DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

A popular bidding system is “two-over-one.” It differs from “Standard” in that a new-suit response at the two level is forcing to game. With many invitational hands, responder starts with 1NT, forcing.

“Two-over-one” is playable if a partnership is willing to spend some time to learn its nuances, but it has drawbacks as well as benefits. If responder has a game-invitational hand, he can’t show a side suit at the two level, hence opener can’t know where responder’s side strength may lie. (A pertinent question, granted, is whether that information will be of more use to opener or to the opening leader.)

In today’s deal, South opens one spade. In 2/1, North responds 1NT, forcing. South’s correct systemic rebid is two clubs on his cheaper three-card minor. When North then jumps to three spades, South must guess. He might bid four spades, he might not.

In “Standard,” North will respond two diamonds and raise South’s two-spade rebid. Here, South will bid game since his diamond

holding will look helpful.

Say West leads the 10 of hearts, and South takes the ace. If he draws trumps and attacks the diamonds, West can hold up his ace twice. South will never get dummy’s long diamonds and will have four losers.

South must take only the A-J of trumps, then start the diamonds. West can duck the first diamond, win the second and give East a ruff, but after East cashes a heart, South has the rest. He can reach dummy with a high trump to discard clubs on the good diamonds.