Do you know your way around raising partner? by Bobby Wolff

A: 3♦: Your offensive values are so good, and your defensive tricks so negligible, that it feels right to jump to three diamonds immediately, rather than competing to two diamonds, which might leave your opponents room to get to together more efficiently than you would like.

Your result so far:

A: 3NT: Your partner has real extras and, in the first instance, is looking for no-trump if you can offer a heart stopper. Here, you have a decent hand for the bidding and a decent heart stopper -- just enough to jump to three no-trump. Without the diamond 10 and heart jack, you would bid two no-trump.

Your result so far:

A: 2♠: In this sequence at your second turn the "impossible" two-spade call shows a good raise to three clubs, while a simple raise to three clubs would suggests more shape and fewer high cards, so take the more aggressive route. For the record, had partner responded two diamonds, not two clubs, a simple raise would have sufficed.


Your result so far:

A: Pass: In this position an overcall of one no-trump shows the equivalent of a strong no-trump, but since your hand is at the minimum end of the range with such bare honors and without a diamond stop that it is probably a bit of a stretch. While the choice appears to be to bid one no-trump or to pass throughout, maybe on this occasion discretion really is the better part of valor.


Your result so far:

A: 3♦: Given your spade length, partner surely doesn't have four spades. So he has at least four diamonds. Given that, you want to raise diamonds to keep the opponents out of their presumed fit in clubs or hearts, so bid three diamonds as a pre-emptive raise, not a limit raise. With the latter hand-type, you would start with a cue-bid.


Your result so far: