BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

What should North bid?

A reader asks: Is 3 ♠ forcing in this sequence, and would it be forcing in the sequence 1NT-2 ♣ -2 ♦ - 3 ♠ ? The answer is no; in neither case is it forcing, and in both cases North should now pass.

In the first case, South was not strong enough to bid a direct forcing 3 ♠ ; he considered his hand worth a game contract only if opener had adequate support for the suit. In the second case, which is exactly the same except that North has denied holding a four-card suit in either major, the 3 ♠ rebid is invitational, not forcing.

North should pass in spite of the fact that he has 13 instead of only 12 HCPs. He has no first round controls, no ruffing values, and no adequate support for partner’s spades.