Weak 1NT (One No-Trump)
The weak no-trump is a generic term for all natural 1NT opening bids that show less than 14 or 15 HCP. The traditional weak notrump shows 12-14 HCP, although popular HCP ranges include:
- 10-12
- 10-13
- 11-14
- 12-14
- 13-15
- 14-16
The weak notrump is a preemptive bid intended to gobble up the opponents' constructive bidding space. One problem of the weak notrump, however is that 4-4 major-suit fits are frequently missed, when playing in a major is much better than playing in notrumps. Also, because the weak notrump is subject to penalty doubles by the opposition, an escape system is a necessary adjunct:
- Brozel Escapes
- Exit Transfers
- Helvic Wriggle
- Meckwell Escapes
- Moscow Escapes
- Owen Wriggle
- Staveley Wriggle
- SWINE
- Touching Escapes
- Twisted SWINE
If integrating the weak notrump into your system, it is also important to consider its effect on natural sequences such as
1 | : | 1 |
| 1NT/2NT |
1NT here normally shows around 12-14 HCP, but playing a weak notrump should show 15-17.