BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

PLAYINg Pairs, your partner makes an Astro 2 ♣ overcall of the opponent’s weak 1NT opening bid. What would you respond? REMEMBER yesterday, that 2 ♣ conventionally shows at least nine cards in hearts and a lower suit, with insufficient values to make a penalty double.

the rule for responder is that, unless he has an opening hand himself, or a particularly good fit with one of partner’s suits, he must make one of the following four responses: (A) holding three cards in partner’s cue-bid major (in this case hearts), you bid two of the suit. So your bid here would be 2 ♥ . Be very careful not to show your spade suit, which partner has already denied. (B) With fewer than three cards in the cue-bid major, make a relay bid in the next suit — in this case, if with only a doubleton heart, it would be 2 ♦ . (C) With six cards in the suit cue-bid by partner, you may pass (in this case clubs). (D) Your first priority is to confirm or deny at best 3-card support for partner’s designated major.

the only exception would be if you had six spades and only a doubleton heart (make ♥ 2 the

♠ 2 above) and you could then bid 2 ♠ . this hand faces yesterday’s: ♠ 10 8, ♥ A10 9 7 5, ♦ K Q 7 5 2, ♣ 4, and you’d certainly expect to make 2 ♥ on the combined 17-count — but how would you reach it without Astro?