MODERN BIDDING
After Interference over Partner ' s 2♣ Opening
Pass , Double , or Bid ?
When the auction begins with a strong artificial 2♣ opening , it is generally expected the auction belongs to the opener ' s side . After all , opener presumably has more than half the points in the deck . Occasionally , however , responder ' s right-hand opponent will enter the auction with a double or an overcall . It ' s important , therefore , to have an agreement with partner about how this impacts the meaning of responder ' s actions .
After a Double Since opener ' s 2♣ is artificial , righthand opponent ' s double typically shows length and strength in clubs , suggesting partner of the doubler to lead a club if making the opening lead or perhaps compete in clubs with a fit .
For most partnerships , the practical agreement is to simply ignore the double . The double hasn ' t taken up any of the bidding room , so the same response can be made as if right-hand opponent had passed .
Consider this hand . North opens 2♣ and East doubles . opener
2♣
N W E S
responder
Dbl
2♦
♠10 8 4 2 ♥8 5 2 ♦Q 7 6 3 ♣6 2 South , responder , was going to make an artificial waiting bid if East passed , so South can still bid 2♦ .
Some partnerships , however , agree to use 2♥ as artificial to show a very weak hand . If that applies to you , bid 2♥ .
In this next example , South has 9 highcard points and two of the top three honors in the five-card spade suit .
16 Audrey Grant ’ s Better Bridge | July-August 2024 opener
2♣
N W E S
responder
Dbl
2♠ ♠A Q 10 7 2 ♥9 7 6 ♦K 6 3 ♣6 2 South was going to make a positive response of 2♠ if East passed , so South can still bid 2♠ after the double . Nothing has changed .
After an Overcall When right-hand opponent overcalls , however , things do have to change . Right-hand opponent ' s bid has taken away some of the normal responses , such as the artificial waiting bid . So the meaning of the responses change to give opener some information about the nature of the hand .
Fortunately , the overcall provides three calls in addition to bidding a suit . A popular agreement is :
• Double shows a very weak hand , about 0-3 points with no king .
• Pass shows about 4 or more points and is game-forcing with no good five-card or longer suit .
• A suit bid is natural , showing a fivecard or longer suit headed by at least the queen .
• A cuebid shows slam interest , asking opener to describe the hand .
The Double
Here , North opens 2♣ and East overcalls 2♥ . opener
2♣
N W E S
responder
2♥
Dbl ♠10 8 4 2 ♥8 5 2 ♦Q 7 6 3 ♣6 2
Since both 2♦ and 2♥ have been taken away , with only 2 high-card points , responder doubles to show a weak hand . This is a warning to opener to proceed cautiously since responder is unlikely to have anything useful .
Why double to show a weak hand rather than pass ?
If responder were to pass to show a weak hand , opener could bid a suit with an unbalanced hand but might be in an awkward position with a balanced hand . Opener would have no way to distinguish between wanting to penalize the interference and wanting to simply reopen the auction with a takeout double .
Having responder ' s double show a weak hand allows opener to judge whether to pass and defend against the doubled contract or bid something .
The Pass
Passing shows enough strength that the partnership has at least gamegoing values . Typically , a king is enough or about 4 or more high-card points . It allows opener to continue naturally without any concerns about being passed or getting too high .
Consider this auction . North opens 2♣ and East overcalls 2♥ . opener
2♣
N W E S
responder ?
2♥
What call would South make with each of the following four hands ?
1 . ♠Q 9 3 2 ♥7 6 3 ♦Q J 7 5 ♣8 6
Pass . South has only 5 high-card points , but since opener presumably has about 22 or more points , there should be enough combined strength for game . Responder can pass and let opener make a natural rebid , allowing responder to help decide Where the partnership belongs .
2 . ♠7 4 ♥Q J 3 ♦K 9 7 5 ♣Q 10 8 6
Pass . Holding a stopper in East ' s overcalled suit and 8 high-card points , responder could bid a natural 2NT . However , this response should