. J 5 3     K 7 5     A Q 10 9 8     A 6     With this hand you see that a 1D bid is the right choice. If you don't have a 5 card major or minor, don't give up and pass. K J 9 8     Q J 3 2     8 4     A K 7     Now is the time to trot out the 'Short Club'. You have 14 points so you have to open. Bid 1C with no intention of making this the trump suit. It just tells partner you have opening points. If you bid it again it is a real Club suit, otherwise partner should think that it is 'short'. A similar case is the 'Short Diamond' with the same meaning. A Q 6 3     K 10 5 2     K Q 4     6 2     Try a set of our Opening Bids Flashcards. 50 cards with quick questions and answers on what to bid with 6-6 suits, 6-5 suits, 5-5 suits, 5-4 suits... Need more help with the Short Club or Short Diamond?               Ask a Question              Opening Bids Flashcards              More Bridge We'll get right back to you with answers on the Short Club or Diamond, bridge rules, or any questions you have.