BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

West opens 1Nt (12-14) and your partner intervenes with an Astro defence. What action would you take when he bids (a) 2 or (b) 2 ? PARTNER’S bids are conventional and show at least nine cards in one of the majors and a lower suit (possibly both majors). His cue bid minor indicates which major he holds i.e. 2 = hearts and 2 = spades.

Your responses are also conventional, you’re expected to show whether you have three-card support for the designated major; if you do, you bid it, and if you don’t, you make a relay bid of the next suit up.

So here, your correct response in both cases would be 2 ; on (a) to confirm three hearts and on (b) to deny three spades. You will subsequently not be required to bid again, unless partner makes the only forcing bid of 2NT.

Use of Astro is not encouraged at the rubber bridge table, but it is a very valuable tool to have available at duplicate. You are countering a known number of honour points with an unlimited range of distributional values.