BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

PLAYiNG Pairs, what do you bid on each of these hands after partner makes an Astro 2 ♣ overcall of the opponent’s weak 1NT opening? FIRST, a reminder that 2 ♣ is conventional, showing at least nine cards in hearts and a lower suit, but with no specified honour point range. The only forcing response to an astro overcall is 2nT. It simply asks partner to show his other suit — in this case, one of the minors. you would be expected to bid 2nT on each of these hands, but for different reasons.

Hand a will play better in whichever minor partner holds, so with only a nine-count, pass partner’s 3 ♣ or 3 ♦ response. Hands B and C have 15HCPs, so you’d hope to be in game unless partner is weak.

On B, you’d bid 3 ♥ , showing three-card support for partner’s known anchor major and inviting him to bid 4 ♥ . Hand C might be a bit tricky; you want to play in 3nT, but if partner responds 3 ♣ , it’s likely you’re wide open in diamonds and you might have to settle for 4 ♣ — unless you are a gambler. The astro hand we’ve had all week is: ♠ 10 8, ♥ a 10 9 7 5, ♦ K Q 7 5 2, ♣ 4. note also that you would be declarer in heart or nT contracts, so you’ll have the bonus of the lead coming to your concealed hand. We’ll look at the final situation tomorrow, where you have strong support for partner’s major.