BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

You deal and open 1NT (12-14 points), to which your partner responds 3 ♠ . What do you rebid? ObviOusly, you are delighted if your partner wants to play in spades. However, you don’t know precisely how strong he is for his force, though you do know that you have a maximum 1NT, good intermediates and three first-round controls, all of which may add up to a slam.

bid 4 ♦ , an ‘advance cue bid’ which, because it takes the auction beyond the 3NT level, must be understood by your partner as accepting at least a4 ♠ contract. Thus it agrees spades as trumps by inference, and says that you are willing to hear a further effort on his part.

This is the actual hand that was facing responder yesterday. He next cue bid 5 ♣ and opener went direct to 6 ♠ , with 13 tricks being made when the club finesse succeeded.