Conventions

Home

M J Bridge

Bidding

Hands

Theory

Inverted Ghestem (occasionally referred to as Questem)


One way of overcoming the difficulty with both major suits identified under Ghestem is to reverse the allocation for ‘highest’ and ‘outside’.


This leads to the following allocation:-


cue-bid   two highest suits;

2NT        two lowest suits;

3          two outside suits.


The major suit problem has now disappeared.

K Q 8 5 3

K 9 7 5 2

7 4

6

Opponents open 1♣.

Bid 2.

You might be minimum in high-card points, but this is too good an opportunity to miss.

I would make this bid at any vulnerability.


The price to be paid for this modification is that when your opponents open any one of diamonds, hearts, or spades then your bid of 3 will show a holding including clubs, and the chance to show a stronger hand by bidding again will be lost if partner passes with club preference.

K Q 8 5 3

6

A 4

A K Q 5 2

Opponents open 1.

Bid 3 to show your two-suiter in clubs and spades,

but if partner passes you will not have the opportunity to show your strength through a further bid.

Not recommended


This is a high price to pay.


For an evaluation of the methods considered on these pages see the page ‘General considerations and relative merits’.

Advancer’s next bid

Context - overcaller - opponents opened one of a suit - two-suited hands - artificial methods.