BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

YOUR partner opens 1NT, and RHO overcalls 2 ♠ . What action would your take, and would it matter whether you are playing a Weak or Strong NT (12-14 or 15-17)?

i SUGGEST this is the classic situation where science should go out the window: there is no normal bidding sequence that is likely to guide you to the best contract any better than using your flair and judgment to go for a top.

A penalty double would be boring and unlikely to score very well unless partner held exactly the right cards to defeat 2 ♠ by at least three tricks. so your optional contracts are 3NT, 5 ♣ or 6 ♣ . i would reject 5 ♣ on the grounds that, even with an overtrick, it would lose out to 3NT+1.

That leaves the club slam or the lead coming up to partner’s NT’s.

opposite a strong NT, i bid 6 ♣ , and opposite Weak, 3nT. But whichever you choose requires the luck of finding a reasonable distribution and partner with the right values.