BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

At LOVE all, your right-hand opponent deals and opens 1 ♠ . What would you bid? Remember the need to let your partner into the secret of the type of hand you hold. Could you honestly bid a mere 2 ♥ here? Of course not, because this could clearly lead to a missed game.

the perfect bid for this hand is 3 ♥ , a jump of one more level than necessary. he will know that you have a strong single-suited hand, needing very little help from him to make a game. the least of his worries will be trump support, because he’ll know you have a strong and long suit of your own. you can dream up a hundred combinations for partner’s hand which will produce just that little extra you need for game.

this jump bid is, of course, very highly invitational, though not forcing. Be careful, too, to take vulnerability into account — three-level bids are tempting targets for business doubles and one down doubled and vulnerable, against non-vulnerable opponents who can’t make a game, may cost you dearly at Pairs.

note that there is also a ‘modern’ style of using jump overcalls pre- emptively on intermediate or weak hands.

so, remember to check the method your partnership uses!