BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

YOUR partner deals and opens 1 ♣ . What do you respond? NO MARKS at all for anyone who considered raising clubs to show your splendid support. no marks either for getting over-excited and jumping straight to 4nT (Blackwood) to inquire about partner’s aces.

You are obviously going to bid your own heart suit first. So the question is: do you bid 1 ♥ or 2 ♥ ? Beginners are taught that at least 16 points are needed to make a forcing jump bid, and this hand only contains 14 honour points, so they would be forgiven for choosing 1 ♥ .

however, the hand is much too powerful for that. Apart from your own solid suit, you have excellent support for partner’s suit, which makes your doubleton and singleton worth another three points in evaluating your hand.

You must bid a game forcing 2 ♥ and wait to see what partner bids next.

note that if South had opened 1 ♦ , instead of 1 ♣ , your correct response would be only 1 ♥ . You haven’t found a fit yet and so you need the extra bidding space to explore the optimum resting place.