Goren on Bridge

How do you respond to partner’s takeout double? The traditional scheme is that you bid your best suit without jumping with 0-8 points, jump in your best suit with 9-11 points (might be a fourcard suit), and jump to game in your best suit with 12 or more points. You will sometimes not know the correct game to bid and so you will cue bid the opponent’s suit. This allows the partnership to proceed slowly until a good fit is found or you settle on playing in no-trump. A player will sometimes cue bid with less than game-forcing values and length in both majors. Does that relieve him of responsibility to bid again? We don’t think so. South could not have done anything to show his extra values over the cue bid as he couldn’t be sure that hearts was the right strain for his side. However, he would happily go on to game after a raise by North.

Today’s deal is from a team game. At the other table, South overcalled one no-trump and reached game in hearts, making easily. At this table, South doubled — the action that most experts would prefer. He missed game when partner passed his two-heart bid.

We agree with North’s cue bid, but he owed his partner another bid. Three hearts would have been perfect.

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