March 2008 - 42

PLAY BRIDGE

Bridge
Player's
Survival
Kit

Answers to Mike's
Bidding Quiz See page 40

Here is a common auction with you
as South:
West
1

North
Dbl

East
3

South
?

First question. What do you expect
the 3 bidder to have? The correct
way to play a jump raise after a takeout
double is weak and preemptive. A
typical 3 bid should look something
like this:

Leslie Shafer
slamhand@verizon.net

7 4 K 8 7 3 7 4 Q 9 8 7 3.

Am I promising
four or five?
When does your bidding show a
four-card suit? When should you have
five of them?
When you promise four
After your side has opened the
bidding at the one level, you can start
bidding four-card (or longer) suits.
Starting with responder's first bid in
non-competitive auctions, new suits
by opener or responder promise only
four-card length. For example:
Pard
You
1 (2)
1 (1)
(1) Does not promise four. It could be
a three-card suit.
(2) Four or more diamonds and 6 or
more high-card points.
Pard
You
1 (2)
1 (1)
(1) Usually at least four but
occasionally only three.
(2) Four or more spades and 6 or
more HCP.
Pard
You
1 (2)
1 (1)
(1) At least five hearts.
(2) Four or more spades and 6 or
more HCP.
Pard
You
1
2 (1)
(1) Four or more clubs and 11 or
more HCP.
42

The exception
Pard
You
1
2 (1)
(1) At least five hearts and 11 or
more HCP.
The 2 response takes up a lot of
bidding room, so it promises a fivecard heart suit. This is the only time
in a non-competitive auction that
responder promises a five-card suit
with his first bid. This is standard, but
just to be safe, discuss it with your
partner.
Bids that promise five-card suits
There are times when bids should
show five-card (or longer) suits. Let's
take a look at some of them.
Overcalling. When the opponents
open the bidding, your side can
compete by overcalling. Most know
that the overcaller should have five or
more of his suit, but the "advancer"
(the partner of the overcaller) also
needs a five-card or longer suit of his
own to change suits.
West
1

North
Pard
1

East
Pass

South
You
2

Partner promises five spades -
and you show at least five diamonds.
Your side did not open, so you are not
the responder! Both the overcaller
and the advancer promise five-card
suits!


This hand has four tr umps (a
minimum number for a weak jump)
and is in the requisite 4-6 high-cardpoint range with a little distribution.
The reason for the jump is to make life
harder on the opponents.
If you have a normal limit raise, you
can show it in one of two ways. You can
redouble and raise at your next turn,
or you can bid 2NT, a conventional
agreement. If you are using this
convention, 2NT after RHO doubles
partner's major shows a limit raise or
better with four or more trumps.
It is not my intention to dwell on
conventions, however. I want you to
know how more experienced players
handle this kind of competitive
bidding.
Here are f ive hands for South
in the following auction (no one is
vulnerable):
West
1

North
Dbl

East
3

South
?

Reminder: Life will be tougher
when your opponents are bidding
spades because you have to go up an
extra level in the bidding if you wish
to compete.
1. A J 7 3 K 2 7 6 2 9 8 6 2
2. Q 10 6 3 4 2 8 7 2 A Q J 2
3. 7 2 K 10 7 6 3 5 2 Q 8 7 3
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2008
