Carrot 1NT


The Carrot 1NT is a contract bridge convention, in which a 1NT opening bid shows a balanced hand 13-17 hcp. With 13-14 hcp, the opener may not have a 4-card major. With 15-17 hcp, all balanced hands may be opened 1NT.
While originally developed for the Carrot Club system, this opening bid can easily be adopted in any system with a 15-17 1NT-opening.
It combines the preemptive advantage of a weak 1NT-opening when opener lacks majors, with the constructive character of a strong 1NT-opening.
To manage the "wide" hcp-range, a special response-structure has been designed, which distinguishes between weak invitational bids and strong invitational bids.

Responses to 1NT

Opener will only pass with 13-14 hcp, thus denying a 4-card major.
With 15-17, opener can bid a 5-card major naturally, 3NT to play with no major, or use 3 to ask for a 4-card major.
Over 3, responder bids 3 with 4, 3 with 4 or 3NT without major.

After opponents overcall 1NT