M J Bridge

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Conventions

M J Bridge

Home

Bidding

Hands

Theory

Overcaller’s first bid

Overcaller’s rebid

Question

My guideline

Is advancer’s lowest-level change of suit forcing?

No.

Play it as natural, and constructive - but not forcing.

K J 8 6 4

T 8 7

Q 3

K Q 2

Bid 1, promising a five-card suit and suggesting about nine to sixteen points.

Note that the suit quality is only barely adequate for this bid - you would certainly think twice before introducing this suit at the two-level.

LHO

Pard

RHO

You

1

1

-

?









8 5

Q J T 8 7 4 3 2

5 3 2

Pass.

You could risk a bid of 2 followed by a jump to 4 which would show something like this, but if your opponents tried 5 partner might well double based on your assumed seven or more points.  Better to jump to 4 when not vulnerable if this is to play.

LHO

Pard

RHO

You

1

1

-

?










Too strong for a non-forcing change of suit


Jump in a new suit


The simple constructive but not forcing change of suit recommended above leaves you with something of a problem when you hold a long suit of your own in a good hand with little support for partner.


Simplest at this level is to play that a jump in a new suit shows precisely such a hand and is forcing for one round.

Bidding a new suit


I have already considered a simple approach suitable for the earliest stages only, and even then you might well have chosen to bypass it.


That method assumed that partner’s overcall promised much the same as an opening bid.

It is in that assumption that the approach falls down.


The exact strengths which you associate with each of your options will vary according to your partnership agreement regarding the strength of partner’s overcall.

In the following I shall assume that his bid promised at least a five-card suit (usually six-card at the two-level) and that the strength might lie anywhere from about six points (in a good suit and not vulnerable) up to about sixteen points (if you play a higher upper limit then adjust the following suggested point-ranges accordingly).


The following also assumes that you do not hold a three-card or better fit for partner.


With up to about eight points and anything less than extreme shape it is unlikely that there will be anything more than a part-score making your way.

With nine to about twelve points there is the possibility that there might be a game your way, although it is still against the odds.

With something like thirteen or more points the chances of a contract your way increase rapidly, although still by no means certain,

and with something like sixteen or more points (getting a little unlikely) there will usually be a contract your way, although that will not always produce your best score.


Constructive but not forcing


To cover the possibilities above the most versatile option is to play a simple change of suit by you as ‘constructive but not forcing’.


The suit should be up to scratch as it will not infrequently be left as the final contract.  A minimum of five cards is the starting point, but some quality is also required.


The hand should also feature at least a modicum of strength in honours points.  Partner is encouraged to bid on if towards the top of his range, and you must not risk this taking you from a good contract into a doomed contract.  


And the suit should be one which you would like partner to lead if you find yourself defending.


As when overcalling a good guideline for this is the SQUOT test which will go a good way towards covering all three of the requirements above.


Don’t rescue partner


A corollary of the above is that you don’t get to ‘rescue’ partner when you have a particularly poor fit, and nothing of your own worth introducing, in a weak hand.  If you haven’t got a suitable SQUOT count, or a suit you want led, or something in excess of nine points (preferably more) just stay quiet.  Any move by you in this situation is quite likely not to locate a better fit, it is likely to ‘dig a bigger hole’, it will mislead partner, and in any case it will be relatively rare that partner’s simple overcall will be passed out.


Just fight your natural instincts and stay politely and inscrutably silent.

Post-beginner and above

This page last revised 9th Feb 2022

Context - advancer - opponents opened one of a suit - partner made a minimum suit overcall - RHO passed - an improver’s method - non-support bids.

5

A K Q J 7 4 3 8 2

A 3 2

Bid 3 if you have agreed to play this jump as natural and forcing for one round (but see below).

LHO

Pard

RHO

You

1

1

-

?










BUT


as you move beyond an improvers’ level I will suggest a better use for this bid - the fit-jump.


An alternative way of showing the hand in question - transfer advances - will be introduced in ‘the way ahead’.