BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

PLayiNG Teams, at Love all, what do you bid next?

THE Fourth Suit Forcing bid is an extremely useful convention, which has always been a basic part of Acol bidding.

Its use can enable you to make contracts, which are otherwise extremely difficult to bid. It is forcing for one round, though if the FSF bidder subsequently makes another bid, it becomes game forcing. I use it to show slam interest.

On the above hand, North is much too strong to raise clubs at his second turn, and any raise would be a non-forcing limit bid. The responder to FSF should use judgment to describe his hand as accurately as possible.

He has the following options: (a) With a stopper (or even half-stopper) in the fourth suit, bid NTs. (b) With four cards in fourth suit, raise it (3 ♦ ). (c) Without a stopper, and 2-5-2-4 distribution, rebid first suit (2 ♥ ). (d) With five-card second suit, rebid it (3 ♣ ). (e) With three-card support for partner’s suit, show it (2 ♠ ).

With better than minimum values, show them by making a jump raise on (a), (c) and (e). Therefore, in the above auction, South’s 2 ♠ has shown a fairly minimum hand with 3-5-1-4 distribution. This is good news for your hand, and you should bid 3 ♣ , which we’ll discuss tomorrow.