Contract Bridge

1. Two hearts. All you can do for the moment is show a preference for partner’s first suit. Partner’s actual strength is unknown -- he might have a minimum opening bid or extra values not yet disclosed.

Two hearts shows willingness to stop at a partscore and therefore implies that your first response was based on fairly minimum values. If partner next bids three hearts, however, you should happily carry on to four, since you have more than your first two bids have shown.

2. Three clubs. This invites partner to go on to game with more than a minimum opening, but he is, of course, not forced to bid again. In this sequence, three clubs indicates about nine to 11 points.

3. Three hearts. It would be wrong to bid only two hearts, which would represent a much weaker hand, as in the first problem. Counting the heart fit, your doubleton club and 11 high-card points, you have enough to make a strong invitation to game. So you jumpraise rather than give partner a simple preference in hearts.

4. Three notrump. With 13 high-card points opposite an opening bid, you must undertake game, and it is likewise clear that the best chance for game lies in notrump. There is not much point to bidding two diamonds, even though this would be a forcing bid. It would suggest a more distributional hand rather than the notrump type of hand you have.

5. Four clubs. Game is highly likely, and even a slam is not out of the question. Though you have only 11 high-card points, your distributional features easily justify the invitational jump to four. While three notrump could prove to be a feasible contract, there is no way of reaching a notrump game without sacrificing the advantages of the jump-raise.

Tomorrow: Try the impossible.