BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

Your partner deals and opens 2NT. How would you respond? This week, we’re going to look at some ‘borderline’ bidding situations, where the good Acol player will use judgment, rather than relying solely on a mechanical count of points.

The first answer is quantitative, and it depends on your agreed point range for 2NT. Most pairs use 20-22, but many ‘Benji’ Acol players prefer a good 19-20. We’ll assume the former, and, therefore, you have a combined minimum here of 33 points.

The normal requirement for a slam in No Trumps is 34 points, so you only want to be in 6NT, if partner is better than minimum.

Your correct response here is 4NT, which is quantitative, not Blackwood; it invites partner to bid the slam, if he likes the look of his hand.

With just a little bit extra, say a reasonable 5-card suit, or better intermediates in the red suits, you’d take the decision yourself to bid 6NT direct.

Opposite a lower range 2NT, it is still tempting to invite. But, unless you know partner to be a conservative bidder, just settle for a simple raise to 3NT. There’s too much risk of the opponents having an ace and king, or badly placed queens and knaves.