Low-level Competitive Bidding by David Bird

A: 2♠. East's bid is forcing, so it seems that the opponents have the majority of the points. Some would say that you do not need to bid because the auction will continue and you will have another chance. No, you should raise immediately to 2♠, of course!

This raise tells partner that you have spade support but relatively few points. On a hand with more points, you would cue-bid 2♦ instead.

The advantage of supporting in this way is two-fold here. You allow partner to compete to the 3♠ level when he has extra length in his suit. You also suggest that he can lead the suit if West plays the final contract.

Is it safe to raise on such a weak hand? Yes. Your partner will hold at least 5 spades. 5 plus 3 = 8, so you can compete to the 8-trick level.

Your result so far:

A: 2♠. When partner doubles 1♥, you expect him to hold four cards in the 'other major' most of the time. You should therefore bid 2♠ here on any hand that would raise a 1♠ opening when playing 4-card majors.

The old-fashioned notion of the 'free bid' (where 2♠ would show extra values if you did not have to speak because of action by your RHO) was always a poor idea.

Of course, you want to show trump support whenever you can, for many different reasons. Partner will not expect you to hold that many points. You are contesting against the opponents' fit because you have diagnosed a probable fit your way. Expecting an 8-card fit, you contest to the 8-trick (2♠) level.

Perhaps your bridge teacher tells you that you need 8 points to make a 'free bid' here. Nod politely and ignore this recommendation. It is critical to contest these low-level partscores when you have a trump fit.

Your result so far:

A: 3♠. Here, you know that your side has a combined total of at least 9 trumps. So, you intend to contest to the 9-trick (3♠) level. Do so immediately. This will remove considerable bidding space from your LHO, who is likely to hold a strong hand.

It is not good tactics to hope to win the auction in 2♠, saying that you will bid 3♠ later if necessary.

You would bid 3♠, just the same, if East instead bid 2♦, 2♥ or made a negative double.

Your result so far:

A: Double. The opponents have found a fit and then stopped at a low level. What conclusion can you draw?

They do not have the points to make even a game try, so your partner is likely to have around 8-12 points. You should be very reluctant to sell out to a low-level trump fit with the opponents.

Here, you did not have enough to double 1♥ in the second seat. Now, though, you do have enough to make a take-out double of 2♥. If you find this surprising and are reluctant to double now, read the previous paragraph again.

Nearly all good players will double to contest the partscore. Join them! When the opponents have a heart fit, you are very likely to have a fit in one of the other suits.

Your result so far:

A: 3♠. You have at least a 9-card fit with partner and should contest to 3♠. This may help partner with his opening lead. It will also help him to judge whether to sacrifice in 4♠, if that seems a good idea. Do not make the mistake of passing now and then wondering what to do if West bids 4♥.

If you did pass and West bid only 3♥, followed by two passes, you would bid 3♠ then. So, be a tiger and bid 3♠ immediately instead. There is everything going for such a bidding style!

Your result so far:

A: Pass. You have a balanced hand with only 3-card spade support. If you bid 3♠ and LHO goes to 4♥, your partner will quite often decide to sacrifice in 4♠ when that is the wrong decision for your partnership.

If West passes too, and your partner has a good hand - either in terms of shape or points - he can contest the auction himself. You are not eager to go to the three-level yourself when you have a balanced hand and the partnership may have only 8 trumps. On such hands, it may be better to defend. Certainly, it is not the sort of hand on which you want to encourage a sacrifice in 4♠.

Your result so far:

A: 3♥. With only 11 points, some might think that bidding further was unwise. Think again! You are expecting your side to have a combined trump total of 9. You should therefore be willing to bid to the 9-trick level (3♥). What's more, the opponents surely have at least eight spades between them, so your partner will be short in the suit. You may be able to take a ruff or two in the dummy.

Note that your 3♥ bid does not invite partner to raise to game. If you had game-try values, you would bid 3♣ or 3♦ instead.

Your result so far: